Bournville will give debuts to summer recruits Harry Housley and Elliot Tanner in Saturday’s National Two West match against Clifton at Avery Fields (3pm).
Housley, who joined Bourns from Drybrook in the summer, will start on the right wing with Tanner called up at fly-half. Tanner is the younger brother of centre Will and, having followed him from Bromsgrove to Avery Fields, will make his senior debut alongside him.
Both Housley and Tanner have played for Bournville Blues in Counties Two Midlands West (East) in recent weeks and will make their senior bows in a re-shaped back division.
Jacob Fewtrell moves from fly-half to centre as Sam Peppitt has been recalled from his loan spell by Birmingham Moseley. Fewtrell will partner Will Tanner with Housley replacing the unavailable Mikey Ho and Cam Smith, who scored a brace of tries at Old Redcliffians last Saturday, switching to the left wing.
Full-back Joe Jenkins is also unavailable this week so Oscar Fawkes-Underwood, who came off the bench at Old Redcliffians, starts this weekend.
There is just one change to the pack with Paddy Smallman named at blindside flanker as Kieran Henderson has been ruled out by concussion which he suffered in the first-half last week.
Jonjo Fanning returns to the squad as a replacement and back-row forward Chris Idehen is set for his first appearance of the season off the bench having recovered from injury.
Bourns and Clifton renew their rivalry after a gap of one season having gone in opposite directions at the end of the 2024/25 season. Bourns have bounced back from relegation as champions of Regional One Midlands while Clifton, winners of this league two seasons ago, were relegated from National One.
Clifton have won four of their first five matches this season with their only defeat coming at fellow promotion hopefuls Luctonians two weeks ago.
They go into Saturday’s match with an unbeaten record in the six previous meetings between the clubs which have usually been high-scoring and entertaining affairs.
Bourns were edged out 27-22 at Avery Fields three seasons ago while the match at Cribbs Causeway in January 2023 was a crazy and chaotic affair which Clifton won 64-40 after the sides were level at 26-26 at half-time.
Bournville | 15 Oscar Fawkes-Underwood; 14 Harry Housley, 13 Will Tanner, 12 Jacob Fewtrell, 11 Cam Smith; 10 Elliot Tanner, 9 Reiss Price; 1 Clarkson McLeod, 2 Jamie Harding, 3 Jake Thompson, 4 Ben Meakin (C), 5 Harry Dawson, 6 Paddy Smallman, 7 Harry Sigley, 8 Callum Nicholls.
Replacements | 16 James Randall, 17 Scott Rudge, 18 Jonjo Fanning, 19 Chris Idehen, 20 Adam Collingwood.
*Bournville Blues head to Upton on Severn seeking their first win of their Counties Two Midlands West (East) campaign.
It will be the third away match in a row for the Blues in a testing start to the new season although they have taken a try bonus point from each of their first two games against Woodrush and Birmingham & Solihull, the top two in the league.
The promotion of Housley and Elliot Tanner to the first team means that the Blues have to reshuffle their back division with Aaron Esiri, back with Bourns after a stint with Lydney, called up on the right wing with player/coach Alex Warner starting at fly-half.
Poland Under-20s international prop Kuba Kijak returns in the front-row and there is a debut for former Birmingham University lock Callum Bates.
Bournville Blues | 15 Stephen Terera; 14 Aaron Esiri, 13 Jack Mitchell, 12 Rhys Williams Goldman, 11 Louis Stival; 10 Alex Warner, 9 Gregor Watson; 1 Moise Tshiangala, 2 Conor Thorneycroft, 3 Kuba Kijak, 4 George Jewell, 5 Callum Bates, 6 Bhairaj Rai, 7 Myles Hibbs (C), 8 Ben Harper.
Replacements | 16 Sean Kimberley, 17 George Bann, 18 Craig Manning.
