Darlington Mowden Park expect their National Three North game at Beverley to go ahead today and will experiment with Dan Squire at No 8.

Although the New Zealander has played mostly at lock, coach Pete Taylor has been greatly impressed by his athleticism.

“He has the whole package,”

said the coach. “He is a genuine second row, but he can also play in the back row and I think there’s more to come from him. He’s very happy with us - he’s one of the lads and we’d love him to come back next season.”

Squire’s switch has been prompted by the return to the second row of Luke Monument, who has completed his Saturday duties with the Barnard Castle School team.

Richie Young is selected at fly half, with Dean Kelbrick and Robin Eatough at centre, and Matty Lister and Ben Seru on the wings.

Taylor has studied the video of the comfortable home win against Beverley, who were fourth in National Three North at the time and now lie seventh, two places above their visitors.

“We have tried to turn the lay-off into something positive,”

said Taylor. “I think we are streets ahead of most clubs in our division in that respect.

“We’ve been allowed to use the indoor facilities at RAF Leeming, we’ve had a team building and leadership exercise in our own clubhouse, and we’ve put in some hard, grafting sessions on the snow.

We’ve mixed it up, rather than waiting for the snow to melt.”

Two physical training instructors were on hand at Leeming to put the Mowden players through their paces, which included some tough circuits before they finished off with a game of basketball.

Skipper Danny Brown is back in training, but still has a plate in his arm and it could be six weeks before he plays again, while back row men Tom Wilkinson and Andrew Tonkin should be ready in two or three weeks. Scrum half Martyn Lithgo had a knee operation last week and hopes to be ready for the start of next season.

Taylor feels his team has plenty of ball-winning ability, and coupled with the pace out wide they ought to be able climb the table in the second half of the season.

Tynedale are confident of returning to action at home to Sedgley Park and will be seeking to avenge a 23-22 defeat in September.

If the game does not go ahead, Sunday, May 9 has been pencilled in with a county match already scheduled to take place at Tynedale Park the previous day.

Tynedale lie in seventh place in National One, while Park are 11th, and neither side has played since December 12.

Former Consett and Blaydon prop Andrew Harrison is the only Tynedale player still on the casualty list. Fellow prop Jonny Williams is available, despite cutting off part of a finger in his motor bike chain just before Christmas.

Williams, hooker Joe Graham and utility back Jack Harrison were all named in the England Counties squad this week.

Tynedale’s ranks have been boosted by 19st prop Kieran Brooks, who has already played for Ireland junior teams but has been selected for England in this year’s U20 Six Nations Championships.

Formerly with Fylde, he helped Lancashire to win the County Championship at Twickenham last May, before signing for Newcastle Falcons.

Blaydon’s strenuous efforts to replace today’s postponed game at Cinderford with a home match look like leaving them with a friendly against Penrith, at best.

The Crow Trees pitch is fit and they asked Manchester to travel if their home match against Wharfedale is off. But while Manchester do not expect their pitch to be fit today they think they it might be playable tomorrow, and Wharfedale have agreed to play then.

Waterlogging seems the only threat to West Hartlepool’s home game against Sheffield Tigers, and conditions will probably dictate that the skills of Scott Jordan will not be seen to full effect.

His commitments to Durham School, the Falcons Academy and the Independent School Barbarians have kept the highly-rated full back out of the West team.

Dave Tighe, selected at the start of the freeze, will finally make his comeback at scrum half, with Paul Moss alongside him as Ian Wilson partners Jamie Connolly at centre.

Darlington’s North One East match at Old Brodleians was called off yesterday with the West Yorkshire ground still under deep snow.