Aaron Myers was carrying a dead leg, and Chris Lambert suffering from a virus, so both started on the bench with Liam Wager and Tom King.

The match was relocated from the Cleckheaton first team pitch to a sloping school field, and Cleckheaton played the narrow pitch and muddy conditions well, creating the first sustained period of pressure through some powerful forward play, and forcing West onto the defensive. As usual when under pressure West defended well, with good organisation and determined tackling keeping the big Cleckheaton forwards out. West responded well, and two penalty opportunities arrived, but both kicks just missed to the left. West were also showing good discipline, and they were unlucky to concede the penalty that gave the Yorkshire side a first-half lead, although the kick was very well struck, from distance.

West came out attacking in the second half and should have scored early tries, but over-ambitious passes led to openings being spurned, and Cleckheaton survived, to create pressure of their own. It was from this period of defence that West at last created a simple but effective passing move, with the ball moving along the line for Rob Bellerby, playing at outside centre, to pick out a gap, and run from his own 22 to touch down under the posts, and then kick the conversion.

Both sides created opportunities to score again, but West defended well, and in the end emerged victors by 7 points to 3 in yet another tight game. Overall this was a good performance, particularly defensively against a big team who played a good forwards’ game in forwards’ conditions, although the over-ambitious passes need to be ironed out before the next round of the Cup, scheduled for January.

Team: Murray; Austin (Wager), Bellerby, Dewhirst (Lambert), Short; Robinson, Dougherty (King); Greenwell (Forrest), Richardson, Wood; Robson, Dixon; Barker, Miller, Cairns (Myers).