A stirring second half comeback from Flintshire Falcons U14s was in vain as they fell to agonising 42-40 defeat at South Trafford.

In scorching conditions the hosts dominated from the outset as poor Falcons defending handed Trafford the initiative.

The Manchester side capitalised at every opportunity and amassed a commanding 42-4 lead by half-time.

A much-changed and more focused Falcons team emerged after the interval, as sustained pressure saw Ben Mason and Cam Walker lead the fightback with three tries apiece.

Nate Brown contributed with a fine solo try before Jonathan Dessington kept the scoreboard ticking over by landing several conversions.

The scale of the Falcons improvement was huge and arguably merited a victory, but the visitors ran out of time in a half that saw them amass 38 unanswered points.

Falcons head coach, Mike Dessington said: "South Trafford are good side and whilst it was disappointing not to gain a win; particularly with the fightback of the second half.

"I'm proud of the players and they should be proud of the top effort they put in to claw back at the lead Trafford had accumulated, and that in itself should be treated in the same respect as a victory."