County Championship Team News
Hertfordshire play Eastern Counties at West Norfolk RFC, near Kings Lynn, on Saturday in the opening match in this season's County Championship Shield competition - kick off 3.00 pm. The team selected is as follows:
Tom Newton (Tring); Ian Crompton (Stevenage Town), Jon Child (Welwyn), Ray Adde (Hemel Hempstead), Mark Mansfield (Old Albanian); Richard Gregg (Old Albanian), Toby Prescott (Tring); Ryan Long (Tabard), Tavita Faamausili (Stevenage Town), Jim Remfry (Caldy), Adam Amos (Stevenage Town), Rob Dumbleton (Harpenden), Ian Hardcastle (Westcombe Park), Chris Rainbow (Newbury), Dave Archer (Henley Hawks) (Capt).
Replacements: Ryan de la Harpe (Letchworth), Ross Willoughby (Hemel Hempstead), Richard Woodard (Tabard), Brent Lemiere (St Albans), Luke Hardwicke (Hertford), Alfie Church (Hertford), Tom Mowbray (Tring)CORNWALL READY TO END AWAY DAY BLUES
Cornwall will be seeking their first away win in three years when they play Hertfordshire at Hertford on Saturday (3.00 pm) in game two in this season's County Shield.
It was May 2005 when the Duchy's senior team last triumphed on the road with an 18-15 success over Gloucestershire at Lydney, though they did manage a 22-22 draw against Oxfordshire at Chinnor last season.
Cornwall could not have got their campaign off to a much better start last weekend when they crushed Oxfordshire 66-8 at Redruth, and new captain Josh Lord believes it sets them up nicely to put an end to their disappointing away record.
"It is a tougher proposition going away than it is playing in front of your home crowd, but I think we have got the players to do it," said the Cornish All Blacks flanker. Everybody is really determined and focused this year. We have got the goal that we want to get to the final at Twickenham and win and everybody has bought into that. It maybe a little harder next week, but we know we can do it."
Any fears of complacency setting in should be dispelled by painful memories of a visit to the same venue two seasons ago, when Hertfordshire pulled off a stunning 31-27 victory against a strong Cornwall side coached then by Chris Brown, Nigel Hambly and Jim McKay.
The Hertfordshire selectors have made a number of changes from the side that lost to eastern Counties last Saturday. The team selected for Saturday is:
Kieron Davies (Ampthill); Ian Crompton (Stevenage Town), Jon Child (Welwyn), Ray Adde (Hemel Hempstead), Mark Evans (Old Albanian; Richard Gregg (Old Albanian), Ryan de la Harpe (Letchworth); Ryan Long (Tabard), Tavita Faamausili (Stevenage Town), Simon Carter (Newbury), Adam Amos (Stevenage Town), Robert Dumbleton (Harpenden), Alfie Church (Hertford), Ian Hardcastle (Westcombe Park), Dave Archer (Henley Hawks). (Capt).
Replacements: Toby Prescott (Tring), Paul Welch (Hertford), Adam Gelman (Old Albanian), Matt Cross (Nuneaton), Jim Remfry (Caldy), Billy Johnson (Hertford), Gareth Davies (Tabard).
