ROYAL Wootton Bassett's Phil Bardwell hopes to become the third Dorset & Wilts captain to lift a County Championship title when the Twin Counties contest the Division Three title on Sunday.

Bardwell will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of Bournemouth's Frazer Wilford and Swindon's Adam Westall, who raised the County Championship Shield in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

While those triumphs came at the home of English rugby, Twickenham, the Twin Counties have to make do with around the corner at Richmond RFC tomorrow as they take on Essex in the Bill Beaumont County Championship Division Three final (noon).

Hooker Bardwell leads a side that contains Bassett teammate Chris Rowland alongside him in the front row as well as clubmates David Hogg and Gavin Ougan in the second and back row respectively.

Swindon boast two players in the line-up, wing Ollie Wilson and back row Mike Thompson, while Chippenham's Will Waddington at full-back, Trowbridge centre Shain Bonnick and Marlborough scrum-half Jake Williams complete the Wiltshire representation in the starting line-up.

Swindon College Old Boys' Gareth Davies, Swindon's Ash Stokes and Pete Kewel and Bassett's Kyle Lovell take places on the replacement's bench.

Dorset & Wilts squeezed into the final by the skin of their teeth last weekend despite a 40-38 defeat to Berkshire at Reading RFC.

The Twin Counties scored three late tries, including fly-half Sam Baker's injury-time effort that earned a try bonus point and wrapped up a place in the showpiece.

North Dorset centre Matt Williamson returns to partner Bonnick in the centre after sustaining a knee injury in the pool win over Sussex at Melksham RFC three weeks ago, the duo having cut the Sussex defence to shreds in that 28-24 triumph.

Should Dorset & Wilts be successful they will be presented with the trophy at Twickenham in front of the fans watching England versus Barbarians game at Twickenham on Sunday afternoon.