Yorkshire 10 Lancashire 11

Yorkshire coach Bob Hood was puzzled after this Tetley's County Championship defeat prevented his team advancing to next Monday's final at Twickenham.

The White Rose had dominated territory and possession against the old enemy but still come up short in what was, in essence, a semi-final.

"We won every aspect of the game apart from the scoreline," said perplexed former Baildon and Bradford & Bingley player Hood.

"We managed to lose the game rather than them winning it but that is probably the best we have played in terms of territorial rugby this season."

Otley scrum half Andy Brown missed a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time that would have won it for Yorkshire.

But Hood said: "We had two or three chances in the first half and it shouldn't have come down to Brown's kick."

To make things even more galling, Yorkshire conceded a try to a loose pass that was helped into Lancashire winger Jalo van der Venter's hands.

"That is the third interception try we have given away this year," said Hood.

"But on a positive note, it was very much the same Lancashire side that beat us by 60 points last season and I feel the worst team won here."

Lancashire coach Mark Nelson responded: "Yorkshire played well and defended well and both sides pretty much matched each other.

"But here and in our previous game we have defended very doggedly and to come away with a win in a semi-final in Yorkshire is a great achievement."

Yorkshire went ahead in the first minute with a Brown penalty after Lancashire offended at a ruck.

But although Lancashire fly half Stephen Nutt landed an equalising penalty in the 20th minute, Yorkshire had two tries disallowed for forward passes in a half they dominated.

Firstly Wharfedale centre Chris Malherbe's try' was ruled out in the tenth minute and then left winger Danny Smith's touchdown was scrubbed in the 29th minute when Jon Skurr's pass was adjudged to have gone forward after the flanker had run 40 metres after intercepting.

No 8 and captain Glen Wilson and back-rowers Skurr and the Bees' Neil Spence all made important ground in that first half and Wilson twice went close to scoring in the first minute of the second half.

Yorkshire finally scored a legitimate try in the 48th minute, centre Jonathan Buchanan sliding a kick through for Hull's Smith to dive on.

Brown converted superbly from near the touchline but five minutes later the hosts paid for a loose pass by Wharfedale fly half Andy Baggett.

With a team-mate in close proximity, Malherbe knew he had to hack the ball forward with van der Venter lurking.

But the blond-haired South African only thinned the ball straight into the arms of van der Venter, who sprinted in from halfway.

Nutt missed the conversion and Brown was wide in the 57th minute with a penalty from the Lancashire ten-metre line.

The Lancashire half-back did land a successful penalty six minutes later to give his side the lead but they lost replacement centre Jason Duffy in the 67th minute with a broken leg.

Although Lancashire had made few scoring opportunities, it needed a try-saving tackle by Smith on full back Warren Spragg in the 75th minute.

Smith's pressure meant that Spragg's pass was knocked on by his Orrell clubmate Chris Briers.

However, it was mostly Yorkshire pressure from then until the final whistle.

Skurr went close and replacement fly half Lee Cholewa ignored the chance to go for a match-winning drop goal in injury-time before Brown's penalty miss.