STONYHURST College have reached the last 32 of the Daily Mail Under 18s Schools Rugby Union Cup.

The cream is starting to rise to the top in the prestigious national competition with the North's strongest contenders starting to show their true colours.

And the Ribble Valley side underlined their credentials as one of the best teams in the region after a comfortable 12-0 fifth round victory against Wilmslow High School - last year's Under 18s Vase finalists.

Stonyhurst have shown they are a nicely balanced unit which they demonstrated to maximum effect when they won a potentially tricky fourth round tie at Ermysted's Grammar, running out 39-8 winners at the Skipton school.

But they have the toughest of tests in the next stage of the competition when they travel to Newcastle Royal Grammar School who have been tipped as the side most likely to succeed from the North East sector. Their last two performances - a 55-7 win at Durham and a 17-15 victory at St Peter's, York - only served to prove the point.

The other match in the North East sector sees St Ambrose host Barnard Castle.

Ties to be played by January 16.