YORK City Knights' first-ever newsletter was released this week to great acclaim.

'Knights News' - for which much of the work was done for free by life-long fan Dave Gorwood, of York company Promotional Identity, which also produces Knights merchandise - will be a regular publication from now on.

The full colour four-page brochures, featuring various articles including on-pitch and off-pitch news, player gossip, competitions and sponsorship details, have been published for free by design and print agency Media Machine, a subsidiary of Newquest York based at the Evening Press.

Knights chief executive Steve Ferres said: "The idea of the newsletter is to raise the club's profile in the city.

"It's been made available to supporters, sponsors and potential sponsors and it's already had a tremendous response from people who've received it. It's an excellent publication and there has been a good demand for it.

"Some Super League clubs produce a newsletter but you find very few outside of Super League do, so we're delighted to be able to put something out of such quality."

He added: "We have to thank Dave Gorwood for the great work he has done and Media Machine for their involvement."

Knights News is posted out for free to fans, sponsors, pubs and clubs and can be picked up from the club office and on match-days.

ONE of the interesting snippets from the first 'Knights News' was the fastest player poll.

The players were timed over 20 and 40 metres, presumably wearing full kit and boots, and the speediest were winger Rob Kama and full-back Chris Smith.

Kama was quickest over 20m, in 2.99 seconds, with Smith, now ruled out for the season, timing 3.11secs. Smith clocked 5.17secs over 40m, with Kama second on 5.24secs.

The wingers held the next three places in the 20m race with Gavin Molloy (3.12secs) just pipping Alex Godfrey and Leigh Deakin (both 3.14secs). The 40m was surprisingly different. Half-backs Danny Brough (5.34secs) and Scott Rhodes (5.47secs), who were not timed over 20m, were third and fifth respectively, with Mark Cain (5.42secs) fourth and Neil Law (5.57secs) sixth.

Updated: 13:13 Saturday, July 12, 2003