PRUDHOE and Stocksfield left Teesside with a losing bonus point after running third placed Yarm close.

Just three points separated the teams when the Tyne Valley side made the trip through monsoon weather conditions, the visitors putting in a fantastic performance to give their high flying hosts a scare.

Yarm kicked off the game and within moments, were kicking off again.

For the kick off had been gathered and fed to Luke Masters who, from within his own 22 metre area, run through the stretched home defence to touch down and get the ball rolling.

The game was end-to-end, and Yarm’s back row linked well as they sought to expose their opposite numbers.

The P&S back row of Ben Archer, Michael Henderson and Dave Henry comfortably matched their counterparts, and looked to combined well with Chris Patterson, Steven Henderson and Raji Kingman.

On the quarter hour point, Yarm managed to take advantage of the weather and drew level as they crossed the line as Prudhoe slipped and slid when going for tackles.

However, the visitors came straight back and a well-placed kick followed by a scrum put them in a promising position. Using simple pick and go phases, they found themselves on the try line where Andy Marsh launched himself over a number of bodies to regain his side the lead.

Yarm were right back in it after they replied with a try, the missed conversion seeing Prudhoe with a slender two point lead.

The hosts were very much in the ascendancy and they were further boosted when Prudhoe’s Dave Rodgers was shown a yellow card for using his hands in a ruck.

And Yarm were happy to take full advantage of their numerical advantage as they ended the first half with a bonus for four tries to take the half time score 24-14 in their favour.

Prudhoe recovered well after the break and took the game to their opponents, Steven Henderson sending a penalty just wide moments before he was flattened by the home number six, who was duly shown a yellow card.

The game continued to swing from end-to-end, with Henderson reducing the arrears from the kicking tee before Yarm restored their 10 point cushion with a penalty of their own.

Prudhoe rekindled hopes of a comeback when Patterson went over after another pick and go move, but they had to settle for just the one point as the game ended 27-24.

Despite the defeat, the performance was a continuation of Prudhoe’s great recent form and it suggests the young side could mount more of a challenge in Durham and Northumberland III next season.