MARTIN Knuckey will lead Coventry Storm this season after being appointed captain for the 2016 season.
Knuckey is the longest-serving rider for the Storm having been with the club since they first joined the National League in 2013.
His big breakthrough came last season and he will go into the new season in a heat-leader role as well as taking responsibility for leading the side.
It was a position Knuckey held over the closing weeks of 2015 where the Storm finished strongly with a string of home wins to secure a top-four finish.
“I was so pleased when I was asked to carry on leading the side,” said Knuckey. “It’s a big responsibility and one I relished last season when I was given the job.
“We have a young side again but one that is full of potential and I believe if we can get going early on in the season we can go places this season.
“It promises to be another exciting season for all of us and I’m confident we can all get on and produce some big results.”
Knuckey had taken the captaincy in 2015 when Dan Greenwood – who himself had replaced the retired Luke Crang in the role – suffered severe concussion in a late-August crash which effectively ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Greenwood is back as Storm’s number one rider this year, forming a strong spearhead with Knuckey and new signing Liam Carr, and club bosses want him to focus on the impressive high scoring which he achieved throughout most of the season.
Manager Laurence Rogers added: “Dan and Marty both did an excellent job as captain last season, and in many ways it brought both of them out of their shells because they’re both naturally quiet lads.
“Dan’s coming back from injury and this means to an extent he’ll be able to concentrate on his own job, because we want to see him back to where he was before the crash.
“Marty’s form went up another level, especially in the last few weeks, and I know he wants to push on from that again.
“He and Dan are now our most experienced riders so we’ll be looking to both of them to help out the younger lads and I’m sure there will be a good spirit amongst the boys again.”
