Cleckheaton 6, Birkenhead Park 6
Cleckheaton go into the new year on a three-match unbeaten run after gaining a hard-fought draw with Birkenhead Park despite having Ben Wade sent off.
The game was boiling over from the start with the forwards of both sides trading blows.
After 12 minutes, the man in the middle finally took control and somewhat harshly sent off Wade but no Birkenhead player which didn’t go down well with home supporters.
Cleckheaton upped their game and the first reward came in the 20th minute with a penalty from Ross Hayden.
Despite being a man down, they held on to the lead until half-time.
After missing two earlier penalties, Dave Hall levelled with one after the break before former Cleck player Steve Crampton was sin-binned.
Another Hall penalty put Park in front but Cleck pulled it back with a long kick from the ten-metre line from Dominic Brambini, who had taken over from an unwell Hayden.
Both sides had chances to win the game with penalties in the 77th and 80th minutes but a draw was a fair result.
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