NEW Earswick All Blacks maintained hopes of a CMS Yorkshire League senior division top-four finish with a 24-16 defeat of Dewsbury Moor in their last home game of the season.

The victory kept All Blacks in fourth place in the race for the play-offs and they now need to win at Ossett next week while hoping fifth-placed Batley Boys slip up in their last two games of the campaign.

Saturday's win was achieved thanks to a solid second-half performance in which they turned around a 10-8 deficit.

All Blacks had gone in front with a fourth-minute penalty by Dave Carling and six minutes later he was sent over by Carl Pallister to score a try near the posts and add the conversion.

But on the quarter-hour, Dewsbury scored a try out wide and went ahead on the half-hour with a converted try.

The visitors kept the lead for over half an hour until the turning point on 66 minutes saw outstanding teenage hooker Ben Jones intercept on halfway and race away to score under the sticks, Pallister converting.

All Blacks went further in front on 71 minutes as Jo Jo Hnesh passed out wide for centre Dave Calam to score and four minutes later the best move of the game saw Mick Harrison pass to man of the match prop Jamie Daniel, who sent Pallister over for the game-sealing try.

Carling coverted to make it 24-10, meaning Dewsbury's try at the death was mere consolation.

Updated: 09:30 Tuesday, March 09, 2004