North Midlands Rugby Football Union Limited

North Midlands Under-16s have rested hooker Tom Foster for their game against Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire in the first Super Sunday tournament of the season at Denstone College in Staffordshire on November 1 (3pm).

Foster, of Oldbury Wells School and Worcestershire, was taken to hospital after the victory over Warwickshire last week with a suspected neck injury.

Thankfully the injury was not as serious as was first feared an Foster was discharged from hospital the same night. But North Midlands have decided to rest him from their second match of the season.

Lewis Grinsell of Solihull School and Greater Birmingham takes Foster’s place in a re-jigged North Midlands side. Sam Waltier, who missed the Warwickshire game because of illness, starts at scrum-half.

All six Midlands counties will be in action at Denstone on Sunday and will be watched by the Midlands selectors who have a provisional squad to pick for training and assessment ahead of the Divisional Festival early in the New Year.

North Midlands Under-18s will also be involved in a Super Sunday event on November 1 when they also play NL&D at Broadstreet (12.30pm).

The game is a re-run of last season’s final but this time it will be to decide third place. North Midlands’ title hopes disappeared when they were beaten by Staffordshire, who play East Midlands in the final at Broadstreet, last week.

North Midlands Under-16s:

15 Chris Fensome (Bishop Challoner and Greater Birmingham); 14 Jack Bruten (Kingstone HS and Herefordshire), 13 Ryan Miller (King Edward’s and Greater Birmingham; 12 Jack Wardle (Light Hall and Greater Birmingham), 11 Alex Ramsey (Minster College and Herefordshire); 10 Tom Sharwood (Bishop Perowne and Worcestershire), 9 Sam Waltier (Bromsgrove School and Worcestershire); 1 Damon Poole (Bromsgrove School and Worcestershire), 2 Lewis Grinsell (Solihull School and Greater Birmingham), 3 Rob Higgins (Church Stretton and Shropshire), 4 Jacob Bates (Charlton and Shropshire), 5 Jack Fletcher (Aylestone and Herefordshire), 6 Matt Masters (Idsall and Shropshire), 7 Jean-Claude Massey (Bromsgrove School and Worcestershire), 8 Daniel Young (Bromsgrove School and Worcestershire). Replacements: Ryan Home (Oldbury Wells and Shropshire), Tom Chard (Church Stretton and Shropshire), Jacob Wilkes (Bridgnorth End and Shropshire), Solomon Dacres (King Edward VI, Five Ways and Greater Birmingham, Jake Hayden-Wright (Four Dwellings and Worcestershire), Robert George (King Edward VI, Camp Hill and Greater Birmingham), Kieran Pinches (Church Stretton and Shropshire), Spencer Lunn (Kingsley College and Worcestershire), Ross Makaill (Church Stretton and Shropshire).