BOURNVILLE have included five newcomers in their squad for Saturday’s friendly against Silhillians at Avery Fields (3pm).
Oscar Fawkes-Underwood, who has been promoted to the senior squad from the club’s Under-18s team having progressed through the junior ranks, will make his debut at full-back.
Jake Thompson, a tighthead prop who has joined from Dudley Kingswinford, and scrum-half Adam Collingwood, a summer recruit from Kenilworth, will also start as Bourns step up their preparations ahead of the new Regional One Midlands season.
Danny Griffin, a front-row forward from Lichfield, and Ben Fellows, an 18-year-old wing/centre who has arrived from Veseyans, have been named among the replacements.
There will be a welcome return to action for hooker Ben Rhodes, who tore a bicep at Loughborough Students in January. Since he last played Rhodes has also taken on additional duties as front row coach as part of Head Coach Alex Grove’s coaching team.
Saturday’s match, which has been switched to Avery Fields from Silhillians’ Copt Heath ground, is the first of two friendlies for Bournville ahead of the league opener at home to Nuneaton on September 6.
Sheffield Tigers will be the visitors to Avery Fields for the final warm-up match on August 30.
Bournville | 15 Oscar Fawkes-Underwood; 14 Mikey Ho, 13 Joe Jenkins, 12 Sam Grimshaw, 11 Nathan Decalmer; 10 Jacob Fewtrell, 9 Adam Collingwood; 1 Clarkson McLeod, 2 Ben Rhodes, 3 Jake Thompson, 4 Ben Meakin (C), 5 George Jewell, 6 Jonjo Fanning, 7 Adam Shaw, 8 Jasper Smith.
Replacements | Conor Thorneycroft, Danny Griffin, Harry Dawson, Kieran Henderson, Reiss Price, Eddie Wiggins, Ben Fellows.
• Bournville Blues are also in action this weekend with a friendly at Claverdon on Friday with kick-off at Ossetts Hole Lane at 7pm.
Four players – Eddie Wiggins, Conor Thorneycroft, Danny Griffin and Ben Fellows – who will be replacements for the first XV on Saturday will start for the Blues with Griffin and Fellows making their club debuts at Claverdon.
Lock Ollie Morris, who has joined from Harborne, will also make his first appearance with three more products of the club’s youth system – Tom Harrington, Tom Underwood and Matt Hemming – also in the squad.
Bournville Blues | 15 Niall Demel; 14 Tom Harrington, 13 Eddie Wiggins, 12 Will Terry, 11 Ben Fellows; 10 Alex Warner, 9 George Ayliffe; 1 Danny Griffin, 2 Conor Thorneycroft, 3 Kuba Kijak, 4 Ollie Morris, 5 Harry Belcher, 6 Myles Hibbs, 7 Bhairaj Rai (C), 8 Ben Harper.
Replacements | Steve Smith, Tom Underwood, Jamie Maynard, Chris Crutchley, Abraham Jones, Matt Hemming.
