THE experienced half-back partnership of Ben Harvey and Sililo Martens are to guide a young Worcester development side through a tough fixture against the Army tonight.

The stand-off and scrum-half are two of just three players with regular first team experience from this season to start tonight's friendly fixture at Sixways (7.30pm).

Dave Merlin is the third and will start tonight's game at number eight.

Elsewhere Worcester have resisted the temptation of using their seasoned professionals, opting instead to give valuable match experience to some of their rising stars.

In the forwards hooker Chris Hall will be joined by two props banging on the first team door in Andy Robinson and Bennett Smith while Brett Scriven and Arran Brown give the side an exciting pairing at flanker.

Chris Goodfellow and Ben Smaje take their chances on the wings while Mark Eastwood and Chris Holder, who both scored against Northampton last month, make the centre pairing.

Worcester: Morgan, Goodfellow, Eastwood, Holder, Smaje, Harvey, Martens (capt), Robinson, Hall, Smith, Daniell, Jones, Scriven, Brown, Merlin.

Replacements: Richardson, Cattle, Allen, J Daniell, Ball, Bassett, Andrews, Knott, Corfield, Farley, Beechey, Johnstone, Lewins.

Meanwhile, Sixways will host four British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) Rugby Union Shield finals tomorrow.

It is the second successive year the club has hosted the event and the matches start at 1pm.