HOOKER Tasi Tuhana said an emotional farewell to Darlington Mowden Park on Saturday after playing his final match for the club then presenting the Player of the Year awards.

Mowden won the last match of their National Three North programme 35-12 at home to Fylde to finish with five successive victories.

Tuhana is returning home to New Zealand shortly, although there are rumours he could be tempted back by a big offer made by another North-East club.

The awards voted on by the committee were: Player of the Year - Mark Bedworth; Young Player of the Year - Jason Smithson; Most Improved Player of the Year - Peter Phelan. The Players' Player was lock forward Ian Robinson.

Although it was a perfectly clean game, the match against Fylde finished with five players, three of them visitors, requiring stitches.

Mowden's casualties were back row man Paul Evans and lock Naude Pretorius, who needed 20 stitches above an eye following a collision with teammate Fosita Tanginoa.

Two of the five converted tries were scored by Tanginoa, playing at open side in the absence of Smithson, who was suspended for a week by the club following his dismissal for two yellow card offences at Halifax last week.

Mowden were well on top in the early stages, but no-one claimed a speculative up-and-under when Fylde made their first breakaway and the visitors regathered the ball to score in the corner.

Mowden hit straight back and Bedworth scored tries after nine and 15 minutes, both set up by Martin Shaw and Tom Lauriston, with the second coming from one of the best moves of the season.

The rest of the first-half was an error-strewn stalemate, but it was all Mowden after the break and line-out possession followed by good handling brought Tanginoa's first try.

Two minutes later another slick move involving five players ended with winger Michael Breen touching down.

Fylde scored from a catch-and-drive after 60 minutes to make it 28-12, but Mowden came back with another excellent try, five forwards handling before Tanginoa finished it off. Bedworth landed his fifth conversion out of five.

Darlington lost 56-0 at Halifax after having to make several late changes to their depleted side, including playing prop Rory Livingstone in the second row on his senior debut.

"It was one game too many," said coach Craig Lee. "We couldn't fault the commitment and effort, but they were scoring almost at will towards the end when we got tired and started missing tackles.

"It might have been different if we hadn't had a first-half try disallowed because it was only 13-0 at half-time."

Lee and fellow coach Phil Lancaster now wait to see which of their selected Durham County squad turn up for training at Blackwell Meadows this morning.

They have another session on Thursday evening and may wait until then before naming a side to play Oxfordshire at Gateshead on Saturday.

*Durham City were promoted to North Division Two after beating Wheatley Hills in a play-off.