TABLE-TOPPING Nestle Rowntree maintained their 100 per cent Northern League record by inflicting a first home defeat of the season on Old Leodiensians’ seconds.

Tries from Jack Gabbatiss and Fred Hudson, coupled with a Jack Daniels conversion, saw Trees run out 12-5 winners.

Earlier, the visitors had started the afternoon on the back foot with the heavy pitch meaning the prospects of an open flowing game were minimal.

But the Nestle defence held very firm and the away team began to ask questions further up the pitch, culminating in their breakthrough on the half-hour mark when, after winning a lineout, the resulting catch and drive saw Gabbatiss score in the corner.

Trees continued to attempt to employ their short passing game but, too often, lost the ball in contact until, 20 minutes into the second half, wing-forward and man-of-the-match Hudson made amends for his earlier sin-binning by charging his way through the forwards and swatting away a couple of despairing challenges before rounding the full back and scoring under the posts for Daniels to convert.

The Mille Crux side then nearly threw victory away when another sin-binning, with 11 minutes remaining, led to Old Leos’ score, but they held out comfortably to register a ninth straight league success.