With a name like George Angell, you’d expect the 26-year-old to put his heart and soul into a club… and you wouldn’t be disappointed.

The back row forward, who can also play in the centre when needed, is looking forward to being one of the leaders of the pack again when Old Patesians kick-off the new season.

He took on the vice-captain’s role last year for the first time and will continue to be skipper Chris Dean’s onfield right-hand man.

“We’ve got a bit of continuity now,” said Angell, “because Connor Thompson is also continuing as club captain. We must be doing an okay job because no one voted us out!

“I see my role as supporting Chris. He’s got a powerful voice at the club and my job is to make sure we’re all singing from the same hymn sheet.”

Angell also has to lead the side if hooker Dean is unavailable for any reason and he captained the side on “five or six occasions” last season as the club just missed out on promotion from South West One East.

“I remember I was captain when we lost at home to Newbury at the end of the season,” he said, before adding with a chuckle, “but it wasn’t my fault!”

That experience hasn’t put Angell off taking on the role permanently some time in future.

“Yes, it’s something I’d like to do at some stage,” he said. “I’ve been at the club since I was 13 and I remember watching the likes of James Stickland, James Pettigrew and Chris Downes playing.

“Then when I got into the team about five years ago I was playing alongside them so I was able to learn a lot from them.”

Twenty-six is no age, of course, but Angell will actually be one of the older heads when the Pats run out for their first game of the season at home to Oxford Harlequins on Saturday 2nd September.

“We had a massive turnaround of players after our relegation the year before,” said Angell. “We’ve got a lot of younger players in the squad and last season’s third-placed finish was a good season.”

That wasn’t quite good enough to make a speedy return to what is now South West Premier and although Angell feels some of the younger players will benefit from another season playing at the level they are at now, the stated aim is promotion this time around.

“That’s where we want to compete,” said Angell. “We’ve been at that level before and we’ve stood our ground.”

If that is to happen players such as Scott Alldritt will need to carry on the form that they showed last time out.

“He’s one of the youngsters who have come through,” said Angell. “We haven’t gone out and made marquee signings but someone like Scott has come in at no 8 and he is a big force to be reckoned with.”

As a blindside flanker, Angell, who is a commercial lead at Sir Thomas Rich’s School, was able to see first-hand just how influential Alldritt became as last season wore on.

Angell’s own performances are closely watched by his dad, Mike, who just happens to be the club’s chairman and was a county tennis player once upon a time.

“It can be a positive and a negative,” laughed Angell junior. “Of course, I’m always getting told that I’m only in the team because my dad is the chairman!

“He comes to all our games and I get quite a lot of feedback on how we’re playing and of course how I’m playing, which can be fun.”

So how does he react to dad’s comments?

“I take them with a pinch of salt,” he laughed.