THERE are already signs that both Darlington clubs can continue their remarkable progress up the leagues, with Mowden Park's 32-12 victory at Nuneaton establishing them as one of three teams in National Three North with three wins out of three.

Mowden had to play reserve hooker Matt Hall at blind side as Darren McKinnon's back seized up, while Jason Malcolm deputised for Steve Sanderson at lock.

But the changes did not affect the performance and Nuneaton never looked like breaching Mowden's watertight defence.

They did manage three penalties and a drop goal to stay in touch at 15-12 at half-time but were outscored five tries to nil.

Winger Matt Howland capped an impressive display by smashing over for a try early in each half and Mowden also had a penalty try in the first half when the hosts dragged down a driving maul.

Kevan Oliphant added a penalty and a conversion and was also on target in the second half after scrum half Richard Woollam nipped over from another rolling maul.

Finally Mowden scored from their own 22 when Oliphant's looped pass found Howland.

He flicked the ball inside for Jonny Golightly to send No 8 Aaron Radaelli on a 50-metre run before full back Kevin McCallum finished it off.

Of the other teams with 100 per cent records, Doncaster won 41-15 at previously unbeaten Morley, and Liverpool St Helens won 45-17 at home to bottom club West Hartlepool.

West came back from an early 12-0 deficit to trail only 18-17 at half-time, but were unable to respond again once Liverpool began to pull away.

West scored tries through forwards Andrew Davies, Carl Robinson and Chris Webb.

Blaydon gained their first league points with a 30-19 win at Bedford Athletic after trailing 19-14 with 15 minutes left.

James Lofthouse was twice on target in an early exchange of penalties before Bedford scored the first try. But just before half-time centre Vinny Bell broke through for Blaydon and Lofthouse sent winger James O'Malley over.

Lofthouse kicked the conversion and added two more when hooker Phil Ritson and full back Gareth King scored the late tries which clinched victory.

In North One, Chester are the only team other than Darlington to have won both their first two games and Middlesbrough were able to climb into fourth place with a 33-16 win at Wigton.

The lead changed hands several times in the first half after a converted try by former Stockton centre Loa Tupou gave Wigton an early lead.

Boro went ahead through tries by flanker Steve Wallis and centre Ian Wilson, with a conversion by Steve Graham. But two penalties edged the Cumbrians back in front at 13-12.

Five minutes before half-time a quickly-taken penalty produced a try for Boro winger Wes Henry on his first appearance of the season.

A third penalty for Wigton cut the gap to one.

But Boro dominated the second half and there were second tries for Wallis and Henry, who capitalised when Wigton dropped the ball near their own line.

Jon Wrigley took over the kicking and landed two penalties in the last ten minutes.

Morpeth and Redcar lead the way in North Two East, the former romping to a 45-3 win away to struggling Bridlington.

Redcar won 17-9 at promoted Doncaster club Wheatley Hills, with player-coach Paul Beal, the former West Hartlepool prop, scoring the decisive try from a rolling maul.

Fly half Gareth Foreman kicked four penalties to establish a 12-9 lead in a forward-dominated game, but new French winger Fabien Busson was able to show his paces before suffering a hamstring injury.

Redcar have also been strengthened by the return of scrum half Matt Hemingway, who broke his leg in the first game of last season.

Stockton lost 28-17 at Huddersfield after being outplayed in the first half hour.

They came back from 19-0 down with tries by Alan Brown and Keith Etherington, but Huddersfield kicked four penalties in the second half.

Winger Simon Crozier scored a last-minute try for Stockton, converted by Dave Turner.

Billingham continued their good start in Durham and Northumberland Division One with a 25-8 win at home to Horden, with winger Alex Garbutt scoring two of the five tries.

Durham City scraped home 19-17 at home to Consett, leaving the visitors as one of the three clubs without a point along with Hartlepool Rovers and Winlaton.

Rovers saw an 8-6 interval lead become a 28-8 deficit as fly half Taff Baskerville scored 18 points for the visitors from three penalties, a try and two conversions.