FEARS of a season's struggle receded for Darlington Mowden Park as they won 16-14 at Tynedale, who needed a late try to get so close.

The conversion attempt by Will Massey was well off target and he also missed a penalty after skipper and goal-kicker Phil Belgian departed midway through the second half.

Mowden improved after their home draw against Preston Grasshoppers, but it was a scrappy match and Tynedale might be the ones to struggle after two defeats.

Former England Under 19 prop Ross Batty, who was on the wing for Mowden last week, played at inside centre this time as Gareth Kerr is awaiting the results of a scan on a thigh injury.

"Ross did a brilliant job," said backs coach Kevan Oliphant. "He didn't let us down at all. Young Mattie Barker also did very well on his debut on the wing.

"Our new Tongan centre did not get many opportunities, but he looks very quick in training, and new lock Anthony Peck got through a lot of work."

Belgian kicked a first minute penalty, but Mowden went ahead when lock Iain Robinson was prominent in a good move finished off by No 8 Jason Smithson.

Full back Michael Breen added a penalty, but Mowden lost Robinson when he was pulled down at the line-out and twisted a knee. Fosita Tanginoa switched from wing to lock, with Andy Wright going on at open side while Andrew Tonkins moved to the wing.

Matt Holmes was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, which halted a good move by Tynedale. Belgian kicked the penalty to cut the gap to 8-6 but after he went off his replacement, Hamish Smales, tried to run the ball from his own line and had to concede a five-metre scrum, from which Mowden scrum half Shaun Richardson scored.

Massey kicked a penalty but Breen, striking the ball better than the previous week, added his second in the 68th minute to make it 16-9. Tynedale twice went close before Smales scored in the last minute of normal time.

Blaydon lost 24-11 at Bradford and Bingley, where they had only a Dan Clappison penalty to show for dominating the first half hour.

Bradford scored a converted try then Clappison landed another penalty just before half-time for Blaydon to trail only 7-6.

The dangerous home backs created another try, but then a clearance was fielded by Blaydon full back Michael Campbell in his own 22 and he showed tremendous pace in slicing through the home defence to score.

A lucky bounce on halfway sparked the attack which produced Bradford's decisive third try.

Middlesbrough lost 25-16 at home to Morley, one of the teams they beat when a strong finish preserved their North One status last season.

Morley have been boosted by the signing of former Leeds scrum half Scott Benton, who scored a good try as the visitors built a 17-9 interval lead.

Boro were struggling for line-out ball, but they improved after conceding a third try and when scrum half Peter Wright made a good break from a maul full back Neil Baggett supported well to score.

Simon Moore added a good conversion to his earlier drop goal and two penalties and Boro were only six points adrift.

They applied further pressure to no avail and were sunk by a late penalty.

Promoted Westoe lost to a last-minute penalty from halfway at Longton, the Midlanders clinching a 13-10 win. Fly half Dave Haswell twice hit the woodwork with penalty attempts for Westoe before finding the target. Four minutes from time he converted a try by replacement flanker Jon Oki-Pearson to level the scores at 10-10.

Durham City came back from 3-0 down to win their North Two East opener 20-3 at home to Beverley, with winger James Walker scoring 15 points.

The City pack were on top throughout and after a big drive up the middle debutant fly half Dan Kyle scored on the short side.

Walker added a penalty but at 8-3 it remained tense until the last 15 minutes. Then full back Ralph Smith broke up the middle and sent Walker on a 30-metre run to the line and the winger took his second try from close range after Howard Johnson picked up off the back of a scrum.

Edged out in last season's two derbies, Hartlepool Rovers began their revenge with a 15-12 win at West Hartlepool, whose points all came from penalties by former Westoe winger Paul Hagan.

West led 9-0 at half-time but Rovers came back with a good try by Carl Robinson, converted by Gareth Foreman before Hagan struck again.

Rovers' second try, scored by debutant Jared Stevens, levelled the scores and Foreman landed a 50-metre penalty to seal the win for Rovers.

It looks like being a tough season for Stockton following a 31-0 defeat at Morpeth, who led 17-0 at half-time and scored five tries in all.