Saturday sees Buck travel down to Tadley with a much changed team from last season. Matt Payne, Ben Sawbridge, Sam Deal, Jordan Bishop and Sam Cook have all returned to the club from university studies and take their place in the squad.

Multi-talented Payne covers all three front row positions and takes the Loosehead spot, whilst Sam Deal has taken advantage of injuries to James Bernard and Chris Stanford to claim the inside centre berth. The other three youngsters must wait patiently on the bench for their chance to impress.

Jack Sawbridge also returns to the club this season after stints with Newbury Blues and Redingensians in the National Leagues. He slots into the 2nd row. Other new signing, Sam Bishop has come from National League Hereford but must wait to challenge for the Tighthead position through work commitments.

Injuries, holidays and work commitments also rule out Ben Cook, Adam Whiter, James Smith and Andy Turvey

The side enter the game in good form after 4 wins out of 4 in pre-season. The first was a small squad visit to the south coast where they secured a 22-5 victory over Oakmeadians, followed by a whole squad victory over league above Bletchley, snatched with the final play of the game 33-31.

Next up was a tough encounter with Leicester Forest where another large squad had to dig deep to gain a narrow 15-12 win, but the best came last week when a trip to Dunstablians yielded a convincing 68-5 win.

The new league will be a little unknown for Buck and they will need to be at the top of their game to get the much needed first win at Tadley, who I am sure will be looking to start their season off in a positive manner.