It showcased a real weakness in the new competition format as neither county had faced each other over the past two years, despite being the best sides in the northern group.

Lancashire were joined by Hertfordshire who took advantage of a slip-up by Gloucestershire at Surrey to win the southern group and cement their place in the final - the county's first since 2012.

By contrast last season's finalists Cornwall had a dire campaign, managing only one draw in their three games and finishing bottom of their group.

In the Twickenham final Lancashire finished as deserving champions beating Hertfordshire 32-16, with 22 points coming from the boot Chris Johnson who also finished as the competition's top points scorer, while a try from his team-mate, Anthony Bingham, made him the top try scorer with 5 tries.

Both East Midlands and Surrey will play in the 2019 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 2 next season.