BEN STEVENSON hopes to help take Newcastle Falcons’ unbeaten run past the eight-month mark when the Championship leaders host Doncaster Knights on Friday.

Falcons have won all 13 of their fixtures this season with Stockton-born Stevenson averaging a try every 62 minutes after racing in for seven scores in his nine appearances.

That scoring run includes a 90-metre interception try the last time Newcastle and Doncaster met, with Stevenson scoring one of six Falcons tries in a 43-14 victory at the start of last month.

“In terms of the team, I don’t think we’ve properly clicked yet to the extent that we want to, but we’ve still been going well and getting the results,” said the 21-year-old, who is benefitting from a full-time focus after graduating with a law degree at Durham University in the summer.

“I still think we’ve got another 20 or 30 per cent in us, but we’re beating teams and scoring somewhere in the region of 40 points on a regular basis.”

Newcastle are currently eight points clear at the summit of the Championship after seven of the 22 rounds, and remain one of only three English teams at level five or above to have won all of their games this campaign.

Also flying in the Championship Cup after reaching the quarter-finals as top seeds and unbeaten in their four reserve matches, Stevenson is one of many local faces at Kingston Park as a homegrown core aims to help the club bounce back to the top-flight at the first attempt.

“Nobody wants to get relegated, but being in the Championship has meant that the likes of myself, George Wacokecoke, Adam Radwan and Rob Farrar, to name just a few, have had a bit more of an opportunity,” said Stevenson. “It’s given us the chance to build up that base of experience, and it’s great for the club as well to be able to showcase some more of the local talent that has come through in our area.

“Hopefully if we do go up, as everyone believes we can, then that will give us a good foundation of homegrown players in the Premiership.”

Taking nothing for granted against a Doncaster side who were beaten 57-0 on their last visit to Kingston Park, the Teessider said: “They’re a dangerous side. They made life really difficult for us when we played them away from home.”