POCKLINGTON blew away table-topping big guns West Hartlepool in a stunning show at Feathers Field.

Pock went into the game as huge underdogs against the relative giants of North One East, who had lost only once previously in 11 league outings.

But they came away with a remarkable 52-5 victory to boost their promotion aspirations. They remain fourth in the table but only one point behind second-placed Penrith. West Hartlepool are three points further ahead.

Pocklington may sometimes disappoint against lowly opposition but they have invariably upped their game against the league's leading sides this season, so an improvement on the 21-19 defeat to Dinnington the previous week was to be expected.

But scoring seven tries against a side that had only conceded 157 points in total in their previous 11 outings could hardly have have been predicted.

Although West Hartlepool took an early lead, they looked a beaten side well before the final quarter in which Pocklington crossed for five tries from range to streak clear on the scoreboard.

After the morning mist lifted significantly in the hour before kick off, the game started in cold and dank November conditions between two sides that had both made a handful of late changes due to injury and unavailability.

Errors from both hand and boot predominated in the early exchanges, but West Hartlepool were ahead within five minutes, moving the ball smartly right to get a man over on the clubhouse side for a try in the right corner.

Pocklington's response was immediate, charging up the middle for centre Jonty Peters to open their account with a straightforward penalty.

And Peters made it 10-5 on the quarter hour as the home forwards drove down the right before long passes left gave him just enough room to squeeze in at the flag then convert from the touchline.

Both kickers were wide with penalty shots before Pock came again, flanker Jonny Wood leading a pack charge before quick ball saw centre Joe Holbrough power over.

A gallop down the right wing by Jack Walters at the opening of the second half brought another penalty from Peters to make it 18-5 and, although West lost a couple of men to injury and Peters banged over another penalty from 40 yards, there was still little indication of the carnage to come.

Pocklington then started to out-muscle the visitors in both attack and defence.

Three times West Hartlepool had the ball and good field position, but on each occasion Pock defended strongly before breaking out to score.

From a lineout on halfway, the backs and forwards combined up the middle and number eight Jack Holbrough sent his brother Joe diving in, Peters converting.

Pocklington again turned defence into attack and as West Hartlepool's heads went down skipper Ben Rees slid through a long grubber kick and full-back Jack Fletcher won the race for the touchdown and the try bonus point.

The floodgates opened in the gathering gloom, the forwards twice carrying strongly up the middle before releasing the backs for Fletcher to accelerate to the corner.

Jack Holbrough's muscular charges continued to do damage and another lobbed final pass put Rees under the posts, Peters converting.

And with the last play of the day, Fletcher speared down the far wing and switched inside for replacement flanker Owen Jackson to sprint under the posts to bring up the half century, Peters knocking over his fourth conversion for a 22-point personal haul.