THE scoreline was maybe a touch unflattering to Edinburgh Eagles, but Heworth's progress into the second round of the Powergen Challenge Cup was rarely in doubt yesterday.

The Villagers won the first round tie at Elm Park Way 34-6, scoring six tries to Edinburgh's one second-half consolation.

However, the Scottish Summer Conference champions impressed the spectators with a spirited performance that tested the Arriva Trains Conference outfit and made sure the hosts did not run away with it.

The Eagles actually took the lead courtesy of a penalty by impressive centre James Doig but by half-time Heworth had amassed a 22-point lead.

Second-rower Wayne Foster got them on the scoreboard with the first try on ten minutes after being sent in by Carl Potter, who added the conversion.

Loose-forward Carl Barrow added a second, Potter again goaling, and two more tries were scored in quick succession just before the break, substitutes Simon Harrison, on at prop, and Sean Brough both charging over. Stand-off Potter, who was having a good game with the boot, including an excellent touchline conversion, goaled both tries to make it 24-2 at the interval.

Heworth scored the best try of the game six minutes into the second half, winger Gavin Grant starting and finishing a move in which Foster and Sam Clarke were also involved.

The Eagles, who had the man of the match in hooker Chris O'Neill, then got their deserved try, scored by second-row Craig Gilbert, but Heworth had the final word as Jon Pinder crossed under the posts for Potter to add his fifth goal.

Heworth will now be hoping for a kind second-round draw as they bid to reach the third round, at which stage National League One and Two clubs, including York City Knights, enter the competition.

Villagers spokesman Ken Sykes said: "There are a lot of tough teams left in and not many easy draws. We're hoping, like everybody else, to get a home draw and that we scrape through to play a professional side again. It will be a tough ask for us but with a decent draw we might have a chance."

As for the Eagles, he added: "They had two or three decent players and they battled to the end and deserve a lot of credit but they were never really going to win.

"If we had been a bit steadier and more clinical we might have scored a few more tries.

"A lot of them played rugby union on Saturday so had two games in a weekend which is a bit much, and I suspect they're probably stronger in the summer and have a better pool of players to pick from. This is out of season for them, but credit to them, they never stopped trying."

Updated: 12:10 Monday, December 01, 2003