Cleckheaton travelled all the way to Doncaster for just seven minutes of action.

The score was 0-0 in their SSE North One East match at Wheatley Hills when referee Simon Park, from the South Yorkshire district, badly injured his knee after a collision with a player.

Cleckheaton’s fixture secretary Alan Bentley reported that the official had a fractured patella and was due to undergo surgery this morning.

Bentley said: “I have sent best wishes on behalf of Cleckheaton RFC and have spoken at length to Simon’s wife, who is obviously concerned about his condition.”

On the abondonment, Bentley added: “At our level, you can’t just pull somebody out of the crowd because they have refereed the under-nines, so the match has been rearranged for Saturday, November 16, which is our next free date.”

Two matches in SSE Yorkshire Division Four were abandoned after player injuries – Stocksbridge v Ossett (a suspected broken ankle for Stocksbridge’s No 8 in the fifth minute) and Wetherby v Halifax Vandals, with the hosts leading 18-13 after 59 minutes when Vandals’ full back Jimmy Crowther was injured.