Crowborough have promised to use tomorrow's Sussex Intermediate Shield final as a stepping stone for success, whatever the result.

The Sussex One outfit take on their league rivals Pulborough in what is expected to be a hard fought final at Burgess Hill tomorrow (3pm).

Simply getting there has been a feat for Crowborough, who have lost two prominent club members in tragic circumstances in the past year.

They believe signs are good for a bright future however, with this taste of the big occasion acting as part of the learning curve.

Club spokesman Tony Welford said: "These have been difficult times for the club and some of the guys found it hard to get their minds back on playing rugby.

"At the start of the season we thought we had a squad good enough to compete for promotion but we lost games by narrow margins.

"Since then though things have come together. We have blooded some younger players and gone on quite a good run.

"We have beaten Horsham a couple of times, which is always nice, it looks like we will come third in the league and four of our young lads have had England trials.

"We have got a strong colts set-up and not all of those players will be going off to university.

"It means a lot to us to get to this final and, whatever the result, we see it as being a very important first step towards going somewhere, possibly promotion next season."

Crowborough have been without several players recently but expect to be pretty much at full strength tomorrow.

They are boosted by returns for No. 8 Jon de Sampaio and centre Warren Malherbe, both of whom are key players.

Pulborough lost at Crowborough in the league recently, albeit with a depleted side, but club chairman Alex Steele said: "All bets are off in the cup. It's so unpredictable.

"We will go into the game with as strong a side as we could possibly muster.

"Our skipper Matt Hunt has been out injured for most of the season and we have Phil Jennings back as well, which is a big plus.

"He is a class No. 7 and makes a real difference."

With Garry Kidner at No. 8, all three back row men are past or present Pulborough captains and that is one of the strong areas of their team.

Scrum half Jon Scrase is a survivor from the line-up which won the old-style Sussex Plate back in 1990.

Pulborough enjoyed plenty of success in that competition before it was slightly down-graded. They also reached the Shield final a year ago but lost to Seaford.

Among their key men is prop Wayne Tullett, a larger than life character who doubles up as social secretary and could have something special lined up if the black and whites are successful.

Steele said: "What we get up to will depend on the result.

"We were playing a Dutch touring side last night and we will have a training session today ahead of the game."

Crowborough: Usher, Adams, I. Russell, Malherbe, Jackson, Ball, K. Brooker; Noone, Groombridge, M. Rosier, Wilmore, Gordon, D. Hayes, De Sampaio, McCabe.

Pulborough: Calloway, Elley, Bull, Walters, Lawes, Page, Scrase; Tullett, Bates, Nowell, Brown, Denman, Hunt, Kidner, Jennings.