National League Three North: Lymm 27 Cleckheaton 10

MAYBE Cleckheaton realised it wasn't going to be their day as early as the third minute at Crouchley Lane.

By this time, replacement back Iain Gordon had pulled a calf muscle during the warm-up and centre Matt Piper was off with a pulled hamstring, never to return.

Although lock Ryan Piercy scored tries in the 18th and 46th minutes to pull the scores back to 7-5 and 17-10. little else went right for the visitors, who were relegated as Doncaster Phoenix won 29-14 at already demoted Firwood Waterloo to move above the Moorenders and escape.

Dejected Cleckheaton coach Scott Benton said: "We should have been 12-10 up at half-time rather than 17-5 down because we blew the chance of a try and then let them go down the other end of the field and score.

"It didn't help when we lost 'Gordo' in the warm-up and Matt in the opening minutes, but the forwards did well and the backs didn't back them up."

Too many knock-ons also meant that Cleckheaton were never able to mount sustained pressure on Lymm's line and, with a home victory already in the bag, there was a brawl (or three in succession) at the end, after which referee Matthew Riley (RFU North) sent off Cleckheaton's James Wilson and Lymm's Jordan Widdrington for punching.

The visitors had an early reprieve when hooker Mark Chivers was penalised, Lymm full back Cormac Nolan missing the fourth minute shot at goal from between the ten-metre line and halfway.

Two minutes later, Cleckheaton had a good drive of their own at a scrum, but Lymm still found space for Nolan to go over on the right.

However, he pulled a hamstring in the act of scoring, and centre Richard McEvoy stroked over the conversion.

What advantage there was from a strong diagonal breeze seemed to favour Lymm in the first half, but they were under their own posts in the 18th minute after Piercy got his first try on the right, fly half Ronan Evans' conversion running out of steam into the wind as it crossed in front of the uprights.

Cleckheaton scrum half Jack Bickerdike saved a try with a great cover tackle on flanker Jake Ashall in the 23rd minute, but McEvoy was given an easy penalty opportunity eight minutes later, which he took to extend Lymm's lead to 10-5.

Winger Josh Hall – Cleckheaton's best back – made a stunning break in the 36th minute but Wilson couldn't grab the pass, which was slightly behind him, and Lymm twisted the knife in first-half injury time with a well-crafted try for fly half Will Titherington which McEvoy converted.

The first try of the second half looked as if might be vital, and it went to Cleckheaton as Piercy took a great line from a short Bickerdike pass to score six minutes in.

Wilson shot through the middle of Lymm's defence three minutes later, only for his pass to go astray, and the visitors were offside in front of their posts in the 55th minute, McEvoy's successful kick stretching the home lead beyond a score.

Down 20-10, Cleckheaton started to be more expansive and almost conceded an interception try, but they were found out on the right in the 62nd minute when scrum half Andy Davies scored and McEvoy added a fine conversion.

Needing three tries to salvage their season with time running out, Cleckheaton were at the wrong end of the field, with Lymm being held up over the line in the 76th minute.

Prop Paul Turner was then sin-binned for a no-arms tackle before Hall made another plucky break down the right.

Then came the three dust-ups in a matter of seconds, after which Riley brandished a red card to each side.

Cleckheaton's display did not make pleasant viewing for their supporters, who included former players Steve Worsley, Dom Castle and Rob Afoa-Peterson.

They will now be in North One East alongside Bradford & Bingley, Huddersfield YMCA and, if they win their play-off at South Shields Westoe, West Leeds.

Cleckheaton's rugby chairman Neil Gillan said: "The only thing that can save us now is an 11th-hour reprieve from the RFU in the wake of London Welsh being liquidated" – but he wasn't holding his breath.