Having completed a successful Durham & Northumberland season to finish in third place, City added the Durham County Intermediate Cup at the Friarage with a well-deserved victory over old rivals Hartlepool Rovers.
This was the clubs’ third meeting of the season, the previous two league encounters having seen City come from behind to win, but on this occasion they led from the start, were much more enterprising and rarely threatened by the home side.
A strangely lack-lustre but feisty Rovers did not help their cause by having three players yellow-carded at various times in the first-half, but only once were City able to take advantage.
In control of the first half, they had built an 8 – 0 lead with a penalty by stand-off Paul Armstrong after 13 minutes and, after a fine cover tackle by Rovers’ scrum-half Steven Barnfield stopped City winger Chris Metcalfe 5 metres out, they added a try from a huge driven lineout, lock Liam Wilson getting the touchdown.
But with fellow-lock Peter Dent controlling the lineouts, good work by the forwards as a whole in the loose and centres Arnie Stevenson and Bradley Pears threatening, they stretched their advantage to 15 – 0 at the interval when Pears broke and off-loaded to Metcalfe for their second try which Armstong converted.
Whilst City continued to look the more dangerous, it was stalemate for much of the second half and penalties against City abounded before they sealed their win after 74 minutes, patient build-up as they went through several phases eventually opening the way for Pears to score from a ruck 5 metres out.
Now it was City’s turn for the yellow cards. First, flamker Joe Maw went to the bin with 5 minutes remaining and, with Rovers pressing in the City 22, the home side finally got on the scoreboard when replacement forward James Evens charged over from a quickly-taken penalty, centre Chris Sainty converting,
Pears followed Maw, but it was too little, too late for Rovers and City celebrated what in the end was a fairly comfortable victory.
CITY: Sam Heron; Chris Metcalfe, Bradley Pears, Arnie Stevemson, Adam Huitson; Paul Armstrong (c), Will Paxton; Mike Hay, Kenny Reader, Benny Parkinson, Tom Baty, Liam Wilson, Joe Maw, Andy Brown, Peter Dent.
Repacements: John Guthrie, Colin Hogg, Nick Howe, Richard Knowles, Kyle Wilson, Rob Smith, Mark Bedworth.