SIX Macclesfield RUFC players helped Cheshire sink Middlesex 32-17 in the County Championship Shield at Twickenham.
Blues' full-back Ross Winney, winger Ben Coulbeck, second-row Ian Lear and prop Rob Bieniasz all started for the Wheatsheafs, while No 8 Jon Keep and hooker Peter Allen came off the bench in the showcase final televised live on Sky TV.
Winney, in particular, was in sensational form as he grabbed the game's opening try after 22 minutes, before his break set up Kati Tiupulotu for another touchdown.
Cheshire's prolific points-scorer Simon Mason was also in superb form and delivered a match-winning kicking exhibition as he collected a 22-point haul in steering his side to victory, and sealing promotion back to the County Championship Cup.
"From the very start we took control of the game and by half-time we had put ourselves in a very strong position," said coach, and Macclesfield's former director of rugby, Steve Rule. "It's vitally important that we won the Shield and promotion back into the Cup. We deserve to be in the top flight and with the players we have in this squad, we should be in a strong position in the future."
