With some 10 first team players unavailable, Beverley travelled to Moorend with the most inexperienced side to represent the club for a very long time.

For half the match they gave a good account of themselves but by the end their lack of experience and know-how had been cruelly exposed by an increasingly confident Cleckheaton side. Still, it was a spirited effort and they were by no means disgraced.

They almost got off to the perfect start when Vinnie Collingwood intercepted in the Beverley 22 after only two minutes and sprinted away for the length of the field. Ten metres out and with the line at his mercy he inexplicably opted to throw a pass to Anthony Spence on the wing who dropped it. It will probably turn out to be the miss of the season.

For twenty minutes there was not much in it. Mike Kilgannon for Beverley and Ross Hayden for Cleckheaton exchanged penalties and the Beverley pack looked to be getting the upper hand, several times pushing their opponents back on Cleckheaton put-ins.

Sustained pressure on the Cleckheaton line should have brought some reward but the chance was lost when they knocked on and Cleckheaton with two kicks took play to the other end where they promptly took the lead. A penalty on the right was crosskicked high to the opposite corner where full back Ryan Duckett touched down with no Beverley defender in sight. Hayden added the conversion.

Beverley were unable to capitalise on both the home side second row being yellow carded, although Kilgannon was certainly unlucky to be penalised for crossing after he had made a lovely break which would have given him a clear run to the line.

However, two minutes from half-time Beverley did get over. Scott Cameron powered his way upfield for seventy metres from where the ball was quickly moved across the field to full back Freddie Oakey who jinked in at the corner.

Kilgannon's conversion from the touchline was narrowly wide and Beverley turned round 10-8 down.

At this stage, the game could have gone either way and in the hot sunshine it looked likely that fitness might determine the final result. Kilgannon at fly half had had a good first half kicking splendidly and using the ball well.

But within five minutes of the restart it was as good as all over. Disaster struck when Beverley lost the ball in an attacking position and Cleckheaton broke away at speed to score an easy try in the corner.

Worse followed direct from the restart when Cleckheaton fly half Zack Hill sprinted away from his own 22 and evaded numerous tackles to score a superb solo try. Suddenly Cleckheaton were 20-8 ahead.

After that it all fell apart for Beverley. They could find no thrust or cohesion in the backs and looked increasingly vulnerable as the lively Cleckeaton threequarters played with increasing confidence. Far too many Beverley long passes were misdirected or ill advised and there was nobody in the backs able to inject any pace or penetration.

The pack, however, stuck gamely at it with Cameron, Mark Hatfield and Dave Brant always in the thick of things, but Fraley Hopa, playing his first game, looked anything but fit.

Francis Pickering came on and made a noticeable impact suggesting he ought perhaps to have been on from the start.

With the game going into its last quarter wing forward Ben Wade added a fourth try for Cleckheaton from a five metre scrum, with Hayden converting to take them more or less out of sight.

Only carelessness in the Cleckheaton backs prevented their stretching further ahead before a fightback by Beverley brought a late try for Cameron as the pack drove over from a lineout.