NEW Earswick All Blacks completed a quick-fire double over Thornhill 'A' with an 18-14 away win which keeps them in the Pennine League division one title hunt.

Thornhill went ahead with a penalty, then the Ben Jones show started. The All Blacks scrum-half dummied over after good work from Alan Pallister and converted his own try.

Then, just before the interval, Jones kicked forward and, after the defence knocked on, kicked on again, gathered the ball and raced over from 30 yards. His second goal made it 12-2.

Thornhill added another penalty before Pallister scored a try. The player-coach was man of the match after impressing at prop and at hooker after Tom Hodgson went off with a leg injury, while prop Al Davison on his return from injury and 17-year-old winger Joe Stearman also stood out.

A Thornhill try reduced the arrears before both sides had a player sin-binned as Chris Judge reacted to a head-high tackle from an opposition prop, with both players yellow-carded.

Jones booted the resultant penalty but a converted try at the other end and further pressure from the hosts meant All Blacks had to dig deep in the final few minutes.

York Acorn 'A' relieved relegation fears in division three with a 28-12 defeat of Stainland Stags, and they could well be joined in that tier by Selby Warriors, who went to the top of division four as they hammered Illingworth 'A' 62-4 while previous leaders Littleborough were losing at Slaithwaite Saracens.

Heworth 'A' team's Yorkshire League division three game at Nevison Leap was postponed.

York Groves got back to winning ways with a 30-14 Pennine League division five victory over West Craven.

Groves went ahead as Jason Dunn darted over from acting-half, beginning his 100 per cent record with the boot by adding the conversion.

Good Groves field position was gained when brothers Matt and Liam Withers combined to race 50 metres and at the resulting play-the-ball, Paul Watson jinked through.

Then Danny Buy released Matt Corr, who released brother Chris Corr. Craven's defence halted him just before the line but he got a pass out of the tackle to full-back Mark Arnold, who scored.

Next a slick handling move saw player-coach Simon Moat give the killer pass, cutting out two team-mates, to winger Adie Beales.

West Craven scored two tries, one converted, at the end of the first half, and another soon after the break to sense a comeback.

Wests piled the pressure on and only excellent tackling from Chris Smith and John Rushworth kept them out before Groves got much-needed breathing space when prop Neil Gulliver touched down.

Updated: 11:35 Tuesday, January 24, 2006