DURHAM CITY 91 ACKLAM 22

Newly-promoted to the Durham & Northumberland 1 League, Acklam were unable to live with the power, pace and fine support play of Durham City at Hollow Drift as the home side ran amok to score 13 tries and remarkably converted all of them.

Yet it was the visitors who drew first blood as early as the third minute when they moved the ball wide from a series of rucks and stand-off Danny Ashton broke for winger Chris Mallam to score a well-worked try.

It proved to be a false dawn however as City matched it 2 minutes later when centre Craig Dominick broke from his own half to send in partner David Elliott, and in the next 15 minutes they added a further 4 tries to lead 35 – 5, flanker Chris Metcalfe supporting well to score, winger Tom Elliott breaking a tackle on the touchline for the next, fellow -winger Nathan Bushnell finishing off well-engineered plays following a lineout and Dominick taking an inside pass from David Elliott when he broke from his own half.

Not content however, a further 3 tries followed in the 10 minutes before half-time through full-back Josh White, Bushnell and No.8 Peter Dent as they continually ripped the visitors’ defence to shreds to stretch their lead to 56 – 5.

To Acklam’s great credit however, heads never dropped and they began the second-half with renewed determination that yielded them a second try when hooker Ben Pearson burrowed over from a ruck on City’s line after 5 minutes of pressure.

Perhaps City’s intensity dropped a touch in the second half, but still they responded with a further 4 tries, Dominick (2) and Bushnell both securing their hat-tricks and prop Reece Amir adding the fourth to extend the lead to 84 – 10 before the visitors’ spirit shone through as they hit back to score 2 more tries through Pearson and replacement Chris Walker, one of which was converted to claim a thoroughly-deserved 4 try bonus point.

However, the last word on the day was inevitably City’s, Dent crossing for the final try after good work by Bushnell, and for scrum-half and captain Paul Armstrong, a perfect 13 successive conversions rounded off a magnificent kicking performance he’ll rightly, and inevitably, be talking about for years to come.

On Saturday, City travel to Horden & Peterlee (KO. 3.00pm)

CITY: Josh White; Tom Elliott, David Elliott, Craig Dominick, Nathan Bushnell; Phil Stewart, Paul Armstrong ©: Colin Hogg, Tim Mackay, Reece Amir, Kevin Showler, Tom Wilkinson, Chris Metcalfe, Will Jewitt, Peter Dent.

Replacements: Benny Parkinson, Josh Cotton, Arnie Stevenson.