Worcester Sixth Form College attribute their success in reaching the last 32 of this season's Daily Mail Under-18 Schools Cup to a joint initiative between the Rugby Football Union and Guinness Premiership clubs.

Worcester have linked up with local Premiership club Worcester Warriors to run the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, an NVQ Level 3 qualification, which allows 16 to 18 year-olds to develop their rugby skills while studying for academic qualifications.

The Sixth Form College have access to training facilities at the Warriors' Sixways stadium and two members of the rugby club's academy coaching staff, Matt Sherratt and Lee Cleaves, help coach the college first XV.

The scheme has helped the college attract some promising young rugby players from schools around Worcestershire and now have 20 players on the AASE scheme, having run a successful pilot last year.

"It's proving to be very beneficial to us," said Taran Easton, coach of Worcester Sixth Form College. "We have access to the rubber crumb pitch at Worcester and Matt and Lee come down to help coach the side.

"Apart from weight training, which they do in early-morning sessions, all the rugby work is done as part of the College timetable but the players have full academic commitments as well."

Andy Short, captain of North Midlands Under-18s, and fly-half Matt Marskell, another county player, are among the students who are on the AASE scheme which they hope will help them to achieve their ambition of securing a professional contract with the Warriors.

Worcester Sixth Form College are currently enjoying their best run in the Daily Mail Schools Cup since they reached the semi-finals in 1999. They defeated local rivals Chase HS from Malvern 31-15 in the last round and now face Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College from Leicester, who have links with Leicester Tigers through the AASE initiative.

"It's a big fxiture for us," said Easton. "It's not a side we have played before and we know that they will be strong because of the links that they have with Leicester.

"But we did well against Twyford College, who are London Wasps' AASE team recently. We didn't beat them but we were beaten only 33-27 against a side that included a couple of England youth internationals so that was very encouraging for us."

Easton, whose own career in Wales was cut short by a shoulder injury, will be looking for Short and his centre partner Luke Davies to cause problems for Wyggeston, for Marskell to control the game and for prop Jake Lock to make his presence felt up front.

Defending champions Warwick School face a trip to Oakham School, winners in 2002 and 2003 following their fourth round win at King Edward VI, Camp Hill.

Daily Mail Under-18 Schools Cup

Fourth round results (Midlands): Wyggeston & QE I College 10 Worksop College 7, Worcester Sixth Form College 31 The Chase, Malvern 15, Old Swinford Hospital School 34 Wellingborough School 3, Haileybury College 77 Hinchingbrooke School 7,  Bedford Modern School 5 Oakham School 13, King Edward VI, Camp Hill 7 Warwick School 34, John Cleveland Community College 50 St Joseph's College, Stoke 0, Mount St Marys College 19 Leicester GS 8. 

Fifth round draw (Midlands): Wyggeston & QE I College v Worcester Sixth Form College, Old Swinford Hospital School v Haileybury College, Oakham v Warwick School, John Cleveland Community College v Mount St Mary's College. Ties to be played on or before November 28.

Daily Mail Under-18 Schools Vase

Second round results (Midlands):  King Edward VI, Aston 7  Solihull School 42, King Edward VI, Stratford 31 Prince Henry's HS , Evesham 14, King Edward VI College, Nuneaton 27 King Edward VI, Lichfield 36,   Dame Alice Owen School 13  Richard Hale School 29, Wootton Upper School 0 Prince William School, Oundle 29, The Knights Templar School 16 The Kings School, Peterborough 19, Alcester GS 48  Redbourne Upper School 12, Solihull Sixth Form College 56  Haybridge HS 0, Carlton le Willows School 19 Derby Independent GS 26, Bosworth School and Community College 41 The Robert Smythe School 0.

Third round draw (Midlands): Spalding GS or Loughborough Gs v The Manor School, Mansfield or QEGS, Ashbourne, Solihull School v King Edward VI School, Stratford, King Edward VI, Lichfield v Lawrence Sheriff School or Princethorpe College, Richard Hale School v Prince William School, Oundle, Hills Road Sixth Form College v The King's School, Peterborough, King Edward VI, Five Ways v Alcester GS, Solihull Sixth Form College v Derby Independent GS, John Leggott Sixth Form College v Bosworth School and Community College. Ties to be played on or before November 28.

BEDFORD AIM TO MAINTAIN STANDARDS

Bedford School are continuing to maintain the high standards they set two seasons ago when they won the Daily Mail Under-15 Schools Cup for the first time.

Bedford enjoyed another long cup run last season and are already through to the last 32 this season where they face a long trip to Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, who were beaten semi-finalists in March.

"The side that won the cup two years ago are now in the lower sixth so they and the whole school take a keen interest in the Daily Mail Cup," said Richard Midgley, Bedford's winning coach at Twickenham.

"We have set high standards and raised the level of expectation. I think the side have high levels of expectation themselves and they are starting to feel the pressure as they try to achieve them."

Though Midgley rates his current side as probably not being as strong as the one that lifted the cup in 2006, they keep rising to the challenge by winning games with Northampton School for Boys, whom they defeated 21-13 in the fourth round, their latest victims.

"They are performing well and they keep stepping up to the challenge," Midgley said.

A trip to Hereford will present new challenges fopr Bedford, as Midgley acknowledges.

"They are not a school we have played before and we know very little about them," he said. "But it will be a three hour journey for us which, for a two o'clock kick-off, will mean an early start which is test for 14 year-olds."

Bishop's include a strong contingent of North Midlands Under-16 county players so Midgley will be looking for big performances from his flankers, Ed Noel and Ollie Clough, and inside centre George Sismey-Durrant, his three key players, to take Bedford through to the last 16.

The fourth round tie between King Edward's, Birmingham and Old Swinford Hospital School will pit team-mates from Moseley's Under-15 side against each other.

 Daily Mail Under-15 Schools Cup

Fourth round results (Midlands):  Oakham School 18 Richard Hale School 15, Bedford Modern School 20 Uppingham School 12, Trent College 34 The Robert Smythe School 14, Sharnbrook Upper School 0 Oundle School 32, John Cleveland Community College 19 Adams GS 16, Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School 16 Warwick School 0, Northampton School for Boys 13 Bedford School 21..

Fifth round draw (Midlands): King Edward's, Birmingham or Old Swinford Hospital School v Oakham School, Bedford Modern School v Trent College, Oundle School v John Cleveland Community College, Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School v Bedford School. Ties to be played on or before November 28.

Daily Mail Under-15 Schools Vase

First round results (Midlands): Evesham HS 12 The John Kyrle HS 24, Church Stretton CS w/o v Lordswood Boys' School, Solihull School 10 Woodlands School 24, Avon Valley School 10 King Henry VIII, Coventry 10 (King Henry VIII won on away team rule), Wreake Valley CS 21 Beauchamp College 24, Wootton Upper School 35 The Samuel Whitbread Community College 15, Haberdashers' Askes School 27 Watford GS 7, St Mary's Catholic`School, Bishops Stortford 19 Roundwood Park School 24, St Columba's College 45 Parmiter's School 5, Bishop Stopford School 36 Biddenham Upper School 0, Worksop College 26 Uppingham Community College 17, Bishop Vesey's GS 62 Kenilworth School 0, Broxbourne School 12 St Edmund's College, Ware 22, St Ivo School w/o v Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College, King's School, Grantham 42 Lincoln Minster School 0, Brooke Weston TC 3 Spalding GS 33, Lancaster Boys School, Leicester 5 Loughborough GS 34, Bromsgrove School 12 King Edward VI, Aston 0, Bosworth School and Community College 0 King Edward VI, Lichfield 45, Arden CS w/o Malvern College, Hitchin Boys' School 7  Lawrence Sheriff School 15, Ludlow C of E School 15  King Edward VI School, Stratford 10, Leicester GS 25 The Manor School, Mansfield 0, Arnold Hill School 48 The Priory LSST 10, Weston Road HS 7 Derby Independent GS 31, Wrenn School 27 Hinchingbrooke School 0, Verulam School w/o v Icknield HS, Queen's School, Bushey 10 Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet 33. 

Second round (Midlands): The John Kyrle HS v Church Stretton CS, Coundon Court School v Woodlands School, King Henry VIII, Coventry 20 Beauchamp College 22, Wootton Upper School 5 Haberdashers' Askes School 26, Roundwood Park School v St Columba's College, Bishop Stopford School v Wisbech GS, The King's School, Peterborough 15 Worksop College 6, King's School, Worcster v Bishop Vesey GS, St Edmund's College, Ware 50 St Ivo School 0, King's School, Grantham 48 Spalding GS 0, Loughborough GS v Bromsgrove School, King Edward VI, Lichfield w/o v Arden CS, Lawrence Sheriff School v Ludlow C of E School, Leicester GS 35 Arnold Hill School 19, Derby Independent GS v Wrenn School, Verulam School v Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet.

Third round draw (Midlands)The John Kyrle HS or Church Sretton CS v Coundon Court School or Woodlands School, Beauchamp College v Haberdasher's Askes school, Roundwood Park School or St Columba's College v Bishop Stopford School or Wisbech GS, The King's School, Peterborough v King's School, Worcester or Bishop Vesey's GS, St Edmund's College, Ware v King's School, Grantham, Loughborough GS or Bromsgrove School v King Edward VI, Lichfield, Lawrence Sheriff School or Ludlow C of E School v Leicester GS, Derby Independent GS or Wrenn School v Verulam School or Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet. Ties to be played on or before November 28.