YORKSHIRE Under-20s secretary Paul Jackson has heaped praise on former St Peter's pupil Richard Pike as the White Rose ranks march towards the County Championship quarter-finals.

Jackson has pin-pointed Pike, whose brother Stephen is still at the Clifton-based school and part of the Yorkshire U18s squad, as one of the main reasons why Yorkshire have opened their campaign with three straight wins.

Following their earlier successes over Cumbria (37-10) and Northumberland (17-12), the U20s made it a hat-trick last Sunday when they took the 'Roses' honours with an 18-3 win over Lancashire at Wharfedale.

And although Yorkshire really should have had more points on the board it took some bone-shuddering tackling from Pike, who is now at Durham University, to quell any come-back from their Red Rose rivals from across the Pennines.

Jackson told the Evening Press: "Richard Pike, who has been playing at six for us, has been a real star.

"He had a cracking game against Lancashire.

"Although it was 18-3 and we could have scored 40, Lancashire never give in and that is when you need lads like 'Pikey'.

"He gets through a lot of work and has a real big heart."

Pike is in the side - which can only include five players at any one time from Leeds Tykes - with fellow local lads, Matt Webber, Richard Booth, Henry Mitchell, Matthew Stockdale and Richard Davies.

The U20s have a break this weekend before taking on Cheshire at Huddersfield on March 23 and then Durham on March 30.

One more win should be enough to secure Yorkshire's place in the quarter-finals they last won in 2000, when current senior England crocked star Charlie Hodgson was in the side.

FORMER Nunthorpe School pupil Martin Pepper is off to Twickenham - and not for the first time in his career.

Although he never quite made it into the full squad, Pepper still picked up a host of representative honours from England Schools to England 'B', but it is on the coaching side that will see the former Harlequins' pack star return to the home of rugby union.

Pepper, who coaches the forwards for Harrogate in National Two, has spearheaded Barnard Castle School's charge to the Daily Mail Schools' Rugby Under-18s Cup final.

Under Pepper's guidance, Castle will now meet Oakham School in the showpiece event of the competition at Twickenham on March 29.

Selby players will pack into the Sandhill Lane clubhouse on Thursday, April 3, when the small matter of their 2004 end of season tour to Canada is discussed.

As previously reported in Scrum Down, the club are planning 'probably the best tour in the world' with a little help from one of their former players.

The Sandhill Laners are set to head to Montreal with Mike Magee, an ex-player from the 1970s who has gone on to become the head of Carlsberg in North America, helping out.

Magee had played a leading role in the club's 1998 trip to St Louis when he was based in the American city during his time overseeing the franchise with Budweiser.

Magee has since moved on to Montreal to work on a franchise with Labatts, so has extended the invite to the Selby squad.

Players, and even non-playing tourists, are asked to attend the meeting where the finer details will be discussed. The briefing will begin at 9pm.

YORK RU are to hold their annual sports quiz at Clifton Park on Friday, March 28.

The ever-popular quiz, which cost £10 to enter per team with no more than four people per team, will test even the most dedicated of sports fans.

The quiz starts at 8pm with more information available from the club on 01904 623602.

Updated: 10:30 Saturday, March 22, 2003