YORK City Knights have beaten off several National League Division One clubs to secure the signature of former Wakefield Trinity top try-scorer Neil Law.

The 28-year-old three-quarter has been playing rugby union for Otley in the National League One but has now put pen to paper at Huntington Stadium and will join up with his new team-mates for the first time at training tonight.

The Evening Press believes Featherstone Rovers and Dewsbury Rams were among those clubs chasing his signature but he has instead become the latest big name to join the Knights' crusade.

Knights chief executive Steve Ferres today said: "We've been after Neil Law for some time and I'm glad to say we've now got him. He's a quality player."

The Press revealed last week that the club had been close to signing a "proven try-scorer with Super League experience", and this has now been confirmed.

Law had been Wakefield's top scorer in his first full season in Super League with 15 tries in 32 appearances in 1999, and followed that up with ten tries in 22 games in 2000, 13 in 25 in 2001 and six in 12 last season. However, he then failed to agree a new deal with the Wildcats at the end of the last campaign and left for Otley.

Ferres, who had signed Law from Sheffield Eagles when in charge at Belle Vue, said: "I know him from my time at Wakefield. He is a proven Super League try-scorer.

"He would like to get back into Super League and has come on board here to help us out with a view to putting himself in the shop window. But we've got him here and hopefully he will do us a good job."

Law, who had started his rugby career in union with Northampton, played twice for the Eagles in their 1998 Challenge Cup-winning season before moving to Wakefield.

"He had been scoring tries for fun in the reserve grade at Sheffield and he did very well for Wakefield," said Ferres.

"We're delighted to have him. He will give us a bit of punch out wide. He's a big lad at 6ft-plus and is probably 15st-plus. He's big and strong and has pace and he's able to punch holes out wide and score tries. He will give us some much-needed strike power out wide."

Law has also been on the try-scoring trail with Otley, his latest touchdown coming at the weekend in a defeat at Plymouth Albion in Otley's last game of the season.

He is likely to go straight into the Knights squad for Sunday's National League Division Two clash against fellow newcomers London Skolars at Huntington Stadium (kick off 3pm).

Updated: 11:32 Tuesday, April 29, 2003