Coates of honour

Photo: PICTURES by TIM BRADLEY

SPRINT FOR THE LINE . . . Marlon Miller runs in to record Saddleworth Rangers’ opening try against Milford Marlins.

RUGBY:

AFTER victory in their final match of the season, Saddleworth Rangers face a waiting game to see if they have side-stepped relegation from National Conference League Division One.

Shane Tupaea’s side beat Milford Marlins 26-24 — which sent Waterhead to the bottom of the table on points difference.

Stanley Rangers won at Dewsbury Celtic, leaving Rangers unsure of their fate.

It is unclear how many clubs will be relegated because NCL chiefs want to expand the league structure to four divisions of 14 teams. If that can’t be achieved, two clubs could go down instead of three.

There is also the case of Bradford Dudley Hill, which was unable to a raise a team for a fixture at Rochdale earlier in the month.

The no-show could result in automatic demotion, taking up a relegation place could have gone to one of the bottom teams.

Waterhead are almost certainly destined for Division Two, but Rangers hope they have done enough to stay up, once all the dust has settled

Inspired by Michael Coates — the wily half-back landed five goals and a try — the hosts recovered a four-point deficit with six minutes to go to grab what could be a vital win against Marlins.