Sam Preece has been leading from the front at Old Centralians for a number of years now.

The powerhouse prop, who turned 32 in December, is in his fourth season as skipper at a club which continues to go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest teams in the South West.

The Gloucester club are again holding their own in South West Premier – they won their most recent promotion under Preece’s captaincy – where they are competing with the likes of Hornets, Old Redcliffians, Bournemouth and Launceston.

“Yes, it’s a big achievement,” said Preece, who has played for the club all his adult life. “When we come off the pitch the first thing we ask the other team is, ‘How much do you get paid?’”

Not that Preece is complaining.

“The club do everything they can for us, they do look after us,” he said. “On match days they provide us with beer and a bus when we’re going away, guys are putting their hands in their pockets to look after the lads.

“We do come across some big names but it’s nice to be playing these teams and when we do win it means all the more.”

Old Centralians have been one of the stronger teams in the area for a good number of years now – Preece has been a big part of that – and the club are obviously keen to develop and progress.

“All our lads are happy to be playing at the level we are at and we’ve got some wicked youngsters coming through,” said Preece. “Solomon Farrer and George Bromage came through the 2nds, they got the odd game for the 1sts and now they’re important players for us.”

So is Harry Preece, the fly-half, who Sam Preece says is “playing really well”.

As is well-known, the Preece family is a big part of Old Centralians Rugby Club.

“My dad and his two brothers all played together,” said Sam. “And all the sons played. The most we’ve ever had in the side was six… that was nice for my grandad, it was an easy game for him to watch!”

Sam Preece actually started out playing youth rugby at Widden Old Boys, switching to Dursley Colts when coach Simon Lane went there from Widden.

And while with Dursley he was lucky enough to play alongside future Gloucester and England no 8 Ben Morgan.

“That was wicked,” he recalled. “He used to score every time he touched the ball. The rest of us could have turned up for games drunk but we’d still have won because of him, he was that good.”

Preece has been a good player over the years too and he’s proving to be a good captain as well.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play under some very good captains,” he said. “Pete Willetts was my captain for four years and I have modelled myself on him.

“I don’t say too much, I try to lead by example rather than shout and scream. I try to make it easy for the lads on match day, making sure that everything is organised and that the players are alright.”

And it’s clearly working because as he adds: “We’re a family club, we don’t lose many once people have become part of the club.”

And it’s a club that also has a strong 2^nd XV, which at the time of writing was going well in Gloucestershire One North.

“A good 2^nd team breeds a good 1^st team,” said Preece. “We’ve got some good old boys in there – ex-first-teamers like Lewis May and Joe Preece – and they’re helping to bring the next group of players through.”

The next generation may well have a tough act to follow after the club's great run of success in recent times but Preece doesn’t see it that way.

“We said from a few promotions ago, ‘Do we want to get promoted again?’ and the answer has always been ‘yes’,” said Preece. “It’s the same now, we just want to keep on going and see how far we can go.”

And whatever the future holds, it will be done playing rugby the Old Centralians way.

“We like to play good rugby,” said Preece. “Rich Pinkney always says, ‘If in doubt, flip it out’.

“On our day we can be awesome, very difficult to play against.”

And even though he is a front row, Preece is very much a big part of that philosophy.

“I try to carry the ball as much as I can,” he said. “I like running with the ball, I've got a few tries this season,” adding with a laugh, “sometimes I think I’m a trapped winger!”