Leek suffered a heartbreaking loss after pushing undefeated Macclesfield all the way in their Regional 1 North West fixture at St Edward's Park.

The width of a post was ultimately the difference between victory and defeat, Will Midwinter's first-half conversion attempt striking the upright as Macc held on to win by a single point.

The Moorlanders can hold their heads high after going toe to toe over 80 minutes with a team who were in the National Leagues last season. The boys in blue had most of the possession throughout an absorbing match, but the visitors were ruthless when it came to taking their chances.

From the outset, the teams appeared evenly matched. Leek had the upper hand in the scrum, but Macc's lineout was working well, the tackling from both sides was fierce and there were few clear-cut chances.

Macc broke the deadlock on 19 minutes with a penalty in front of the posts. An outrageous piece of good luck then created the opening for their first try, a blocked kick ahead rebounding straight into the hands of the kicker for him to send his winger away down the flank to score under the posts.

Leek dug in and hit back, the mercurial Joe Byrne picking a great line to take him through the visitors' defence for the try. Midwinter's conversion attempt bounced back off the upright. The visitors upped their game and claimed two quick tries before the break, giving them a scarcely-deserved 5-20 lead at the half.

The Moorlanders pressed hard in the second half and got their reward after a prolonged period of possession when Lewis Dunleavy barged over from close range, Midwinter converting.

The arm wrestle continued and there were only six minutes remaining when Alex Fitzmaurice-James crossed to make it a once score game, Midwinter's extras reducing the deficit to a single point. But the hosts were unable to force an opening for the winning score and Macc held on to claim the win.

Leek 3s claimed a 31-20 win at Didsbury to bolster their position in the top half of Nowirul 4 East.