Unbeaten Hampshire 2 leaders Isle of Wight can further enhance their promotion chances, but they go into the lion's den of Portcastrians, a place that is never easy to go against the combative Dorset men.

The prospect of a wet day does not worry their coach, Richard Beardsall, who has seen his side come of age this season and adopt a 'give-it-a-go' attitude in all conditions.

He does spring a surprise though by including former Havant and Hampshire second-row Ben Rouse on the replacements' bench. The 38-year-old, who had a spell with Bath in the early Nineties, lives on the Island and will add considerable experience to the Wootton pack.

John Gascoigne returns at hooker while Phil Hemopo switches to scrum-half for the likely-to-be-unavailable Alex Augustus, although he is named on the bench alongside Rouse and the coach.

"Portcastrians are not the side they were, but we have this attitude at the moment that we may not have had last year and the weather prospect does not faze us now," said Beardsall.

It is rare that Isle of Wight call on their rivals from Ventnor to do them a favour but they could do just that by halting Fawley's climb up the table as Andy Headley's side cross the Solent for a potential banana skin at Watcombe Bottom.

But the south islanders coach, David Ball, is already aware the pitch is very sodden and he was due to inspect at training last night and again today to see if the game will go ahead as planned - especially with the gales likely to hit the exposed coastline.

That aside, Ball has injury problems with Dave Martin on crutches and former captain Callaghn Chapman out for the season with Achilles trouble. However, Kevin McNamara makes his first start while Dean Magnusson returns after popping a rib.

Fawley have no false illusions of the magnitude of the game - skipper Headley commenting: "This is probably the toughest game we have left to play away from home."

Ellingham & Ringwood need to beat Fleet to keep in touch with the leaders while Fordingbridge's side shows little change from that on duty at Old Haileyburians in the Junior Vase last week as they host Alresford.

Hampshire Division 3 have the week off, but Stoneham Park have a friendly with Ryde, which allows the squad another good run out, especially after their impressive performance in defeat against Eastleigh.

Skipper Tiernan Simmons's recurrence of a quad injury means he will be out for a month while Taff Llewellyn's shoulder has not recovered. But Richard Legge is back from three weeks in South Africa as Stoneham look at some of their summer recruits in the relaxed atmosphere of a friendly.