AFTER their first win of the season on Saturday, Mowden Park are hoping for a further boost this week with the arrival of 19st South African lock Naude Pretorius.

With another powerhouse, Tongan Kelekolio Paino, due to have his twice-delayed back operation today, they could soon be spoilt for choice up front.

Saturday's visitors included four Pacific Islanders, while Fosita Tanginoa had a good game for Mowden at No 6, hooker Tasi Tuhana scored one of their tries and South African Michael Georgiou did well in his first full outing at fly half.

But it was local lads Dave Sinclair and Ian Keeligan who provided the platform for a deserved and hard-earned victory against a side whose dangerous backs could have won the game, given more ball.

Neither of the two props was fully fit, but they gave Mowden an edge in the scrums and the highly-fancied visitors also struggled at the line-out.

Mowden turned a 13-5 deficit midway through the first half into a 28-13 lead before Bradford ran in two long-range scores to make the try-count 3-3.

But Mowden's overall territorial advantage allowed Mark Bedworth to kick four penalties and he added two conversions.

Playing at inside centre, Bedworth formed a good link with Georgiou, who showed excellent handling and tackled hard, but left the tactical kicking to the No 12.

Mowden went ahead in the second minute, when they took a quick penalty and kept the ball alive well up the right before moving it left for winger Tom Lauriston to score.

Another quick penalty saw Georgiou burst away from his own 22, but Bradford came back with a blistering move finished by centre Philip Greaves.

The conversion and two penalties gave them their 13-5 lead, but they lost a lock to the sin-bin for elbowing and Mowden kicked the penalty to the corner.

The impressive Ian Robinson won the ball, Tuhana took it on the peel, then Keeligan was driven to the line but the try wasn't given.

It scarcely mattered as a minute later superior scrummaging set up the chance for Bedworth to put through a clever chip for fellow centre Martin Shaw to score.

Bedworth missed a penalty with his one bad kick, but he struck twice late in the half to make it 18-13 at half-time. A penalty to the corner 15 minutes after the break resulted in Tuhana being driven over, Bedworth converting from wide on the left.

Bradford almost scored from the restart, but as they drove for the line a prop suffered a broken ankle, which caused a long delay while a stretcher was summoned and they lost momentum.

Bedworth's third penalty gave Mowden a comfortable cushion and he added another inbetween Greaves and winger Siole Nau racing over for Bradford's late tries.

Greaves took the ball at pace and sailed through a gap before dummying inside and accelerating to the line. There was also defensive frailty when Nau burst from a maul in midfield and rounded full back Iain Dixon to score under the posts. But the 15 minutes of injury time was almost up and Mowden hung on without further alarms.

Result: Darlington Mowden Park 31 Bradford and Bingley 27.