YORK Rugby Union Club's youth ranks were to the fore as they racked up festival double honours.

The renowned Preston Grasshoppers club staged their annual mini-rugby festival - the biggest in its history - for invited teams from Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire in the seven-to-12 years age groups at their Lightfoot Green ground.

A total of 770 players from 13 visiting clubs, including Doncaster, Otley, Bradford and Bingley and Harrogate, competed but none could touch the York club's mastery.

Teams from the Clifton Park outfit won the under-12s, were joint winners of the U9s and reached the finals in the U7s, U8s and U10s competitions.

For good measure the U11s reached the semi-finals of their competition.

That led to York's youth section being awarded the trophy for the 'Best Club' at the festival, with U12s' star Michael Harrison collecting the trophy on behalf of the club.

The success continued closer to home with York RUFC's U14s finishing runners-up in the Walt Mullen Morley Festival.

York had two wins and two defeats, but finished second in the round-robin format thanks to a superior tries scored to tries conceded ratio.

Hosts Morley just pipped York in the opening game 7-5, Tom Bewick getting York's try. Then they perished 5-0 to eventual winners Old Brodleians.

But York bounced back in style. They toppled rivals Pocklington 12-0, Elliott Barron and Matt Turp crossing with Alex Rogers sending over one conversion.

The same scoreline was repeated to defeat West Hartlepool, where superior fitness told. Bewick and Joe Lancaster shared the tries, Rogers adding the extras.

Updated: 12:09 Wednesday, April 17, 2002