Boro top 50 points but slip nearer to relegation

With three likely to go down from North One, Boro need to catch Aspatria, but they scrambled to a 30-27 win at home to Bradford and Bingley.

Considering all the difficulties bottom club Wigton have had, Boro were grateful that they turned up after a harrowing journey through the snow.

Although it was melting, there was a good covering of snow for most of the game but Boro scored nine tries, adding only three conversions.

The weather also meant three Boro players arrived late, so Ben Roach started at fly half and skipper Richard McRae had to come back from injury earlier than intended and retired after 25 minutes.

Andy Dean went on at fly half for the second half, and with no more backs available hooker Richard Horton switched to full back when Mark Foster was injured.

Forward power brought most of the tries from close range, with lock Ian Robinson scoring two and others coming from Horton, John Dixon, Dean Gardner and Phil Adamson.

There was also a penalty try for persistent infringements and winger Wes Henry scored two, the first from a kick ahead just before half-time, when the score was 22-0. Foster kicked one conversion and Dean two.

Darlington slipped further off the pace when a 12-12 score at Sheffield gave them their second successive draw.

After missing with the last kick of the game at home to Hull Ionians the previous week, skipper David Glendenning slotted a difficult conversion across the wind to level the scores in the final minute this time.

Sheffield proved much stronger and more spirited than in their 67-5 defeat at Darlington in September, and led from the tenth minute.

Glendenning missed touch from a free-kick and the hosts capitalised, rolling a maul to the line and scoring under the posts.

But they froze after 25 minutes when Darlington were awarded a penalty 20 metres out and Craig Lee ran at them. They expected him to pass but he kept going and fell over two bodies to score.

The conversion failed and Darlington went further behind when they tried to run the ball out after Sheffield kicked ahead from halfway. The ball went loose and a try resulted to make it 12-5 at half-time.

That's how it stayed, with most of the play in midfield, until Glendenning almost made the line from 30 metres out and when the ball came back Ian Dobson flicked it left for winger Tony Taylor to score.

Dobson and two other youngsters, Tom Wilkinson and Dan Osleton, did well when they went off the bench in the final 20 minutes.

Two converted tries in two minutes midway through the second half kept Darlington Mowden Park in fifth place in National Three North with a 17-9 home win against Nuneaton.

The benefit of Dave Mitchell's coaching was evident in a match they would have lost a few weeks ago against opponents who had several very useful players.

The snowmelt left the pitch muddy, but the teams produced a rousing match in which props Dave Sinclair and James Isaacson, lock Steve Sanderson and No 8 Tim Wilks caught the eye for Mowden.

Mark Bedworth again played well at full back, as did livewire scrum half Richard Holborough, and new centre Ollie Phillips had a good early run and scored the second try.

Mowden did plenty of attacking in the first half but struggled to finish things off and two penalties by classy fly half Lee Cassell had the visitors 6-0 up at half-time.

Matt Hall replaced knee injury victim Danny Brown shortly afterwards and Nuneaton all but made the line after kicking a penalty to the corner.

But they suffered a blow when their impressive full back had to go off and when his replacement fumbled a long kick by Kevan Oliphant Mowden quickly capitalised.

Isaacson drove on and flipped a pass to Holborough before the ball was moved right for centre Mick Kent to crash through under the posts.

A minute later Sanderson peeled off the back of a line-out on halfway and slipped a good pass to Oliphant, who made 20 metres before giving Phillips a clear run to the line.

Bedworth added his second conversion and landed a 25-metre penalty with five minutes left after a bullocking run by Isaacson.

Two tries by former Cheshire winger James Tyrrell, a Northumbria University student, helped Blaydon to a 35-9 home win against Bedford Athletic.

He burst through the middle for his first then again crashed through two tackles when he took a short pass from James Lofthouse.

A 30-metre curving blind side run took scrum half Andy Foreman over and a half break by centre Tim Green put full back Gareth Foreman over. Lofthouse missed only one kick in landing three penalties and three conversions.

Redcar got back to winning ways in North Two East, stretching an 8-7 half-time lead into a 26-16 home win against Wheatley Hills.

Stockton also started on a snow-covered pitch and produced a spirited performance at home to second-placed Huddersfield before running out of steam and conceding two late tries to lose 20-5.

After trailing to a converted try after 20 minutes, Stockton piled on the pressure after half-time and scored a try through fly half Lee Richardson. But as they began to flag the visitors kicked a penalty before adding the two tries.

The battle at either end of Durham and Northumberland Division One hotted up with promotion rivals Ashington and Horden both topping 50 points, while struggling West Hartlepool TDSOB had a good 23-17 win at Gosforth.

Consett's match against Durham City was a victim of the snow, as was Northallerton's match against Ilkley in Yorkshire Two.

In D and N Two fly half Ian Bircham passed 300 points for the season as leaders Acklam won 29-15 to home to Wallsend. He kicked two drop goals, two conversions and three penalties