Evan Stewart has been appointed as Fylde's new skipper taking over the reins from Sam Beaumont. The Ulsterman had an outstanding first season at the Woodlands in 2011/12 and was named as the Players' Player of the Season. He has useful captaincy experience, first at Loughborough Students and then at Macclesfield prior to joining Fylde last summer. He has proved to be a high scoring flanker, notching 42 tries for Macc in two seasons at Priory Park and a further 16 last season for Fylde.

Evan was born and grew up in Northern Ireland and attended Rainey Endowed School in County Londonderry. He started playing rugby as a five year old at Rainey Old Boys RFC, the same club as team mate Steve McGinnis. He followed Steve to Loughborough University and then completed a PGCE at The University of Manchester. He was capped by England Students in 2010 and played two matches against Irish Colleges and French Universities.

Head Coach Mark Nelson said: "I am delighted that Evan Stewart has agreed to become Fylde 1st XV captain for the forthcoming season.  He has great experience as a captain at both Loughborough and Macclesfield. He leads by example as well as articulating strategy and motivation to the team. He is a natural successor to Sam Beaumont and I was extremely pleased when he accepted my invitation to captain the side. The 1st XV captain is the most prestigious position in any rugby environment and Evan has told me what a honour it is for him to be appointed with this responsibility. I fully believe that he will make a massive contribution to the team and the club as a whole as 1st XV skipper and, like Sam, will be a superb role model for our mini juniors to aspire to become as a player and a person."

Evan Stewart said: "Accepting the Fylde Captaincy was a very easy decision to make. When Mark spoke to me a about taking over from Sam I was a little shocked as this will only be my second season at the club. It is a huge honour to captain any team you are involved in, but to be asked to lead a group of players like we have at the moment at Fylde is an amazing opportunity that I couldn't pass up.

"I have been privileged to captain while at Loughborough in National 2 and Macclesfield two seasons ago in National 1. I feel it is a job I can do well without it affecting my own game. I don't plan to have any Churchillian speeches prepared but just to lead from the front. We are very fortunate that the current playing squad have a number of players who have played at a high level. I will definitely be calling on their experience throughout the year. A major part of our success last year was that if anyone felt they had something to say we all listened. My aim would be to continue that and as captain just make sure we are all on the same page when we take to the field.

"Taking over from Sam, who has done such a fantastic job over the past few seasons is no small task. He has left some pretty big boots to fill, not to mention shorts! I am glad he will still be around and will play a major role in the team as one of the best back-row in the league.

"As 1st team captain my role will not just be to lead the team out onto the pitch on a Saturday but to be part of the whole club. I would like to thank Mark and the other coaches for this opportunity. I look forward to seeing all the boys down at pre season in a few weeks and another good season."