Simon Alcott filled their hooker position last season as they moved to promotion via the play-off as runners-up in London 1.

This summer, he became their first feather-in-the-cap transfer to Exeter Chiefs.

The former Worthing United footballer and the son of Tony Alcott, the Broadwater Cricket Club leg-spin bowler, did his 1st XV chances a shot in the arm.

At Esher on the opening day of the National 1 season, he came off the bench for the final quarter of the game and his try figured in a 46-8 victory for the Devonians in Surrey.

Such convinces Worthing that they are capable of creating National League talent, because that is the same of the game if they are to stay at that level.

Here, now, there is no hiding behind any number of imported New Zealanders, Australians or South Africans.

Only two overseas players are allowed in these parts, and the rest of the team has to include a DIY job.

Worthing's stable of colts has produced a third of the starting XV who will step out at Lydney.

They are centre Gareth Richards, wing and goal-kicker Ben Coulson, scrum-half Danny Peach, hooker Peter Cleveland, and outstanding lock Charlie McGowan, who has already played a set of National League games with Bracknell and top club B games for Wasps.

Right-wing is local man Alex Nielsen, 19, a former Millfield School player.

Signings in recent seasons from neigbouring clubs provide the bulk of the side. Back or scrum-half Will Harris and No 8 Ben Maidment came from Haywards Heath, who had a season in National 3S under Worthing's head of rugby Ian Davies.

Prop Ryan Storer came from Hove and also was at Harlequins. And through Davies' Chichester University recruitment channel came fly-half Ben Dudley from Havant, Paul Cox from Bognor, inspirational skipper Jody Levett from Reading, and Andy Philips from Swansea.

Of the rest of the starting XV, prop Adam Halsey came from Barking and that leaves just one player, a new signing, and, apart from Cox, the only one in the side who did not play for the team last season.

He is New Zealander, Tom Wells. He and fellow-Kiwi, Jamie Stewart-McDonald, fill the overseas slots.

ells comes across the Irish Sea from Young Munster, while Stewart-McDonald will soon have the visa that will allow him to return and complete his studies at Chichester University.

Cox's return from London Welsh, in the face of wealthier bidding competition from elsewhere in National 3, brings a strength and adaptability Raiders immediately press into service. With locks Daniel Roberts and Ben McGowan injured, Cox moves forward to the second row alongside Charlie McGowan. And Worthing will again lose Ben McGowan, who will depart after the end of September to Durham University.

Worthing's bench has two players on loan from Harlequins, England under-20 prop Joe Marler and hooker Micky Pointing. Established Raiders, Will Smith and Matt Jones (ex-Brighton, ex-Llanelli), and midfielder Richard Kaye, from Winchester, now at Chichester University, complete the five substitutes.

Raiders completed their pre-season with a like-to-like fixture in Leicestershire. Not only to prepare them for the extra travelling distances this season, they visited Loughborough Students, who won Midlands 1 and were promoted to National 3 North.

Davies remarked on the youth of the Worthing team, whose Coulson, at 29, was the oldest. "Which are the students?" asked Davies. His captain, Will Harris, was only 21.

Four Coulson penalties put Worthing's noses in front 12-10 at half-time but, after a back-line shuffle during the interval, Raiders lost the game at the start of the second half.

They conceded three tries and suffered a couple of injuries although they came back to finish the stronger and make the try contest 2-4, through Harris and Nielsen.

It ended 34-27 to Loughborough Students. A fortnight earlier, Loughborough lost 34-7 to Rugby Lions, who are Raiders' first home opponents on September 13.

Davies remarked: "The message is that his season is going to be a tough, intense, week-in, week-out, battle. The playing abilities of the opposition are significantly up a level on previous seasons.

WORTHING at Loughborough: Wells; Kaye, Harris, Richards, Coulson; Dudley, Peach; Marler, Cleveland, Burns, May, C.McGowan, Hyslop, Smith, Maidment. Bench: Nielsen, Yeates (Dudley, Richards HT), Richards (Maidment 49), Emmett (Hyslop 52).

See the Herald for preview of Lydney v Raiders this Saturday.

-------------------------------------
Click here to go back to Worthing sport.

Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.

Email the Herald: richard.amey@worthingherald.co.uk