Newcastle Falcons’ Under-18s suffered a home loss to northern rivals Yorkshire in Wednesday night’s friendly encounter.

The young Falcons trailed 19-14 at the interval and conceded further ground thereafter, with a healthy Kingston Park crowd soaking up the second act of an academy double header.

Yorkshire stormed into the game and led within two minutes when a loose ball in the right corner was mopped up for a converted try, and they doubled their lead when their left winger scooted in from a ruck from ten metres out.

Newcastle fought back and looked to have carved out a try-scoring opportunity down the left, only for the crucial pass to go to ground.

The visitors were having no such worries and added a third try when their outside centre supported a midfield line-break to dot down an unconverted try to put his side into a 19-point lead.

Only some committed scramble defence from the hosts prevented the margin from being wider, with Yorkshire twice bundled into touch near the corner flag and then held up over the try-line from a driving maul.

The Falcons finally got themselves on the scoreboard on 25 minutes when centre Rory Linkleter sniped in from close range down the left – forward power from a line-out down the right having got them to within striking distance.

Fly-half Charlie Dineen slotted the conversion from out wide, and then added a try of his own when he supported a break from scrum-half Rhys Jenkins to score from the resulting ruck.

Dineen sent over his second conversion to cut Yorkshire’s half-time lead to 19-14, and the momentum continued in the opening moments of the second period when the Falcons’ maul was held up over the try-line.

Alfie Warwick went close when his kick to the left corner rolled dead just before he could dive on the loose ball, but it was the visitors who broke the second-half deadlock when a ruck in front of the posts saw the forwards barging their way over to lead by 12.

Yorkshire added further daylight when a tap penalty in the right corner saw them ploughing over for an unconverted try, and their No.8 raced 30 metres from turnover ball for the final score of the evening as Newcastle chased the game from inside their own half.

Newcastle Falcons U18s v Yorkshire

15 Ajay Edwards (Durham School, Durham City)

14 Charlie Lawson (Gosforth Academy, Houghton RUFC)

13 Rory Linkleter (Gosforth Academy)

12 Conrad Thorpe (Gosforth Academy, Tynedale)

11 Alfie Warwick (Nelson Thomlinson, Wigton)

10 Charlie Dinneen (Kirkbie Kendal School, Kendal)

9 Rhys Jenkins (Barnard Castle)

1 Tom Thirkell (Durham School, Durham City)

2 Harry Bellamy (Sedbergh School)

3 Alfie Booth (Gosforth Academy, Novocastrians)

4 George Bolam (Durham School, Durham City)

5 Lauchlan Hill (Gosforth Academy, Billingham)

6 Max Lyon (Gosforth Academy, Blaydon RFC)

7 Euan Oakes (Durham School, Durham City)

8 Will Graham (Dame Allan’s, Percy Park)

Replacements

16 Ben Hyndman (Gosforth Academy, Billingham)

17 Aiden Binks (Bede Sixth Form, Stockton RUFC)

18 Spencer Moore (Sedbergh School)

19 Joe Browell (High Tunstall College, Billingham)

20 Matty Hogan (Durham School, Durham City)

21 Jack McBurnie (Durham School, Blaydon RFC)

22 Fin Lawless (Gosforth Academy, Blaydon RFC)

23 Matthew Cooke (Sedbergh School)

24 Louis Myers-Lewis (Durham School, Darlington RFC)