DORSET & WILTS 0 YORKSHIRE 64

DORSET & Wilts missed out on a trip to Twickenham as Yorkshire powered their way into the final of the County Championship.

The visitors signalled their intentions from the kick-off with scrum-half Mark Gemmell winning the ball then bursting through the home defence to feed wing Jack Bircham, who was shoved into touch just a few yards short of the try-line.

However, it took only five minutes for Yorkshire to open their account with a penalty from skipper Tom Davidson.

Before the referee’s whistle had sounded for half-time, Dorset & Wilts found themselves 19-0 adrift.

After the turnaround it was mostly one-way traffic with the visitors running in seven more tries, of which Davidson converted five.

The Twin Counties did go close to scoring on two occasions, but lacked the rub of the green to cross the line and Yorkshire managed to clear the ball to safety.

Dorset & Wilts coach Chris Stagg was gracious in defeat. He said: “We knew that we would have to raise our game if we were to run out at Twickenham, but Yorkshire, who have about three times the number of clubs we do, are a class above anything that we have encountered this season.

“We beat all of the sides that were put in front of us from our own division and there is no disgrace reaching the semi-final of a national competition and going out to a top quality outfit like Yorkshire.”