youth team has forced a couple of changes on champions Southampton Rangers for today's first round Western Counties tie against Warwick at Southampton Oval.

In comes Darren (Butch) Burchall for his first appearance of the season and Marvin Campbell to make his counties debut while spinner Lyndon Raynor is the other change from the Rangers team who lost to St. David's in the Benson & Hedges Champion of Champions first round last weekend.

Burchall will take over the wicket-keeping duties while Campbell, according to captain Ricky Brangman, has been rewarded for his dedication.

"This is going to be a very interesting game, they've brought in two very good guest players,'' said Brangman in reference to Ricky Hill of Bailey's Bay and Hasan Durham of Western Stars.

Warwick captain Hoyt Zuill made the suggestion that Rangers are "ripe for the taking'' with the absence of their three youngsters. But his opposite number, Brangman, is preferring to do his talking on the field.

"We just want to go out there and play,'' he said yesterday in response to Zuill's prediction.

Rangers will be anxious to improve on last weekend's performance when they allowed St. David's to score 280 runs in their 50 overs before eventually losing by 43 runs.

"The whole team was very disappointing in the fielding department,'' said Brangman. "The fielding let us down. We'll be trying to work on that this weekend.'' On paper, Rangers should be firm favourites but if Warwick can click in both batting and bowling departments they could produce a scare. Much will rest on Hill's shoulders in the batting department along with the experienced Johnny Nusum.

Young fast bowler Daniel Caines will be a key man in that department along with Mark Tucker, captain Zuill and Durham who is developing into a promising left-arm spinner.

Warwick also have a youngster, Daniel Morgan, unavailable because of the International Youth Tournament in Denmark. Also unavailable are the experienced El James and his nephew Trent Lightbourne. Brother Stevie Lightbourne plays for Rangers against his former club.

Teams Southampton: Ricky Brangman, Olin Jones, Keith Wainwright, Clevie Wade, Stevie Lightbourne, Michael Brangman, Darren Burchall, Lyndon Raynor, Quinton Burch, Marvin Campbell (colt), Ryan Belboda. Reserve: Tocoma Robinson.

Warwick: Hoyt Zuill, Johnny Nusum, Wallace Minors, Ricky Hill, Mark Tucker, Kallan Johnson, Hasan Durham, Daniel Caines, E.Ferguson (colt), Theodore Morgan, Steven Bremar (colt). Reserves: Aaron Burrows, Phillip Harris, Richard Daisley.

League cricket resumes for the first time in almost a month with leaders St.

George's taking on second-placed Bailey's Bay in the day's top match.

Third-placed Western Stars, level with Bay on 12 points, have a chance to move another place up the standings, but first will have to contend with a struggling, but unpredictable, Police side at Police field in the day's other important clash.

St. George's are unbeaten in the league since the middle of last season -- 14 matches in all -- and will be boosted by the return of captain Wendell Smith from a knee injury that has kept him out of the game all season.

The east-enders have a two-point lead at the top but with matches against their nearest rivals Bay and Stars still to come they know it is still a wide open race.

Another evenly-balanced match sees sixth-placed Somerset taking on Southampton, fourth, while Cleveland are at home to Willow Cuts at Sea Breeze Oval in yet another match that could go either way.

The other matches see Devonshire Rec. at home to Hamilton Parish, Somerset Bridge entertaining Flatts, Warwick meeting St. David's and Social Club taking on PHC in a clash of two teams at the wrong end of the standings.

In yesterday's newspaper it was incorrectly stated that Mark Tucker is the son of former Rangers player St. Clair (Brinky) Tucker.

DARREN BURCHALL -- Will be back behind the stumps for Southampton today...minus the dreadlocks.