PAUL Starke will lead Cradley into the defence of their National League title.

Starke, from Malvern, was a big hit in his first season with the club last year and he takes over from Ashley Morris, who is no longer available for National League racing.

He admits Morris will be a hard act to follow – but he’s excited by the challenge.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to get the chance to be captain this year, and it’s a real honour.

“As a club, we had a great season in 2013, so I have big shoes to fill, but if I can take over the role Ashley (Morris) did then I’ll be chuffed. Last year, we had an incredible year, so to try and emulate what we did is going to be a real challenge. We look like we have a strong team, and we have a few riders who could make big strides in the sport at the moment.

“I’ll be looking to just help as much as I can as captain and try to score as many points as possible to take some pressure off the lower order. I want to be at No.1 all season so I’ll have to be on the top of my game.”

Cradley’s Travel Plus Trophy first leg trip to Coventry has reverted back to the original date of Friday, March 21 with the return leg at Cradley’s Wolverhampton home on Tuesday, April 1.