DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK have strengthened their squad for the new National One season with the signing of Championship duo Paul Jarvis and David Nelson.

Both players have joined from Doncaster Knights, have made a combined total of 150 appearances in England’s second tier.

Jarvis, a 29-year-old outside back, brings a wealth of experience to the squad, having made more than 120 appearances for the Knights.

The versatile back, who can play at both full-back and on the wing, has scored 34 tries in his six seasons in the Championship.

Jarvis said: “I’m really excited to be joining Mowden Park. I felt it was time for me to move on from Doncaster and look to dip my toe into the working world a little bit. I was approached by a few clubs, but it only really took the one meeting with Danny (Brown)and Garry (Law) and the decision to sign at Mowden was almost a no-brainier for me.

“The ambition the club has going forward was exactly the environment I was looking for. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into pre-season and doing everything I can to try and help the club progress to where it wants to be.”

Jarvis played for Hartpury College before joining Doncaster, and represented the Barbarians in 2010 alongside Mowden lock Talite Vaioleti.

He will be joined at The Northern Echo Arena next season by 24 year-old David Nelson, who has also spent the last three season with Doncaster.

His spell with the Knights followed a number of years with Newcastle Falcons, and he is already familiar with Mowden after a short dual-registration stint at the club during his time at Kingston Park.

Nelson said: “I’m excited to get started with my second stint with Mowden after coming here on dual-registration a few years ago. I enjoyed my time here back then and it seems that the club has only improved since.”

“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.

“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.”

Law is delighted to have made an early start to his summer squad building, and is excited at the prospect of seeing his new boys in action.

He said: “We're really pleased to get Paul and David on board for next season. Both players bring Championship experience to the squad and we’re hoping their leadership skills will rub off on the rest of the lads and have a positive impact on the squad. We're very much looking forward to both lads getting started with us at Mowden.”