Harlequins Colts 24 Moseley Colts 3

Had their bodies been as big as their hearts and their physiques as strong as their will, Moseley might have won the National Colts Knockout Cup for the second time in their history.

But they weren't. In the end, David's sling was no match for Goliath's awesome power and, despite a bright start, the vintage of 2005 was unable to emulate the Class of 1998.

What hasn't changed in those intervening years is the fact that rugby is a cruel game in which a good big 'un will usually manage to prevail over a good little 'un and so it was in Bedford yesterday afternoon.

Moseley's game Colts, who train only twice a week, were no match for Harlequins' fulltime academy members and their spirited resistance was eventually overcome as Quins ran in four tries.

As Moseley's head coach, Bob Cox, noted afterwards: "They were better than us in terms of power. We just ran out of steam.

"You can't recreate that sort of individual pace and strength with just two sessions a week - that goes back to the fact that they have got ten full- time players."

The difference wasn't immediately apparent because it was the Birmingham side that not only settled the quicker, but also scored the first points to prove it.

Having won a scrum against the head, (their performance in this area was little short of miraculous given the two packs' physical disparity), they were awarded a fourth-minute penalty in front of the posts which scrum- half Harry Law stroked over.

Moseley 3 Harlequins 0? Surely not. Indeed not, four minutes later the Londoners were in front, helped no end by the failure of three match officials to see the most brazen of knock-ons.

Quins full-back Charlie Amesbury came into the line and fed winger Kiba Richards, who sliced through only to fumble five yards out.

Alas it wasn't called and stand- off Mike Brown stretched over from short range. Although he missed the conversion, his team never looked back.

When Law was yellowcarded for his part in a rumpus one feared for Moseley but, against all the odds, they not only survived for ten minutes but, by the time he returned, his team-mates were 70 yards to the good and camped on Quins' line.

Alas, they could not find a way over before the half-time whistle intervened with only two points separating the sides.

Eight minutes after the restart, the gap began to yawn. First, No 8 Andy Hodgkins crashed through Dominic Pitt and Alex Dickerson, Brown converted, and then the stand-off was on hand to cross for a second time.

An errant kick by centre Jake Savage was returned with interest by Richards who off-loaded for Brown to step through a shredded defence for 17-3.

Then, with seven minutes remaining, Amesbury weaved through a tiring back line, Brown added the extras and at 24-3 the cup's destination was clear.

The same cannot be said, however, for the opposing players. While Moseley will lose half of their squad to senior rugby, Harlequins lose all of theirs after a decision to disband their Colts team. Who is the real loser in that situation?

HARLEQUINS: Amesbury (Parker, 72); K Richards, Thompstone, Young (Butt, 40), Wehbe (D Richards, 72); Brown, Jay; Cooper (Reid, 66), Turner (Surman, 45) Abel, Ayling, Robson, Redmayne, Clayton (Inglis, 20), Hodgkins (Woolf, 72).

MOSELEY: Pitt; Hill (Pearce 74), Savage, P Reynolds (Potter, 69), Edwards; Higgins, Law (D Reynolds, 50); Smith (Thomas, 73), Warren (Duckers, 73), Davies (Johnson, 69), Large (Newton, 69), Bayliss, Sattersthwaite, Webb, Dickerson.

Referee: M Wilson (Yorkshire).