DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK took a bonus point from their longest trip of the National One season on Saturday when they travelled to Devon to face Plymouth Albion.

A late try from dual-registered back row Freddie Lockwood ensured that Garry Law’s side did not come away empty-handed from a difficult game for the away side that ended in a 49-22 defeat.

The first half was dominated by the Plymouth forwards as they played with their wind at their backs.

Albion played to their strengths by kicking penalties to touch and relying on their strong driving maul, which saw hooker Max Norey cross for his first try inside the opening five minutes.

Mowden replied well with a maul try of their own from hooker Ralph Appleby, but the hosts continued to pile on the pressure and began to build a convincing lead in the first 40.

Two penalties for Connor Eastgate, along with further tries for Cam Setter and a second for Norey, saw Plymouth claim a 25-5 lead at the half-time break.

Mowden started the second half well, despite still being down to 14 men after a Dave Fisher yellow card just before the referee blew for half-time.

Another driving maul try saw Joe Craggs dive over in the corner, as it looked like Mowden could stage another dramatic comeback.

Further sin bins for Lockwood and Liam Checksfield made things more difficult for DMP, and Plymouth ran in another four second-half tries to put the result beyond doubt at the hour mark.

Mowden then scored the try of the afternoon when Paul Jarvis dived over in the corner, before sustained pressure on the Albion line saw Freddie Lockwood barge over for the bonus point try in the dying stages.

Mowden Park will now be looking to return to winning ways on Saturday when they welcome in-form Cinderford to the Darlington Arena in a 3pm kick off.

Elsewhere over the weekend, Darlington Mowden Park Durham Sharks also suffered defeat on the road in the Allianz Premier 15s.

The Sharks were always going to be up against it, and suffered a 69-7 loss against reigning champions Harlequins.

A much-improved defensive display saw the Sharks hold the hosts for large periods in the first half, with Quins leading 24-0 at the interval.

The home side then showed their quality to run in seven second-half tries, but not before Meg Gardner had powered over for her first Premier 15s try on the hour mark for the Sharks.

Mark Luffman’s side will be hoping for another improved performance this weekend when they face another tough trip to Wasps on Saturday.

Meanwhile, after their first event sold out in just three days, Mowden have announced another event with former world-renowned referee Nigel Owens.

Owens will be visiting the Darlington Arena on Saturday, June 11 for a sportsman's lunch.

Tickets for the event are priced at £60 (£55 for Darlington Mowden Park members), which includes a two-course meal and a welcome drink.