Matchday Hospitality is now on sale.
Whether you’re entertaining clients, rewarding colleagues or enjoying a day with friends, we’d love to welcome you.
See you this weekend when the 1stXV entertain our local rivals Darlington Mowden Park in a massive local derby.
CLICK HERE for further details

IT'S FAMILY DAY
Free entry to registered minis, juniors and their parents.
Come along and share a great rugby family day.

TYNEDALE RFC v DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK RFC
Saturday 12th September 2026 (KO 3pm)

WELCOME TO TYNEDALE PARK

This Saturday we welcome all players, officials and supporters from Darlington Mowden Park, who make the short journey to take on our 1stXV in our long awaited opening home league match of the season.
We hope everyone associated with the club enjoys their day at Tynedale Park.

We also, of course, extend a warm welcome to this week’s match officials.

To EVERYBODY - Enjoy your day!

DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK HISTORY AND VENUES
In 1946 the Old Boys of Darlington Queen Elizabeth Grammar School - mostly ex-forces - played some scratch games at the end of the 1945/46 season, and began the 1946/47 season as a properly constituted Club. Players changed at the school and played the games on the school field, whilst business and social activities took place in the Kings Head Hotel.
In due course it was felt the club should have its own Club House facilities, and in 1955 rooms were converted above Williamsons Garage in Woodland Road, into cosy, if somewhat cramped quarters.
In due course the rooms became too small, and spurred on by the threat of a sagging floor, the club searched for alternative premises. In 1958, during the course of a pork pie supper at the Boot and Shoe, the Committee agreed to purchase a property in Victoria Road. This was a large terraced house on three floors, with a good cellar, which was transformed into a grand Club House.

During the stay in Victoria Road Darlington celebrated its 21st Anniversary, became an open club, and started a Colts Section. They were almost the last Club in the North East to "go open" but as soon as more and more school leavers went on to higher education, and did not return to the area, the source of players was drying up.

By the end of the Sixties unrelated circumstances were conspiring to shape the club’s future. The building of the Inner Ring Road meant they would lose the Club House, and the projected re-organisation of education in Darlington cast doubts on the long term future of the School field. After exhaustive searches around Darlington, the Committee had the chance to buy the ground at Yiewsley Drive.

It was also thought appropriate, not least because they were no longer an "Old Boys Club", to change the name to Mowden Park RFC. This had the disadvantage of not being obviously connected to the town of Darlington, so later this became Darlington Mowden Park RFC.

In late 2012 Darlington Mowden Park Rugby Football Club sold their ground at Yiewsley Drive to a housing developer and with the proceeds bought the empty Darlington Arena. The Club played its first game at the Arena in March 2013. Tynedale’s first visit was for the match on 20th Feb 2015.

TYNEDALE V DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK

TYNEDALE v DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK LEAGUE FIXTURES
From September 2001 until January 2008 the clubs had played each other in National 3 North[b] league matches 14 times; 8 wins to Darlington Mowden Park; 6 wins to Tynedale.

Those figures disguise the fact that Tynedale’s trips to Darlington had usually been disastrous. So much so that after a 35-14 victory at Yiewsley Drive in January 2008 the Hexham Courant’s headline read “TYNE LAY PARK HOODOO”.

Worse followed, with the article adding “visits to Mowden Park are about as popular as a trip to the proctologists for Tynedale”.
(The term “proctologist” is somewhat outdated; today, these specialists are more commonly referred to as [B]colorectal surgeons).

In fact the hoodoo really fell on DMP that day, as the Park lock forward Ciaran McNicholas suffered very severe fractures to his leg. His absence had a profound effect on the way the match developed.

One other unbelievable event in that match which the newspaper noted, was “for the second week running usually indestructible prop Peter Southern was forced to go off with cramp after switching from loose-head to tight head”.

All very bizarre. Disastrous for the Park lock.

The Tynedale backs that day were Ross Samson, Gavin Beasley, Ben Duncan, Phil. Belgian (Capt), Jack Harrison, Jack Smales, Rob Miller. - Wow!

Other points of interest were that, in the pack were two future Internationals, Tim Swinson and Rupert Harden and there were two Fieldhouses on the bench; Matthew and Alex.

Hardly surprisingly with the quality of players in the Tyne squad that season we won the league with 112 points, DMP finishing runners up on 83 points – quite a gap!

As runners up DMP had to travel to Cinderford in a promotion playoff game, losing a tight encounter that finished 15 - 14 to the Gloucestershire side.

Seven seasons later, in season 2014/15, the teams met again. twice, by then in National League One:-
07th Nov. 2014 - Tynedale 19 Darlington MP 53
20th Feb 2015 - Darlington MP 27 Tynedale 18

Tynedale were relegated into National 2 at the end of this 2014-2015 season but the clubs did then play each other several times in pre-season friendlies with DMP having the edge,
After 10 seasons apart DMP re-joined us last season in National 2 North.

LAST SEASON’S RESULTS National 2 (North)

12th September 2025 - Darlington MP 38 Tynedale 48
20th December 2025 - Tynedale 39 Darlington MP 0
Tynedale were well pleased with their derby double although the fixture at Darlington will be remembered for a remarkable home side come back in the final quarter which fell just short.

DARLINGTON MP’S THIS SEASON
DMP did not have the smoothest of pre-season programmes with the opposition late cry offs in three of their planned friendlies! As a result they had to make do with competitive training sessions with Red Bull Academy, Newcastle Uni and Durham Uni.
Not the ideal preparation for their difficult opening league match at Sedgley Park and the 47-26 scoreline suggests a difficult day.

There were some positives for DMP however – they always posed an attacking threat but too many early-season mistakes cost them dearly, and they did score 4 tries to secure a bonus point.
Two ex-Tynedale lads Ben Douglas and Harrison Wood were the DMP scorers, with Ben grabbing a hat trick!

There are in fact several players in this season’s DMP squad who have played previously for Tynedale:-
Ben Douglas
Harrison Wood
Charlie Turnbull
Liam Checksfield
Sam Clark
Jacob Oliver

After last season’s derby reversals DMP are sure to be fired up looking to ‘put things right’ and a tough challenging encounter is anticipated.

DMP WEBSITE
https://www.mowdenpark.com/

MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Andrew Shaw
AR1: Simon Williams
AR2: Paul Fincken

BALL BOYS
Tynedale Under 13’s

WEATHER FORECAST
Possible light rain, gentle south-westerly breeze, 18 degrees

RUGBY PRIOR TO 21ST SEPTEMBER
The RFU’s decision to step in and postpone all competitive rugby below National League level scheduled to be played prior to Monday 21st September has predictably led to a fair degree of uncertainty and bewilderment.

FRIDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER
U15’s v Percy Park U15’s (7pm) - Friendly

SATURDY 12TH SEPTEMBER
1stXV v Darlington MP (3pm) – National 2 North
Northern 1stXV v Raiders (3pm) – friendly
Melrose Wasps v Colts (3pm) – Border League

SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
Tynedale U16s v Consett U16’s (11am) - friendly

FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
U14’s v Consett U14’s (7pm) - friendly

SATURDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER
Sedgley Park v 1stXV (2.30pm) – National 2 North
Consett 1stXV v Raiders (3pm) – friendly
Gosforth v Centurions (3pm) – friendly

SELECTED SQUADS
To be announced