Cumbria’s nine clubs in the National Conference League will be looking forward to plenty of county derby matches in 2024.
Millom clinched promotion from Division Three with a 20-6 home win over Leigh East.
It now means that Cumbria will have three teams in the Premier Division, Division Two and Division Three.
Millom’s victory allowed them to follow Ellenborough Rangers into Division Two where they will join Barrow Island.
Newly elected Distington will play in Division Three alongside Seaton Rangers and Hensingham.
At the top end Egremont Rangers’ promotion means they will contest the Premier Division with Wath Brow Hornets and Kells.
Millom’s two League games with Leigh East had both been very close – winning 18-16 at home and losing 22-20 away.
So the play-off final was the most decisive result of them all, yet it had been very tight in the first-half again.
Millom led 6-0 at the break with a try from Hadley Thompson which was converted by Lee Postlethwaite.
Two penalty goals from Postlethwaite extended the Millom lead early in the second half before Rio McQuistan scored a second try for the home side just short of the hour mark. Postlethwaite converted for a 16-0 lead.
The job was completed after 62 minutes when an unconverted try from Dominic O’Brien extended the lead, and a late converted try for the visitors was never going to be enough to cause panic in the home ranks.
