Darlington No 8 Alan Brown became the leading try scorer in National Three North when his second successive hat-trick helped to earn a 27-27 draw away to Leicester Lions.

As in last week's win at home to Hull Ionians, all Brown's tries came in the first half, taking his total for the season to ten.

But after leading 19-0 inside half- an-hour, Darlington were disappointed with the result, with player-coach Craig Lee saying: "We have to look on it as two points lost.

"Our game plan was working well and we were pretty much in control. But we let them back into it and they scored nearly all their points from our mistakes."

An interception try changed the game and the hosts also scored two breakaway tries to snatch a draw, meaning Darlington had to be content with moving up one place to fourth.

Already without their first-choice half backs, they are also resigned to prop Dan Miller being out for five weeks after he withdrew with a knee injury, originally picked up playing for the Newcastle Development XV.

The Falcons are to arrange a scan, plus treatment, but it leaves Darlington stretched in the front row with Joe Oselton and Paul Shepherd playing the full game.

The front five did well at Leicester, with locks Richard Snowball and Stuart Palmer winning plenty of line-out ball, while in the backs winger Frankie Coulson made the most of limited opportunities.

For the first two tries, after 11 and 15 minutes, Brown picked up and drove over after Coulson had almost reached the line, and the third followed a line-out drive.

Craig Lee added two conversions, but a planned move off a line-out led to the Lions scoring a 60-metre interception try and when they broke away for another try just on half-time the gap was down to seven points.

Darlington were back on top after the break, only to concede another breakaway try, making it 19-17 after 51 minutes.

Brown again roused the troops with a powerful charge before flanker Michael Taylor was driven over for Darlington's fourth try, earning a bonus point.

Lee landed a penalty for a ten-point lead with 13 minutes left, but it didn't last long. Darlington could have gone further ahead when they drove almost to the line, but when the ball was flicked out it ran loose and the Lions picked up and ran the length of the field for a converted try. A penalty after 72 minutes levelled the scores.

Tynedale went close to repeating their cup win at Nuneaton, leading 21-20 until they conceded two late penalties for the league leaders to win 26-21.

Skipper Phil Belgian kicked three first half penalties for Tynedale, including one from his own half, but a 9-7 lead became a 20-9 deficit before scrum half Keith Dungait scored a converted try.

When winger Colin Murphy scored wide out they were back in front and had chances to stretch the lead before giving it away at the death.

Durham City moved up to second in North Two East, trailing Penrith only on points difference, with a 41-14 win at Stockton.

Two converted tries in the last two minutes may have given City a flattering margin in a well-contested game, but as a similar thing happened the previous week it speaks highly of their fitness.

While his brother was collecting his hat-trick for Darlington, flanker Wayne Brown scored both Stockton's tries.

He finished off some good inter-passing up the left to give them an early lead, Jeremy Good converting from wide out, but City were level after ten minutes.

From a quick penalty 40 metres out they whipped the ball out and full back Ralph Smith came into the line for winger James Walker to go under the posts.

Stuart Smithson scored the next two, first from a catch-and-drive then by supporting a break up the middle by scrum half Mark McCreaddie. Walker's second conversion made it 19-7 and the Stockton pack did well to hold out at a series of five-metre scrums after flanker Ian Todd had been sin-binned.

City prop Mark Cammiss quickly stretched the lead after half-time from a tap penalty, but Stockton enjoyed their share of pressure and after having a try disallowed they kicked a penalty to the corner and Brown was driven over.

Good's conversion had the gap down to ten points, but Walker replied with a penalty and with two minutes left good handling and missed tackles allowed City fly half Dan Kyle to score.

Stockton rushed the restart and had no cover as Howard Johnson ran the ball back at them and Smith raced over to score.

A 50-metre penalty by Carl Paterson was enough for York to pull off a surprise 3-0 win away to Altrincham Kersal in the Powergen Intermediate Cup third round, but North-East interest ended with away defeats for Middlesbrough and West Hartlepool.

West lost 20-7 away to North Two West leaders Stockport, where they were unlucky to have scrum half David Tighe sent off just before half-time.

Showing great spirit following the resignation of coach Rod MacLure, they had battled hard to trail only 5-0 despite facing the wind.

After withstanding a lot of pressure through tremendous tackling, they got on top in the last ten minutes of the first half and winger Darren Thomas put in a good run.

When he was tackled into touch his exuberant efforts to get up resulted in two players hovering threateningly over him and when Tighe pushed one away he was red-carded.

The home winger was yellow-carded and as Stockport already had one man in the bin they began the second half with 13.

West had them under pressure and after Phil Wallis missed an easy penalty Thomas, now at scrum half, nipped over from a maul.

Wallis landed a good conversion for a 7-5 lead, but West dropped the restart and Stockport stormed away to score.

They added a 30-metre penalty when Tim Sawyer was sin-binned for killing the ball and a penalty try killed off West after they pulled down a maul which was heading for the line.

Middlesbrough lost 42-10 at Hull, whose newly-arrived New Zealand fly half ran the game after Boro trailed only 15-10 at half-time.

With Richard Horton working, second-choice hooker Ben Horton fell ill, as did centre Martin Featherstone. But a penalty by Dave Richardson put Boro ahead and after they went 15-3 down he also made a good break to set up a converted try for his brother, Lee. Boro were outclassed in the second half.

Sunderland were the region's only survivors in the third round of the Powergen Junior Vase, with a 34-17 win at home to Ripon.