NEW EARSWICK All Blacks finally got back to winning ways in the Pennine League Championship with a 30-16 victory against Brotherton.

Head coach Jack Stearman was still not satisfied with all aspects of his side's play - noting their propensity to give up points in the middle 20 minutes of a match - but he was thrilled with their fitness as the game reached its climax.

He said: "It’s the 20 minutes in the middle of the match where we are conceding all of our points.

"It has been difficult the last couple of weeks to get ball in hand at training with the weather being the way it has been. However, the lads have been working hard in the gym and their fitness has improved no end, which is evident in the way we finished the match.”

After an unusually shaky start to the campaign saw them at the bottom of the table, it took the White Rose Avenue outfit 16 minutes to get in front. Good footwork and strength saw Tom Barron go over for his third try of the campaign.

Tom Holmes converted to make it 6-0.

New Earswick then showed great determination in defence, thwarting numerous attacking sets in their half, before a break by Jack Carling, and an intuitive kick, gave the All Blacks a penalty in Brotherton’s ten metre area.

It culminated with Stearman going over the whitewash after 35 minutes, attacked by two Brotherton defenders, to score a trademark try. Holmes converted again to make it 12-0 to New Earswick at the half.

Brotherton came out with their tails up as the second half kicked off.

After eight minutes, their efforts were rewarded when they scored a try but they were unable to kick the conversion as the deficit was reduced to 12-4.

It was a try, though, that boosted Brotherton's confidence and, as they became more bold, New Earswick's luck seemed to be out.

They were left thinking about what happened in previous weekends as a kick over the top bounced horrendously inside the in goal area, leaving a Brotherton player to ground the ball.

Brotherton's half-back converted to make it 12-10 and then, after the All Blacks failed to get out of their 20 metre zone, Brotherton's hooker dived over to capitalise on a soft score and they led 16-12 with 61 minutes gone on the clock.

But the All Blacks never lost faith, stuck to their attacking game plan and it was an individual Liam Gargan try that put them back in front as he collected his own kick to score. Holmes again converted.

New Earswick then put the game to bed with two scores in two minutes.

The first came three minutes from the end, Gargan going over after good attack build up by Jack Carling.

Holmes missed the first conversion but put the following one through the posts after Sean Malarkey opened his account for the All Blacks this season after a good kick through.

Holmes' kick made it 30-16 and Malarkey gained man of the match honours following a great game in attack and defence.