Cleckheaton put in a spirited and workmanlike 2nd half performance to over come Waterloo after trailing significantly at the halfway mark. With both sides desperate for a win it was always going to be an appetising fixture and did not disappoint.

Cleckheaton scored first when Ronan Evans took a pass back on the inside from Josh Hall to finish off a sweeping break started by Jack Bickerdike. After Evans converted his own try the visitors led 7-0. For the next 35 minutes Waterloo dominated possession. Buoyed by their last minute win over Morley the previous weekend, Waterloo threw the ball wide at every opportunity and put their speedy three-quarter line into action. Cleckheaton became their own worst enemies and made a lot of handling and other unforced errors, which furthered Loo's cause. The home team ran in three tries without reply, with Loo’s Mark Rylance, Liam Reeve and Jack Weare all crossing the whitewash. Reeve converted two of them and also added a penalty. At the interval Waterloo led 22-7 and Cleckheaton appeared to have a mountain to climb against a side who were playing a confident and expansive game.

Cleckheaton regrouped at half time and James Wilson took the field for the injured Ollie Depledge. The team knew they could not allow Waterloo to score many further points if they were going to have any chance of winning the game. They also knew that that the turning over of possession cheaply through handling errors or ineffective kicking had to stop. The team started the second period with renewed vigour and opted to keep the ball in hand a lot more. Martin Woodhead went close before Cleck won a line out 10 metres from Waterloo's line and with the help of Niall Jackson, Ryan Piercy guided the ball over the whitewash. Shortly after the restart, a chip over from Neil Chivers bounced in Cleckheaton’s favour and was collected by Josh Hall, who rounded the last defender for another Cleckheaton try. Evans converted to put Cleck within 3 points of the Home team. In a reverse of the first half, Cleckheaton were now hogging possession and thanks to a 30m rampage by skipper Richard Piper and a number of strong runs from Jack Seddon, the visitors found themselves with a line out 5m fromWaterloo’s line. Andy Piper picked up a shoulder injury in winning the line out and Tom Austin re-took the field. Luke Pearson collected the ball and Richard Piper clamped in under his arm before breaking to his left for Cleckheaton’s 4th try. The conversion missed but Cleckheaton had the lead again and Evans widened the advantage with a penalty goal. The referee played 6 minutes of injury time, in which Mark Chivers was sin-binned and Cleckheaton finished the game defending for an incredibly nerve-racking last 5 minutes with only 14 men, as Loo pressed for one last twist in an entertaining game. It was to be Cleckheaton's day in end as the final whistle blew and they claimed a bonus point win with a 27-22 victory.

This weekend Cleckheaton welcome undefeated and table topping Huddersfield to Moorend for what promises to be a testing game but one that the team looks forward to with vigour.