THE captain of a village rugby club was named amateur player of the year in a national awards event at Twickenham.

Drybrook RFC’s youngest ever captain, Ben Large, scooped the Crabbie’s National Rugby Awards Player of the Year honour from a six-strong shortlist, which included Lydney RFC captain Sam Arnott.

Ben, one of 12 first team players to graduate right through from the club’s mini section, led the team reach its highest ever playing level in its 125th year.

“It’s a huge honour to pick up the award for a club where I’ve played all my life,” said the 24-year-old. “We’ve had a lot of success over the last four years and it just means so much to me.

“We went up three years ago, into South-West One. I took over as captain and we weren’t sure how far we could push our future, being an amateur club playing against teams that are getting paid.

“We’ve managed to push it one league further after last season and it’s going to be a big test, but I think it’s one the club’s ready for.

“We’ve had players around here that have come through from juniors… and we’ve stayed together and we’ve grown as a team and a club. The grassroots is so important.”

Ben’s citation at the awards, hosted by England star Chris Robshaw, noted that he had led Drybrook RFC to the South West 1 title, the highest-ever league finish in its 125-year history, winning 24 of their 26 games and securing the crown with victory over local rivals Newent.

It added: “Ben led by example throughout the season, inspiring his team-mates to their ultimate victory. His commitment to the team was a key factor to their success.

“At one point he had to book extra flights out of his own pocket to return from Las Vegas after a wrongly booked flight by a party organiser meant it looked like he would miss a crucial game.

“There is a great team ethos at the Gloucestershire club, which was a key factor in this unprecedented success.

“Twelve of the squad have progressed through the junior section after playing from the age of eight.

“For a village with a population of about 3,000, the club is massively punching

above its weight.

“A lot of this is down to the closeness of the playing squad.

“Ben regularly organises off-field socials, out-of-season training and challenges and he is the glue that holds this team together.

“His performances on the pitch are consistently impressive. It only takes a read through a few of the match reports on the clubs website to realise how important his ability and leadership is to this team.”