AN OLD fan’s favourite is returning to the Butts Park Arena next season with Brett Daynes being named as one of four early summer signings by Coventry for the 2016/17 campaign.
The flanker made 105 appearances for the blue & whites during a five-year spell after joining from Beford Blues back in 2010 and he returns following a promotion-winning season at Cambridge.
Joining 28-year-old Daynes, whose performances for Cambridge earned him an England Counties call-up earlier this year, in a move from the National League Two South champions are exciting backs, James Stokes and Corey Hircock.
The quartet of arrivals is completed by Ali Bone, who follows Rob Conquest and Tom Jubb in a switch from Coventry’s National League One rivals Darlington Mowden Park.
Bone, 24, is a hard-running back rower who impressed this season with stand-out performances for Mowden Park after joining them from Plymouth Albion. He has also played at Esher and Loughborough Students.
Stokes, also 24, has been the catalyst for many of Cambridge’s attacks from full-back for the last three seasons, scoring 20 tries and – an accomplished goal kicker – topping their points-scoring charts this year.
With Championship experience from his time at Nottingham, Stokes also represented England Counties this season on the wing.
Hircock, 25, played for Munster and Bedford before joining Cambridge in 2014. The centre or wing, who has played for Ireland at Under-19 and Under-20 levels, will combine playing with a role as the team’s nutritionist, working closely with the new head of performance, Rob Norman.
“I am delighted with the quality, talent and depth of our new squad so far,” said director of rugby, Rowland Winter. “We have some more player announcements to make next week and, following that, we will release more details of our summer schedule.”
