North One East: Cleckheaton 31 Percy Park 27 

IN A nail-biter where the lead changed hands three times in the final seven minutes, Cleckheaton won this North One East clash with the last play of the match.

Mike Swetman put Cleckheaton into an early lead with a penalty goal before a good driving run by Josh Plunkett took the home team close.

However, Mike Hayward collected from the ball from the ruck and combined with Swetman to put Liam Darville in for a try.

Cleckheaton were in the ascendancy but Jack Seddon was sin-binned for hands in the ruck, and Percy Park took full advantage, leading 19-8 by the break.

Park’s three tries for Liam Caulfield, Seb Rees and Charlie Greswold  followed a similar pattern, stretching out Cleckheaton’s right-hand side and running practiced lines to carve a gap through a depleted defence.

Michael Grove added two conversions, and Cleckheaton's player-coach Thiu Barnard demanded a reduction in the error count for the second period and a renewed sense of urgency from his squad.

Cleckheaton resumed the game on the front foot, and within minutes Seddon began to make up for his period in the bin with a great break and one handed off-load, which was collected by Luke Pearson.

The hard-working lock flicked a pass to James Wilson, who stepped inside the last Park man for Cleckheaton’s second try.

Replacement Ronan Evans added a penalty goal from 35 metres to put the home side back within three points at 19-16, but the reduction in deficit only lasted three minutes as the black and white jerseys of Percy Park poured forward and attacked with pace from halfway, culminating in a well-finished try from Grove.

With 20 minutes left, Neil Cherryholme and Niall Jackson replaced Ryan Piercy and Ben Thrower, knowing that another Park score would make life very dfificult.

However, inspired by scrum half and man of the match Jack Bickerdike, Brad Marsden, Andy Piper and skipper Matt Piper, Cleckheaton hit back after another break and one-handed offload by Seddon, this time to dancing winger Hayward,who shimmied over in the corner.

Evans added a brilliant touchline conversion to put Cleck within a point at 24-23, and with seven minutes to go a cool-headed penalty from the same player gave Cleckheaton the lead back at 26-24.

Amid unbearable tension, Percy Park went in front again with a penalty from in front of the sticks with two minutes left, but Cleckheaton not only turned over possession from the restart but won a penalty.

It was 40 metres out and missed the target, but crucially went over the dead-ball line.

The referee decided that there was time for one more play, and Park kicked deep, and Wilson, Pat Foulstone and Liam Darville combined to feed Seddon just inside Park's half.

The No 8, who had a superb second half, somehow found his way through the defence again and sprinted to the line, bringing the house down at Moorend and, at the same time, bringing Park's players to their knees.