It was the first time that a Widnes team had won a national competition in the whole of their previous 124-year-old history.

They turned in an impressive 80-minute performance - particularly in defence - whilst also scoring five tries in the process. Jack Krause led the way with a brace, with the other scores coming from; Liam Lawton, Will Patient and Andy Owens.

The venue for this important final fixture of the season took place in the North East at the impressive looking Darlington Arena.

Both teams had reached the final after impressive semi-final victories last weekend against West Leeds and Leamington to make it an all Counties 1 Lancashire & Cheshire affair.

The weather for the game was almost perfect, with some bright sunshine on show along with a firm, dry pitch, which was ideal for some free-flowing rugby. The two teams were also both well supported, with Widnes fans making their voices heard right from the off.

The Wids kicked off which allowed ‘Winnies to get their hands on the early possession, but it was Widnes who were able to take the lead after just five minutes, as the Manchester side failed to deal with a long-range kick downfield, allowing quick hands to send Liam Lawton over for the opening score.

Josh Salter then added a super touchline conversion to give the ‘red-and-blacks’ a 7 – 0 advantage.

Two minutes later, Salter missed with a long-range penalty attempt before Sam Farrell failed to convert a three pointer for the opposition.

Widnes then conceded another penalty, but this time Liam Lawton came to the rescue as he raced 45 metres to diffuse the awkward situation.
On the quarter hour, stand-off Farrell missed with another penalty attempt, before making it third time lucky after 27 minutes to make the score 3 – 7.

In between, Widnes had lost in-form centre Jamie Patient with an ankle injury and he was replaced by Ryan Millington. However, that failed to upset their forward momentum, and shortly afterwards a quickly taken penalty was finished off by Will Patient, who backed up in style to race behind the posts for another try.

Salter was again on target to increase the lead to 3 – 14.

As the first half drew to a close, Widnes were almost caught out following an Aldwinians chip and chase, but instead of a scoring a try, they had to be content with a second penalty goal from Sam Farrell.

Fullback Josh Salter then returned the compliment for Widnes, as he converted another three-pointer to send his team in at the break leading by 17pts – 6.

The early moments of the second half were always going to be crucial in such a tight and important fixture, and fortunately it went the way of the ‘red-and-blacks’ who were quickest out of the blocks.

Firstly, after just two minutes, it was that man Lawton who went on a mazy 40-metre run that ended with another successful penalty goal from the trusty boot of Josh Salter. This was immediately followed by some quick thinking from the Wids team where some slick handling sent wing man Andy Owens on a diagonal run to the corner for a try.

With the Wids now holding a comfortable 25 – 6 lead, the wheel of fortune then began to swing in favour of Aldwinians who realised they were now in a desperate fight if they hoped to rescue the situation.

A Widnes yellow card was the bit of luck their opponents were looking for, and it wasn’t long before they were able to exploit the extra man that allowed Ben Marsland to cross for a try which was converted by Sam Farrell.

It was to get even better for ‘Winnies’ a few minutes later, as Widnes were forced into conceding a penalty try which also saw a second ‘red-and-black’ player despatched to the sin-bin.

After holding what they thought was a comfortable winning lead, Widnes were suddenly now realised that they were involved in a mighty arm wrestle with plenty of time left to go.

It was from there, though, that the Wids really showed their self-belief and determination to continue and get the job done. Their defence was top notch - particularly when they were down to just 13 men – and instead of just rolling over, they battled hard to re-discover their early superiority.

That came by way of a cracking run from barnstorming prop forward Arnie Haydock, who made a long-range break, which ended with the trusty boot of Salter to add yet another penalty to put his team two scores in front once again.

Just minutes later, things would get even better for the Wids.

Kieron Arndell intercepted a dangerous pass before breaking free and then handing on to Jack Krause who showed both pace and determination to race home from 45 metres to score the try that would effectively end any hopes of another Aldwinians comeback.

Their situation was then made even more difficult, as Salter booted over the conversion to give his team some extra breathing room.
With the clock ticking down, and Widnes in the ascendency, further scoring opportunities came and went as both Arnie Haydock and man of the match Liam Lawton narrowly missed out.

They were, however, able to finish with a flourish as Aldwinians tried to force the pace from near their own line, enabling Jack Krause to intercept a desperate pass and cross for his second try and Widnes’ fifth, to confirm a famous victory much to the delight of their many followers.

Head coach Andy McIntosh said afterwards “What a fantastic day! The lads had a chance to do something very special today and they took the chance with both hands.

Outstanding defence once again set the tone for the day, and we took our chances when they came along. It was an entertaining game throughout and a great advert for Lancashire rugby against a great gang of lads at Aldwinians.

The team spirit to get us through that middle patch when we were down in numbers shone through, and all 22 lads played a part to get us over the line.

A great effort and a special word to our superb vocal travelling fans - the atmosphere they created for the lads today was magic and they showed what it meant at the end of the game”.

Widnes: J Salter, J Krause, L Lawton, J Patient, A Owens, K Leadbetter, C O’Donnell, A Haydock, P Makles, M Lawton, M Garrity, K Arndell, M Jones, W Patient, T O’Neill (c). Reps: J Kenyon, A Duggan, S Whitty, B Mercer, T Spencer, M Blakey, R Millington.