Club rugby: Piper calls tune in North East One as National sides suffer setbacks

But the North East side hit back, clawing it back to 14-12 at half-time and running in four unanswered tries to take a five-point win.

Elsewhere Otley were beaten narrowly 24-21 on their travels at Sedgley Park.

Ilkley ran in five tries on their way to a 31-26 win over Wirral, in a match moved to Keighley’s 4G pitch because of snow at Ilkley’s Stacks Field ground.

Elsewhere, Sandal lost out 42-7 at Billingham, while Harrogate’s North Premier match with Pocklington was postponed because of snow on the pitch and freezing ground conditions.

In North One East Cleckheaton captain Matt Piper led by example, scoring a first-half hat-trick in their convincing 45-14 win against West Hartlepool.

The inside centre was a thorn in the opponent’s side throughout the first half, with centre Lee Queeley and hooker Ben Thrower also crashing over.

Full-back James Wilson and number 10 Mike Sweatman scored Cleckheaton’s two second-half tries and Sweatman successfully converted five of the seven tries.

West Leeds came through as winners in a hard-fought Yorkshire derby played in appalling conditions as they beat opponents Dinnington 18-8.

Centre Sam Neave and flanker Dan Bird scored the winning tries for West Leeds and Dale Breakwell kicked the rest of their points with two penalties and a conversion.

And leaders York were 28-17 winners at Moortown in Yorkshire One, but had to settle for just four points after failing to score four tries.