BLAYDON and Middlesbrough suffered a disastrous day on Saturday with shock defeats putting paid to promotion for one and survival for the other.

The size of Blaydon's 44-13 hammering in their final National Three North game at Tynedale was a real stunner and although they remain second, ahead of Nuneaton on points difference, the Midlanders need only one point from two games.

Boro were relegated from North One when they lost 31-22 at home to Caldy and will finish next to the bottom after Longton climbed above them by winning at Chester.

After giving themselves a lifeline the previous week by beating second-placed West Park St Helens, Boro expected to leapfrog Caldy and achieve safety. But they were outgunned up front by the Cheshire side.

Blaydon gambled on playing Martin Shaw at centre after a pain-killing injection, but Tynedale's smaller centres exposed the visitors' lack of pace.

The lighter home pack also gave Blaydon the runaround, with their back row usually quicker to the breakdown.

Tynedale's young fly half Gavin Beasley scored a hat-trick of tries and there was a brace for the 18-year-old England Counties winger Hamish Smales.

A gap down the middle allowed Beasley to score his first after three minutes, but Blaydon came back with a good move from their own half. The forwards drove on before Dan Clappison passed inside for full back Dan Graney to score.

Clappison converted into the wind then added a penalty for a 10-7 lead before an interception deep in his own half led to Smales' first try.

Phil Belgian converted but good defence kept Tynedale out until Beasley dropped a goal for a 17-10 half-time lead.

A Clappison penalty got the gap down to four points but then the wind dropped and Tynedale scored 27 unanswered points.

Shaw retired just after half-time and Blaydon skipper Dave Guthrie, who has been carrying an injury, went off with ten minutes to go.

Both could miss next Saturday's Durham Cup semi-final at home to Darlington as Guthrie's priority will be to get fit for the British Police tour of South Africa.

With David Richardson's expected return failing to materialise, Middlesbrough fell behind to a converted try from a rolling maul after four minutes, then Caldy scored from a line-out to lead 12-0.

A penalty by Simon Moore and a try just before half-time by Lee Richardson got Boro back into it, especially as they had the wind behind them in the second half.

But they were never in it as Caldy scored shortly after the break and added a good try to leave Boro 16 points adrift.

They tried to come back with flanker Gavin Fingland scoring round the front of a line-out, Moore adding the conversion from the touchline.

But Caldy replied with a try from a line-out and a late score by replacement lock Chris Palesci was scant consolation for Boro.

After a 46-0 win at home to bottom club Whitchurch, Westoe have the chance to finish third in North One when they entertain Longton on May 6.

They can fit in their Durham Cup semi-final against Horden next Saturday, with the county deciding that the final will be on Wednesday, May 24, which will certainly not suit whoever wins the Blaydon v Darlington match.

Darlington will finish fifth in National Three North following a 39-26 home defeat by Fylde, irrespective of the result in the rearranged visit of leaders Bradford and Bingley in two weeks.

Their hopes of avenging the opening day defeat at Fylde were ended by two minutes of madness in their own 22 just before half-time.

They gave the ball away and conceded two tries to trail 29-14 at the interval then continued to allow visiting fly half Mike Scott to run the game.

Darlington hoped to continue where they left off in winning at Tynedale the previous week, but turned in a lacklustre performance and failed to win enough ball.

But after conceding an early try they went ahead through tries by flanker Phil Dawson and prop Joe Oselton, both converted by full back Lee Davis.

Fylde scored again after 26 minutes and a drop goal by Scott put them back in front before the two tries just before half-time were followed by another five minutes after the break.

Darlington tried to fight back and were awarded a penalty try for persistent infringement, then replacement winger Ben Snook scored after 63 minutes. But that was as close as they got and Scott added a late penalty for Fylde.

Darlington Mowden Park set out to enjoy their final game of the season and with Preston in similar mood it became an exhibition match, which the Grasshoppers won 65-38.

Mowden achieved a four-try bonus point well before half-time as they came back from 19-0 down after ten minutes to be level at 31-31 at half-time.

Preston scored again straight after the interval then began to run out of steam and slowed things down, but still managed to score from driving mauls.

"We just tried to throw the ball around and made a lot of mistakes," said Mowden coach Kevan Oliphant. "But we scored some good tries."

Skipper Iain Dixon and lock Ian Robinson scored two tries each for Mowden, while winger Matt Barker and replacement flanker Andrew Tonkin also touched down. Anthony Mellalieu added the goal points.

Durham City finished third in North Two East after a 17-10 home defeat by Penrith, who secured the title.

City led 10-3 at half-time following a try by Kevin Showler, converted by James Walker, who added a penalty.

Three penalties put Penrith ahead with ten minutes left and they resisted City pressure before driving over from a line-out at the death.

Relegated Stockton signed off with a 35-3 defeat at Alnwick, who look likely to go down with them after being edged out by Percy Park's surprisingly easy 45-8 win at home to Driffield.

Both Stockton's props were missing, so they had to draft in Ian Fleetham, 46, and 18-year-old Matthew Austen. They lost hooker Dave Moulder before half-time and when Fleetham had to retire shortly after the interval the referee had to order uncontested scrums.

When Graham Kell was injured Stockton were down to 14 men and Richie Brown and Jeremy Good bravely stayed on, despite nasty knocks.

Stockton have been conceding long-range tries all season and the first of Alnwick's five came from an interception, while the last was scored from their own 22.

Good kicked Stockton's penalty when they were 7-0 down.

The two Hartlepool clubs both lost, West going down 22-19 at Sheffield to finish sixth, one place above Rovers, who lost 46-14 at Morpeth.

Final day drama in Durham and Northumberland One saw three teams finish on 36 points, but Northern's 18-13 defeat at Consett left them in third place.

Horden hung on to top spot on points difference, despite a 33-17 defeat at second-placed Malton and Norton.

* A try by Barnard Castle School flanker Callum Clark and three penalties by Keswick's Robert Miller, who is attached to Newcastle Falcons, helped England Under 18s win the Home Unions tournament fro the first time with a 21-15 win against Wales at Cheltenham. The side also featured two more Newcastle Academy boys in full back Alex Tait and flanker Aaron Myers.