WARREN SEALS will make his 100th club appearance for Darlington Mowden Park this afternoon as Garry Law’s side attempt to bounce back from last weekend’s home defeat to Sale FC.
Mowden make the long trip south to Kent to take on Tonbridge Juddians looking to ensure their 32-15 loss to Sale was just a temporary blip.
Law’s side were in impressive form heading into the Sale game, but while Josh Crickmay and Liam Checksfield both scored tries, an immaculate kicking displat from Chris Johnson condemned Mowden to defeat.
Seals starts at number 12 this afternoon as he brings up a century of competitive appearances for Mowden.
He will be joined in the centres by Ben Frankland, who starts at 13, with Euan McKirdy making a welcome return to the starting line-up at scrum-half.
Last weekend’s man of the match, Louie Johnson, continues alongside McKirdy at fly-half, with Paul Jarvis another returnee at full-back.
Checksfield will hope to build on last weekend’s try-scoring exploits as he continues on the wing, with Chris McTurk shifting to the opposite flank to accommodate Jarvis’ return.
Mowden’s front row sees Alfie Barron continue his run of starts at loose-head, with George Shannon and Ralph Appleby both returning to start alongside him.
A reshuffled second row sees Joe Craggs return to join Dave Fisher, with Freddie Lockwood shifting to the blindside flank.
Will Jones continues on the openside, while there is a first start of the season for captain Ollie Hodgson at number eight.
Tonbridge started the season reasonably brightly, drawing with Bishop’s Stortford and beating Sale, but they have struggled in recent weeks and head into this weekend propping up the rest of the table.
They were soundly beaten last weekend, going down 45-14 to a Cambridge side that ran in seven tries, including four for hooker Ben Brownlie, suggesting there is a soft centre to the Tonbridge pack Mowden could exploit.
Mowden are 11th in the National One standings, ten points clear of Tonbridge. Cinderford currently top the table, ahead of Rosslyn Park, Sale FC and Rams.
Darlington Mowden Park: Jarvis, Checksfield, Frankland, Seals, McTurk, Johnson, McKirdy; Barron, Shannon, Appleby, Fisher, Craggs, Lockwood, Jones, Hodgson.
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