NORTH Midlands will be flying the flag for grassroots rugby in the county when they take on Hertfordshire in the final of the Championship Shield at Twickenham tomorrow (1pm).

North Midlands won the title for the first time last season and they have made a successful defence by winning their three group matches to secure promotion to the top flight -- the County Cup -- next season.

The North Midlands squad is selected from a cross-section of clubs across the county plus two players, Lydney winger Tom Beechey and Old Patesians flanker Simon Daws, both play their club rugby over the border in Gloucestershire.

None of the squad are full-time players and all of them will be playing purely for pride at Twickenham.

"It's a huge honour to represent your county at Twickenham," said captain Duncan Hughes, the former Worcester player, now with Stourbridge.

"We will be representing not just North Midlands but the thousands of semi-professional and amateur players in the county.

"Some of the squad don't even get beer money for playing rugby so for us to have got to a second consecutive Twickenham final is a tribute to the strength of rugby in North Midlands.

"Quite a few of us are survivors from last year so we know what a great day out it is going to be," added Hughes.

Hooker Danny James has given North Mids a boost by coming through a fitness test on an ankle injury.

North Midlands have made two changes to their starting line-up with Dave King of Malvern replacing Ali McLaughlin, who is on holiday, in the centre and Stephen Halbert of Moseley returning to the back row.

North Midlands will line up: Lloyd-Jones (Bromsgrove); Hall (Stourbridge), King (Malvern), Eastwood (Malvern), Wilson (Stourbridge); Hu-ghes (Stourbridge), Davies (Dudley Kingswinford); McGowan (Luctonians), Arnold (Bromsgrove), Culley (Stourbridge), Taylor (Bromsgrove), Tisdale (Stourbridge), Halbert (Moseley), Laws, Dawson (both Old Pats).