They were beaten 25 - 19 by a really good Longlevens side, who showed that they had the attributes - particularly in that first period – as they eased themselves into a comfortable half time lead.

But it was a different story in the second half, as the Wids finally shook off that nervous start, to re-discover the form and self-belief that had been missing, all of which had served them so well throughout the season.

In the end, though, it wasn’t quite enough, as the Gloucester based side managed to get themselves over the finishing line to claim victory.

The weather for the game was perfect; with bright, warm sunshine being matched by the magnificent surroundings of Rugby HQ that was hosting the event.

The Wids looked nervous and edgy during the opening exchanges, and were unable to get their hands on any meaningful possession. And when they did, they found themselves on the wrong end of some early penalties and unforced errors; all of which contributed to keeping them on the backfoot.

So, it wasn’t really a surprise, when centre James Buckley took advantage to wrestle his way over the line from close range for the opening try after just eight minutes.

With the Griffins continuing to have much the better of the play, they were able to add a second score after 20 minutes, when fullback Matthew Smith sidestepped his way through a static defence for their second try.

This time, Bradley Wilkins was on target with the conversion which extended their lead to twelve points.

Shortly afterwards, Alex Jones almost got over to score, but was denied by a fine cover tackle close to the line.

Finally, things did come right for the ‘red-and-blacks’ as pressure close to the line was finished off by Arnie Haydock, who peeled off from a maul close to the line to score another of his trade mark tries.

Stand-off Kevin Leadbetter then added the awkward conversion to make the score 7 – 12.

Five minutes later though, the Griffins were able to add a third score, as Number 8 Stephen Phillips went over from close range.

In the final moments of the half, scrum half Bradley Wilkins added a penalty to give Longlevens a 20pts – 7 advantage at the break.

Widnes made some further changes at half time, but the error count continued during those early exchanges.

Allan Breeden did make a couple of strong runs for Widnes, before wing man Jack Krause was tackled into touch on the opposite flank.

A couple of yellow cards then followed, as a player from either side was despatched into the sin-bin. In between, Longlevens had a ‘try’ scratched off following an obstruction in back play.

On 66 minutes, Griffin’s scrum-half Wilkins then missed with a penalty from forty metres out.

After that, it all began to change, and just three minutes later, Jamie Patient collected a long pass to show both pace and strength on a 30-metre dash to the line to score a try.

Trailing by eight points, and with time ticking down, Widnes then failed with a penalty which would have gotten them to within a converted try. Instead, though, the attempt was narrowly wide of the target.

From there, Longlevens were able to respond, and from a breakdown 20 metres out, a smart grubber kick behind the advancing Widnes defence, saw winger Tom Barton pick up and dive over in the corner.

The Wids weren’t done yet though, and moments later, ‘super sub’ Allan Breeden collected a pass some 30 metres out, before shrugging off several defenders on a powerful diagonal run to the line to touch down.

Kevin Leadbetter then added the conversion to reduce the deficit to just six points. However, there just wasn’t enough time left in the game, and Longlevens were able to see out the closing moments and claim the title of Champions.

Head coach Andy McIntosh said afterwards “What a finale at the end of a fantastic season for a great bunch of lads. It was an amazing day for all involved at the club, and the whole experience from when we left Heath Road to the reception from supporters, family and friends was unreal.

The game itself was against a very strong side who started much better on the day - a few too many penalties and unforced errors stopped us getting some early momentum, but we stuck in the fight and started to get a foothold and really built into that second half.

The character and team spirit was there for all to see and we just fell short of getting the job done. As ever, the lads enjoyed the bus home to celebrate our season.

This day is one the players, coaching staff and club will remember forever. A huge thank you to Woody, Ange and Derek. What a team we have supporting these boys over the season, outstanding commitment.

We now look to recharge and regroup for a new challenge in Regional 2 North West. We are looking for a big commitment from the boys when we start pre-season, but for now we reflect and sign off our 2023/2024 campaign after a brilliant cup run that took this great club to HQ – Twickenham”.

Widnes: A Jones, J Krause, J Patient, L Lawton, T Spencer, K Leadbetter, J Salter, M Lawton, P Makles, D Rourke, M Garrity, K Arndell, M Jones, W Patient, T O'Neill (c). Reps: A Haydock, J Gilhooley, A Breeden, G Hatton, B Mercer, J Winstanley, S Bryan