DARLINGTON hope to bring in a couple of reinforcements from overseas to beef up a pack which looks like struggling in North One.

Doubtless a side who are still getting to know each other following the mass exodus will improve, but on the evidence of Saturday's 38-8 home defeat by Penrith the ambition for this season can stretch no further than avoiding a second successive relegation.

They clearly need another line-out man to help Andy Harston, but the real problem lay in the midfield defence.

Darlington looked the better side for the first half hour and led 3-0 then 8-7, but they were always struggling to contain Penrith's outside centre, Martin Armstrong, who scored just before half-time for a 14-8 lead.

After that his team-mates got the message that their hosts had a porous defence and all their six tries came from breaks at least 30 yards out.

Powerful No 8 Keith Robinson got in on the act and fly half Steve Wood scored two tries as he was allowed to grow in confidence after a poor start.

After a bright opening, the only time Darlington showed the necessary urgency to compensate for their lack of physicality was when two tries in two minutes midway through the second half put the game beyond them.

They came back strongly with one of several dazzling runs by young centre Andrew Pugh, but several thrusts for the line were foiled. They then kicked a penalty to touch and were driven back in the maul.

Another occasion when they tried to drive a maul in their own half provided a pivotal moment as they were still in the game. But the ball was pinched and Wood dummied inside before shooting past Lee Richardson to race under the posts.

Richardson had put his side ahead with a drop goal after five minutes following good work by flanker Andy Tonkin and centre Alex Lyneton.

It took 20 minutes for Penrith to start getting on top, but after they went ahead with a converted try Darlington came back with a good run by Pugh and from a yard out No 8 Matt Dilworth picked up to dive over.

Dilworth had to go off injured in the second half, while prop Mark Cammiss was replaced by Bill Smith, who also found himself in the wars as things fell apart.

Tynedale look like being the team to beat in National Three North after scoring five tries in a 41-10 home win against Harrogate.

They were 21-0 up after 20 minutes and added a fourth converted try before skipper Phil Belgian handed over the kicking duties to Newcastle Academy fly half Rob Miller, who also scored a try.

Another Falcons prospect, ex-West Hartlepool scrum half Mikey Young, went on as a replacement and scored a try, the others coming from full back Rob McDermott, No 8 Alistair Murray and winger Mark Laycock.

Flanker Ryan Peacey and right wing Harry Duthie scored for Harrogate.

Darlington Mowden Park know they need to improve their away form if they are to challenge near the top of Three North, but it was a familiar story as they conceded 19 penalties and lost 26-19 at Hull Ionians.

A referee who was believed to be a late replacement did not appear to be up to the job and a touch judge's efforts to compensate resulted in Jason Smithson and Ian Keeligan being sin-binned.

Keeligan had gone on when Mowden had reduced a 23-7 deficit to 23-19 after 62 minutes and looked like winning, but the 74th-minute yellow card for a mystery transgression was accompanied by the penalty which sealed Hull's win.

Full back Tom Wilkinson starred for Mowden, scoring two of their three tries, while Kiwi flanker Paul Begovich got through a lot of work and Jamie Connolly was sound at centre. Newcomer Peter Browne, from the Newcastle Academy, also impressed when he went on as a 20th minute replacement at blind side for Paul Vinnicombe.

The half backs did not click as well as hoped, although Andy Foreman scored one of his typical tries from halfway.

Hull began strongly and Mowden conceded three penalties in the first four minutes. But they survived and went ahead the first time they won good ball. It came from a scrum and Connolly went through a gap to send Wilkinson over.

Jon Benson converted, but Hull replied with a penalty then got back on top midway through the half and poor tackling allowed them to add a converted try.

Smithson's yellow card wasn't costly as Hull had two men sin-binned three minutes apart while he was off, but just before the end of a scrappy first half their second penalty made it 13-7.

Five minutes after the break they kicked a penalty to the corner and drove over for a converted try, then added a penalty.

Mowden's fightback began with Browne breaking off a scrum and feeding Smithson, who put Foreman away on his try-scoring run.

Then came the best move of the game, finished off in the corner by Wilkinson and a good conversion by Benson game Mowden real hope. But they failed to capitalise on a number of chances.

It was much the same for Middlesbrough in their opening North One match at home to Cleckheaton as they spurned chances with the game deadlocked at 15-15 for most of the second half. The visitors then kicked a late penalty to snatch victory.

In the absence of injured captain Dave Richardson, Boro had opted to run several kickable penalties or go for the corner.

They started well with lock Gareth Lodge being driven over for a try converted by Simon Moore, but Cleckheaton enjoyed a purple patch towards the end of the first half.

A penalty, two tries and a conversion put them 15-7 ahead, but just before half-time Boro drove on from a line-out and scrum half Peter Wright nipped over.

A penalty by Moore ten minutes after the interval made it 15-15 and that's how it stayed until a heartening performance by Boro was left without reward.

West Hartlepool won their North Two East derby at home to Durham City 22-9 after front row men Carl Robinson and Andrew Dixon both scored in the first 15 minutes.

Poor handling then prevented them from extending the lead and three penalties by James Walker brought City back into it at 10-9.

West forged ahead again in the 63rd minute when the ball was moved wide after a rolling maul and Peter Hodgson scored a try which replacement fly half Gavin Painter converted via bar and post.

City then lost their own ball at a line-out in the West half and Painter broke away, chipped ahead and sent lock Andrew Davies over.

In Yorkshire One Redcar lost 20-10 to Bridlington, despite a try by full back Matthew Goodall, plus a conversion and penalty by Gareth Forman.