HEWORTH ARLC returned to winning ways with a much-needed 30-18 defeat of lowly Hull Isberg.

The Villagers had gone eight weeks without a win, severely denting their hopes of going up from National Conference division two, and this was a game they couldn't afford to lose.

It hung in the balance at half-time as Heworth led 20-18, with good passing and excellent tries from both sides in an exciting tussle.

Isberg did not look like a bottom-two side and would have been in front at the break but for a magnificent cover tackle by Heworth prop Sam Clarke.

Man of the match Clarke was again to the fore midway through the second half as he charged onto a short ball to score under the posts and, although Carl Potter missed the conversion, the pressure on Heworth was ended when, with six minutes left, winger Mike Welch intercepted and sprinted 80 metres for the match-clinching score, which Potter goaled.

Isberg had gone ahead early on in the first half when Heworth coughed up possession and second-row Phil Crosby charged over, with stand-off Andy Kay converting and adding a penalty.

Heworth turned it round when scrum-half Leigh Rientoul slipped through under the posts following a good scrum move involved loose-forward Luke Judson.

Hooker Potter converted and then booted a 40-20, with skipper Dan Briggs then coming to the fore.

Firstly, he used his power to go over and, five minutes later, after a Rientoul pass saw full-back Chris Smith in full flight, the second-row collected an inside pass to score again, Potter goaling.

Isberg were not out of it, though, and winger Andy Wilby scored in the corner to reduce the deficit to 16-12.

It was back up to eight points when Smith forced his way over by the flag, but the visitors scored again three minutes before half-time thanks to their two best players as another good run by Crosby ended with hooker Graham Mallinson charging in, Kay goaling.

The second half was a mistake-ridden affair in the wind but Heworth - for whom centres John Coulson and Jon Jewitt impressed - were more dangerous and deserved their two tries.

Good defence, notably from Clarke, Briggs and Judson, held out an enthusiastic Isberg side, before the game ended fractiously as Isberg scrum-half Ricky Hough was sin-binned for dissent and was joined in the last minute by Potter and visiting loose-forward John Bennett after an altercation.