If Old Saltleians reach the semi-finals of this season's Powergen Junior Vase they will have done it the hard way.

The north Birmingham club have twice been moved from the Midlands to London sections of the draw to balance up the numbers.

That left them with long treks to Hemel Hempstead and Sittingbourne but they have proved to be happy travellers and face a shorter journey to Shropshire to play Cleobury Mortimer on Saturday in a quarterfinal tie that will guarantee a Midlands representation in the semi-finals.

Old Saltleians captain Chris Davies said: "We've put some miles in this season but we seem to have coped.

"We've had two games against clubs from outside our normal fixture area and they were both really tough games, particularly Hemel Hempstead who pushed us to the edge.

"We know a bit more about Cleobury and we've been there before but this is probably a harder tie for us.

"It's a difficult pitch for visiting teams to play on, they are pulling in some big crowds - they had 500 for their game against Sunderland in the last round - and they say that having that sort of support is like having an extra player on the pitch for them."

While Old Saltleians have been on the road for most of their Vase campaign, Cleobury have been able to enjoy home comforts. Apart from an away tie in the first round this will be their sixth consecutive home game in the competition.

Old Saltleians will be roared on by a coachload of supporters who already have one eye on a possible trip to Twickenham for the final on April 9.

Davies said: "We've tried to dampen down any talk about Twickenham but it's impossible.

"When you get to this stage of the competition it's inevitable that people will start looking a couple of rounds ahead.

"It's the biggest game we have had in the seven years that I have been with the club and it's really got the place buzzing."

Old Saltleians, whose ground is squeezed between the M42 and M6 motorways, can claim to have produced one England international in fly-half John Finlan who graduated to the white shirt via Moseley.

The first team is riding high in Midlands Four West (North) and includes about ten players aged under 25 who have progressed through the club's successful youth system.

No 8 Dan Fenthan won the club's Player of the Year award this season and has continued to improve.

Flanker Nick Vaughan has played county Under-20 rugby for North Midlands and centre Tom Lee is the son of club stalwart Rod, one of four brothers who used to play first-team rugby together.

In the Intermediate Cup, meanwhile, Dudley Kingswinford have the chance to put consecutive league defeats behind them.

DK welcome Weston-super-Mare to Heathbrook in the last eight and are only two games from repeating their Twickenham appearance of 1999.

They have never met the South West One side and wil hope to bounce back from Midlands One losses to Rugby Lions and Market Bosworth.