POCKLINGTON RUFC moved up to seventh in North One East with a last-gasp 33-28 victory at high-fliers Cleckheaton.

The Percy Park outfit will hold this position for the next couple of weeks at least as the Rugby Football Union has, in line with other major sporting associations, suspended activity due to the spread of coronavirus.

Pocklington have a penchant for producing close finishes, but nothing this campaign has matched this victory at Cleckheaton.

The scores were locked 28-28 when the referee called last play as Pocklington put the ball into a scrum inside their own half. The ball was duly hooked back and the Pocklington coaches screamed from the touchline for the ball to be booted dead to secure two points for a draw.

But fly-half Christian Pollock had his own ideas and chipped ahead for broke and for glory.

He was initially baulked but got the bounce, and suddenly found himself in the clear. He hared 40 metres to the corner to win the game 33-28 amid stunned then jubilant celebrations.

This had never looked like a contest of the team second in the table at home against against opponents battling relegation.

Going into the meeting, Cleckheaton had lost just one of their 11 games at Moorend so far, but Pocklington matched them blow for blow throughout before landing the killer punch at the death.

Pocklington made a great start, a couple of strong charges getting them on the front foot before centre Tom Richardson picked off a home pass on halfway to sprint clear to the posts in the seventh minute.

But it was end-to-end stuff as Cleckheaton had plenty of tricks in their box and grabbed a penalty and try to go 10-7 up on the half-hour.

The fluctuating flow continued as Pock's back row and backs combined to give their young winger a yard of space on the left and his swerve and pace took him to the corner - but straight away, Cleckheaton replied in kind with a try wide right for a 15-12 advantage at the interval.

And there was no let-up in the second half.

Pock were penalised at three rucks in a row and Cleckheaton kicked the goal to extend their lead.

Pocklington were soon defending on their own line again, but replacement lock Archie Fothergill carried upfield and a slick family act - along with a Pollock penalty on the next attack - edged Pocklington in front at 18-22. Scrum-half David Davison slipped a disguised inside pass for back row and brother-in-law Jack Holbrough to power to the posts, with Pollock converting.

The pendulum swung again as a Cleckheaton cross-field kick brought them a try on the right wing despite Jed Jackson's flying tackle. The soaring conversion made it 25-22 to Cleckheaton.

Good Pock play on the restart saw Pollock on target with a penalty to level matters again.

Cleckheaton soon edged back in front with a penalty of their own, then Dave Birch was taken out off the ball and Pollock's kick bisected the posts for the fifth time for 28-28.

There were still 10 minutes to go and the game remained on a knife edge until Pollock's prestidigitation won the day with the last play.