Halifax retained the Yorkshire Cup by beating neighbours Cleckheaton in an error-strewn match that will not live long in the memory, despite the losers' gallant late fightback.
In the evening sunshine, this felt like end-of-season fare, with many of the mistakes bordering on the comical.
At least it was close, unlike the two National Three North encounters between these sides. Cleckheaton, taking part in their first Yorkshire Cup final, had twice been thrashed in the league by the champions and were determined to make amends.
They were full of fire against depleted opponents; in front of two sets of raucous supporters, Cleckheaton had the better of possession and territory but rarely threatened the Halifax line.
The holders were already missing seven first-team regulars and traffic congestion ruled star wing Oli Marns out of the first-half – proof, if any were needed, of the declining relevance of the Yorkshire Cup.
The busy roads also deprived Cleckheaton of one of their key men in prop Jim Lamptey. Without him, they endured a torrid time in the scrums. An early injury removed the great John Dudley from the fray but Cleckheaton were not short of resilience.
Halifax were subjected to some fierce pressure before taking the lead after 12 minutes, when a series of forward drives created the space for scrum-half Joe Bartlett to send in Richard Hughes with a deft reverse pass.
They went further ahead with a penalty from Aaron Canning, harshly awarded for a high tackle. There was less controversy about Canning's second kick, after Cleckheaton flanker Oliver Akroyd had taken out the combative Bartlett.
Akroyd was sin-binned but Halifax were unable to profit from their numerical advantage; it was Cleckheaton who scored next, with fly-half Glen Boyd's second penalty narrowing the gap to 11-6.
John Bentley's daft early challenge on Bartlett under a high ball allowed Canning to stretch the lead in first-half stoppage time.
Cleckheaton applied severe pressure at the start of the second half, with Boyd kicking a third penalty, but Halifax burst into life after 55 minutes. A succession of off-loads in the tackle gave them an irresistible momentum and Hughes was bearing down on the line. Inexplicably, he cut inside with a try at his mercy, but Bartlett spared his blushes by slipping Craig Wilson over.
The match was ebbing to a close until Cleckheaton rallied at the death and drove hooker Steve Worsley over at the corner. They continued to attack in stoppage time but Halifax held out with few alarms.
Cleckheaton: C Quinn; J Bentley, N Murray, M Billington, J Marshall; G Boyd (M Doherty 60), S Benton; P Turner, S Worsley, C Mason (J Lamptey 41); R Wilson, C Rika; M Terry, O Akroyd, J Dudley.
Halifax: A Canning; M Piper, J Marsden (O Marns 40), R Hughes, D Hall; N O'Connor, J Bartlett; A Blades, C Mortimer, R Szabo (G Richardson 55); R Hill, M Smith; C Wilson, A Ledger, I Spence.
Referee: L ApGeraint-Roberts (South Yorkshire)
ONE of Yorkshire rugby's outstanding characters, Kenneth Thelwall Shaw has died at the age of 92.
"KT" was a scrum-half with Huddersfield between 1933-52, captained the club in 1946-47 and 1948-49 seasons and earned recognition from Yorkshire. He was president at Waterloo in 1955-56, as historian writing a book on the club in 1985.
He continued to support Huddersfield after their move from Waterloo to Lockwood Park.
He was also a key figure in the running of the Luddites, an invitation-only side who played representative matches against clubs and schools, promoting the traditional values of the game on and off the pitch, subjects close to KT's heart.
His funeral is today at Huddersfield Crematorium (1.30).