BLAYDON'S promotion hopes in National Three North suffered a big setback with a 20-12 defeat at Preston Grasshoppers, who they hoped to overhaul for third place.

In a good game played in an excellent spirit, Blaydon enjoyed plenty of control but Preston took their chances better.

Flanker Pat Segi broke off a maul 20 metres out and rode two tackles to score the opening try for Blaydon.

They almost scored again when Martin Shaw rolled out of a tackle and put winger James Kyle over. But the pass was fractionally forward.

Blaydon then conceded a soft try when they won a line-out five metres from their line but delivered the ball at the scrum half's toes.

He was unable to gather it and the Preston hooker dropped on the ball to score.

Although the home kicker had missed four penalties he converted the try from the touchline and added a penalty for a 10-5 interval lead.

Five minutes after the break Blaydon were back in front when fly half Dan Clappison cleverly put centre Sua Segi under the posts.

But home winger Paul Bailey finished a good passing move from halfway and again converted, and Blaydon's fate was sealed when Preston broke out for Simon Worsley to drop a goal in the last minute.

It was a bad day for Middlesbrough, who allowed Whitchurch to break their duck with an 18-11 home win in the North One.

It was as though Boro were still on the bus for the first 20 minutes and when they conceded an early penalty under the posts for off-side it was the first time this season Whitchurch had been in front.

They added a converted try after ten minutes, but eventually Boro woke up and split the defence with their first real attack. It stemmed from a break by fly half Dave Richardson and the ball went through several pairs of hands before winger Pedro Salahshouri finished it off.

He got over again just before half-time but was adjudged to have made a double movement.

Awarded a penalty just inside halfway early in the second half, Boro decided to go for goal but the kick fell short, Whitchurch ran it back and the full back raced 75 metres to score.

They added a penalty for an 18-5 lead but although Boro dominated the last 25 minutes they lost possession three times near the line and had only two Richardson penalties to show for their efforts.

Stockton were similarly poor in a 34-17 defeat away to North Two East's bottom club, Sandal.

The front five did well enough, but the team's habit of conceding long-range tries continued as they lost the try count 6-2.

They also lost centre Paul Underwood just when he looked certain to score. He threw the ball down in frustration as he tore a hamstring.

Stockton had nothing to show for early pressure and when they missed touch Sandal ran the ball back to score under the posts.

Stockton were level after 28 minutes when they kicked a penalty to the corner and Mark Skirving was driven over.

Jeremy Good landed a fine conversion then kicked a penalty from the left touchline, only for Sandal to reply with two tries in three minutes. One was from a penalty 40 metres out and the other was a 50-metre interception.

Another try from halfway came early in the second half when Sandal missed their line-out jumper but a flanker caught the ball at the back and ran in unchallenged.

Nicky Poole went on at scrum half when Underwood was injured, but it was 27-10 before he took a quick penalty to score.

Stockton followed that up with a lot of pressure, but when they lost possession Sandal broke away to score again.

Durham City's promotion hopes were dented by a 32-16 defeat at Hartlepool Rovers, for whom centre Andy Foreman showed his pace to score two good tries.

The first came after five minutes when he ran round the outside to score from a scrum 30 metres out and the second was just before half-time, when City lost their own line-out and Foreman raced in from 80 metres.

Inbetween lock Darren Smith also scored when Rovers chipped the ball wide and it was turned back inside.

Two penalties for City by James Walker made it 15-6 at half-time and he added another shortly after the interval, only for Gareth Foreman to reply.

When Rovers drove a line-out from 15 metres prop Jared Stevens broke off to force his way over, then City got on top for ten minutes.

A drive by Jeff Roberts was followed by a break from Richard Knowles and Walker scored, adding the conversion to give them hope at 25-16.

But another surge by Andy Foreman led to a try at the death for Rovers' Dave Carroll, Gareth Foreman adding his second conversion.

West Hartlepool won 55-10 at home to depleted Percy Park, scoring nine tries, five of them coverted by fly half Paul Moss.

The visitors led 3-0 and also missed two penalties before West began their spree after 20 minutes with a converted try by Moss.

Then a break by Dave Tighe sent lock Andrew Davies over before a converted try reduced the gap to 10-7.

It wasn't until the 34th minute that West began to forge ahead, but tries by Paul Rudd and Martin Todd made it 24-10 at half-time and the second half brought tries for Dan Boatman, Tighe, Andrew Hare, Todd and replacement James Masshedar.

Among the games off was Sunderland's Powergen Junior Vase fifth round tie at home to Scarborough, while Consett were winning 25-10 at Horden when the match was abandoned after 35 minutes.

In a basement battle in Durham and Northumberland division one Redcar won 24-13 at home to Acklam.

They scored tries through Mark Poulson, Jamie Connolly and Brad Stovell, Kieran McMahon adding all the conversions plus a penalty.