Ellesmere Port were crowned South Lancs & Cheshire Division Three champions in front a bumper Dunkirk Lane crowd on Saturday.

With promotion already secured, the Oilers needed to beat Oldershaw to clinch the title and obliged with a thumping 48-7 win on a memorable afternoon for the club.

Man-of-the-match Lee Rennox touched down for two tries as Port controlled the contest from start to finish, delighting director of rugby Steve Dorrington.

“My players were magnificent on the big day,” said Dorrington after the game.

“Once the nerves passed, we totally dominated. I’m extremely proud of my players and all 20 guys did a great job on the day. Every player that has contributed to the cause during the season should be proud of their achievement.

“It was fantastic to see a huge crowd at Dunkirk Lane and they were treated to a feast of rugby. I want to give particular praise to Jim Shinton, who has done ever so well as captain, stepping up and showing great leadership qualities, while also having a great season on the field.

“As a club we would like to thank all of the players, supporters, families, sponsors and the Mayor of Ellesmere Port for their dedication, kindness and support throughout a brilliant season.”

After a nervous start, hooker Joe White crashed over from a driving maul to open the scoring in the 12th minute.

Six minutes later Rennox got his first of the game, opening up the defence with an outrageous dummy before beating the fullback to score. Chris Carbutt converted both for a 14-0 lead.

Lee Hearn showed blistering speed to extend the advantage on the half hour and Steven Jefferies finished off a sweeping team move on the stroke of half-time as Port went into the break 28-0 ahead.

White crossed for his second of the afternoon following the restart and Carbutt again converted for a 35-0 lead.

Oldershaw got themselves on the scoreboard with a converted length of the field but Carbutt kept things ticking over with a penalty and a drop goal to extend the score to 41-7.

Port threw the ball around in the closing stages and a clever passage of play resulted in scrum half Rennox throwing a couple of dummies and outpacing the defence to touch down for the final score with Carbutt slotting over the extras to wrap up a fine season for the club.