By Michael Knox

Oxfordshire's hopes of Twickenham glory were dashed as they went down 27-8 to Northumberland in the Tetley's County Shield on Saturday.

Skipper Paul Hennessy, playing his last game for the county before returning to live in his native South Wales, was sent off in the closing stages.

He declined to comment on his red card but praised his side for their display.

"We gave it our best shot. Unfortunately it was not enough," he said.

"Northumberland fought well at the breakdown and kept hold of possession, and did not panic when we attacked them.

"We were in the right frame of mind at the start and for the first ten to 15 minutes were on top, but we could not turn territory into points.

"After they scored, we came back well in the second half, but then Mark Hutchings was sent to the sin-bin - I didn't see what happened there - and then came my misdemean- our."

Oxon coach John Brodley said: "Northumberland deserved to win, but I can't praise our players enough for their effort.

"Our plan to disrupt their line-out worked well, but we weren't quite composed enough to take our chances.

"This is still a great day for Oxfordshire rugby if you consider what we've achieved from nothing in the last six weeks. In the end our discipline let us down.

"You can't play for 20 minutes with 14 men and expect to win and you've got to kick your goals."

Despite the defeat, Oxon flanker Jamie Cope enjoyed his day.

"You can't beat this, playing at Twickenham," he said. "Just running out onto the field was an experience I will never forget."

Replacement hooker, Tom Whelan, forsook an £800 holiday to Mexico to come on for 20 minutes at the end.

"There was only one decision I could make. It's not every day of your life you get a chance to play here," he said.

"How many players actually get to climb the steps at Twickenham to collect a medal? It was awesome."