Sheffield 13 Cleckheaton 11

Despite being second best in terms of possession and territory, Cleckheaton came within a whisker of levelling matters in the final seconds.

However, Iain Gordon’s attempted conversion of Richard Piper’s late try passed agonisingly by the upright.

Both sides struggled to string phases together and the game became fractured and fractious as both sides strove for supremacy.

Sheffield had the chance to take the lead in the tenth minute but Jimmy Pearson was wide with his penalty effort.

Gordon was more successful shortly afterwards with a penalty from 20 metres and the visitors retained their slender advantage until two minutes before half-time when full back Ewan Reed sprinted in for a try which was converted by Jimmy Pearson.

Both marksmen kicked further penalties early in the second half and, on the hour-mark, Pearson extended Sheffield’s advantage with his third success of the afternoon.

Cleckheaton continued to win line-out possession and it was from one such clean catch from Oliver Akroyd that Piper scored the last-gasp try which set up the dramatic finale.