ALNWICK ended their season on a high with a triumph over league strugglers Ryton.

In what was Alnwick's last Division One game of the season, the blue 'n' golds battled past third from bottom Ryton 15-7.

Related features:
- Alnwick RFC results, reports and final Durham & Northumberland Division One table for the 2007/08 season.

The Greensfield victory, their ninth league win of the season, saw Alnwick finish the term in seventh place.

The north Northumberland team were one point short of matching last season's point tally; racking up 19 points this year.

Tries from Andrew Shell and Garry Hodgson helped guide Alnwick to their seventh home win of the season and saw Alnwick avenge a 17-20 defeat to Ryton earlier in the season.

But it was a Joe Poole penalty that opened the scoring, putting the hosts 3-0 up. A touchdown by Shell, followed by a conversion from Poole, increased Alnwick's lead to 10-0. Hodgson rounded off the scoring by adding a further try.

Ryton responded late on; the consolation points coming courtesy of a Williamson try and a Ushaw conversion.

Elsewhere, Billingham were crowned champions. A narrow 10-9 victory at home to Stockton secured their title triumph, edging past promotion pushers Northern by a single point.

West Hartlepool TDSOB finished as the league's basement club, finishing the season on zero points.

The strugglers were fined two points against Alnwick after they were unable to field a side but a single win of the season - their only league win all year - stopped the club finishing on minus figures.

Their season of misery was epitomized by a crushing 86-7 defeat to second-place Northern.

All Durham & Northumberland, Division One results for Saturday, April 19.

Alnwick 15 Ryton 7

Billingham 10 Stockton 9

Gosforth 20 Sunderland 27

Horden 48 Wallsend 0

Northern 86 West Hartlepool TDSOB 7

Ponteland 21 Percy Park 22

See Thursday's Northumberland Gazette for a full match report of Alnwick v Ryton.