A DEPLETED Prudhoe and Stocksfield team put in a great performance as they ended the season with a 15-0 defeat to Chester-le-Street.

Having conceded more than 80 points in the return fixture, the signs looked bad for Prudhoe as they only managed to field 15 players due to a number of reasons, mainly injuries and the start of the cricket season. With most available forward players, Mark Russell went to inside centre after his ball carrying exploits of last week with Dave Henry taking the number 10 shirt.

Chester attacked from the start but were frustrated by some excellent defending, although they did get the day’s opening try on 10 minutes as they exploited a gap after a tackle was missed.

For the next 25 minutes, Prudhoe put in a great defensive display as the tackle count racked high as Jack Robson and Luke Masters made themselves known to their opponents.

With Jay Neil and Andy Marsh to the fore, Chester could not break the forwards.

For all their hard work, they were breached for a second time just before the break as Chester found a gap wide on the right for a 10 point lead.

A third try with the last action of the half was harsh on Prudhoe, the 15-0 scoreline not justifying the defensive efforts from the visiting side.

The second half was even tighter as P&S continued to dig in, although they were frustrated by some decisions from the referee when Chester turned physical.