BOURNEMOUTH new-boy Ed Baylis reckons promotion from South West One will be a piece of cake after he faced starvation in the Atlantic.

Centre Baylis, who misses out on a squad place for Lions' South West top-flight curtain-raiser at Bracknell tomorrow (3pm) because of injury, completed an epic row across the Atlantic for charity earlier this year.

And after running out of food in the middle of the ocean and staring death in the face, Baylis is understandably confident that he can help David Dunn's charges reach the Powergen National Leagues.

Baylis said: "My first challenge is to get that first-team berth. But there's no doubt, with the players and coaching staff at the club, promotion is within reach.

"It's just a case of everyone working hard and doing their best and if that happens, I don't think promotion is a million miles away at all."

Baylis faces stiff competition for a place in the centre, with stalwart Robert Bruce starting at number 13 and the unavailable Tim Gray set to return in two weeks and pull on the number 12 jersey.

But Baylis, a former London Skolars rugby league contract star, feels Gray would be best suited in the fly-half position - and with Jon Sanchez out until Christmas at the earliest and Scott Chislett playing in New Zealand, coach Dunn has few options available in the number 10 slot.

Baylis added: "I think Tim would make a fantastic stand-off. He's one of those players who looks so casual - but that's because he's so good.

"He just makes it look like he's got so much more time than anyone else! That's why he'd make a great number 10 because he's got that composure that a stand-off needs."

Injury-hit Lions hand debuts to no fewer than seven players for tomorrow's encounter in Berkshire, with former Oakmeadians flanker Mike Richards and ex-Wimborne hooker Jim Brokenshire among the new faces.

Tim Wareham makes his league bow in the front row, Chris Hughes and former England under-18 international Ian Crombie line up at six and seven and former Newton Abbot star Joe Frost debuts on the wing.

Captain Dan Cawley moves to inside centre alongside Bruce, while Rob Sampson fills the troublesome fly-half berth.

  • SEE tomorrow's Echo Weekend Magazine for a full interview with Ed Baylis, as he talks about his adventures on the Atlantic Ocean.

Lions: (from) Wareham, Brokenshire, Manning, Richards, Croker, Hughes, Crombie, Leyland, Hardcastle, Sampson, Flynn, Cawley, Bruce, Frost, Payne, Burns, Kenny.