Battling Blaydon

They saw an 8-0 lead become a 20-8 deficit at half-time before their forwards got on top for fly half Ryan Roberts to convert a try by Dean Michniewicz then add two penalties.

But Blaydon missed a few chances to make the game safe and needed some heroic defence in the last ten minutes to withstand Lymm's desperate attempts to get across the line.

Lymm were threatening to score from a rolling maul at the death when winger Andy Savory ripped the ball off a home prop and cleared to safety.

Roberts had kicked an early penalty and also set up Blaydon's first try when he threw out a long pass for veteran winger Graeme Spearman to score in the corner.

With a crowd of 500 behind them, the Cheshire club's forwards then dominated up to half-time, and two converted tries and two penalties left Blaydon with a lot to do.

Spearman ran 40 metres up the touchline to set up the second try and Roberts did the rest, although he spurned a good chance to score a try himself.

The three other clubs from the North and Midlands group who join Blaydon in the quarter-finals on February 24 are Sheffield, Cleckheaton and Kettering.

Centre Jake Hirst was injured, but John Marriott will be fit to return for next week's North One match at Darlington Mowden Park, when newly-signed back row man John Goose will also come into contention.

Mowden moved two points clear at the top when they avenged last season's defeat at Chester with a 27-6 win.

There was a tough battle in the front row, but Mowden dominated elsewhere and their backs always looked dangerous, with winger Steve Jones finishing off one of the best tries of the season while centre Mark Bedworth touched down twice.

Mowden had only a penalty by Kevan Oliphant to show for their pressure in the first 20 minutes and Chester equalised the first time they escaped from their own half.

Jones' try came after 28 minutes from a scrum in Mowden's own 22. Tony Irwin took it up the blind side and Mick Kent made ground before the ball was moved along the line, with all the backs handling, for Jones to go in from ten metres.

A second Chester penalty made it 8-6, but Mowden virtually settled it in ten minutes either side of half-time.

Forward pressure from pick-and-drives ended with Darren McKinnon going over, Oliphant converting, then good handling sent Bedworth over after the ball was won in midfield. He ran round behind the posts and converted himself.

Wigton's first win since October 21 - 13-9 at home to Bradford and Bingley - was bad news for Middlesbrough and Stockton.

The Cumbrians moved above Boro, who were without a game, and left Stockton six points adrift of safety after their 42-18 defeat at Driffield.

Stockton led 18-3 at half-time at Driffield, who then brought their skipper off the bench to play at No 8 and wiped out the deficit within ten minutes.

Fly half Jeremy Good kicked an early penalty for Stockton then a good run by Simon Crozier set up a try for centre Joff Staples.

Graham Kell added a penalty while Good was off with a cut knee, then the fly half returned to convert a try just before half-time when lock Mark Skirving was driven over.

Just after Stockton fell behind a scoring pass from Crozier to Nev Slee was adjudged to be forward and that proved their last chance to get back in the game.

Darlington lost 30-14 away to unbeaten North Two East leaders Halifax, but will still be second with a game in hand even if they lose at third-placed Huddersfield next week.

The priority now for Darlington is to maintain a better record than the second club in North Two West so they have home advantage in the promotion play-off.

They trailed only 16-14 at Halifax before conceding two converted tries in the last 15 minutes as the power of the home pack took its toll.

Darlington had early problems with the referee mysteriously deciding that Phil Lancaster was responsible for collapsing three scrums.

With both packs on the ground from one of these incidents, the referee mistakenly allowed Halifax to take a quick penalty, which led to their first try.

A penalty made it 8-0, and when Lancaster was then sin-binned it helped to fire up Darlington, who drew level through a try by Mark Butler and a long-range penalty by David Glendenning.

A breakaway try gave Halifax a 13-8 half-time lead, but it was all Darlington for the first 20 minutes after the interval.

They made several breaks, but Halifax always had the cover to snuff out their attacks and it needed two penalties by Glendenning to provide some reward.

Huddersfield could only draw 10-10 at West Park Bramhope, while Redcar's play-off hopes vanished in a 13-10 home defeat by Bridlington.

Coastal rivalry spilled over as both sides had a player sent off. Lock Neil Cook and scrum half Kevin Jones touched down for Redcar as both sides scored two tries, with a penalty making the difference for the visitors.

West Hartlepool's misery deepened with a 92-0 defeat at Kendal, whose full back Mike Scott set a Division Two record with 42 points. He scored four of the 14 tries and added 11 conversions.

It was 59-0 at half-time, when Kendal sent on three replacements and as one of them was injured they played the last 20 minutes with 14 men.

Westoe lost their 100 per cent record in Durham and Northumberland Division One when they went down 18-15 to an injury time penalty at Hartlepool Rovers.

Winger Frank Coulson raced from deep inside his own half to score an excellent try for Rovers, who were outplayed for much of the game but defended stoutly.

In Division Three, Barnard Castle stayed on the heels of leaders Ponteland when they won 57-15 at home to Durham Constabulary, while Bishop Auckland won 18-8 at Jarrovians.

Northallerton's 15-5 defeat at Castleford left them third from the bottom of Yorkshire Two.

Scarborough consolidated top spot with a 54-3 win at Wath-on-Dearne, where scrum half Bill Freeman scored four tries in their 13th successive win.