A HOST of international players will be on hand to help officially switch on Aylesford Rugby Club's new floodlights on Sunday, October 28. The main sponsors of the club, Gallaghers, are flying in an Irish XV which is expected to include Simon Geoghegan, Rob Saunders, Niall Woods, Gary Halpin, Ken O'Connell, Ciaran Bird and Jim Staples.

They will face an Aylesford President's XV which has been assembled by former England international Mick Skinner. Peter Winterbottom and David Pears and Scotland's Keith Robertson are scheduled to line up in the President's XV. They will be supported by a number of Kent and London representatives as well as Aylesford players.

Former England manager Dick Best will coach the Irish XV and Des Diamond will take charge of the President's XV while international referee Ed Morrison will adjudicate.

The game has generated a great deal of support from ex-international players, not least because the Gallagher Group will be donating a large sum of money to the Richard Langhorn Trust, in memory of the player's tragic death in 1994. Each squad will receive memento shirts and socks and the match will be preceded by a champagne reception hosted by the sponsor, with ex-British Lions and Irish international Fergus Slattery as guest speaker.

The match kicks off at 3pm and will be played at Aylesford RFC's Ferryfield ground in Hall Road, Aylesford, immediately next to Junction 5 of the M20.