LUCTONIANS Rugby Club will be expecting a big crowd when they welcome Bradford & Bingley to Mortimer Park on Saturday.

The Midlands One side play in the fifth round of the Powergen Intermediate Cup hoping to cause somewhat of an upset as they bid for a place in the last 16.

Bradford & Bingley are flying high on top of North One and are the form team.

Lucs have dropped out of the race for the Midlands One title in recent weeks but will see the cup tie as a chance to re-establish themselves this season.

Meanwhile, Malvern welcome back centre Mark Humphreys after a career-threatening cruciate ligament injury, suffered against Lucs back in December 2000.

The injury appeared to have ended his playing days but, two operations and months of rehabilitation, have brought him back for a Malvern 'A' side against National League outfit Old Patesians on Saturday.

Humphreys reported last week that his fitness levels were good enough to start playing again - the leg had stood up well to rigorous training sessions and he felt it was the right time to test it under match conditions.

Director of rugby David Robins said: "We are delighted to see Mark back in action. He was an integral part of our rise through the leagues, playing in 65 first team games on the way, and he formed a devastating combination at centre with Gareth Richards.

"He has proved his fitness on the training field - he now has to overcome the psychological hurdle that every player faces when returning from serious injury.

"The rest of the squad are delighted to see Mark back, even though it will make the competition for places even more fierce."