CLEOBURY'S big-match preparations are up and running with the playing squad laying off the booze and the fry-ups and the committee members ready to don their lucky pants.

The Powergen Junior Vase finalists held their final training session last night to run through tactics and setpieces and will have one last loosener tomorrow evening to ease their tension.

The players and their wives will board their coach in Cleobury at 8am on Saturday to set off for an overnight stay at a hotel, five miles from Twickenham.

At 1.30pm on Saturday they will be given the grand tour of rugby HQ to get a feel for the imposing stadium before returning to the hotel for a light evening meal, a team meeting and a good night's sleep.

They will rise and shine at around 7am to have breakfast before embarking on the short trip to Twickenham just after 8am.

At the ground they will only have a short time to get changed and settle their nerves with an official photocall planned outside the stadium at 9.30am.

With Twickenham boss's hoping to protect the pitch for the day's four finals, the Mortimer men will have to warm-up on a practice pitch at the complex rather than the actual field of play.

At around 10.20am the players will take to the hallowed Twickenham turf to shake hands with their Dorking rivals before the action gets under way at 10.30am.

Skipper Paul Harding said: "Our preparations will be very similar to normal, but we'll be giving the beer and the fried breakfasts a miss, and I don't think me and the coaches will have to give us much of a team-talk to rouse us!

"Our committee members have told me that they've been wearing the same clothing and underwear in every round of the cup which has brought us luck, but they assure me they've washed them!

"I don't think the lads have got any superstitions really. We always get changed in the same place in our dressing room, but none of us have got our own pegs at Twickenham."

After the match the players will wash and change before attending a luncheon where the captains and officials of both teams will give a speech.

They will then then watch the Powergen Cup final between London Wasps and Llanelli Scarlets before heading home for a party in Cleobury.