THREE North Midlands 18-Group rugby club players have been included in the Midlands squad who will prepare for the Divisional Championships in the New Year.

Bromsgrove pair Dave Wellavize, winger-cum-full-back, centre John Ruda and Malvern scrum-half Tom O'Brien, were selected after an assessment session at Loughborough University.

They have been included in a provisional squad of 30 for training sessions at Warwick University on January 7 and 14.

A game against the Midlands 18-Group Schools, at Bromsgrove School, will be played on January 21 followed a squad weekend at Stowe School from January 26 to 28.

The squad will be reduced to 25 for the Divisional Championships at the Castlecroft Complex, Wolverhampton, in February.

n FORMER England and Bath lock Nigel Redman will be one of the guest coaches at the North Midlands Coaching Society's short winter programme at Worcester RFC in the New Year.

Redman, who is now director of rugby at League Three South side Basingstoke, will be running a session on game plan and continuity on February 14 (7.30pm).

The programme will be launched on January 24 by Simon Hardy, the line-out coach to the England senior side, who will run a session on hooker throw and the line-out.

Tosh Askew, the former Waterloo coach who is a member of the England Under-19 coaching team, will complete the programme on February 28 with a session on back play for youth rugby.

All sessions are at Sixways.

n NORTH Midlands are holding a series of meetings around the county to prepare for the introduction of the new government-backed Active Sports scheme.

The National Lottery-funded project is aimed at encouraging youngsters in the 10 to 15 age group to take up sport and rugby is one of the eight designated sports to be awarded funding.

Each of the five regions of North Midlands - Worcestershire, Birmingham, Dudley, Shropshire and Herefordshire - have been awarded around £15,000 for Active Sports programmes and meetings between schools, clubs and sports development officers will start in January.

Meetings are scheduled for Worcestershire at Droitwich RFC on January 22 (7pm), Birmingham at the Birmingham Sports Centre in Highgate on January 29 (7.30pm), Shropshire at Shrewsbury RFC on January 31 (7pm), Dudley at Dudley Kingswinford RFC on February 12 (6pm) and Herefordshire at Ledbury RFC on January 25 (7.30pm).

Schools and clubs interested in developing youth rugby are encouraged to attend the meetings.