CORNWALL head coach Dave 'Benji' Thomas admitted his delight that skipper Ben Hilton has been cleared to play in Sunday's County Championship final against Lancashire at Twickenham by RFU disciplinary chiefs.
The experienced lock was cited by Worthing for striking in their National Two South clash with the Cornish All Blacks on April 20.
But an RFU disciplinary panel, meeting in Bristol on Tuesday night, found him not guilty of the charge.
Thomas said: "We are absolutely thrilled that our captain, who has been an inspirational leader to the team, is available to lead us out at Twickenham."
However, Hilton's fellow All Blacks forward, Barrie-John Chapman, who played at number eight in last weekend's superb victory over Hertfordshire, is sadly set to miss the Bill Beaumont Cup final at the home of English rugby after being banned for eight weeks for another incident in the Worthing game.
The RFU panel, chaired by Christopher Quinlan QC, and which included Dan White and Nick Dark, found him guilty of stamping or trampling.
Both Hilton and Chapman had intended to plead guilty, but changed their plea before the hearing.
Chapman's suspension is set to run from May 21 to June 4 and from September 2 to October 13, which means he will miss the opening six weeks of next season for the All Blacks.
Chapman had been named in the Cornwall side to play Lancashire, with the selectors making only one change to their starting XV, with Tom Notman recalled on the wing in place of the unavailable Rhodri McAtee, and Redruth's Lewis Vinnicombe coming onto the bench.
A third disciplinary case, involving All Blacks prop Tim Mathias, was adjourned and will be heard at a later date, the RFU announced.
The match with Worthing saw visiting lock Charlie McGowan sent off for making contact with All Blacks' back-row Josh Lord's eyes.
Lord insisted McGowan's action was deliberate, which led to the player getting an initial 14-week ban, which was reduced to 12 at an appeal hearing.
The Sussex club responded by citing four All Blacks players – Josh Lord, Tim Mathias, Hilton and Chapman.
Meanwhile, Hilton, Darren Jacques and Sam Hocking have been called up to the initial England Counties squad for their end-of-season tour to Belgium, and there could also be a place for centre Nielson Webber.
Thomas said: "It is a reward for the whole team that these boys have been selected for the England Counties squad.
"It is a reward for the team spirit and the way they play as a team, that these individuals have shown up well."
