LUCTONIANS Rugby Club chairman Dave Thomas is confident that the Kingsland-based outfit remain on course for their stated goal of reaching the National Leagues.

The former Ebbw Vale player said that the club and the players were not prepared to settle for life in Powergen Midlands 1.

Scrum half Steve Saint was named as first-team captain at Luctonians' annual meeting on Tuesday night, taking over the role from Charlie Turner. Australian Saint has been with Luctonians for two-and-a-half seasons and is only the second overseas captain in the history of the club.

Thomas said: "In the past two seasons we have been a couple of key players short of putting together a promotion team. We have links in Australia and South Africa and we are looking for two or three big ball-carrying forwards."

Thomas also re-emphasised that the club needed to update their playing and social facilities and respond to the pressure of their youth commitments.

The club have been working on plans for a proposed major redevelopment, with a £190,000 scheme earmarked for the main clubhouse, which includes a new extension for corporate entertaining. The club are planning to build a stand-alone changing-rooms and storage facility to replace existing tin sheds at Mortimer Park, a separate project estimated to cost £143,000.

Thomas says that the club, itself, will need to raise the full amount for the clubhouse project but he hopes that Luctonians Youth Development Trust can attract funding for the changing room scheme.

Meanwhile, Thomas announced the death of stalwart Arthur Sankey who played for Luctonians when the club was formed in 1948.

l Ledbury Rugby Club's Rob Chapman will be named as Worcestershire & Herefordshire president at the county's annual meeting next week.

Chapman, a prop forward with Ledbury for more than 30 years, is lined-up to replace Bromsgrove's Rob Taylor, who will be appointed as the new president of the North Midlands.

Taylor was due to spend another season as Worcestershire & Herefordshire president but owing to his elevation, Chapman is earmarked for promotion.

Chapman is a member of the North Midlands general committee and he will host the Worcestershire & Herefordshire county dinner at Ledbury in October.

Dave Thomas, the Luctonians chairman, will act as Chapman's deputy after being elected senior vice-president of Worcestershire & Herefordshire. Chapman will be expected to hold his new position for a two-year period after which Thomas should be prepared to take over.

The county's annual meeting takes place at the West Midlands Transport Club in Birmingham on Wednesday (June 25).