Unbeaten Redcar and Yarm both maintained their perfect starts to the season on a weekend when six of the region’s sides picked up priceless victories.
The Seasiders edged to a tense 10-7 win against Barnard Castle at Mackinlay Park, while Yarm ran in seven tries against a lacklustre Seghill to notch a 43-10 success.
There were also encouraging wins for Guisborough, Stockton, Middlesbrough and Acklam - but Billingham suffered a horror away-day at Firwood Waterloo.
Neil Young’s Redcar, who recorded a seventh straight win in Durham and North Two, were run close by an dogged Castle - but dropped to second behind Ponteland after failing to pick up a four-try bonus point.
The hosts lost captain Steve Johnson before the game, but in a tight first-half Redcar opened the scoring through flanker Shane Hurley, with his try converted by Danny Addison.
For the rest of the half the game went from end to end and Barny had several five-metre scrums, but could not get over the Redcar line.
However, on the stroke of half-time they drew level from a quickly-taken penalty which was converted.
An Addison penalty proved the only score of the second-half, as Redcar’s defence put in another magnificent display to hold out for a deserved win.
Meanwhile Yarm continue to set the pace in Durham and North Three following a sixth consecutive league win.
Three tries in the opening 18 minutes blew their Northumberland opponents away, with influential fly-half Lewis Stephens running the show and touching down after only five minutes.
With a far superior forward pack, Yarm crushed Seghill’s half-hearted resistance moments later when prop Adam Gilchrist, who ended the game with three tries, touched down.
Hooker Ross Groves scored Yarm’s third try soon after to make it 19-0, and with fourth-placed Seghill rarely venturing into the Eagles’ half, Gilchrist and Nathan Arulananthan both crossed the line before the break.
Leading 29-0 at half-time, the result was never in doubt - and Yarm understandably coasted through the rest of the game.
Seghill fly-half Jake Swaddle’s penalty got the visitors on the scoreboard, but it was a mere consolation as Arulananthan danced through the opposition defence to extend Yarm’s advantage on the hour mark.
Gilchrist again orchestrated another devastating rolling maul to notch his side’s seventh try, before Seghill scored a late consolation through scrum-half Brad Glennie.
In National Three North Billingham were crushed by Firwood Waterloo 41-6, ending a run of two straight league wins.
Chris Hyndman’s side started slugglishly but two penalties from Peter Evans kept them within touching distance, trailing 15-6 at the break.
But it was a different story in the second-half as Waterloo ruthlessly cut Billingham open at will, scoring four unanswered tries to leave the visitors with plenty of food for thought.
In Durham and North One Guisborough scored an incredible 11 tries as they thrashed basement boys Sunderland 75-5 at Ashbrooke.
Six first-half tries pushed the Priorymen into an unassailable 40-0 lead, and they did not let up as they kept the pressure on league leaders Morpeth.
Hot on Guisborough’s heels are Stockton, who brushed off last weekend’s derby defeat and rose to third in the table after a hard-fought 23-14 win against Hartlepool Rovers.
After a quarter of the game Stockton were 14-0 down after conceding two tries to Rovers, both of which were converted.
However, after last week’s mauling at Guisborough, Stockton showed great character and fought back with winger Dan Dhinn scoring on the left to make it 14-5 at half-time.
Going down the slope in the second half, Stockton narrowed the gap when prop Andy Bailes battered his way over the line and Jeremy Good added two penalties and a conversion to give the hosts the lead.
And with the game hanging in the balance, winger Rob Graham galloped over late on to delight the Station Road crowd.
Middlesbrough returned to winning ways in style after running in seven tries against Old Brodleians at Acklam Park.
Rhys Kilbride and Ash Kearney both scored a brace to earn Ian Heslehurst’s side a third victory in four matches.
Boro kept their discipline early on to extinguish the visitors’ early enthusiasm, and Euan Tremlett opened the scoring following a crushing forward drive.
Kilbride and Kearney each crossed the line before half-time, but the result was far from clear with Brodleians scoring twice through Danny Wood and Alex Brook.
With only a five-point advantage at the break, Boro held their nerve and Peter Wright touched down to give his side the bonus point,
Three more tries followed as Boro chalked up an impressive home scoreline to keep their season alive.
In Durham and North Two Acklam demolished Hartlepool 66-24 to rise to third in Durham and North Two.
Acklam had to defend their line in the first four minutes of the game with the hosts’ strong pack penning them back inside their own 22.
However, they survived and Tim Savage opened the scoring with the first of two tries.
On eight minutes promising Colt Jack Grabham then extended Acklam’s lead - and went on to notch a hat-trick in what was an impressive display.
The pattern of the game was set by half-time with Acklam playing some attractive rugby and well in control, taking a 24-5 advantage into the second period.
Acklam, with the strong wind behind them, played some scintillating rugby in the second half with further tries from Danny Ashton, Andrew Dalton, Dean Roberts, Pedro Roberts and Chris Walker.
