Rugby league side Clayton have appointed Richard Hesletine as head coach for the forthcoming

season.

Hesletine, who took Birkenshaw from Pennine Division One to within a whisker of winning last season's Premier title, is a proven team builder and is acknowledged as one of the leading tacticians in the amateur game.

He has immediately pulled off a minor coup by persuading the Villagers' former playmaker Scott Pendlebury to return to the club as his deputy.

Pendlebury has spent the past two seasons at West Bowling enhancing his reputation as one of the best halfbacks in the National Conference Premier Division and his signing will be a massive boost.

Hesletine said " I am looking forward to getting Clayton back to where they rightfully belong, at the top of the Pennine Premier. They have the ambition and the facilities and are one of the best clubs on the local scene."