NORTH Midlands face the pros-pect of being without three key players for their opening match in this season's National Under-20 Championship against Warwickshire at Broadstreet on Sun-day (2,15pm).

Prop Charley Thomas and full-back Cameron Pimlow are definitely out of the game because they are required for a training session by the Worcester Warriors academy ahead of next week's training match against England Under 18s at Bromsgrove School.

Hooker Sam Lewis is also doubtful for the same reason though he has been provisionally included in the county's starting XV for the Warwickshire game. If Lewis is required for training with Worcester his place will be taken by Jake Saddington of Worcester who has been named one of the replacements.

North Midlands go into the opening match in Midlands Group B' buoyed with confidence after victories over Cheshire and Worcester Wanderers in their two warm-up matches. The majority of the players in Sunday's squad also played for the North Midlands Under 19 side that recorded home and away wins over Warwickshire earlier in this season and a victory over a powerful Yorkshire side in November.

North Midlands will also play Oxford University at Moseley on February 3 and Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire at Newark on February 17 in their other group matches.

The competition format has been changed this year with one team from each division progressing to the national semi-finals. Previously two teams from each region went through to the national quarter-finals.

The top two teams in each Midlands group will go through to the regional semi-finals in April which will be followed by a Midlands final.

North Midlands U20s: Charles Meredith; Sam Yarwood, Ben Barclay (Stourbridge), Ian Briggs (Camp Hill), Jon Hines (Worcester); Nathan Walmsley (Moseley), Luke Ward (Moseley); Paul Norris (Moseley), Sam Lewis (Ellesmere College), Ryan Large (Solihull), Will Betts (Moseley), Jack Clark (Worcester), Joe Callaghan-Adnams (Birmingham University), Ben Pons (Moseley), Matthew Tibbatts (Moseley). Replacements: Tom Maguire (Moseley), Dan Toth (Moseley), Alex Watton (Birmingham & Solihull), Jake Saddington (Worcester), Rhun Thomas (Harper Adams University), James Oliver (Moseley), James Daniel (Harper Adams University), Seamus McKim (Birmingham University).