MARC Rorich will be in the thoughts of Banbury players when they host Henley in Division 1 tomorrow.

The former all-rounder passed away at the age of 36 on June 8 after a long battle with liver problems.

His uncle, Craig Haupt, plays for the north Oxfordshire side’s first team and captain Lloyd Sabin said it was “very emotional” ahead of their Home Counties Premier League clash against Great & Little Tew last Saturday.

He added: “Marc is in the back of a lot of our minds.

“It is such a shame for him to pass away at such a young age and he was such a nice bloke as well.”

Leaders Banbury hold a seven-point lead over Henley at the top of the table after six games.

And after last week’s draw against Tew, Sabin is hoping for an improved performance.

The 21-year-old said: “Henley is always a big game for us and we always look forward to it.

“We probably didn’t play as well as we would have liked against Tew.

“We were a bit disappointed, but we still got a draw.”

Tew travel to third-placed High Wycombe and skipper Andy Harris is calling on his side to build on last week’s performance despite being aware the task does not get any easier.

He said: “It was a very pleasing performance to bounce back from the previous week.

“But every game is hard and we will go again and try and get as many points as we can.”

Tew make one change with Robbie Shurmer, who has impressed for the seconds, coming in for the injured Lawrence Brock.

SATURDAY’S TEAMS

Banbury (v Henley, home): Darby, Haupt, Patterson, Sabin (capt), Hawtin, Ryan, Blanchard, Penhale, Wright, Taylor, West.

Great & Little Tew (v High Wycombe, away): Clark, Garrett, Moreton, White, Slatter, Lloyd Brock, Smith, Harris (capt), Thomas, Woods, Shurmer.