RECS clinched promotion back to the North West Counties Premier Division and took a giant stride towards the Division One championship as they completed a quick-fire double over their nearest rivals.

Diminutive winger Chris Bailey's 78th-minute try rounded off a stirring Pilks fight back that saw them overturn a 13-point deficit in the final quarter.

Recs trailed for most of an enthralling clash but they were in front when it mattered to shatter the Lancashire Cup winners and stun their vociferous followers into silence.

Bulls looked set to gain revenge for their home defeat by Recs three weeks previously as they raced into an early 12-0 lead with tries by scrum-half Paul Cragg and prop Phil Braddish, both goaled by full-back Damion Fishwick.

Midway through the first half Recs finally began to get their act together and after a spell of pressure scrum-half Ste Rawsthorne and hooker John Ford both flipped improbable passes out of the tackle before the ball was fed to powerful centre Andy Traverse who barged two defenders out of the way to score with winger Barry Pope converting.

Bulls responded within five minutes with Braddish getting his second close-range try and Fishwick goaling. But Recs narrowed the deficit to six points again just before half-time when Rawsthorne's short inside pass sent skipper John Rees galloping over and Pope's conversion made it 12-18 at the break.

Playing down the slope in the second half Recs must have been expecting to take control but they were rocked shortly after the re-start when Cragg scored his second try with Fishwick tagging on the extras and then adding a towering drop goal to stretch the visitors' lead to 13 points.

Recs though refused to throw in the towel and good work by Rawsthorne and Rees created a try for stand-off Tim Critchley, converted by Pope.

With the powerful charges of sub Mike Loughlin lifting home spirits Recs began to gather momentum.

Platform

They scored again when slick handling created an overlap for Traverse to grab his second try after a midfield break by full-back Mark Ashton had created the platform.

Pope's only miss of the afternoon left Recs trailing by three points and with breaks by Lyons and Rees coming to nothing, it looked like the tiring Bulls might just hang on.

With time running out though the home men grabbed the vital score when Rees out-jumped the defence to claim possession from a Rawsthorne up-and-under and somehow off-loaded to Bailey who picked the ball up from his bootlaces to scoot in by the posts with Pope's fourth goal completing the scoring.