FIVE members of Bromsgrove Rugby Club's First XV have missed out on an appearance at Twickenham with the North Midlands squad.

Jon Taylor, Tom Churchill, Richard Arnold and coaches David Stout and David Wilkinson were on the receiving end of a 27-19 defeat against Northumberland last Saturday in the semi-finals of the Tetley's County Shield.

Victory would have seen them through to the final at Twickenham this Saturday.

North Midlands made a flying start to their campaign with a 78-29 demolition of East Midlands at Stourbridge at the end of April and booked their last four place with a comfortable 32-12 win over Leicestershire at Kibworth on Saturday, May 10.

North Midlands were down to 13 men after just 10 men against Northumberland with two players getting yellow cards and trailed 15-9 at the break.

In an evenly contested game, Stout's side appeared superior but were always playing catch up. The defeat means they face a third place play-off against Hertfordshire this Saturday.