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Comment

Wharfedale's Luke Gray in action for the Yorkshire U-20s in the National U-20s Championship at Twickenham.

Gloucestershire U-20s 26 Yorkshire U-20s 17

Gloucestershire upset the form-book at Twickenham when they beat favourites Yorkshire with a performance of relentless determination and sound defensive commitment in the final of the National Under-20 Championship.

Yorkshire, including four players from Wharfedale RUFC, went into the game having cut a swathe through the North, but the men from the South West were made of much sterner stuff and exerted a level of pressure that their opponents had not experienced this season.

Gloucestershire could not have wished for a better start. After only 53 seconds they went ahead when a clearance kick by fly-half Jonny West was charged down and lock Jack Robson was on hand to gather the loose ball and dive over. Fly-half Tony Wicks converted and then extended his side's lead in the 17th minute when he landed a penalty after a Yorkshire offence at a ruck.

Yorkshire gradually began to settle and though the Gloucestershire defence held firm to keep wingman Alex Orr out at the corner, they were not so successful when second-row Dominic Parsons plunged over from close range for West to convert.

Gloucestershire responded by taking play back into the Yorkshire 22 with some strong running and good support and when the White Rose men could not resist handling at a ruck under their own posts, Wicks added his second penalty.

There was worse to follow for the defending champions. After 34 minutes they failed to deal with a Wicks cross-kick and this the second-row John Hennessy claimed the touchdown, Wicks converting to leave Yorkshire trailing 20-7.

First-half injury time brought an exchange of penalties by Wicks and West, leaving Yorkshire 23-10 adrift going into the second half and badly needing to recapture some of the form that had brought them to the final so emphatically.

There was no immediate shift in the shape of the game after the restart as Wicks nudged Gloucestershire further ahead with his fourth penalty and Gloucestershire continued to frustrate Yorkshire's hopes of getting back into the game with a solid defensive performance.

Having shredded less able defences en route to Twickenham, Yorkshire looked strangely shapeless and indecisive when confronted by a much sterner test, although they finally claimed their second try in the last minute of the game when they created enough space on the left for flanker Gavin Jones to score. Centre Luke Gray of Wharfedale converted.

Despite playing 14 minutes of injury time, in which Yorkshire were mostly on attack, Gloucestershire held their composure to the last to earn a deserved victory.

"People said we couldn't do it, but nobody told Gloucestershire that," said coach Paul Morris: "We were dismissed - there was no hope for us today. We couldn't understand how Yorkshire could be such firm favourites. But we came here and played them off the park."

Yorkshire coach Anthony Posa acknowledged Gloucestershire's superiority on the day, but insisted that his side were prepared for a serious test.

"I talked to the lads before about the need to be accurate and today we let ourselves down in that department, especially in the collision area and the line-out." he said: "Once Gloucestershire got their lead they defended really well."

Yorkshire U-20s: H Duthie (Harrogate); S Bottomley (Leeds), T Stimpson (Dinnington), L Gray (Wharfedale), A Orr (Sandal); J West (Rotherham), J Gill (Wharfedale); A Ross (Rotherham), T Young (Harrogate), A Goodwin (Selby), J Brady (Pontefract), D Parsons (Sheffield Tigers), N Carter (Harrogate), G Jones (Huddersfield), R Burrows (Rotherham) capt. Replacements (all used): S Rodgers (Dinnington), C Reakes (Sandal), S Maycock (Rotherham), P Altham (Wharfedale), K Dannatt (Hull Ionians), D Metcalfe (Harrogate), T Cokell (Wharfedale). T: Parsons, Jones.

Gloucestershire U-20s: S Hawley (Dursley); C Hawkins (Hartpury Coll), R Winchie (Dursley), J Lister (Stroud), O Winterbottom (Dursley); T Wicks (Lydney), J Williams (Lydney); G Porter (Pertemps Bees), A Howells (Lydney) capt, C Bundy (Cinderford), J Hennessy (Matson), J Robson (Cinderford), J Preece (Pertemps Bees), C McNeil (Cinderford), B Morgan (Cinderford). Replacements (all used): J Cresswell (Dings Crusaders), M Baker (Lydney), M Hurdle (Old Patesians), R Townsend (Hereford), W Foden (Hartpury Coll), S Arnott (Lydney), S Morris (Stourbridge).

Referee: A Hartwell (RFU).

1:52pm Thursday 15th May 2008

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