Crossley Heath School were deserved winners on a day when everyone involved performed superbly.

The standard of rugby was incredibly high with the third-fourth place play-off and final especially producing total commitment, unending but controlled aggression in both attack and defence and no little skill to underline that fact that the game in Yorkshire's state schools still thrives.

Afterwards the organiser of the Challenge, Graham Liddington, paid tribute to the efforts of all the players.

"For you to have played four such splendid games in such appalling conditions was a wonderful advertisement for this great game," he said.

"There was some incredible rugby – obviously you had not been watching England play Scotland last weekend."

Crossley Heath, from Halifax, had delayed a tour of Ireland to take part in the Challenge finals and ensured they will travel across the water as Yorkshire's Under-13 champions with two excellent performances.

Firstly, they saw off Laurence Jackson School, from Guisborough, in a tingling semi-final, which ended 14-12, before beating a talented Harrogate GS 10-0 in the final.

Harrogate had progressed with a 26-0 success against Mirfield FGS in the first semi-final and their performance in the final was even better; they were denied by a defence which refused to concede an inch and finished off with two moments of individual brilliance.

The first half, with Crossley Heath playing into the wind, ended scoreless, which was a tribute to both defences. Fly-half Will Clough tried repeatedly to open the door for Harrogate with excellent awareness and quicksilver hands but their best chance, with wing Louis Swain finding space on the left, was ended by a crushing tackle by William Tolley.

Just before the break, Tolley had his chance to force the breakthrough but was swallowed up by the cover and the teams turned level with the odds slightly favouring Crossley Heath, for whom scrum-half Luke Sutcliffe and flanker Ben Horsfield were tireless workers, despite being among the shortest on the field.

The first missed tackles of the match enabled Ben Pollard to open the scoring for Crossley Heath early in the second half after his pack had regained possession following his kick downfield. He hooked the conversion wide but in a game so evenly balanced any kind of lead was an incentive to keep working.

Crossley Heath kept to their task, denying Harrogate, especially No 8 Jack Barnard, any scope for breaking from their own half and looked for the next score which would surely earn them the spoils.

They penned Harrogate in their own half, hooker Francis Lake leading them in one excellent drive and Pollard tried to seal victory with a drop-goal attempt which slid wide of a post.

From the restart, the ball fell to Matthew Pinder and, with a lightning strike of inspiration, he was off, sweeping outside the slender resources of Harrogate's defence and flinging himself to the corner for the try which ensured that Crossley Heath would prevail – and that he would have a sore back from the slaps of congratulation from his team-mates.

The conversion attempt failed and immediately the final whistle sounded. The Crossley Heath squad celebrated almost to a man, the exception was scrum-half Sutcliffe who took off his head gear and walked across, hand held out, to commiserate with the losers. It was an action which encapsulated a memorable afternoon.

So Crossley Heath claimed the trophy and, still in their playing kit, were presented with the spoils by Gordon Brown, president of the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union and Tom Biggs, the Leeds Carnegie and England Saxons wing, the latter congratulating all four schools for combining excellent team work and flashes of individual magic. He was exactly right.


Finals day squads

Harrogate GS: J Denman, H Parish, M Simmons, L Hudson, L Swain, W Clough, E Lewis, W Caton, S Townsend, F Gray, N Gilbert, H Tatlow, J Ellacott, T Spiers, J Barnard, J Clarke, J Parsons, J Kirk, L Simmons, A Leach, J Mills, A Blakemore.

Mirfield FGS: N Lawrence, C Taylor, J Austwick, L Smith, M Pinder, J Lowther, B Williams, L Newsome, L Thorpe, A Addy, L Briggs, J Neal, J Galindo, O Myzak, R Johnson, J Austwick, N Lowther, J Neilson, J Marshal, J Lockwood.

Crossley Heath: W Tolley, T Pattison, S Browes, S Pollard, N Rogers, L Denton, L Sutcliffe, L Foxton, G Millington, F Lake, K Owuru, R Brambles, T Kilner, B Horsfield, J Sheldrake, S Hare, D Collier, R Knowles, B Wilson, C Swift, J Greenwood-MacDonald, B Coney-Critchley, J Wilkinson.

Laurence Jackson: D Wardell, G Keen, J Fitzgibbon, R Harrison, J Cowley, J Robinson, R Mitchell, J Cutts, J Hewson, D Bird, J Keeble, H Lloyd, A Bell, J Birch, K Watts, A Maloney, L Motson, J Bainbridge, G Hedgley.

Referees: R Burton, A Davies, P Merrick (all Yorkshire Society).


Semi-final: Parsons in at the double
Harrogate GS 26
Mirfield FGS 0

HARROGATE made their intentions clear from the kick-off having chosen to play with the wind, Jack Barnard breaking free inside his own half and galloping through a static defence to touch down.

The strength of the wind was confirmed when fly-half Joe Lowther tried to clear for Mirfield but saw the ball carried back over the heads of his three-quarters and John Parsons was able to gather and score Harrogate's second try and open a 12-0 lead.

Mirfield kept working and at last gained a footing in the opposition's half but, before they could take advantage, they were sliced open again, this time by Luke Hudson who ran 60 yards for a try which he converted himself.

Mirfield could not make full use of the wind when it was at their backs and wasted a clear overlap before a second try from Parsons ended their challenge.


Semi-final: Late rally proves in vain
Laurence Jackson 12
Crossley Heath 14

A bold fight-back by Laurence Jackson School came just too late to prevent Crossley Heath progressing to the final after dominating the first half.

Playing into the gale, Crossley Heath spent most of the opening half in opposition territory and turned round satisfied with their efforts, which had been rewarded with a try from long-striding centre Sam Pollard to which he had added the conversion.

Laurence Jackson camped on the Crossley Heath line for five minutes at the start of the second half but could not break through and, when Pollard finished off good work by his pack with a second try and conversion, the game seemed over.

Instead, the Guisborough boys were inspired by a diagonal run to the corner by Ross Harrison and when the same player broke again, Gareth Keen finished off at the posts but the final whistle ended the rally.

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