York Acorn kept their 100 per cent record and position at the top of the National Conference League second division intact following a workmanlike 26-0 win at bottom-club Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks.

The scoreline might suggest Acorn had it all their own way, but that was far from the truth as the Hawks gave the York side a testing time especially in a tight defence-dominated first half where the game was mainly played among the forwards.

In the first period, in which no quarter was given by either sets of forwards, Acorn prop and man of the match Martin McTigue along with hooker Lee Frank and loose forward Rob Lee were prominent in the Blue and Golds pack, with prop Nathan Worton, loose forward Phil Hough and second rower Mark Slatter likewise for the home side.

With a big home pack playing behind a favourable wind and Acorn nullifying them with several big hits it was always going to take a piece of magic to unlock the defences and so it proved when on the stroke of half time Acorn's speedy winger, Johnny Waldron, nipped through a gap and turned on the burners to race in from 65 yards for a great try.

Fellow wingman Kevin Brundett added a fine touchline conversion to send Acorn in at the break six points to the good.

After the restart the York outfit moved up a gear to take the game away from their spirited hosts with a purple patch which saw them score 20 points in the final 20 minutes.

The first telling blow was struck on 55 minutes when good approach play by stand-off Darren Callaghan and scrum-half Danny Liddell in the Hawks 20 ended with the impressive Lee ghosting in for a crucial try onto which Brundett tagged on the extras.

The game breaker came four minutes later when a lovely ball out of the tackle by industrious prop McTigue sent the supporting Callaghan in from 30 yards for his eighth try of the campaign.

Brundett added the conversion and on 65 minutes pushed the Blue and Golds' lead to a healthy 20 points with a well struck penalty.

The final score came with five minutes remaining when the versatile Michael Embleton, who after starting at full-back was now playing in the forwards, sent the supporting Callaghan rampaging in for his ninth try of the season with another quality pass out of the tackle.

Updated: 11:38 Monday, September 17, 2001