National League Three North: Cleckheaton 31 Wirral 52

CLECKHEATON'S National League Three North fate will be decided on the last day of the season.

They were hoping to beat fourth-placed Wirral to make their match at Lymm on Saturday, April 22 academic.

Stockport, who have only gained one point all season, have already been relegated, and they have been joined by Firwood Waterloo, who were trounced 66-17 at Sandal on Saturday.

The final demotion berth in just under a fortnight now rests between Doncaster Phoenix (36 points), Cleckheaton (39) and Morley (41).

However, being as Morley are at Stockport – who have lost all 25 games this season – the place is really between Doncaster Phoenix, who are at Waterloo, and Cleckheaton.

What effect being relegated will have on Waterloo is a moot point, but Cleckheaton know that a victory at ninth-placed Lymm, a draw or even a defeat in which they pick up two bonus points will mean that they will survive.

For a game that was so crucial, Cleckheaton's start was very nervy and they were 14-0 behind after 12 minutes.

They were awarded a penalty try midway through the half but turned round 19-7 adrift, having conceded their third try in injury time after some serious Wirral pressure finally paid off.

Both sides then scored a try each before the game really got away from Cleckheaton just after the hour, with Wirral scoring three tries in eight minutes.

However, Cleckheaton kept at it and scored two of the last three tries on an afternoon when the temperature reached 21 degrees, thereby gaining that four-try bonus point which makes it just a little harder for them to be relegated.

Coach Scott Benton said: "We made three or four silly turnovers and some fundamental mistakes to give them tries from 60-70 yards, but, in a game of open rugby, we kept going to get five tries.

"We scored some nice tries and now it will all be decided in two weeks' time."

In a first half where there were a surprising number of knock-ons, Cleckheaton played a high price when fly half Ronan Evans failed to find touch in the eighth minute, Wirral running the ball back for fly half Craig Harvey to score, full back James Annetts adding the conversion.

Four minutes later, after home scrum half Jack Bickerdike tidied up in defence by conceding a line-out deep in their half, Wirral were over again, a long pass putting right winger Matt Loon over in the far corner, with Annetts mailing the conversion.

Too many Cleckheaton passes were going astray in midfield to exocet-like deliveries, but they got back in the game in the 21st minute when flanker Jack Seddon was high tackled deep in Wirral's right corner, resulting in referee Ieuen Davies awarding a penalty try, which full back Ross Hayden converted, and sin-binning the culprit Annetts.

The rest of the half belonged to the Merseysiders, however, and Davies twice spoke to Cleckheaton skipper Richard Piper about team infringements.

But just when it looked as if the hosts might hold out until half-time, Wirral left winger Ali Baker got on the end of a kick through by orchestrator-in-chief Harvey to score their third try.

It was the visitors who started the second half the better, with Loon breaking a tackle to score his second try in the 45th minute.

Cleckheaton were then held up over the Wirral line, but a minute later, in the 49th minute, a delayed pass by centre Matt Piper put Hayden over, and the full back converted to reduce the deficit to 24-14.

With right winger Lee Queeley an increasingly influential figure, Cleckheaton were hunting a third try themselves, with winger Josh Hall being shoved into touch on the right and an Evans try being rightly ruled out for the scoring pass by Matt Piper being forward.

Wirral then decided the outcome with tries for Harvey, Baker and centre Mark Williams after 62, 65 and 69 minutes, two of them being from home errors.

Annetts converted all three to make the score 45-14, and the only question over the remaining 11 minutes was could Cleckheaton score two more tries to earn a four-try bonus point.

Prop Andrew Piper rumbled over on the right in the 73rd minute and, although Loon bagged his hat-trick through a large gap in the middle of Cleckheaton's defence six minutes later, the home side managed injury-time tries by Richard Piper (to gain the bonus point) and Hayden, from a Matt Piper inside pass.