DUDLEY Kingswinford boosted their promotion hopes with a hard-fought win at Longton.

Playing up the slope but with a stiff breeze at their backs, DK swept into a 0-19 lead in just 17 minutes catching the home side cold.

Though Longton mounted a spirited fight back with a late first half try, they were unable to take advantage of the elements in the second half and DK ran out well deserved winners.

With scrum half Jordan Brookes out with a groin strain, Jon Higgins replaced him and Gareth Bown reverted to fly half with Tom Weaver replacing him at outside centre.

Pete Knight and Dan Shakespeare returned to the back row and front rows respectively, in place of Adam Greaves and Rich Kelley. Rich Kelley, Ian Langford and Nick Adams made up the DK bench.

DK took an early lead after only two minutes. A good call from Bown saw the fly half feed Stefan Shillingford, who sent in James Jefferson at the corner for an unconverted try.

The visitors made all the early running and went further ahead on 14 minutes. Tom Bissell picked up and passed to Higgins whose short, sharp pass was taken at great pace by Gareth Bown who shot right through the Longton cover to the posts before they could even blink. Higgins added the conversion to make it 12-0.

Three minutes later things got even better as Longton lost possession in midfield and a 50 metre break from Shillingford set up Weaver for the thied try.

Though no doubt a little shell shocked from the constant DK barrage, Longton managed to keep the visitors from scoring again before half time and reduced the arrears with a 35th minute try from centre Scott Rawlins.

With the breeze behind them at the start of the second half, Longton applied their first concerted period of pressure of the game.

But DK were up for the task and held the home side relatively comfortably, before gradually coming back strongly into the game.

After 55 minutes Bown executed an exquisite step followed by a stunning, surging 50 metre break through the heart of the Longton cover to brilliantly set up Shillingford for the bonus point fourth try.

Higgins added the extras for 26-5 lead and then slotted a 66th minute penalty to leave the home side more than three converted tries adrift.

Longton kept plugging away and managed to have the last word with a second try after 70 minutes, when a good break in the centre took play into the DK 22 where winger Alex George received a scoring pass.