Millom are the only Cumbrian team left in the end of season play-offs after weekend defeats for Wath Brow and Kells.
And there was relief for Barrow Island when Myton Warriors lost their final Division Two game at Saddleworth, leaving the Cumbrians above the relegation zone.
Millom will host Leigh Island on Saturday in the Third Division play-off final, hoping to join Ellenborough in Division Two next season.
They actually got through Saturday’s semi-final against Beverley without breaking sweat as their opponents cried off on the eve of the game.
Beverley have now been instructed to attend an NCL management committee meeting next Monday to explain the background to their decision not to travel.
Early in the season Beverley lost 26-24 at Millom but at the end of July they beat the Woolybacks 25-16 in the home fixture.
Leigh East got through with a 36-10 home win against Drighlington.
Up in the Premier League there was disappointment for Wath Brow Hornets as they went under 11-10 at home to Siddal in the elimination semi-final.
This game typified Siddal’s season as they snatched the win with a late drop goal after trailing 10-0 at the break.
Over the season they only won four of their first 14 matches but finished strongly to make the play-offs.
The Hornets had won both League clashes – 28-12 at home and 15-2 away – and were looking confident with a 10-0 interval lead.
Greg Howland scored two tries for the Hornets, the first of which was converted by Cole Walker-Taylor.
Then in the second-half Wath Brow had Callum Farrer sin-binned for a dangerous tackle and almost immediately Gareth English crashed over for a Siddal try which Joe Martin converted.
English had actually just returned to the field after serving his ten minutes in the bin for dissent.
Dominic Booth got Siddal level 12 minutes from the end and then from the last play of the game Christian Ackroyd put over the winning drop goal.
Kells lost 32-18 at Wigan St Patrick’s in their final delayed League game – but there wouldn’t be many tears shed back in west Cumbria.
A win would have put Kells into the play-offs and a trip to Rochdale Mayfield in mid-week. Instead now it’s Thatto Heath Crusaders who will be making that trip.
It was all square 6-6 at half-time and the result still in the melting pot but St Pat’s pulled away in the second-half and avenged a 32-0 defeat at Kells earlier in the season.
Veteran Paul Culnean (2) and Karl Garner scored the Kells tries with three goals from Ross Gainford.
