MIDDLESBROUGH must try for a third time to climb out of level seven after losing their promotion play-off 25-17 at home to Malton and Norton.

The result confirmed that Yorkshire One is stronger than its D & N counterpart with Malton's pack having the edge in a cracking game. Their No 8 Josh Haggie twice forced his way over from five-metre scrums.

Both sides were keen to keep the ball alive, but two excellent defences kept the first 20 minutes scoreless until Malton kicked a penalty.

Boro launched the sort of quick counter-attack which has brought tries in D & N, but Malton snuffed it out and went further ahead through a converted try on the half hour.

They elected to take a scrum after Boro were penalised and they wheeled it to give Haggie a route to the line.

Boro hit back quickly when the forwards won turnover ball and after a couple of phases the ball was swung left. Ben Wood came off the right wing to draw the final defender and sent left winger Rhys Killbride over.

Matthew Todd converted from the touchline and levelled the scores with a penalty early in the second half.

Malton were slowly getting a stranglehold on possession and when one of their rolling mauls earned a penalty they went back in front. Then another five-metre scrum saw Haggie pick up to be driven over.

With Chris Horton in the sin-bin, Boro’s seven-man pack lost possession at the back of a retreating scrum and Malton’s scrum half sezied the loose ball to score with five minutes left.

Boro came back hard with Miles Colvin and Iain Bradford being stopped just before Joe Gaudie popped the ball up to Euan Tremlett, who drove forward and used his height to stretch over.

Todd converted with the last kick of the game.

Boro donated the gate receipts to the Rob Stephenson Trust, set up in memory of a Newcastle University student who played for Malton and Norton until he died when struck by a taxi on a night out in York.