DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK were celebrating a double success at the weekend as their men’s and women’s teams both recorded impressive victories.

The men’s side climbed to third in the National One table as they maintained their unbeaten away record with a 17-13 win over Canterbury. Mowden scored all their points in the first half, in a game that was played in testing conditions.

After Canterbury opened the scoring with a penalty, Mowden enjoyed the majority of possession and territory before the break. Their first try came through captain Ollie Hodgson, who finished well for his second success in as many away games.

Brandon Asher-Wood crossed out wide minutes later, with Warren Seals converting both scores and adding a penalty just before half-time.

Mowden’s 14-point lead was a just reward for a dominant first-half performance, but things changed as they were forced to play into the wind in the second period.

Canterbury made the most of the conditions with a well-taken catch-and-drive try on the hour mark. A successful conversion reduced Mowden’s lead to seven points, before a penalty narrowed it further to four.

However, as had been the case in their previous two matches, Mowden defended brilliantly to restrict their opponents to a single try.

As a result, they held on for a third consecutive league win and set up a top-of-the-table home game against second-placed Rosslyn Park this weekend.

Back at The Northern Echo Arena, the club’s women’s side, the DMP Sharks, enjoyed a second bonus point victory in a row with a 32-21 win over Worcester Warriors.

Despite missing a number of their Scotland internationals, the Sharks showed their strength in depth to record a vital win before the autumn break in the Premier 15s calendar.

A brace of tries from Spanish prop Laura Delgado book-ended an impressive Sharks performance in wet conditions. Further tries from Sophie Shams and Trudy Cowan sealed the bonus point, and the win sees the Sharks solidify seventh position in the table.

* Mowden will be hosting a World Cup Breakfast for England supporters ahead of this Saturday’s home game with Rosslyn Park. For more information visit www.mowdenpark.com.