Worcestershire & Herefordshire will attempt to retain the Iskitz Three Counties Championship final when they take on Greater Birmingham in the final at Edwardians’ Streetsbrook Road ground on Sunday May 14 (3pm).
W&H took the title from Shropshire last season and secured their place in this season’s final by defeating the same opponents in the final group match at Shrewsbury last week.
The defending champions also have the benefit of having played a Worcester Warriors Community XV in a warm-up at Upton on Severn in the Nigel Banwell Memorial Match two weeks ago.
Greater Birmingham have reached Sunday’s final without kicking a ball having being awarded a walkover when Shropshire scratched from the scheduled championship opener three weeks ago.
They then scratched from their away game against Worcestershire & Herefordshire but qualified for the final after Shropshire were beaten by W&H.
Ten players – seven from Greater Birmingham and three from W&H – played for their clubs in last Sunday’s North Midlands Finals Day at Dudley Kingswinford.
The Iskitz Three Counties Championship is contested annually by the three Domestic Unions which comprise North Midlands.
The group stage is played on a round-robin basis with the top two teams in the group progressing to the final.
The championship, which is in its third year of a generous sponsorship from Malvern-based kit manufacturers Iskitz, provides representative rugby for players below the National Leagues.
Greater Birmingham: 15 Jermaine Bernard (Camp Hill); 14 Liam Lindsay (Camp Hill), 13 Michael Ho (Old Saltleians), 12 TJ Clarke (Handsworth), 11 Tom Burrows (Old Saltleians): 10 Tom Fleming (Camp Hill), 9 James Pritchard (Old Yardleians); 1 Julius Hunt (Aston OE), 2 Aaron Smith (Old Saltleians), 3 Kurtis Payne (Birmingham & Solihull), 4 Ryan Lee (Old Saltleians), 5 Curtis Gilbert (Handsworth), 6 Adam Lee (Old Saltleians), 7 Leigh Griffin (Yardley & District), 8 Rob Hill (Camp Hill).
Replacements: James McQuoid (Edwardians), Alex Willis (Bournville), Austin Bolger (Camp Hill), Mark Newton (Camp Hill), Mick Stephens (Birmingham & Solihull), Jonny Betty (Camp Hill), Matt Clarke (Camp Hill).
Worcestershire & Herefordshire: 15 Sam Hopkins (Evesham); 14 Bryn Williams (Redditch), 13 Ed Gough (Tenbury), 12 Ben King (Malvern), 11 Wilf Watson (Evesham); 10 Adam Dixon (Malvern), 9 Francis Jennings (Hereford); 1 Matt Youngs (Old Halesonians), 2 Jamie Roberts (Evesham), 3 Craig Freeman (Malvern), 4 Brian Ranns (Pershore), 5 Russ Brown (Droitwich), 6 Max Macfarlane (Upton upon Severn), 7 Josh Tomlinson (Woodrush), 8 Jay Martin (Old Halesonians – captain).
Replacements: Lewis Lawlor (Woodrush), Tom Gazey (Evesham), Anton Taylor (Sutton Coldfield), Josh Walker (Ross on Wye), Sam Davies (Hereford), Mike Diston (Evesham), Ross Attwood (Bredon Star).