POCKLINGTON have a new management team in place as they look to rebuild their side after a sustained period of success that has seen three league championship triumphs in five years.

The Pocklington outfit that clinched a North East Two and Yorkshire Shield league and cup double in 1999-2000 was already into the veteran category, and that side's break-up was accelerated when coach Gary Pearce departed to Hull midway through last season, and subsequently enticed half a dozen Pocklington players to follow him.

Pocklington now have a new, but vastly experienced, management team in place, and have big hopes for a clutch of young and committed forwards to come through and become a force to be reckoned with.

Pocklington will be captained for the first time by prop Mark Floyd, in his 14th season at Percy Road, who will be the old head in a young pack. Tim Clappison, well known throughout Yorkshire rugby as a player, captain, coach and pundit, is the club's new rugby manager, and former Hawick and South of Scotland forward and ex-York captain, John Ainslie, has recently been installed as coach.

Pocklington originally appointed Wistow-based Ken Simpson as coach at the beginning of July, but he stood down after only a couple of weeks due to changing work circumstances, and Clappison was delighted to snap up Ainslie as his head coach - with the Scotsman already starting to make an impression.

Pocklington's promising young forwards have been augmented by the arrival of George Mangalo, a 20-year-old prop with experience in the Scottish Premiership; and the return of Pocklington junior, Huw Rees, who has played for Northumberland Under 21s and led Newcastle University during three years in the North East.

Former captain Darren Smith has returned from Bradford and Bingley and Denzil Styche is back after missing the whole of last season through injury.

Kevin Bowling, the ex-Leeds, York and Combined Services three-quarter, will be the lynchpin in the back line from fly-half, but Clappison is still looking to recruit a couple of backs to the squad.

The most familiar part of Pocklington's threequarters, however, will be full-back Mark Taylor, who will be starting an amazing 24th successive season of first team rugby at Percy Road.

POCKLINGTON

Yorkshire One

September: 8 Old Brodleians (h), 22 Pontefract (h), 29 Scarborough (a)

October: 6 Beverley (h), 20 York (a), 27 Yarnbury (h)

November: 10 North Ribblesdale (a), 17 Hull (h)

December: 1 Sheffield Tigers (a), 8 West Park Bramhope (h), 22 Selby (h)

January: 5 Sheffield Tigers (h), 12 Hull (a), 26 North Ribblesdale (h)

February: 2 Yarnbury (a), 9 York (h), 23 Beverley (a)

March: 2 Scarborough (h), 9 Pontefract (a), 16 Old Brodleians (a)

April: 6 Selby (h), 13 West Park Bramhope (a)

Updated: 12:11 Wednesday, September 05, 2001