AFTER the exertions of half of the team down at Twickenham the previous week, the boys from Corbridge pulled off a huge result to make the final of the Northumberland Rugby Senior Cup this time 25 years ago.

Tynedale’s opponents Morpeth were firm favourites in the semi-final clash as the travelling contingent would still be feeling the effects of an unsuccessful foray down to the capital with Northumberland.

In the county starting XV to face Worcestershire that day was Tynedale players Simon Clayton-Hibbott, Michael Old and brothers Richard and Edward Parker. Teammates Steve Turnbull and Steve Dunn were on the replacements bench.

However, the blue and whites took down with them a large travelling squad to shout on the northern underdogs.

Northumberland were left reeling when a game defining moment saw Old denied a try on the line, with television replays afterwards showing the full back had gone actually gone over.

It was a game of near misses for Tynedale players with Clayton-Hibbott held up just short in the dying moments as Worcestershire claimed victory in a low-scoring game dominated by kickers.

With the trip to Twickenham and the fact most of Tynedale’s team were farmers in the height of lambing, everything favoured Morpeth as the teams met on a biting cold night at Mitford Road on a Tuesday evening.

Yet Tyne put in arguably their best performance of the season to make it five county cup finals in a row to record a convincing 22-0 victory.

They started slowly though and were fortunate not to go behind immediately from the kick off. Morpeth fly half Frank Parlett sent a penalty, and a drop kick attempt soon after, wide, while Sam Prescott knocked on inches from the line as he capitalised on some lapse play by Tynedale.

While it was all Morpeth in the early exchanges, a devastating break from Tynedale saw them take the lead as Andrew Blyth found James Ponton to burst through for the opening try, which Blyth converted.

He was successfully kicking between the posts soon after when Tynedale extended their lead, full back Derek Stephenson timing his run perfectly to finish off the move after Craig Johnston was prevented from going over.

Parlett’s inability to send over any of three wind-assisted penalties was to prove costly for Morpeth, as they turned around with a 14-point deficit to overturn.

Blyth stretched the lead further with a second half penalty before Turnbull rounded off the scoring by harrying Prescott to drop the ball, leaving the Tyne man to run in unopposed from 25 yards out.

The victory set up a final spot against Northern, coached by former Tynedale favourite Alan Gledson.

Find out how Tynedale got on in next week’s Courant.