INDISCIPLINE cost York Acorn ARLC dear as their promotion push in National Conference League division two stalled with a 26-18 defeat at bogey side Normanton.

The Blue and Golds had both second-row Carl Barrow and substitute Fran Starkey sent off in the second half and saw home goalkicker Ben Cockayne benefit with seven goals that proved all the difference as both teams scored three tries.

Scrum-half Cockayne booted four penalties in the first half which, when allied to Paul Greaves' try following an Acorn error, gave the Knights a 12-2 half-time lead, the York side having responded with a sole Kev Brundrett penalty.

And that lead was stretched three minutes into the second half after prop Chris Elliott pounced on a kick through for a converted try.

Paul Payne pulled back a converted try to give Acorn hope but Dale Atkinson crossed for the hosts to virtually kill the game and render in vain a late Acorn rally which brought tries for the impressive Kyle Palmer and Stephen Irving plus goals for Brundrett and Andy Gargan. Cockayne even had the last word, ironically with a penalty.

Former Dewsbury Rams and Doncaster winger Craig Miles was the major difference between the sides with a hat-trick as league leaders Eastmoor beat bottom club Heworth 32-12 at Elmpark Way.

Veteran player-coach prop Andy Fisher, who has recently signed for Barrow Raiders from Doncaster, also helped hold Eastmoor together after the York side had led 12-6 at half-time and looked on course for a shock victory with 15 minutes left.

The Villagers gave a gutsy show, with tries by Nikki Wilson and Eddie Phillips plus two Carl Potter goals, giving them that interval lead. They pressed again on the restart, with Wilson and half-back Paddy Handley to the fore, but Eastmoor kept their heads and an onslaught brought them five tries without reply as their title-chasing status was confirmed.

Miles - who was banned for six months by the Rugby Football League for a jaw-breaking strike on Batley's Dean Lawford in March - had scored Eastmoor's only try in the first half and completed his hat-trick late on, with other touchdowns coming from Andrew Philips, impressive scrum-half Kevin Brown and Adrian Mulcahy, with Lee Joyce adding three goals to Stuart Turton's first-half two-pointer.

Heworth spokesman Ken Sykes said: "We played well and were in front until about the 65th minute, then we ran out of puff. But we were man for man more than holding our own up to that point."

Updated: 10:05 Monday, November 22, 2004