Week seven of the NFL Europe League and the Scottish Claymores are in the unusual position of playing mainly for pride at Murrayfield against England Monarchs tomorrow.

While both of the British teams still have a mathematical chance of reaching next month's World Bowl in Frankfurt, the fact that neither has won more than once effectively means that they will not be involved in the championship game.

A trophy has been put up by Scottish Telecom for the clash but Lionel Taylor, the England coach, has already labelled it as the ''Pride Bowl''.

The most significant statistic from tomorrow's game may not be how many completions the quarterbacks make or how many yards the runningbacks can make but how many fans turn up at Murrayfield.

There is sympathy throughout the league for the misfortunes the Claymores have suffered in this cursed season but a 1-5 win-loss record will stretch the loyalty of their fans.

Not that there is anything downbeat about the Claymores' squad. New signing Vernon Turner arrived from Frankfurt Galaxy before last weekend's match against Rhein Fire in Dusseldorf and he has been taken aback by the mood in the camp.

Runningback Turner, who has spent seven years on the NFL, has welcomed the chance to join the Claymores after what he says was a bad experience at Frankfurt Galaxy with head coach Dick Curl.

''I wasn't playing and I lost trust in the coach. My team-mates were on my side - I'm a football player and I didn't go there to be a chaperone for the players,'' he said.

''He wasn't playing me at all and when I approached him about it, he basically ignored me. It got a little personal and so I requested a release and he refused it at first.

''It didn't really matter which team I came to - I wanted out of that situation but I still wanted to play football.

''He said that he would not release me to a team which was still in contention with Frankfurt for the World Bowl and he said I'd most likely go to the Claymores as their runningbacks are banged up.

''But this is a heck of a football team and I'm glad to be part of it. It's not like a 1-5 team and these guys still have an upbeat attitude and I was proud of the way they fought back last week.

''They have a lot of character and they fight right to the end. We need a lot of help to get to the World Bowl but crazier things have happened and no-one is out of it.''

After tomorrow, the Claymores have back-to-back matches with Frankfurt which Turner is clearly relishing.

The 31-year-old will see plenty of the ball tomorrow with Dino Philyaw, the main carrier against Rhein last week, has been sent back to Alabama for rehabilitation with rib and hamstring problems.

Carey Bender, who missed last week's defeat by Rhein Fire because of gastro-enteritis, is back and Jim Ballard will start as quarterback after recovering from a shoulder injury.

For Ballard, the chance to beat England - his former club - will give him added incentive and he will be watched from the stands by his father Randy and stepmother Tanya who have flown in from America for the match along with close family friend Bill Curley, who guided the quarterback from the age of eight.

Ballard is just happy to be involved again after missing the last two matches.

''I've played quarterback since I was seven or eight years old and these are the first matches I have missed through injury,'' he revealed, ''So it's been a little tough.''

The Claymores lost narrowly to the Monarchs in Birmingham last month when injuries crippled Jim Criner's side.

But the Claymores seem to be the only team that the English can beat at present as they have won only two of their last 10 matches - both against the Scots.

Elsewhere in the league this weekend, Rhein can clinch the first World Bowl place if they beat Barcelona Dragons in Spain and Amsterdam Admirals beat Frankfurt Galaxy in Germany.