Teesside Erimus, 4
Tyneside XL Titans, 2
A trip to Teesside Erimus was never going to be a straightforward afternoon. Last season's league champions are a solid, well-organised side, and they proved it in a 4-2 win over the Titans on Sunday.
Teesside made the better start and took the lead, but the Titans answered through captain Chris Goreham to level the game at 1-1. That is how it stayed to the interval, the reward for a first half that was competitive and evenly fought, with little between the two teams.
The second half turned on a short spell of lost concentration. It rippled through the side and Teesside, being the team they are, made it count — three unanswered goals in the space of around ten minutes to move the game to 4-1 and effectively settle it.
To their credit, the Titans regrouped rather than let their heads drop. Jake Brown pulled a goal back to make it 4-2, and the side saw the game out at that, keeping the scoreline in respectable shape against opponents who had every chance to add to it.
The match ebbed and flowed and there was plenty in it for long stretches. Ten minutes of switching off was the difference, and against the champions that is all it takes. There is a lot here to build on, and a clear lesson to take away with it.