Yarm School's under 15 squad were denied a dream trip to play at Twickenham when they went down 17-0 to the John Fisher school from Purley in last weekend's Daily Mail Cup semi-final.
From the start of the game at the RFU's centre of excellence at Castlegate, Wolverhampton, the John Fisher XV showed they were a force to be reckoned with and were soon 7-0 ahead.
But the Yarm heads never went down and there were some excellent performances, particularly from centre Michael Tucker and forwards Michael Stowe, skipper Andrew Enevoldson and Matthew Sowerby.
Coach Stuart Hardy said afterwards: "The best team won, although I am very proud of our lads, who put up a great fight.
It was also great to see so many parents and supporters make the trip to the Midlands to roar the boys on. This is a super, cohesive group and I just hope we can keep them together for the future."
l Words and pictures by Peter Griffiths.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article