YORK RUFC made an ideal start to 2020 with a 53-23 victory at Morley which took them top of North One East.

With second-placed Driffield drawing against Durham City, the Clifton Park outfit are three points clear at the summit.

It is a local derby up next for York, who host Pocklington on Saturday.

York named a strong team, Declan Cusack at fly-half with Will Fordy outside him at 12. Cade Robinson came in for Shane Goulding at number eight, with Chris Fox and Luke Stockton the four and five. Eddie Westaby was the front-row replacement.

After five minutes of York territorial pressure, outside-centre Sam Forbes broke a midfield tackle 15 metres out and scored. Cusack kicked the conversion.

Only a few minutes later, York set up a driving maul from an attacking line-out. They put on the structured squeeze for the five metres they needed and Oscar Bell scored a five-pointer from the base of the maul.

Jake Dearden got Morley off the mark. He found space against a stretched York defence and scored in the corner, Mark Chester kicking the extras.

Cusack added a penalty before York scored their third try. From a steady attacking scrummage, Fordy put a perfect long pass to winger, Rob Hodges, who had timed his run well, and he ran in to score.

Dearden and Chester linked up again for a seven-point score for Morley but York notched their bonus-point touchdown before half-time. John Aikman collected a Morley 22 restart and passed to Luke Stockton, who broke a centre-field tackle and the ball was fed to scorer Will Scholey. The conversion was good.

Morley retained good possession from the restart. Mark Chester kicked three penalties - the second infringement seeing Chris Fox yellow-carded - and Morley were within four points.

York's next try - which put two scores between the sides - was crucial. A driving maul from close to the Morley line got them over with Lewis Hannibal dotting down and Cusack kicking the conversion.

Morley tried to get back in to the game with ten minutes to go but York full-back Liam Hessay secured the game with a breakaway try from half-way. The conversion was good again.

In the final few minutes Cusack's accurate kick was taken by Fordy, who evaded a tackle and ran 60 metres with ball in hand to score, and Hessay got his second long-range try. Cusack added one conversion.

Malton & Norton started 2020 with a dramatic 29-27 win over Moortown in North One East.

At the Gannock, the hosts were made to sweat as they almost spurned a 14-point lead - only to be awarded a penalty try in the 12th minute of stoppage time.

The win moves Malt level on points with fifth-placed Moortown.

On 10 minutes, a turnover mid-pitch was put to good use with James Bulmer firing a long pass to Ali Fothergill on the right 30 metres out and he bulldozed his way to within sight of the line. With a quick, clean recycled ball moved left it was a formality for Chris Joe to dot down.

After good work from the powerful Ben Tenge, Paul Angus raced 30 metres up the touch line to score a five-pointer on 18 minutes.

Moortown kicked three points on the 23-minute mark and bagged a five-pointer before the break, either side of Sam Triffitt's converted try for Malt.

Four minutes into the second half, Triffitt picked up at the base of a scrum and fed Angus, who passed to Fothergill to score.

The next 25 minutes saw Moortown dominate proceedings and score an unanswered 19 points, with their 10 adding four points from the tee.

But after three Moortown players received yellow cards inside five minutes, Malt got the winning penalty try in the 92nd minute.

Malt visit West Hartlepool on Saturday.

Pocklington managed another bonus-point win, beating West Hartlepool 34-21 in North One East.

It was a bittersweet day for the club. The big crowd included friends and family of Billy Hardy, and the minute's silence before the game sadly remembered him and another former player of a prior era, Malcolm Milne.

Pock raced into a 19-0 advantage thanks to a penalty try and two touchdowns from Ed Davison.

Christian Pollock notched an 80-metre try but did not have the energy to convert before Hartlepool pulled a score back in first-half stoppage time.

Buoyed and with Pock reduced to 13 men - Davison and Harry Jackson in the sin bin - Hartlepool grabbed two converted tries to narrow the gap to three points.

Pollock kicked a penalty to settle home nerves and converted Anaru Kere-Rako's try.

Selby began the second half of their Yorkshire One campaign with a 14-5 home defeat to Heath. The seventh-placed Swans visit Bradford Salem on Saturday.

Nestle Rowntree lost 42-10 at Stanley Rodillians in Yorkshire Four south east. Dave Hardy scored a penalty and Ali O'Gara converted new boy Sam Edris' late try.

Trees are at Sheffield Oaks on Saturday and south east division leaders York RI host Stocksbridge.