Bournville have been able to name an unchanged starting XV for the first time this season for Saturday’s National Two West match against Chester at Hare Lane (3pm).
Bournville head north seeking their first away win of the season but with a haul of 13 points from their first 11 games of the season, a figure equalled only by Fylde in the top four levels of league rugby in England.
Head Coach Matt Price has kept faith with the side that was beaten by a last-gasp try from Clifton at Avery Fields last Saturday.
Price, the former Rugby Lions, Bedford Blues and Coventry hooker, is also in line for a surprise playing appearance off the bench as injuries to a number of front-row forwards plus unavailability have meant that he has named himself as a replacement.
Price last played competitive rugby five years ago when he finished with Coventry. If he gets on at Chester it will be 20 years since he made his debut for Bedford.
Defence Coach Alex Grove, the former Scotland and Worcester Warriors centre, is also named as a replacement having made two appearances in October.
Chester are ninth in the National Two West table, three places above Bournville, but have lost their last four matches the latest at league leaders Luctonians.
Bournville’s previous visit to Hare Lane ended in a 48-21 defeat in a National Two North match in April 2022 with Chester losing the first meeting between the clubs 22-14 earlier that season.
Bournville | 15 Owen Williams; 14 Alex Evans, 13 Sam Grimshaw, 12 Sam Wilson, 11 Nathan Decalmer; 10 Rhys Williams, 9 Ben Tibbetts; 1 James Burgoyne, 2 Clarkson McLeod, 3 Stefan Thorp, 4 Ben Meakin, 5 Nick Murphy, 6 Ben O’Sullivan, 7 Chris Idehen (C), 8 Jonjo Fanning.
Replacements | 16 Ollie Stone, 17 Matt Price, 18 Louis Mifsud, 19 Jacob Fewtrell, 20 Alex Grove.
Bournville Blues return to action after a month-long gap with a Midlands Reserve League Division One match at Syston on Saturday (2pm).
Will Aylen, who came off the bench for the first XV last week, partners Ryan O’Neill in the centre for the Blues this week.
Bournville Blues | 15 Niall Demel; 14 Abraham Jones, 13 Will Aylen, 12 Ryan O’Neill,11 Aaron Esiri; 10 Kristers Krupenciks, 9 Jed Wesr; 1 Kieron Maguire, 2 Nigel Wheeler, 3 Sean Kimberley, 4 Matt Spence, 5 Jamie Avery, 6 Jack Holdaway, 7 Harry Scarlet, 8 Lewis Hall.
Replacements | 16 Phil Valegatu, 17 Harry Belcher, 18 Ollie Daffey, 19 Jamie Allison, 20 Sam Beckford.
