It's been a busy few days for Matt Walton as he takes on many of his new responsibilities as Captain of our first team.
He has however found the time to answer a few questions about his new role, his expectations and a few of his teammates!

What was your first thought when you got the call to be captain?
I know it sounds cliche, but genuinely pride and excitement.
The club has been a massive part of my life, and its not lost on me how lucky I am to play for Newark week in week out.
Without a doubt, it’s a club that gives you back far more than you put in; so I’m really excited to be able to try to put my own stamp on the club and help push it forward.

Who was your rugby idol growing up – and who do you secretly model your game after now?
My first favourite player when I first got into rugby was Harry Ellis.
It might be a slightly left field choice, but playing in the centers, I’m a big fan of the way Frazer Dingwall can be incredibly versatile and piece and hold everything together both in attack and defence for Saints and a few times for England.

What’s your go-to pump-up song before a big match?
I was on music duty for the last few games of last season and the playlist was a lot of upbeat dance music. A lot of the lads were surprised with what was on my playlist though so I’m not sure what that says about what they think about me or were expecting…

If the lads were stranded in the wild, who would you put in charge—and who gets abandoned first?
Jaymie Duncan would be in charge - he’d be in his element.
I want to say Jacko would be abandoned first, but to be honest he’d probably just get himself even more lost on his own.

Describe your captaincy style in three words.
Working it out!

What’s one thing you’d ban from training if you could?
Full contact ?

Who’s the biggest character in the squad—and what’s their most ridiculous pre-match ritual?
The squad’s full of fun characters and to be honest I can’t think of anybody that has a really weird pre-match ritual. However, if you watch Noah Catley for long enough he’s bound to do something completely rouge and unexpected,

.What’s your ultimate post-match meal or guilty food pleasure after a win?
There’s only one answer to this, Chef Matt’s Lasagna.

If you could bring one former Newark player back into the squad, who would it be and why?
Will Britten because I’ve never had as much fun playing rugby than playing in the centres with him, but it would have to be Richard Byrom from his prime playing days - an absolute legend of the club and Nottinghamshire rugby.

Finally, what’s your big goal for the season—on and off the pitch?
I want us to improve on our consistency from game to game, and keep on developing the exciting and fast paced brand of rugby that we’ve been creating over the past few years. If we do that, we can definitely achieve a higher league position than last season.