TYNEDALE will be hoping for some assistance from Newcastle Falcons after their alarming slide down the National One table continued with a 47-0 thrashing at home to Rosslyn Park.

They could find themselves exchanging places with this week's hosts Loughborough Students in the third relegation spot if they lose again.

Since winning five early games their only victory came when bolstered by their dual-registered Falcons players, who were on European Challenge Cup duty on Friday night.

The return match against Stade Francais in Paris is on Thursday and it will be interesting to see whether the Falcons make Simon Hammersley, Dan Temm and Mark Irving available to Tynedale two days later.

Skipper Andy Buist, the former Falcons lock, has been the biggest miss among the many casualties and he could return on Saturday after a six-week absence.

No 8 Scott Powell again had to play in the second row against Rosslyn Park, who tuned up for this week's top-of-the-table clash with Ealing by scoring three of their seven tries in the first half to lead 19-0. There was a hat-trick for winger Charlie Broughton.

After the trip to Loughborough, Tynedale will be desperate to complete a derby double at home to Blaydon, having recorded a surprise win at Crow Trees in September.

Blaydon will be grateful for a short trip as they are not travelling well and lost 42-12 at Esher on Saturday, where pre-match preparations were disrupted by the drug squad arriving eight minutes before kick-off.

They had been delayed in traffic, as had the referee, who also arrived just in time. One of the two Blaydon players selected at random for the post-match drug test was dehydrated and took 20 minutes to do the necessary, delaying the get-away for the 7pm train.

They made it with ten minutes to spare and were not pleased to find it was a dry train, capping a miserable day on which they had to field a second string threequarter line and didn't get into the home 22 until the 39th minute, when Gavin Jones scored a try.

That gave them some hope at 21-5, but their only other reward was a 73rd-minute penalty try.

Full back Peter Evans scored all Billingham's points in a 21-14 win at Morley in National Three North. He scored two tries and added a conversion and three penalties.

Westoe again showed signs of improvement but lost 19-13 at Cleckheaton to remain next to the bottom.

West Hartlepool led by 19 points in their home match against Bradford and Bingley but suffered two yellow cards in quick succession and conceded three tries in the last 15 minutes. The final conversion wasn't easy but sailed between the posts for a 32-32 draw.

The top two continue to march on in Durham and Northumberland One with leaders Morpeth winning 31-13 at Darlington, whose slide shows no sign of abating.

Without player-coach Gary Beck as well as several other experienced men, Darlington's youngsters competed well in the first half before the visitors stepped up a gear.

Guisborough won 43-10 at Gosforth while the team who looked their most likely challengers for second place, Consett, suffered a third successive defeat, losing 24-12 at home to Medicals.

Stockton are also one the slide, handing a first win of the season to Sunderland, who played well up front and clinched an 18-12 home win in the closing minutes. Tries by Dan Phinn and Steve Thornton, plus a Phinn conversion, had given Stockton a 12-11 lead.

Middlesbrough scrambled to an 8-5 home win against York to remain third in Yorkshire One, but are still 14 points adrift of second place.