North One East: Alnwick 41 Cleckheaton 26

CLECKHEATON made the first of what will be three trips north of Newcastle over the next month.

Alnwick, the most northerly club playing in the English Union, awaited them, and their 100 per cent home record this season made them obvious pre-match favourites.

Cleckheaton were missing a couple of three-quarters from the previous week, with both Mikey Hayward and Lee Queeley unavailable.

This meant that the versatile Brad Marsden, who had played second and back row respectively in the previous two games, switched to the wing, while Lewis Beasty joined the bench.

Alnwick went into the lead with a tenth-minute converted try, which started with a break from just inside their own territory, but after that it was all Cleckheaton up to the interval.

The visitors' forwards began to dominate, with coach Thiu Barnard adding sizeable beef to Cleck’s pack, and Ryan Piercy and Paul Turner adding to the go-forward.

Within five minutes, Cleck equalised when their captain Matt Piper took a short pass from Jack Bickerdike and pirouetted his way to the line, with Mike Swetman adding the difficult conversion.

The visitors took the lead following an excellent drive from the pack, which Bickerdike marshalled to the line before scooting in to ground the ball, and Swetman once again added the extras to make it 14-7.

The home side were well and truly on the ropes as more good work from the Cleck forwards, with the back-row trio of Joey Carley, Josh White and Jack Seddon all making ground before Piercy made a determined run to the line that could not be halted.

Swetman made it three conversions out of three with the game entering the last minute of normal time in the first period, but there was still time for Alnwick to add a penalty and make the half-time score 21-10.

However, Cleckheaton’s seemingly comfortable lead was quickly eroded as the second half progressed.

Two minutes in, Alnwick stretched Cleckheaton’s defence, and their full back James Wilson, was at full stretch trying to tackle Alnwick’s speedy outside centre.

The grab ended up around the neck of the Northumberland man and Wilson was set to the sin bin.

Alnwick kicked for touch, spun the ball from one side of the field to the other and rounded Cleck’s depleted defence for an unconverted try.

Taking full advantage of their numerical advantage in the back line, Alnwick continued to move the ball wide and went in again for a converted try that gave them a 22-21 lead.

Just to show that they were not reliant on having an extra man, within three minutes of Cleckheaton being restored to a full complement, another sweeping Alnwick backs move was well executed and very well finished to clock up 19 unanswered points.

Cleckheaton had worked hard for their half-time lead and it had now evaporated, but the game was not yet over.

More good work from the visiting forwards set up good field position, and the ball was passed to the short side, where Seddon tip-toed down the touchline to score Cleckheaton’s fourth try and earn them at least one point from the game.

Cleckheaton were still thinking of obtaining the full five points, rather than the solitary one, but it wasn’t to be and Alnwick’s clinical back line once again scythed through Cleckheaton’s defence for a try from deep.

At 34-26, with only a few minutes left, Cleck were still approaching the tie with optimism and a losing bonus point was within reach.

However, just to emphasise the point, Alnwick had the last word with a sixth try from their own half to end the game with a slightly lop-sided score of 41-26.