OLD BRODLEIANS 35 DURHAM CITY 15

A busy start by Old Brods put City under real pressure and within quarter of an hour the home side led 13 – 0. A second minute penalty by full-back Danny Wood set them on their way and they quickly followed it up with tries by winger Aaron Fowler, who went over in the corner from 20 metres out when they engineered space following 2 or 3 phases of play, and No. 8 Luke Scrimshaw from a ruck after a loose City pass allowed scrum-half Joe Armitage to dart for the line.

A third try after 25 minutes which started from a fine midfield break by Scrimshaw and ended with flanker Oliver Ackroyd taking a short pass from the lively Armitage to burst over just about sealed city’s fate, and whilst stand-off Arnie Stevenson kicked a penalty on a rare City visit to the Brods’ half, the home side’s fourth bonus-point try two minutes before the interval certainly did, flanker Rob Jennings forcing his way over from a drive following a 5 metre scrum. Wood converted for a 25 – 3 interval lead.

Down the slope in the second- half, City picked up a little. A good attack as they went through the phases took play to the corner after 49 minutes and when they drove from a 5 metre lineout, flanker Jeff Roberts got the touchdown for Stevenson to convert with a fine kick from the touchline to reduce the leeway to 25 – 10.

But a second Wood penalty and try by prop Callum Thompson after lock Oliver Hawkins had broken through extended the home lead to 35 – 10 to add to City’s misery, and although replacement forward Howard Johnson got the touchdown from a series of City drives in the closing minute, they were a well-beaten side.

CITY: Peter Van Loo; Richard North, Chris Metcalfe, Adam Morton, Rob Smith; Arnie Stevenson, Paul Armstrong; Colin Hogg, Mike Hay, Neil Hart, Aaron Burns, Darren McKinnon, Paddy Dias, Jeff Roberts (c), Richard Ellis.

Replacements; Richard Knowles, Howard Johnson, Benny Parkinson