WEYMOUTH have appointed Harry Mitchell to a freshly-created role within the club at the Seasiders’ annual general meeting.

Off-spinner Mitchell, 21, who finished as the club’s leading wicket-taker in County Division One last season with 21 scalps, will take up the new club captain position from the 2018 season onwards.

Mitchell will be tasked with an increasing responsibility on matchdays with a view to assuming the first-team captaincy in the future.

The Weymouth man will also have a greater say in the club’s player recruitment, will organise trophies for a forthcoming presentation evening and is expected to be a role model for the Seasiders’ young stars, with the club lacking players in their 20s.

Commenting on Weymouth’s season as a whole, chairman Cube Whyte admitted it had been a mixed season after the club was relegated to County Division Two, while the seconds consolidated their Division Six position.

He said: “It was a season of two halves and we got relegated. One positive was we had a few of the younger players that came through.

“It makes the gap a bit smaller between the first and second team, but it’s still quite a gap going from division two to division six.”

Second team captain Pete Gordon echoed Whyte’s positive outlook on the reformed side’s fortunes in the bottom division.

He said: “I was pretty happy with the season, we didn’t scratch a single game and finishing mid-table was really good. We didn’t have the expectation in the second team.”

Weymouth are set to return to training in March when six indoor training sessions are scheduled.

Meanwhile, the club is looking for sponsorship towards teas on matchdays in 2018 and welcomes contact from any interested parties, who can call Whyte on 07828 672534.