National League Three North: Billingham 40 Cleckheaton 25

CLECKHEATON may be back in a relegation place but a late rally earned them a four-try bonus point that could be crucial come the end of the season.

Billingham are known to run the ball from anywhere on the field given space, but Cleckheaton did not heed their pre-match briefing when a box kick by visiting scrum half Jack Bickerdike was collected on Billingham's right by winger Adam Radwan.

The ball was sprayed across field via Pete Evans to the opposite wing, where Martin Hopley chipped ahead and won the race to collect the ball before sprinting in for Billingham’s first try, Evans converting.

Five minutes later, Billingham were again expansive in attack, stretching the visitors' sliding defence to breaking point as Radwan scored to make it 12-0.

However, Cleckheaton kept themselves in it after good work from the forwards and a long pass from Bickerdike to Mark Barlow, who was unmarked on the left touchline, and it was 12-8 when Ronan Evans added a penalty.

But Billingham extended their advantage courtesy of Pete Evans, who ghosted through the defence like a hot knife through butter, and added the conversion to make the half-time score 19-8.

Pete Evans continued where he left off not long into the second half, leaving Cleckheaton’s defenders grasping at thin air as he glided through and rounded the full back for another converted try and at least a bonus point.

And any chance of Cleckheaton getting back into the game was laid to rest when Bickerdike was controversially yellow carded and the referee awarded the home team a penalty try for a tackle he deemed, at the time, to be reckless.

This action turned out to be legal, however, and the referee apologised in the bar afterwards.

With Cleckheaton a man down, Billingham centre Joe Evans went in for a try, brother Pete adding the extras to stretch the lead to 40-8.

But Cleckheaton put in a very determined last 15 minutes, with the forwards bashing their way upfield, retaining possession well and driving Billingham backwards.

Three times they won a penalty that gave them a line-out within ten metres of Billingham’s line, and three times Richard Piper guided the ball to the line to grind out a bonus point for four tries.