CHINNOR RFC Thame are delighted to announce the appointment of Caolan Ryan as First XV Captain.

The fly-half was one of the first players to re-sign for the 2020/21 season back in July, entering into a third campaign at Kingsey Road.

Ryan, who has scored 119 points in 30 appearances, joined Chinnor in 2018 following spells with Birmingham Moseley, Coventry and Rotherham Titans.

The 29-year-old, who works as a Land Buyer at principal sponsor Rectory Homes, is honoured to lead the Club's First XV in National League 1 this season.

He said: “I’m very excited to be appointed First XV Captain. When I got the call from Thorpey, I jumped at the chance. I’ve always been quite a vocal person, especially being a fly-half, you like to put your thoughts across, and that’s probably been the way I’ve played throughout my career. I’ve probably been quite chatty to a lot of the guys here and they started to listen and it developed into Richard giving me a call. It’s a different challenge to probably coming into an established squad for a normal season, so it will be fun.”

Chinnor RFC Thame Director of Rugby, Richard Thorpe added: “Whilst we have a number of natural leaders within our Senior Squad, Caolan has stood out as the obvious choice for our 1st XV Captain. He is a grafter, both on and off the field, and models the behaviour of an elite performer. Caolan is often one of the first to arrive at the Club early on a midweek morning to complete his weights, and he is often one of the last to walk off the field on training nights. With no games currently in sight, strong leadership is essential to ensure we continue to develop as a team. Caolan, together with our Club Captain, Bertie Hopkin will be driving our new culture and shaping our Senior Squad players into a team. For now, this is Caolan’s role, but hopefully it’s not long before we see him leading the 1st XV out of the dressing rooms at Kingsey Road for our first home game of the season in National League 1."

Chinnor RFC Thame Club Captain, Bertie Hopkin said: “Caolan has been one of the centre pieces to Chinnor’s success in the last couple of years. He is a great leader on the field and is always trying to get the best out of his teammates on the training pitch. Not only is Caolan vocal, but he speaks with confidence which I think is key for a leader. He is a great role model to the rest of the team, always giving 100 per cent to everything he does and is always trying to better himself as a rugby player. I have full confidence in Richard’s decision to appoint Caolan as 1st XV Captain and I think he is going to do a great job.”