MAYBE he was just trying to show off in front of all the ladies. Either way, Danny Brough is back to his best.

He followed up a superb performance in the vital win at Swinton last week with another man-of-the-match display yesterday as York City Knights hammered Dewsbury Rams on Ladies Day at Huntington Stadium.

He basically ran the show against his former club as the Knights came within two points of their record score and moved to within one point of LHF Healthplan National League Two leaders Barrow.

And, as coach Richard Agar said, it was a fitting individual showing with which to smash Graham Steadman's record of 318 points in a season for York set in 1984-85 and equal Vic Yorke's 46-year-old club record of 146 goals.

He might have had his critics during the Knights' poor run, but it is no real coincidence that their upturn in fortunes - this was their fourth consecutive win - have come with Brough's own improved form.

Okay, yesterday's opposition were pretty poor, but the way the little scrum-half passed, kicked and ran all game provided the proof that his confidence is sky-high again. And when confident, Brough is the best scrum-half in the division.

In fact, when confident, the Knights as a team are the best in the division.

The whole Ladies Day thing might have had an effect too. The attempts to promote rugby league to York's sisterhood paid off not only in the attendance figures - a big crowd featured a good deal of new female support - but also on the pitch as the players, perhaps sensing that female eyes were watching, strived to impress.

They perhaps wanted to look cool too as they didn't really push themselves as much as they might - but they didn't really need to.

It was a one-sided contest as it was, against a Dewsbury side lacking any kind of inspiration.

There was bad news to begin with as second-row Mick Ramsden, just as he was getting back to form after an injury-plagued season, pulled a groin in the warm-up, meaning that prop Yusuf Sozi had to rush out to get his kit and come onto the Knights bench.

The Knights otherwise started with the same 13 that shone at Swinton last week, with Jim Elston at loose-forward and Lee Jackson at hooker.

The ailing Rams, meanwhile, came out onto the pitch with the Benny Hill theme tune blasting out of the speaker - and it proved an apt ditty almost immediately. A comedy mix-up in defence saw two players leave Brough's grubber to each other allowing Brough to stab the ball forward for Elston to touch down.

Rams' heads did not drop, though, and they quickly hit back as a clever pass from Adam Thaler put Kevin Crouthers in, Thaler converting to equalise. However, they did not stay level for long and, despite battling away, were all too easily crushed.

Jackson twice used the short side expertly and both times it led to tries, the first for Craig Farrell after he combined brilliantly with Chris Spurr, and the second for Spurr himself as he beat a weak tackle to score his first try for the club.

Brough, who had already drawn level with Steadman's record, converted Farrell's try from the touchline to set a new points record in style.

He went on to total eight goals and three tries, the first of which came as he darted on an angle through a gap.

Dewsbury, with the aid of penalties, then kept York pinned in their own half for a while, but it didn't really get much better for them, notably when they wasted several tackles close to the line with basic one-man rugby.

York quickly went up the other end and Elston's long pass found Simon Friend in enough acres to open a farm, never mind cross the whitewash and make it 26-6 on the hooter.

York scored again two minutes after the restart as former Ram Scott Rhodes skipped in, and half-back partner Brough did likewise with ease.

A Brough 40-20 set the field position for Spurr's second try as he powered over from Elston's pass and Elston got a brace, too, as he ran diagonally from 40 yards out, too quickly for one tackle and too quickly for the full-back.

Hard-working full-back Chris Smith was next to cross as he powered on to Rhodes' reverse pass, before Brough completed his hat-trick after he charged down a kick, hacked it forward and won the race.

Rhodes again slipped his man for the Knights' 12th try and kindly ran round towards the sticks to help Brough equal Yorke's all-time record of goals in a season with the final conversion of the game.

Knights: C Smith 8, Buchanan 7, Langley 7, Spurr 7, Farrell 8, Rhodes 8, Brough 9, Wilson 8, Jackson 8, Sulli-van 7, Callaghan 7, Friend 7, Elston 8. Subs (all used): Cain 7, Sozi 7, J Smith 7, Forsyth 8.

Tries: Elston 5, 59; Farrell 15; Spurr 22, 52; Brough 29, 46, 75; Friend 40; Rhodes 42, 78; C Smith 65.

Conversions: Brough 5, 15, 29, 42, 46, 59, 65, 78.

Penalties: None.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

Rams: Preece, Fairbank, McHugh, Crouthers, Williamson, Thaler, Mycoe, Hicks, Dyson, Thewliss, Kirke, Stubley, Redfearn. Subs (all used): Hill, Tennant, Gibbons, Kelly.

Try: Crouthers 9.

Conversion: Thaler 9.

Penalties: None.

Drop goals: None.

Sin-binned: Dyson 67

Sent off: None.

HT: 26-6

Referee: Phil Bentham (Bolton)

Rating: All right.

Penalty count: 11-7

Gamebreaker: The fact the Knights walked out on to the pitch probably ended the game as a contest.

Attendance: 1,761

Weather watch: dry, warm, still

Match rating: The difference in class between the teams meant it was a one-sided affair - not that the Knights, nor Danny Brough in particular, will be complaining.

Updated: 11:05 Monday, August 23, 2004