Monday 16th January 2006.
 
The England Under 16s had a successful start to their new year with a divisional festival at Castlecroft this weekend.  The youngsters played four matches in front of the England selectors with the ultimate aim of being selected to represent their country in one of the Under 16s tests in April.
 
On Friday the Midlands drew with the South West (10-10) in the opening match of the festival, followed by a win for London and the South East over the North 15-10. 
 
On Sunday, there was another draw this time between London and the South East against the Midlands, whilst the South West were triumphant over the North.
 
Speaking on the festival, George Squires, England Under 16s manager said, "We were all very impressed by the standard of the boys.  It was a successful festival and a good chance to assess performance as we near the tests in April."
 
The England selectors have selected a provisional training squad of 40 who will not take part in the second Divisional Festival at Castlecroft on January 29 when the North will play the North and the South West will take on London.

An extended squad of 70 players will then be named to take part in a training camp at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire from February 15 to 19.

England Under 16s play tests against Wales (8th April, Llandovery), Italy (15th April, Italy) and France (30th April, Toulouse).

London Under-16s:  15 Sam Sutcliffe (Southend HS and Essex); 14 Marc Celindano (Cheshunt School and Hertfordshire), 13 Michael Stanley (Gable Hall School and Essex), 12 Richard Coskie (Hampton School and Middlesex), 11 Sam Smith (Cranleigh School and Surrey); 10 Jack Muggridge (The Howard School and Kent), 9 Ben Youngs (Gresham’s School and Eastern Counties); 1 Benjamin Bateman (Trinity School and Surrey), 2 Oliver Paget (Bishop’s Stortford School and Hertforfdshire), 3 Alex Brown (Fitzwilliam School and Essex), 4 John Melville (St Paul’s School and Middlesex), 5 Chris York (Epsom College for Boys and Surrey), 6 Chris Berry (St Paul’s School and Middlesex), 7 Rowan Halsall (St Benedict’s School and Middlesex), Matt Chambers (Bishop’s Stortford School and Hertfordshire – captain). Replacements used: Tom  Collin (Roundwood Park School and Hertfordshire), Oliver Day (Bishop’s Stortford HS and Hertfordshire), Pat Hill (Bexley Training Group and Kent), Billy Smith (Hassenbrook Technical College and Essex).

North Under-16s: 15 Matthew Lister (Barnard Castle School and Durham); 14 Ariyio Onofowakan (Bradford GS and Yorkshire), 13 Tom Casson (Sedbergh School and Cheshire), 12 Alex Hurst (Moorside HS and Lancashire), 11 Jack Bromley (Christleton HS and Cheshire); 10 Rory Clegg (Barnard Castle School and Durham), 9 Kyle Booysens (Houghton Kepier School and Durham); 1 Mustafa Mohammed (Yarm School and Durham), 2 Jack Fletcher (Merchant Taylors’ School and Lancashire), 3 Phil Swainston (Harrogate GS and Yorkshire), 4 Tom Holmes (Sandbach School and Cheshire), 5 William Stewart (Barnard Castle School and Durham), 6 Tom Cokell (Settle College and Yorkshire), 7 Robert Bell (Bolden School and Durham – captain), 8 Jacob Rowan (Bradford GS and Yorkshire). Replacements used: Neil Clarke (Willowgarth HS and Yorkshire), Luke Fletcher (Egglescliffe School and Durham), Dan Metcalfe (Harrogate GS and Yorkshire), James Gaskell (Sandbach School and Cheshire), Eddie Styles (Cheadle Hulme School and Cheshire), Sam Boot (Bradford GS and Yorkshire).Ends

Midlands Under-16s: 15 Louis Stelling (Old Swinford Hospital School and North Midlands); 14 Nathaniel Lowers (Carlton le Willows School and Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire), 13 Oliver Grove (Rugby School and Warwickshire), 12 Johnny Kennedy (Uppingham School and Leicestershire), 11 Will Hurrell (Loughborough GS and Leicestershire – captain); 10 David Marshall (Nottingham HS and NL&D), 9 Oliver Frost (Bishop’s Hereford and North Midlands); 1 Richard Townsend (Bishop’s Hereford and North Midlands), 2 Sam Collins (Kineton HS and Warwickshire), 3 Michael Hill (Adams GS and North Midlands), 4 Graham Kitchener (Adams GS and North Midlands), 5 Mark Deaville (St Joseph’s College and Staffordshire), 6 Greg Harrison (Bosworth College and Leicestershire), 7 Daniel Willis (Old Swinford Hospital School and North Midlands), 8 Luke Yarranton (Bishop’s Hereford and North Midlands). Replacements used: Charles Moulton (Roade College and East Midlands), Sam Lewis (Ellesmere College and North Midlands), George Richardson (LSST The Priory and NL&D), Wayne Cooper (Stourport HS and North Midlands), Ricky Aley (King Edward VII School and Leicestershire).

South West Under-16s: 15 Jack Wallace (Aylesbury GS and Buckinghamshire); 14 Steve Thompson (Churchill School and Somerset), 13 Oliver Holmes (Canford School and Dorset & Wiltshire), 12 Sean Lilley (Ralph Allen School and Dorset & Wiltshire), 11 Oliver Linton (Daunstey’s School and Dorste & Wiltshire); 10 Michael Ward (Millfield School & Somerset), 9 Jordi Pasqualin (The King’s School, Gloucester and Gloucestershire); 1 Oliver Hayes (Ralph Allen School and Somerset), 2 James Clark (Canford School and Dorset & Wiltshire), 3 James Currie (Devonport HS and Devon), 4 Peter Elder (RGS High Wycombe and Buckinghamshire), 5 Darren Barry (Bedminster Down School and Bristol), 6 Guy Mercer (KES Bath and Somerset), 7 George Swinburne (Millfield School and Somerset – captain), 8 Richard Jenkins (Torquay Boy’s GS and Devon). Replacements used: Hugo Gentilli (St Edward’s School and Oxfordshire), Adam Bellamy (Clevedon School and Somerset), Shaun Knight (Beaufort Community School and Gloucestershire), Tom Smith (Norton Hill School and Somerset), Marcus Brown (St Peter’s HS and Gloucestershire), David Wells (Cokethorpe School and Oxfordshire), Oliver Winterbottom (Rednock School and Gloucestershire).