A sunny Wagon Lane was the setting for a Bees v Sheffield match that was typical of their meetings in two senses, but happily not a third.

Clashes between these latter-day rivals are always wholehearted and always closely fought, but there was none of the shenanigans (on field or off field) that has recently marred their meetings.

The Bees triumphed to clinch both the North Two East title and the automatic promotion that goes with it.

Sheffield, who have led the table for much of the campaign, have now been consigned to the play-offs to see if they can also reach North Division One - at home to North Two West runners-up Rochdale, probably on Saturday, April 26.

There seemed little doubt that the Bees and Sheffield were the class acts in the division this campaign, and so it proved. This time, the Bees came out 28-17 winners

The Bees director of rugby Geoff Cooke said: "It was a good match - indeed it was a credit to the division. And I spoke to the Sheffield people afterwards and said what a hard, but fair contest it was, and that I was glad that it hadn't been spoilt by the bickering that has characterised so many of our recent meetings. Also they realised that we were the better team on the day."

As usual, the contest went down to the wire, Cooke admitting how crucial Mark Coultas' try-saving tap tackle was in injury-time that prevented Sheffield left-winger Wayne Warren going over for his hat-trick.

The Bees certainly proved the better all-round side, and they treated a season's best crowd of 450 to some superb attacking rugby - Asa Firth's footwork for his try, Mark Coultas' early score and Joe Nau's try after he backed up fellow Tongan Chris Hala'uifa's surging run.

But nothing bettered the two-man attack that took a toll of tired Sheffield limbs in the second minute of injury-time. No 8 Hala'uifa went on one of those lung-bursting runs that surprise spectators and opponents alike, and centre Steve McManus just carried on where the tall back-row man left off, some mazy footwork ataking him to the line.

It was a fitting try to win a title, but Cooke admitted that their success was far from smoothly achieved. He said: "We were badly disrupted by injury and lost our momentum in the second half when Sheffield scored ten points in two minutes.

"Barry Clark didn't start the match, our other main line-out man Rob Woodhead went off injured, and we were down to 14 men when Hala'uifa was sin-binned.

"There were a few dicey moments and we messed up when Rob was having his eight stitches in a cut above his eyebrow. We didn't realise it would take so long to get him stitched up.