Eastern Counties Rugby Union

Eastern Counties topped their group in the RFU National Under-20s Championship, beating North Midlands 40-31 at Shelford on Sunday, and earning a home quarter-final against Northumberland on February 15.
Counties utterly dominated all phases of play in the first half, running up 33 unanswered points, squandering a couple of other try-scoring opportunities, and extending the lead to 40-0 early in the second half, but then found themselves under siege for much of the rest of the game as their visitors fought back.

Both sides made changes during the course of the second half, with Eastern Counties manager David Masdin giving all his players a run out. But the changes saw Counties lose their shape, and this let North Midlands back into a game that seemed well out of reach.
But, crucially for Counties, North Midlands failed to convert their 78th minute try, leaving them two scores adrift, and Counties, down to ten men after Josh Waller was sin-binned a minute earlier, were able to hold out.

Eastern Counties tries came from Kayode Awobawale (1 minute, 30), Ben Murphy (14), Austin Beckett (34), Jerone Awesu (40) and Charlie Pask (47). Ben Penfold converted five.
North Midlands hit back through Fraser Parris (50), Adam Brankley (59), Jack Ward (65), Brad Cook (70) and Luke Cullen (78). Joe Hearie converted three.

Eastern Counties: Tom Jackson (Holt); Kayode Awobawale (Cambridge), Ben Murphy (Colchester), Ryan Headington, Austin Beckett, Ben Penfold (Cambridge), Cameron Dobson (Lougborough Uni); Jack Pilditch (Cambridge), Luke Reineman (Bury St Edmunds), Jerone Awesu (Colchester), Matthew Norfolk-Clarke (North Walsham), William Hudson (Colchester), Joe Brock (Bedford Blues), Sam Brigoli-Jones (Bury St Edmunds), Patrick Marmian (Cambridge).
Replacements: Zak Evans (Cambridge), Josh Waller (Bedford Blues), Louis Hicks, Charlie Pask, Christian King (Bury St Edmunds), Jack Hewett (Shelford), Harry Winch (Peterborough Lions).