FULL BACK Kevin McCallum has become the third player in two weeks to quit Darlington Mowden Park for Blaydon.
He opted out of Mowden's third successive defeat in National Division Three North on Saturday and watched Blaydon produce their best performance of the season in beating second-placed Dudley Kingswinford 50-21.
They are now only one point behind Mowden in sixth place and things promise to be very interesting when the teams clash twice at Crow Trees next month.
Blaydon insist they have made no approaches, but while Mowden may not have been unduly concerned about the initial loss of Jonny Golightly, McCallum's defection will be a body blow.
He has been a good club man since joining from Durham City during Eddie Bell's time as coach and his father has also helped on match days.
After four successive promotions, the bubble was always going to burst some time and how Mowden ride out this mini storm will determine their future.
They are looking for a new coach and if they get the right man in place reasonably quickly they can go forward again.
They made a good start on their first venture into the national leagues, but after years of success harsh words were spoken when unaccustomed defeats came along.
Loyalties are tested in such circumstances, and Mowden will hope that the spirited performance against third-placed Liverpool St Helens is a sign that the defections are over.
They will be grateful for the chance to get back to winning ways at home to West Hartlepool next week.
For the third successive week they threatened to overhaul an early deficit against Liverpool, only to fade again and lose 31-24.
Danny Brown, switched from prop to replace departed hooker Tasi Tuhana, threw in well at the line-out and lock Steve Sanderson was outstanding as Mowden shaded the battle up front.
But they had no penetration in the backs, especially after Richard Woollam went off injured in the first half.
Winger Chris Mattison switched to scrum half and did well, but the well-organised Liverpool defence conceded tries only from close range after heavy pressure.
The visitors led 20-5 after 30 minutes, with Brown scoring Mowden's try from a line-out drive. Then in first half injury time constant pressure allowed centre Mark Bedworth to make it 20-10.
Liverpool kicked a penalty before flanker Tim Wilks ripped the ball out of a maul to score, with Kevan Oliphant's conversion again bringing Mowden within one score.
But the visitors hit back with a try and there were only five minutes left when Mowden were awarded a penalty try after persistent infringement by Liverpool, who completed the scoring with another penalty.
Skipper Dave Guthrie set a storming example for Blaydon, for whom winger Iain Dixon scored 30 points by converting all five tries, one of which he scored himself, and adding five penalties.
The lively Dudley side were very much in the game for 60 minutes, when they trailed 26-21, but then the ball went loose in a tackle on Blaydon's 22 and Dixon snapped it up to race away and score.
While Golightly's handling at centre made the backs click, Tuhana went on for the second half and played a big part in the final try.
The hooker appeared on the wing and drove back inside to set up quickly recycled possession for centre Tim Green to grab his second touchdown.
He also finished off a superb try just before half-time when the forwards drove out of their own 22 and full back Gareth King linked with winger Paul Alexander to leave Green to cover the last 30 metres. Guthrie and scrum half Andy Foreman also scored.
West Hartlepool lost 41-19 at home to New Brighton, going 19-0 down after 18 minutes before more than matching their visitors for the rest of the first half.
Tries by winger Darren Thomas and full back Mike Walton, which he also converted, made it 24-12 at half-time, but New Brighton added three more tries before back row man Tim Sawyer scored for West in injury time.
In North Two East Stockton lost 45-7 away to leaders Cleckheaton, while Redcar had flanker Ronnie Stocks sent off 15 minutes from time in a 15-7 defeat at Alnwick. They were 15-0 down at half-time and their points came from a penalty try.
Northallerton lost their Yorkshire Two match at Leodiensians 18-10, Gavin Hamilton scoring a try converted by Ed Bulman, who also added a penalty.
* England captain Martin Johnson looks set to avoid further punishment for the ''disgraceful'' punch that marred Leicester's landslide Zurich Premiership success against Saracens on Saturday.
Johnson escaped with a yellow card and ten minutes in the sin-bin, despite smashing his right fist into the face of Saracens' hooker Robbie Russell.
It left Russell requiring six stitches to an ugly wound beneath his left eye, and brought condemnation from Francois Pienaar and Michael Lynagh.
Johnson received a five-week ban last year after being found guilty of foul play on three counts against the same opponents.
Saracens cited him for punching prop Julian White, kneeing fly-half Duncan McRae and stamping on Lynagh.
But while Saturday night's yellow card will go on his record, additional disciplinary action is highly unlikely because referee Dave Pearson dealt with the incident.
Had Johnson been sent off, then he would have faced a probable three-week suspension.
Television footage showed Johnson and Russell, who was also sin-binned, grappling with each other.
Sky television pundit Lynagh described it as an act of ''thuggery''. And Saracens boss Pienaar, whose team lost 48-7 said: ''It was disgraceful.
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