With the ambitious Mowden Park just 2 points behind and breathing down their necks, this 2nd v 3rd clash in National 2 North was truly a 10-point game. The honours went to the hosts, who delivered an outstanding display of clinical intensity that shut down the Saxons’ attack for long stretches of the game. Up against a well organised home defence the visitors struggled to get on the front foot, with their scrum under pressure until late on they also came off distinctly second best in a fiercely contested breakdown area. The result was the Saxons' heaviest league reversal since the 40-5 defeat at Wharfedale in National 1 back in March 2012.

The Saxons starting lineup was minus Ben Hughes who had a longstanding family commitment, Robbie Hurrell reclaiming the starting berth in the 2nd row. Hooker Scott Wright started with Dale Garner dropping to the bench where he was joined by Dan Thompson, Bobbie Lawrenson and prop Tom May who had been recalled from loan at DK.

The crowd was healthy at around a thousand, dwarfed though they were by a stadium with capacity for more than 20 times that number. It was mercifully warmer than the previous visit and noticeable that the hosts had done some work to rebrand the text configuration of the stadium seats (see photos on the club website).

After stuttering starts by both sides the hosts’ impressive scrum half Andrew Smith kicked for position to force a Saxons’ lineout just inside their 22, a Saxons’ knock-on gifting DMP the scrum feed. The ball was fed to their threequarters and recycled through 8 phases before an overlap was worked wide left for flanker Liam Riley to score in the corner. 4min, 5-0.

The visitors were awarded a scrum near halfway for an unplayable but were unceremoniously shunted off their own ball, DMP again kicking for touch in the Saxons’ 22. The scrambled clearance kick failed to find touch though and a ruck infringement gifted outside half Grant Connon an easy shot at goal. 11min 8-0.

The Saxons secured lineout ball near halfway and moved it right into contact before working it back left to Gary Dipple who stepped inside a defender to make a clean line break. He fed the supporting White and it was moved left to Jamie Hearn who did well to force his way over despite the attention of 3 defenders, the excellent Mr Taylorson confirming the grounding after consultation with his assistant. Hearn’s conversion attempt flew left of the posts though. 14min 8-5.

James Hill picked up at the base of a retreating scrum near the Saxons’ 10m line but was engulfed and penalised for holding on, Connon slotting a long kick at goal. 17min, 11-5.

After play was held up for a serious injury to tryscorer Riley, Nile Dacres turned over a DMP lineout but careless handling gifted turnover ball back near the hosts 10m line and they drilled it into the Saxons 22. White’s covering clearance kick found touch but the hosts took a quick throw in, winger Chris McTurk’s pace took him round the left flank defenders but his chip was slightly overcooked and the ball went dead. The dropout was kicked long but back came DMP, a neat chip over the defensive line regathered and fed out of the tackle to hooker Ross Doneghan who crashed over near the posts, Connon converting. 30min, 18-5.

DMP kicked the restart back at the Saxons, White in turn finding touch with a kick to the hosts’ 22. They drove a maul 30m back upfield, 2nd row Talite Vaiolete making a line break through the fringe defences and the ball was moved the width of the pitch at pace before Smith spotted a gap inside the stretched fringe defence and barged over to score. 34min 23-5.

From the restart the Saxons looked to have finally got some momentum going but were halted by another stoppage for a DMP injury and coughed up the ball for an accidental offside. They secured lineout ball near their 22 and managed to string some phases of attack together, forcing a penalty for offside that was kicked downfield for touch and worked through the hands, Dacres making a break but the defence reorganising quickly enough to hold out a series of drives. With the clock into dead time the Saxons had to settle for 3 points from Hearn’s boot when a tackler failed to roll away. Half time 23-8.

The Saxons started the 2nd half promisingly, stringing together multiple phases that pulled the defence left and right but failed to force a gap. An unplayable halting proceedings back near halfway, DMP’s tighthead was penalised for boring in at the scrum and the touch kick finally secured an attacking set piece in the hosts’ 22. A succession of defensive penalties drew a warning from Mr Taylorson, the Saxons opted for a 5m lineout but DMP’s counter drove the maul backwards and the opportunity passed with another accidental offside compounded by a scrum penalty.

Dacres again stole DMP’s lineout ball but the hosts won a punting contest and drove the Saxons back into their own half. It was DMP’s turn to steal the lineout throw, they moved the ball down the threequarters, advancing slowly on the front foot by driving the defenders backwards in the collision area. Both sides committed handling errors, giving DMP a scrum from which Smith broke right, the ball was worked left down the backline where centre Cameron Mitchell’s shimmy wrongfooted the defence, enabling him to take the outside line to score the bonus point try. 56min 28-8.

Connon left the field with an injury, the Saxons ran it from their own midfield and sub Matt Farrington’s kick chase secured lineout feed near the hosts’ 22. The ball was fed down the backline where Ben Barkley made distance but disastrously the ball was knocked on at first receiver and DMP countered from their 22, running ball in hand through phases and eventually forcing their way through a misaligned defence for sub Max Connon to score. 67min 33-8.

An early tackle on Hearn drew a penalty that the Saxons kicked for position, Barkley again making distance in heavy midfield traffic but the support failed to reach him quickly enough and DMP secured a turnover which they ran back, forcing a penalty for a tackle offence. They kicked for the corner and although unable to drive the maul worked an overlap down the short side for prop Appleby to score out wide. 73min 38-8.

The visitors continued to press attacks which the hosts were happy to repel with high infield clearance kicks. Farrington made good distance from one of these, the drive stalled with a handling error but a big drive on the tighthead by May forced DMP to cough up their own scrum ball, Dipple’s speculative wide kick just evading Farrington’s grasp. The closing stages went scrappy as the sides traded turnovers but failed to make significant progress. Full time 38-8.

Coach Mike Umaga commented : ’It didn’t go the way we’d prepared and worked on today and it wasn’t a particularly good day at the office for us. We were beaten by a better team, to be fair they took it to us & at times we couldn’t live with it. We have to take a long look at ourselves, today just wasn’t good enough. Next week we face Hull at home, no if’s or but’s we must secure a 5 point win’.