Teddington 43 Bramley Phoenix 21:Slow start ends hopes of dream Twickenham story

Londoners Teddington rounded off a perfect season with their 30th win of the campaign to leave Bramley and their captain Dan Barlow lamenting an opening period which saw them surrender the initiative to Teddington.

"We're gutted that we gave away a 25-point lead," said Barlow.

"You can't do that in any final and expect to win. We froze in the headlights, but when we started to play, we got into the game.

"We had our chances but couldn't take them, while they didn't miss a thing in that opening spell.

"They started at 100 miles per hour and we stood back and let them play.

"But getting to Twickenham is a great end to another good season and we'll continue to go forward next term."

The Yorkshiremen – founded out of a merger between Bramley Old Boys and Phoenoix Park a decade ago – were never really in the hunt until they hauled themselves back to respectability at 32-21 on the hour, but they had given themselves too big a hurdle to overcome when they allowed their opponents a 25-point cushion in as many minutes.

Teddington, by contrast could not have wished for a better start.

Wingman Mark Nitsch landed a fourth-minute penalty and a minute later a sweeping move from their own half ended in full-back Andrew MacRae touching down.

That score galvanised Bramley briefly, but Teddington defended solidly under pressure and always looked threatening on the counter-attack.

They pulled further ahead after 14 minutes when a well-judged kick through gave winger Tor Dahl-Nielsen ample time to pick up and score.

Nitsch was wide with the conversion and then saw a simple penalty hit the upright, but moments later he crossed for try himself from close range and then added the conversion four minutes later to a try by lock Callum Johnston, who picked up a loose ball after a Bramley mistake and galloped through in fine style.

Bramley were finally rewarded for their persistence when flanker Tom Langton crashed over near the posts after the Leeds team won a brief footing in Teddington territory, fly-half Sam Coats converting, but that was to be their only first-half success.

Bramley were more competitive in the early stages of the second-half without ever really threatening and Teddington increased their lead after 53 minutes when flanker James Ferguson was driven over for replacement Glenn Boyling to convert.

The Yorkshiremen responded with a well-engineered try by full-back Michael Benn that lock Adam Oliver goaled to make the score 32-14 and four minutes later Bramley struck again when a long-range interception ended in a try for wingman Jonathan Filin that Oliver converted.

Teddington then regained the ascendancy to kill off Bramley's hopes of a spectacular turnaround when Boyling landed a 40-yard penalty and two minutes later hooker Tom Doran scampered in to give his side a 40-21 cushion.

The last word went to Teddington fly-half Paul Manley, who popped over a cheeky drop-goal two minutes from time to wrap up the scoring.

Teddington: MacRae, Nitsch, Dickson, Holdsworth, Dahl-Neilsen, Manley, Hall; Scott, Doran, White, Ewins, Johnston, Sharp, Ferguson, Farrell. Replacements: Donnelly, Evans, Bowling, Marsh, Stone, Sullivan, Lambert, Pemberton.

Bramley Phoenix: Benn; Allanby, Luxford, Barnett, Filin, Coats, McHale; Harrison, Robbins, Kelly, Oliver, Barlow, Langton, Marnick, Cowley. Replacements: Wilson, Barnett, Stead, Wadsworth, Roberts, Newby, Oliver, Weed.

Referee: G Steele-Bodger.

YORKSHIRE, who have won one game and lost one in the Bill Beaumont County Championship, must beat Lancashire by 12 to 15 points at Huddersfield on Saturday if they are to have any chance of reaching the final at Twickenham at the end of the month.

In their second match, Yorkshire were beaten 18-13 by Cheshire at Macclesfield where the side showed 10 changes to the team that had beaten Northumberland.

Yorkshire started well, scoring a try through Harrogate winger Steve Parsons, and following a conversion and two penalties by Caldy fly-half Richard Vasey, led 13-3.

However, they lost control in the second half.

Cheshire's pack improved considerably to create two tries on 55 and 62 minutes, and from then on Yorkshire were struggling.

In the forwards, Huddersfield lock Ben Harris and Blaydon's No 8 Gavin Jones impressed on their debuts for Yorkshire who will be strengthened in the Roses match by the return of skipper and Hull lock Dan Cook.