NORTH Midlands will attempt to secure promotion to next season's Tetley's County Championship when they travel to Tynedale to play Northumberland in the Tetley's County Shield semi-final tomorrow (3pm).

The winners will automatically be promoted to the Championship, the losers will face a further play-off against either Hertfordshire or Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire on May 31 with a Championship place at stake.

North Midlands will again be without Hose Fakatou, Birmingham & Solihull's number eight. He has returned to Tonga for training with his country's provisional World Cup squad.

Fakatou withdrew from the side for last weekend's 32-12 win over Leicestershire at Kibworth and his club-mate Alex Davidson, a former Wales Under-21 international, has retained his place.

Luctonians prop Ben McGowan is expected to rejoin the squad having sat out the Leicestershire game because of his club's involvement in the North Midlands Cup final.

North Midlands: Marcus Cook (Stourbridge); Tom Beechey (Stourbridge), Ali McLaughlin (Stourbridge), Mark Eastwood (Malvern), Toby Wilson (Stourbridge); Duncan Hughes (Stourbridge - captain), Gavin Cattle (Birmingham & Solihull); Terry Sigley (Birmingham & Solihull), Alan Hubbleday (Birmingham & Solihull), Rob Sigley (Birmingham & Solihull), Jon Taylor (Bromsgrove), Tom Churchill (Bromsgrove), Howard Dawson (Stourbridge), Simon Dawes (Stourbridge), Alex Davidson (Birmingham & Solihull).

Replacements: John Hall (Stourbridge), Anthony Meehan (Birmingham & Solihull), Ben McGowan (Luctonians), Richard Arnold (Bromsgrove), Gareth Taylor (Birmingham & Solihull), Glen Eager (Aston OE).