FORMER Worcester lock Nick Tisdale is set to captain Worcestershire and Herefordshire in their opening match of this season's RLF North Midlands Championship against Greater Birmingham at Droitwich tonight (7.30).

Tisdale, now Stourbridge's second team coach, is also assistant coach of the county side and will lead a team including five club-mates and six from National Three North side Dudley Kingswinford.

Worcestershire & Herefordshire have also selected North Midlands Under-20 hooker Chris Condliffe, a former Luctonians player and now a first-team squad member at Moseley.

Simon Green-Price, Luctonians' director of rugby, is Worcestershire and Herefordshire's head coach and he has faced selection difficulties because the majority of Malvern and Luctonians players are unavailable for the opening match because of club commitments.

But Green-Price has been able to call on an number of experienced county campaigners including Dan Shakespeare, Ben Hilstead, Nick Godfrey and Ryan Henshaw.

Other group matches are Shropshire v Worcestershire and Herefordshire at Telford next Tuesday and Greater Birmingham v Shropshire at Edwardians a week later.

All games kick-off at 7.30pm and the final is at Stourbridge on Tuesday, May 10.

Shropshire will be attempting to complete a hat-trick of titles in the competition.

Backs: Chris Wagstaffe (Stourbridge), Jimmy Price (Bromsgrove), Eddie Nicholls and Tom Ryan (Dudley Kingswinford), Ryan Henshaw (Worcester Wanderers), Richard Henwood (Luctonians), Ross Yiend (Stourbridge), Nick Biddlecombe (Dudley Kingswinford), Will Bevan (Luctonians).

Forwards: Mike Lammas (Bromsgrove), Chris Condliffe (Moseley), Dan Shakespeare (Dudley Kingswinford), Ben Hilstead (Hereford), Nick Tisdale (Stourbridge), Shaun Griffiths and Ben Cowan (Dudley Kingswinford), Gareth Taylor, Robbie Eaves and Chris Simcox (Stourbridge), Nick Godfrey and Phil Orton (Droitwich).