BLAYDON moved up to third in the National One table, but their 37-18 win at Loughborough Students was overshadowed by Andrew Davies' suspected broken leg.

Play was held up for more than half-an-hour as Davies was treated on the pitch before being stretchered off and taken to hospital.

The injury blighted an otherwise successful afternoon for Blaydon, who have now won six of their nine matches this season.

The Tynesiders outscored their opponents by five tries to two, with Gavin Jones opening the scoring as he rounded off a powerful forwards drive in the fourth minute.

Centre Tom Banks scored Blaydon's second try shortly before the interval and Simon Barber added a third after more forward pressure at the start of the second half.

Andrew Baggett scored under the posts to extend the visitors' lead, and the scoring was completed when Blaydon skipper Matt Hall crossed in the closing stages.

There was not such good news for the North-East's other National One representatives as an injury-hit Tynedale slumped to a 27-21 defeat at home to bottom-of-the-league Macclesfield.

The Corbridge outfit claimed a losing bonus point thanks to a late penalty from George Cullen, but have now lost four games on the bounce and are slipping ever closer to the relegation zone.

Peter Moralee scored for Tynedale in the first half, but two Macclesfield tries meant the hosts went into the interval trailing 15-8.

Alex Fieldhouse sprinted the length of the field to keep Tynedale in touch after Macclesfield scored a third try through Francis Barker, but the visitors extended their lead again shortly after.

Fieldhouse's second try, which was the result of a successful chip and chase, closed the gap once again, but while Cullen's penalty at least secured a point, the defeat suggests Tynedale face a prolonged battle in the wrong half of the table.

Darlington Mowden Park are third in the National Two North table after securing a hard-fought 27-21 win at Caldy.

The victory, which was largely down to three tries from Zylon McGaffin, means the Darlington outfit now trail leaders Stourbridge by just eight points.

Mowden were second best in the first half, but two Grant Connon penalties ensured they only trailed 18-6 at the break.

Connon reduced the arrears with his third penalty at the start of the second half, and after both sides traded three pointers to leave the score at 21-12, McGaffin embarked on a run of three tries in 13 minutes to turn the game on its head.

Two tries were opportunistic bursts from set-pieces, but the third and most decisive one rounded off Mowden's best move of the game.

Westoe edged a tight battle with Huddersfield, with scrum-half Matthew Mellish claiming 19 points in his side's 32-30 win.

Mellish secured Westoe's four-try bonus point shortly before the hour mark, profiting from a loose ball in the Huddersfield half, and his score followed two tries from number eight Oliver Cracknell and a further success from hooker Richie Thirkell.

West Hartlepool came out on top of a close encounter with Bradford & Bingley in National Three North, winning 32-28, but there was not such good news for Billingham, who slipped to a 20-8 defeat at Percy Park.

Darlington are still looking for their first win of the season in North One East after they were on the wrong end of an 82-5 hammering at Beverley.

Wheatley Hills top the table after an 18-14 win at Morpeth, while Northern lost 40-32 and Malton and Norton. Middlesbrough lost 17-10 at home to Cleckheaton, but Durham City's game at Morley was postponed.