The Newcastle and Hunter Rugby League C-grade leaders defeated their Port Stephens opponents 22-16 at Fingal Bay Oval on Saturday. 

Paterson centre Samuel Armstrong bagged a double in the top-of-the-table clash.

Winger Michael Roberts and prop Dylan Younger also crossed for tries. 

Fullback Jay Smith kicked three goals in the six-point victory. 

Paterson now have two catch up matches to play this week, starting with Dungog at Bennett Park on Wednesday night and finishing with Williamtown at Hexham Oval on Saturday. 

They then meet Woodberry, Dungog and Abermain in the remaining three rounds as they close in on a minor premiership. 

Elsewhere in C-grade, the Dungog Warriors lost 16-12 to Karuah at Lionel Morton Oval on Saturday. 

Fullback Lee Nevin scored most of the points with a try and two conversions, and hooker Mitchell Evans added four of his own. 

Woodberry picked up maximum competition points after last year’s D-grade champions Williamtown for­feited for the second time in as many weeks. In D-grade it was Thornton Beresfield who narrowly got the better of Hinton 24-20 at home on Saturday. 

Five-eighth Rhys Clacherty, hooker Jarrod Hoey and back-rowers Tyson Atkins and Jesse Burrem all scored tries for the Bears and centre Jordan Eckford kicked all four goals. 

At Clarence Town on Sunday the Cobras doubled Carrington’s score 

40-20, scoring seven tries and kicking six goals. 

Five-eighth Jamie Foot scored a ­treble for the hosts and hooker Phil Badier picked up a pair of tries, along with half-a-dozen conversions for a personal haul of 20 points. 

Cobras centre Jeremy Papamau and lock Ben Bradley also made the score sheet with four-pointers of their own. 

And finally to the A-grade competition and Raymond Terrace were defeated 32-26 by Tea Gardens at Myall Park on Sunday. 

Magpies fullback Billy Greentree, winger Trai Breckleman, halfback Jeremy Fredericks, prop Dan Forbes and back-rower Steve Soper were the five try scorers.  Fredericks added the extras three times. 

To the other rescheduled encounter and in D-grade on Saturday the Thornton Beresfield Bears host the Clarence Town Cobras at Somerset Park (3pm). 

Normal competition resumes with round 16 on August 8.