As part of Hertfordshire's preparations for this season's County Championship, the County will host Crawshay's Welsh XV on Sunday, 29th April in what should be a testing warm up match. The match will also honour the memory of Vivian Jenkins, the former Welsh International, who lived his later years in Harpenden. Vivian was a Life Member of Hertfordshire RFU and was also President of Crawshay's Welsh XV at the time of his death. The match will be played at Old Albanian RFC, kick off 2.30 pm.

Last week, the squad had a warm up game against Henley on Monday 16th April and although they lost 31-12 it was a useful exercise. Many of the leading players were unavailable owing to ongoing Club commitments, but the team on the field put up a spirited performance. They had a shaky first half, were starved of ball and Henley ran in 31 points. The second half was a different story, however, and Hertfordshire team gelled, winning the half territorially and scoring 12 points to nil through two tries by Tom Mowbray (Tring) one converted by Richard Woodard Luton).

The team Management are certain that Hertfordshire will have a competitive squad available for the County Championship Bill Beaumont Cup campaign that starts on Saturday, 5th May with a visit to Lydney to play Gloucestershire. The following week the team hosts Devon at Hertford and we hope that we will give them an even warmer welcome than that given to Cornwall last year, both on and off the field. The final match is against Middlesex at Staines RFC on 19th May.

This season the English rugby's County Championship has been renamed to honour one of the greatest players to have risen through its ranks. Players taking part in the 118-year-old competition will be battling to lift the Bill Beaumont Cup.

The former England and British & Irish Lions captain has agreed to put his name to the trophy, which will be awarded to the winners of this season's final at Twickenham on May 28.