YORK can now boast two more junior rugby league internationals after starlets Chris Peace and David Leeke were selected for the Great Britain Under-15s squad.

As reported by the Evening Press last month, the Minster city's Danny Allan won selection to the England Under-16s Combined Youth squad. And now Heworth ARL's Peace and Leeke, of York Acorn, have found they too have made the grade in the year below.

They had to go through a similar selection process as Allan - via regional, York-shire and national camps - to be picked for the elite squad, who will play international junior rugby against Wales U16s at Easter.

Fourteen-year-old Peace, a boarder at Sedbergh School in Cumbria - which meant he was unavailable for a photo call - plays a year above his age group for Heworth at under-16s level, a team coached by his dad, Bob Peace, and Dave Edgar.

Peace is on a scholarship scheme with Super League giants Hull FC, as well as rugby union outfit Leeds Tykes after also impressing at the 15-a-side code for his school, which has spawned several rugby union internationals.

Stand-off Leeke was man-of-the match for North Yorkshire against the Keighley/Bradford Service Area earlier this year.

Super-fit Leeke, a pupil at Oaklands School, attended the national Rugby Camp where he came out top in a fitness bleep test of the leading 40 players in his age group. A York Acorn product, he has been signed up on a scholarship by Castleford Tigers.

Updated: 10:37 Thursday, December 02, 2004