WHARFEDALE hopes of pulling off a shock win tomorrow in the Powergen Cup Round Four match against Pertemps Bees at The Avenue suffered a body blow when they lost their most potent attacking weapon, skipper Andy Hodgson.

The full-back has suffered a recurrence of the knee ligament problem which kept him out of action at the end of last season and he could be out of action for a month, although the problem appears to have been easing during the week.

"We have to be very careful about when Andy returns because we are dealing with a part of the body that has been re-damaged," says coach Peter Hartley. "He's obviously a quality player and we need to get him back as quickly as possible, but we can't afford to rush things."

Hodgson's absence allows Jonathan Davies to revert to his favoured full-back slot, with former Middlesbrough wingman Pedram Salashouri making his league debut on the flank.

Otherwise the Greens field a familiar back division, with the forwards showing one change to the normal starting line-up. James Ogden is unavailable because of business commitments and Gavin Hindle comes off the bench for a full outing.

The match promises to be an interesting encounter and the Dalesmen's toughest assignment of the season.

The Bees may have been the subject of a fair amount of sneering since the RFU allowed a recruitment agency to attach their name to the club which not so long ago went under the title of Birmingham Solihull, but the Midlanders have made light of that by starting the season in fine style.

Like the Greens, they are also unbeaten so far and since they are operating at a level above the Threshfield side, they will start as firm favourites tomorrow.

Under the direction of Phil Maynard, whose track record in the Midlands is pretty impressive, the Bees arrive at The Avenue with a reputation of being well-organised, very efficient, strong in the basics and solid in defence.

They have a sprinkling of experienced players and, on paper at least, should have too much know-how and experience to allow an upset.

Which is just about the kind of situation that Wharfedale traditionally relish, especially when they are on a roll themselves and morale is sky high.

"It's a nice game to be involved in, but to be honest, it gets in the way of our league effort and that is everything to us," says Hartley. "My main hope is that we come through the game without picking up any injuries. They should be bigger, stronger and faster and the game will undoubtedly be very hard for us, while our league rivals are having a day's rest.

"But we claimed our best win of the season so far last weekend, when once again we dug out the win at the death, so we're in the right frame of mind for this test."

Wharfedale: J Davies; P Salashouri, A Baggett, C Malherbe, G Johnston; D Pears, S Cottrell; C Ingram, G Hindle, N Dickinson, D Lister, a Capstick, T Jackson, H Verity, B Wade.

LYDNEY RFC coach Pat Kiely and the club have been summoned to attend a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing to answer six charges relating to conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Union and the game following their recent Powergen Cup match against Wharfedale.

The hearing will take place on Tuesday October 21 in Coventry.

WHARFEDALE would have preferred a more favourable draw than the trip to Launceston or Waterloo that awaits them if they can upset the odds and beat Pertemps Bees in the next round of the Powergen Cup at The Avenue tomorrow, but at least they have a home draw at the Round Six stage if they can get through their next two games.

When the dust has settled on tomorrow's matches, the winners of Round Five will entertain the survivors of the combination which contains Wakefield v Esher and Worcester v Exeter.