JONJO Fanning will join one of Bournville’s most exclusive clubs when he makes his 100th first team appearance in Saturday’s Regional One Midlands match against Bridgnorth at Avery Fields (3pm).
Fanning was due to reach the landmark in last week’s victory at Newport but he had to withdraw from the trip to Shropshire when he went down with flu.
He has now recovered and comes into the starting XV at number eight to reach his century of appearances in front of his home crowd.
Fanning played for Northampton Saints and Bedford Blues at Academy levels and he also represented Ireland Under-18s.
His career with Bournville has been split by a season with the Northamptonshire club Bugbrooke in 2019/20.
Fanning, who was also a talented athlete as a hammer thrower in his youth, will become the second member of the current Bourns’ squad with 100 Club membership, joining hooker James Weaver who made his 100th appearance last season before becoming player/coach of the Blues, the club’s second team.
Fanning is one of three changes to the side that beat Newport to establish a four-point lead at the top of the table at the halfway point of the season. Callum Nicholls switches to the blindside flank and Kieran Henderson to openside to accommodate Fanning’s return.
The other changes are in the front row where Jamie Harding, who impressed off the bench last week, starts at hooker in place of Ben Rhodes, who suffered a hamstring injury at Newport.
Jake Thompson, who also contributed to a dominant display by the pack when he came on in the second-half at Newport, starts at tighthead prop this week in a swap with Clarkson McLeod.
Adam Shaw returns to the squad as a replacement along with talented teenage full-back/fly-half Oscar Fawkes-Underwood.
Bridgnorth arrive at Avery Fields in seventh place in the table with their six wins including a 24-17 success over Bournville at the Edgar Davies Ground in September.
It will be the Shropshire club’s first visit to Avery Fields since September 2019 when Bourns triumphed 38-13. Bourns went on to complete a double with a 24-13 away success before the Midlands Premier season was cut short by the Covid pandemic.
Bournville | 15 Mauro Miller; 14 Adam Collingwood, 13 Mikey Ho, 12 Joe Jenkins, 11 Nathan Decalmer; 10 Jacob Fewtrell, 9 Reiss Price; 1 Scott Rudge, 2 Jamie Harding, 3 Jake Thompson, 4 Ben Meakin (C), 5 Harry Dawson, 6 Callum Nicholls, 7 Kieran Henderson, 8 Jonjo Fanning.
Replacements | 16 Clarkson McLeod, 18 Adam Shaw, 19 Oscar Fawkes-Underwood.
• Bournville Blues make the short trip to Portway to face Birmingham & Solihull in Counties Two Midlands West (East) (2.15pm).
Ollie Morris, who came off the bench for the first team last week, starts in the second-row for the Blues.
Player/coach James Weaver starts at hooker after a couple of outings off the bench, including one in last week’s narrow defeat by league leaders Barkers’ Butts at Avery Fields.
Bournville Blues | 15 Craig Manning; 14 Ben Fellows, 13 Jack Mitchell, 12 Eddie Wiggins, 11 Stephen Terera; 10 Alex Warner, 9 Chris Crutchley; 1 Ben Fortes-Mayer, 2 James Weaver, 3 Sean Kimberley, 4 Harry Belcher, 5 Ollie Morris, 6 Bhairaj Rai (C), 7 Myles Hibbs, 8 Ben Harper.
Replacements | 16 Johnson Otuoyne, 17 Piers Skeels-Caldwell, 18 Niall Demel.
