Warwickshire kept alive their hopes of winning the County Championship Bill Beaumont Cup by beating Yorkshire 14-10 at Nuneaton's Liberty Way ground yesterday.
Warwickshire, who won the County Championship Shield 12 months ago and secured promotion to the top level of the three-tier competition, now play Cheshire in their final North group match Coventry's Butts Park Arena on May 17.
A Warwickshire win and defeat for Lancashire in the Roses Match against Yorkshire at Harrogate could see Warwickshire clinch the group and qualify for the final at Twickenham on June 1.
Conversely, a defeat by Cheshire could also mean that Warwickshire are relegated back to the Shield.
Tries from Nuneaton number eight Glenn Southwell and Rotherham prop Phil Boulton, his second in as many games, plus two conversions from Nuneaton scrum-half Huw Thomas took Warwickshire into a 14-0 half-time lead and they withstood Yorkshire's second-half fightback.
North Midlands, relegated from the Bill Beaumont Cup last season, will return to the top flight if they can beat Northumberland in their final North group match at Tynedale on May 17.
North Midlands completed their home programme with a second consecutive victory at Stourbridge where they overcame plucky Cumbria 36-19.
Tries from Stourbridge flanker Jake Abbott, Pertemps Bees centre Cameron Mitchell, Malvern winger Ryan Henshaw, Coventry hooker Richard Protherough and Moseley centre Ollie Winter plus three conversions from Mitchell took North Midlands into a commanding 36-7 lead before Cumbria rallied with two late tries.
In the County Championship Plate, Leicestershire and East Midlands will meet in the semi-finals at South Leicester on May 17.
Leicestershire defeated Essex 13-12 at Syston, their second consecutive single point victory, while East Midlands beat Kent 18-0 at Bedford Athletic.
South Leicester fly-half Mark Lord scored all Leicestershire's points with a try that he also converted followed by two penalties. Essex rallied strongly and pulled to within a point when Ben Montgomery (Romford) converted a try from Jim Harman of Basildon.
East Midlands opened up a 15-0 half-time lead at Putnoe Wood with tries from the host club's winger Fearnley Simmonds, Northampton Old Scouts flanker Brett Daynes and Bedford Athletic full-back Paul Ryder.
But Kent made East Midlands work very hard for their victory and their place in the play-offs and the only score of the second half was a penalty from Ryder.
Staffordshire ended their Plate campaign with a 53-10 win over a young and inexperienced Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire at Stafford.
Lock Ali Muldowney (Stourbridge), Steve Edwards (Burton), Josh Fowles (Broadstreet), Ollie Poynton (Longton) and Matt Aston (Nuneaton) scored first half tries for Staffordshire with Gary McDermott (Longton), Keiron Healey (Longton), Muldowney, Steve Talbot (Stoke) and Mike Swetman (Longton) scoring after the break.
NL&D, whose side was depleted because of a clash with Domestic Union cup finals, responded with a try from Steve Fowkes of Walsall and a conversion and penalty from teenage fly-half Greg Moore of Nottingham Trent University.
The other Plate semi-final between Hampshire and Kent will be played at the Military Stadium in Aldershot on May 17. The final will be played at the same venue on May 24.
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