YORK RI RUFC Under-17s finished as joint winners of the plate competition at the Youth Rugby Union North of England Championships at Preston.
It made the RI lads the joint fifth best team in the North of England, which is a tremendous achievement against sides from clubs whose first teams play in the National Leagues.
They were invited to Preston on the basis of their performances in the Yorkshire U17s' Merit Table.
RI lost to Percy Park 15-7, Darlington Mowden Park 15-5, and drew with Doncaster 10-10.
Mowden Park finished runners-up in the main competition, losing narrowly to
Driffield.
Sean Thompson, Danny Wright and Tim Thomas scored RI's tries, with Robin Grice kicking a conversion and Tim Thomas a conversion and a penalty.
In the Plate knockout event, RI beat Durham team Houghton 22-0 with tries by Mark Musgrave, Tom Heslop, Grice and Wright.
In the Plate final RI overturned a 10-0 half-time deficit to haul back Darlington.
RI's forwards, led by Daniel Hickie, Danny Hunt and Tom Helstrip, dominated the line-outs and turned the tables. With five minutes to go Thomas crashed over to score. Musgrave's conversion kick hit a post.
In the last minute Musgrave squeezed in at the corner for the equalising try but his kick just dipped under the bar and the final spoils were shared.
Updated: 10:04 Saturday, April 24, 2004
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