Cornwall head coach Benji Thomas has been forced into a couple of late changes to his side as they prepare to face Gloucestershire at Dockham Road, Cinderford (3pm) in tomorrow's Bill Beaumont Cup opener, writes Dick Straughan.
Camborne's Sam Matavesi will take over in the back row from Tom Rawlings while clubmate Ashley Lawton has been called up to replace Josh Lord on the bench. Hooker Darren Semmens, who spent last season with the Cornish Pirates, has also been drafted in as a replacement.
Ben Hilton skippers the Cornwall team as they look for their first away win since 2005 against the 17-times winners of the County competition, with a side predominantly made up of strong contingents from Redruth and the Cornish All Blacks.
Coventry's Steve Johns, formerly of Mounts Bay and Cornish All Blacks, starts at outside centre with former Plymouth Albion back row Sam Hocking at No8. St Austell scrum-half Matt Shepherd is on the bench.
Gloucestershire last made it to the final in 2010 when they were well beaten by Lancashire and have named 14 members of the Cinderford side which finished 11th in National One this season in their squad.
Richmond's Will Warden will captain the team from the second row, while talented Old Centralians centre Liam Hemming, who proved such a handful for Camborne last weekend, is on the bench.
Gloucestershire: (Cinderford unless otherwise stated) Hawkins, Codlin, Pascal (Richmond), Done, Stapleton, Wilcox, Arnott (Southend); Bundy, Wilkes (Moseley), George (Stourbridge), Warden (capt, Richmond), West, Joyce (Dings Crusaders), Foden, Evans. Replacements: Smart, Selway, Critchley, Allen, Pointon, Hemming (Old Centralians), Sutherland (Esher).
Cornwall: Murphy (Cornish All Blacks), Bright (CABs), Johns (Coventry), Webber (CABs), Notman, Thirlby, Goodfellow (all Redruth); Jacques, Brown, Williams, Cook (all Redruth), Hilton (capt, CABs), Fuca (Redruth), Matavesi (Camborne), Hocking (unattached). Replacements: Priddey (Redruth & Royal Navy), Rice, Chapman (both CABs), Lawton (Camborne), Semmens (unattached), Shepherd (St Austell), Vinnicombe (Redruth).
