Leek 2s preserved their Counties 2 status for next season with a big home win in a thrilling game against Willenhall 1s. Cheered on by a boisterous St Edward's Park crowd, Andy Thompson's men scored five tries - all converted by Will Midwinter - to edge out the visitors 35-31.

The 2s season has been marked by inconsistent team selection due to injuries and first team call-ups, and once again the matchday squad had an unfamiliar look. So it perhaps wasn't surprising that the Moorlanders took a while to settle into the game.

The opening minutes saw Leek turning over the ball with knock-ons and kicks straight to touch. Missed tackles also contributed to the visitors' opening try on nine minutes, but the conversion was missed.

Leek grew into the match and Jay Wilkinson scampered over in the left hand corner on 19 minutes, Midwinter's kick giving them the lead. But the hosts were struggling to contain Willenhall's strong, direct running and ability to shrug off tacklers, and two quick scores saw them move into a 7-17 lead.

The Moorlanders began to dominate territory and possession, but struggled to find the killer pass until Connor Bassett broke through and sprinted to the corner to make it 14-17 at half time.

Willenhall started the second period quickly and claimed their bonus point score. Leek drove back down field and were camped in the opposition 22. A yellow card for the visitors for repeated redzone infringements finally opened up some space and Kin Critchlow and Bassett scored in quick succession to claim back the lead.

As the players tired, the game became more open and Willenhall scored their fifth on 70 minutes. But the blue and whites were not to be denied, Wilkinson tiptoeing down the line to score in the right-hand corner. Leek were able to see out the final few minutes to claim a fabulous win and secure their Counties 2 place for next season.