Plymouth Albion RFC slipped to their first defeat in four games as Darlington Mowden Park RFC inflicted an unexpected loss on Graham Dawe's men at a sodden Brickfields.

It wasn't a game for the purist – and indeed anyone else who doesn't possess a pair of webbed feet – and for Albion it meant a halt to their three-game winning streak.

A lot of Albion's game is based around speed from their exceptionally quick backs, and not grubbing around in the mud, which is basically what the rain swept conditions reduced Saturday's match at Brickfields to Darlington Mowden Park, who are a lot better than their lowly league position suggests, slipped, slithered and paddled their way to a victory simply because they adapted to the conditions better and made fewer mistakes.

Plymouth Albion got off to a flyer, flanker Nile Dacres touching down within a few minutes of the start of the first half (5 - 0). Darlington knocked on their own line-out in their own half. Albion switched the ball across the field, and after a good carry by Ed Holmes, Dacres went over with some help from skipper Jake Murphy.

That got the fans hiding in the bar from the swirling rain out in a hurry, just in time to see full-back and top scorer Tom Putt welly over the conversion (7 - 0).

Darlington got a penalty back through Garry LAW (7 - 3).

Knock-ons were common, the conditions ensuring the ball was about as easy to handle as an eel dipped in vaseline. Albion lost it in their own half, Darlington gave it back and it was clear this was not going to be a day for expansive rugby.

Darlington's ranks were packed with former Albion players, who decided the lure of the north was greater than staying in Plymouth after last season's relegation from the Championship.

One of them, winger Jake HENRY – not used nearly enough by Albion last term – took full advantage of a break which caught the home side cold to score the try which left his former employers (7-8) behind.

The rest of the half was mostly made up of dropped passes, penalties and all the other paraphernalia you'd associate with a game which made keeping your feet problematic, let alone the ball.

Skirmishes broke out spasmodically as the players strove to inject a bit of excitement into the match and Darlington's Ollie HODGSON got a yellow card for committing too many penalties trying to keep a rare Albion attack out.

The second half saw Albion fetch their supporters out of the bar again, striking within two minutes of the restart. Darlington muffed an attempted break from their own half, centre Marc Koteczky pounced on a wayward pass and intercepted before streaking over the visitors' try-line (12 - 8). Putt missed his conversion attempt.

Albion, though, allowed Darlington to march the ball back up the field and they drove over forward Ignas Darkintis and converted through Law to take a (12-15) lead.

Plymouth got their heads down, worked the ball through the middle and were awarded a penalty fort not rolling away, which Jubb gleefully stuck through the uprights to level the scores.

If the game had ended there, it would have been fair enough. But Albion contrived to shoot themselves in the foot, giving away a penalty try after being forced back to their own goal-line. If that wasn't bad enough, Albion lost winger Tom Bedford to a yellow card and LAW converted to give his side a 22-15 lead.

That gave Albion ten minutes to rescue the game, but it was Darlington who ended the march with their tails up, camped on Albion's goal-line. Plymouth persisted in giving away too many penalties under pressure from a dominant Park pack.

From one of those penalties, from a scrum five metres out from Albion's red zone, Darlington manoeuvred a kick for LAW which my grandmother couldn't have missed. He didn't, to leave Albion 15-25 adrift.

Albion tried to rally, but a promising drive ended with a forward pass and with that muddle, which resulted in a yellow card for replacement Rupert Freestone, went any chance of Albion retrieving even a losing bonus point from the game.

Plymouth Albion: Tom Putt, Tom Bedford, Jake Murphy (capt), Marc Koteczky, Ethan Ford, Billy Searle, Cam Setter, Ollie Dawe, James Penman, Chris Judge, Dan Collier, Ed Homes, Nile Dacres, Cameron Thompson, Herbie Stupple. Replacements: Rupert Freestone, Dan Pullinger, Greg Sebastien, Seti Raumakita, Matt Shepherd.

Tries: Nile Dacres, Marc Koteczky
Penalties: Tom Putt
Conversions: Tom Putt
Yellow cards: Tom Bedford, Rupert Freestone

Darlington Mowden Park: Ed Coulson, Peter Homan, Ben Frankland, Garry Law, Jake Henry, Warren Seals, Bruno Bravo, Gareth Nesbit, Santiago Socino, Ignas Darkintis, Tom Jubb, Rob Conquest, Ali Bone, Petillo Luca, Oliver Hodgson. Replacements: Tom Harrison, Simon Uzokwe, Rory Duff, Michael Tait, Matthew Walsh.

Tries: Jake Henry, Ignas Dakitis, penalty try
Penalties: Garry Law (2)
Conversions: Garry Law (2)
Yellow cards: Hoodgson

Referee: Veryann Boscawn

Attendance: 1,065

(By courtesy of the Plymouth Herald)