IN-form Clee Hill say they are raring to go ahead of the club's first ever league meeting with local rivals Ludlow this weekend.

The Midlands 3 West (North) clash sees two in-form Shropshire sides go head-to-head at The Linney on Saturday with Ludlow knowing a win will keep them hot on the heels of leaders Tamworth.

For Clee Hill, just to be playing a league fixture against their opponents will be a moment to savour.

"Ludlow is a massive game for us," said Clee Hill's Matt Bowen.

"Since Clee Hill started in 1998 we have never played them in a league game; they have always been about five or six leagues above us. It will be a great test.

"We have got a lot of young players who have worked their way up.

"I think we've got a full strength team so we're raring to go."

A hat-trick of tries from Charlie Evans helped Clee Hill to a comfortable 29-3 victory over Edwardians last weekend.

Tom Rawlings and Robbie Jordan also scored tries in the win which was their second on the bounce.

It means they stay in fifth place ahead of Saturday's derby.

"It was a good win given the conditions, which were pretty muddy," added Bowen.

"We put in a good performance. Despite the scoreline, they were quite a hard team to play against.

"They are also a bit of a bogey side to us and this was the first time we have beaten them. We always seem to have a weak team against them because of players missing but this time we had a full-strength side and got the win.

"We've worked a lot on our backs' play recently and it's beginning to pay off. Things just seemed to work on Saturday."

Bowen himself says he is making good progress having broken his leg during a game back in February. He has played a second-team game and will be watching the Ludlow match from the sidelines.

Ludlow, meanwhile, go into the derby on the back of four straight league wins, the latest being a narrow 20-17 win at Cannock.

"We're at home and we've been playing well at home so I think that gives us a bit of an advantage," said club spokesman, Phil Norton.

"We know they have a strong pack but hopefully we can compete with them."

The fixture is the last league game for both sides until January 9.