DAVE Clark has been named as the new captain of Bromsgrove RFC First XV.

Open side flanker Clark, aged 32, takes over from new head coach Dean Ball as skipper at Finstall Park.

He said: "It's a great honour to be captain of Bromsgrove and I am chuffed to bits.

"There's a real buzz at the club and everyone's really excited that Dean Ball and Dave Wilkinson have been appointed as coaches."

Clark, who commuted from Bristol last season, has been part of the club for six years and before that spent 13 years in the army.

And he believes the team has what it takes to bounce straight back to Midlands One.

"We have some fantastic players," Dave said. "We have got the players who could have strayed in Midlands One and hopefully we can go straight back up."

New coach Ball said: "His discipline is very good and his commitment level is very high and he gets a lot of respect from the players. I think he's very highly thought of and he's a good character.

"Dave realises the strengths and weaknesses of the club and he's very keen to make sure the weaknesses are ironed out."

Meanwhile, former Coventry and Moseley centre and fly half Dan Malin has joined the club as a replacement for Ben Eason who is out until Christmas.

The club has arranged a structured training session with Camp Hill, on Thursday, August 14 and 21, home and away respectively. Pre-season training starts next Tuesday.