THE Yorkshire Amateur representative side bowed out of the FA Inter-League Cup after a heartbreaking shootout defeat to Cheshire.

Yorkshire took a first-half lead, but Cheshire replied minutes after the break. Despite several further chances, the game finished 1-1 and went to penalties, with two saved efforts seeing Yorkshire go down 4-3.

The Amateur League had a good first half but only converted one of many fine chances. The scorer was Louis Surtees, who popped up at the near post to turn home an inviting low cross from the right by the tireless Joe Tasker.

The Cheshire League came into the game much more in the second period and grabbed their goal five minutes after half-time when one of their players was felled inside the area.

The decision was disputed by the YAL defenders but the referee was unmoved, and the penalty was smashed home by Nathan Southern.

There were numerous chances for either side to win it, and both sides hit the woodwork, with Yorkshire's Rinor Ejupi making the frame of the goal shake with a fierce strike.

In extra-time, substitute James Burgess had a shot saved at point blank range by Cheshire's Nick Ward, but other than that, both teams looked set to accept penalties.

Fresh from denying Burgess, it was Ward who was the hero in the shootout too

YAL keeper Jordan Wright took the first penalty and that was saved by Ward, and although Wright made amends by saving one of his own, Ward dived to the right to save Yorkshire's fourth penalty, leaving the hosts as 4-3 winners after a gruelling encounter.