Darlington Mowden Park are delighted to announce the signing of front row forward David Nelson from Doncaster Knights. The hooker becomes Mowden’s 5th new signing of the summer, and will join up with the rest of the squad for pre-season training next month.

Nelson brings Championship experience to the squad, having spent the last three season with Doncaster. The 24 year-old had previously spent a number of years with the Newcastle Falcons, making his Premiership debut against Exeter in November 2016. Nelson is already familiar with Mowden Park, after a short dual-registered stint at the club during his time at the Falcons. Asked his thoughts about re-joining the club on a more permanent basis, Nelson commented: “I’m excited to get started with my second stint with Mowden after coming here on dual-reg a few years ago, I enjoyed my time here back then and it seems that the club has only improved since.”

The hooker also brings a wealth of National One experience from his time at both Blaydon and Tynedale, making over 50 league appearances whilst in the Falcons Academy. Asked about his motivation for joining the Darlington club, Nelson added: “The club is really striving to move up the rugby ladder and it’s an exciting time to get on board. They’ve also done a great job of assembling a core group of good players that have largely been together for multiple seasons, which is really key for moving forward as a team.”

Nelson’s 2018/19 season has been interrupted by injury, after making 14 Championship appearances in the previous campaign. Asked about his hopes for the upcoming National One season, he added: “I’ve been unfortunate over the past couple of seasons with injuries which have kept me off the field quite a lot, however I’m looking to put that behind me and put a strong season together with Mowden Park.”

DMP Head Coach Garry Law was delighted with the latest addition to his squad: "We're really pleased to get David on board for next season. He's a North East lad and knows what we are about having worn the DMP shirt during his Falcons Academy days. We will be hoping to use his leadership and experience to rub off on the team for this coming season. We're very much looking forward to David getting started with us at DMP."

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