Cleckheaton 20, Redcar 10 - Without a home game since December 8, it was nice for Cleckheaton to get back to Moorend - and especially for their much-awaited North Two East game against third-placed Redcar.

With the ground very heavy after overnight rain, this was always going to be a forwards' game.

Cleckheaton were slow to settle and Redcar had the first chance to score, poor ball control letting them down.

And this was the pattern of play until the 32nd minute when Cleckheaton were awarded a penalty, No 8 Oliver Ackroyd making it 3-0.

After this Cleckheaton took control and from a free-kick, fly half Phil Veivers' dummy sent John Bentley upfield and he side-stepped the full back for the try, Ackroyd converting.

Cleckheaton kept up the pressure and, from an identical move, Veivers sent Ackroyd into the corner for a try, the hosts going in at half-time with a hard-fought 15-0 lead.

In the second half, Cleck-heaton started where they left off and, from a midfield scrum, Ackroyd broke clear and got the ball to Bentley, who found Mick Doherty in support, the winger going over in the corner.

Redcar didn't take this lying down and hit Cleckheaton's defence hard for the next 15 minutes, but, after numerous five-metre scrums, they couldn't break through, and it wasn't until the 65th minute that they got points on the board with an easy penalty goal by Steve Brace.

This lifted the visitors and, from a scrum in Cleckheaton's 22, Nathan Fahey broke to go in for a try under the posts.

With the game then reverting to the pattern it started with, this was the final score, Cleckheaton deservedly gaining the two points to keep the pressure on leaders Huddersfield.