Distington and Ellenborough have had some great battles this season and the CARL Premier Division Top Four play-off final was no exception.
In the end Distington triumphed 24-22 in another thriller after Elbra had held a 12-6 advantage at half-time.
The two sides had met a week earlier in the semi-final of the Amateur Cup and Ellenborough had emerged winners on that occasion.
They had looked capable of following up in the Top Four showdown, being particularly strong in the first half after Distington had taken an early lead with a penalty from skipper Scott George.
But two tries from Keenan Winter in the 18th and 32nd minutes, both converted by Owen Hoyles seemed to have given Elbra control.
However an important score from Liam McNicholas two minutes before the break put Distington back in the contest, turning round 12-6 in arrears.
The second-half was particularly tough, tight and feisty with six yellow cards disrupting the flow but two tries in the first six minutes of the second half gave Distington a major boost. Tyrone Dalton and Clayton Sutton both got over the Elbra line.
It got worse for Elbra, too, as Troy Armstrong scored twice inside three minutes just before the hour and with a conversion from George, Distington held a 24-12 advantage going into the last quarter.
The game wasn’t over, though, as Ellenborough staged a fighting grandstand finish with tries in the 72nd and 78th minutes from Ben Robinson and Zac Olstrum, one converted by Hoyles brought them to within touching distance.
But Distington held on to the victory to round-off a memorable season while Ellenborough can take consolation in the fact they have two more finals to look forward to on October 1 and 8 – both against Wath Brow A.
Distington hooker Troy Armstrong picked-up the man of the match award.
