POCKLINGTON went back to the top of Yorkshire Three on points difference after a 31-17 victory at home to Hemsworth.

They started like a train to be 17 points up inside the first quarter of an hour but then lost their way before finally pulling clear with man of the match Charlie Allen's second try three minutes from time.

Pocklington were purposeful and effective in the opening stages as they took the game to Hemsworth from the outset.

They attacked hard down the right and then switched play left for centre and captain Guy Wilson to crash over after seven minutes, then straight away extended their lead from a high kick when the ball was fed back to flanker Scott Littlefair to plunge in.

And when the forwards and backs once again combined to send Wilson diving over for a carbon-copy second try, Kevin Bowling converting, Pocklington looked to be out of sight at 17-0 with less than a quarter of an hour gone.

However, they then started to coast and the Hemsworth pack took the initiative to drive over for two close range tries to cut the gap.

Pocklington edged further ahead again early in the second half when they were almost over from a charged down kick on the left before the ball came back into midfield where teenage fullback Allen nipped between two defenders to score, Bowling converting.

But again Pock failed to ram home the advantage and after a long spell of Hemsworth pressure they went under the posts for a converted try to again close the gap to seven points.

The result was once again hanging in the balance when Pocklington's cause was further damaged.

A forward was sent to the sin bin with ten minutes to go, but Allen produced another moment of magic to weave through from 30 yards for a try, Bowling adding his third conversion of the match to seal the crucial victory.

Updated: 12:10 Monday, March 08, 2004