The defeat brought an end to their love affair with the Papa Johns cup competition which has been kind to them over the last two seasons, having won the National Plate Final at Darlington Mowden in 2023, and finishing runners in the Counties 1 Championship Final at Twickenham last May.

It was also the last match in charge for the coaching duo of Andy McIntosh and Paul Woodward who are both standing down following a terrific spell in charge.

The Wids made a positive start in this game and led through an early score from Liam Lawton, but in the end they were beaten by a very good Sandbach team who recovered from the disappointment of missing out on promotion, to progress smoothly into the next round of the competition.

For the visitors, a busy pre-season now lies ahead for the Club as they prepare for a second year at level six starting again in the Autumn.

The weather for the game was slightly overcast with the sunshine always threatening to break through. It was, however, dry and breezy, and ideal for an afternoon of free-flowing rugby.

Widnes got the game underway but were soon back in possession of the football through Nathan Chandler.

In what was a bright opening, the visitors then got their noses in front as quick hands sent Liam Lawton on a winding forty-five metre dash to the line for a try to open their account.

Shortly afterwards, a couple of self-inflicted errors allowed Sandbach to set up camp in the Wids 22 which allowed wing forward George Perkins to crash over for the equalising score.

After 16 minutes, a timely ankle tap denied scrum half Essenheigh as he raced clear to score, before further pressure saw Perkins score his second try which was converted by fullback Randle.

Sandbach were then able to hit Widnes further, as Essenheigh backed up to score a converted try to send the hosts in at half time leading by 19pts - 5.

After absorbing some early pressure at the start of the second period, Widnes were able to respond with a break from Sam Fitzsimon and another from Charlie Feeley.

The next, Sandbach score though was never too far away, as poor ball control and ill-discipline cost the visitors possession and field position and set up an opportunity for hooker Bowbeer to cross for another converted try.

A second Wids yellow card on the hour mark saw Sandbach score again, and they quickly added another as they broke clear from distance for a try that saw them reach the forty-point mark.

Although the game and the result were long gone now, the Wids were still able to muster a response.

Firstly, Charlie Feeley - who has been outstanding for Widnes all season, as he was again in this match - collected a loose ball before showing great pace to race home from fifty metres to score a terrific try, which was goaled by Josh Salter.

In a hectic end to the contest, a flurry of activity saw the referee produce a further three yellow cards, interjected by a bout of fisticuffs as frustrations boiled over, before Ben Mercer burrowed his way over the line to score a late try for the visitors before the final whistle sounded.

Outgoing Head coach Andy McIntosh said afterwards "Today was a spirited and gutsy performance against strong Sandbach side. It was always going to be a tough ask against a team with aspirations to play at the next level.

We had our moments to contribute to a good contest, but ultimately, it came down to a few lapses in concentration in defence and being on the wrong end of a series of infringements which resulted in being down to fourteen men for lengthy periods in the second half.

Overall, with changes throughout the team which has been a feature of the season, the lads should be proud of their effort and attitude shown today.

It draws a close to the season where we successfully established ourselves in the league following promotion last term. Hopefully, the lads respond in the pre-season and are ready to go again fresh in September.

I would just finally like to thank everybody for the support over the season, and over many years, where we have enjoyed some very happy memories and great rugby achievements.”

Widnes: L Lawton, B Finch, S Fitzsimon, T Spencer, N Chandler, J Salter, G Hatton, D Rourke, P Makles, K Riley, M Garrity, R Hamlett, E Price, C Feeley, M Jones (c) Reps: M Lawton, S Bryan, M Blakey, B Mercer, K Leadbetter