COACH James Croker has told Oakmeadians’ ex-Wimborne quartet to forget about the past ahead of the Dorset rivals’ mouth-watering clash tomorrow.

Dave Stephens, Owen Hymers, Marcus Atkins and Chris Hicks all crossed the clubs’ bitter divide during the summer to join up with Croker’s Meyrick Park revolution.

But with the two sides due to lock horns in Bournemouth tomorrow in Southern Counties South (3pm), Croker has urged the foursome to put “sentiment to one side” as Oaks look to bounce back from two straight defeats.

Croker, whose side’s defeat against Thornbury in the EDF Senior Vase on Saturday followed a 29-3 reverse at Frome in the league, told the Echo: “I’ve asked the old Wimborne players to forget they are playing against Wimborne. I don’t want to put any extra pressure on them other than winning a game against another side.

“The sentiment does need to be put aside because it’s just another game and another game we have to win.

“Wimborne have had some good performances so we won’t take anything for granted and as much as I have said to the four lads ‘forget it’s Wimborne’, I suppose it’s going to be difficult for them to do that.”

Centre Stephens, still feeling the effects of knee reconstruction surgery last season, picked up a much-needed confidence boost when plundering two tries for Oaks’ second string last weekend.

And Croker believes Stephens’s partnership with Ollie Hare in the centre could be vital to securing victory against the All Blacks tomorrow.

Croker added: “The first phase possession is going to be key, but for us it’s all about cohesion. Dave Stephens and Ollie Hare are back in the squad as centres as they were for the first four league games that we won.

“They will give us a little bit more mettle in the midfield. Dave had to have a knee reconstruction and he’s still coming back from that really.

“But he scored two tries for the twos last weekend so putting him in there served its purpose. We put him in the twos so he could find his mojo, he scored two and he’s back in the squad so it’s really positive for us.”

Oaks are still without injured Fijian trio Maiki Burenivalu, Malakai Magnus and Sevi Kurewaka, but Tom Blackburn returns to the squad along with Rob Bongard, who has come out of retirement.

Wimborne captain Russ Tinsdale, whose side were beaten 32-16 at home to Bristol Harlequins in last weekend’s Senior Vase tie, said: “We need to raise our game this week.

“Last week’s performance showed a lot of heart and commitment and we need to carry that forward.”

Oaks: (from) Tryska, Bell, Tait, Hare, Stephens, Landis, Hymers, Harman, Bongard, Blackburn, R Stephenson, Atkins, W Croker, Hudson, Hokianga, Hicks, Flower, Stradwick.

Wimborne: (from) Tinsdale, Murphy, Unwin, Peart, Day, Davies, Coulling, Morgan, Llewellyn, Roberts, Chapman, Mikolajewski, Hutson, King, Maltmant, Lynch, Hopkins, Napier.