It's straight in at the deep end for EuroCanterbury Ladies as they resume their league season with one of their toughest fixtures.

But captain Mel Clewlow (pictured) says her players are desperate to get back into action in the EHL Premier Division match at University of Birmingham on Saturday.

She said: "It’s 10 weeks since we last played outdoors and the girls are looking forward to it.

"There’s no team we played in the first half of the season that we’re worried about and we’re desperate to get some points on the board."

The students are third, three points behind second-placed Canterbury, who will be without Rebecca Weston, although she is hoping to return soon after breaking a collar bone at an England training camp.

Katie Evans is with an American training squad and Abigail Raye has gone home to Canada to study but otherwise Canterbury will be at full strength.