Darlington Mowden Park Sharks are delighted to announce the signing of Lisa Martin from Murrayfield Wanderers. The current Scotland captain, who can cover both fly-half and centre, joined up with the DMP squad this week and is available for tomorrow’s trip to Harlequins. Sharks Head of Programme Justin Loveridge was thrilled with the latest addition to the squad: “To bring an international captain of Lisa’s quality in to the squad will add extra competition, leadership and experience to an already competitive backline. This signing is a statement of the Sharks’ intention to succeed in the Tyrrell’s Premier 15s league.”

The 27 year-old has accumulated 37 caps for her country, having made her Scotland debut in January 2011. Asked why she’d chosen to join the Sharks, Martin said: “I'd been playing up at Murrayfield Wanderers for a long time and needed a new test against some of the best players in the country to help develop my game. I'd heard good things about Sharks from current and previous players and it sounded like it was a great club to be part of, there's a strong team being built here. With it being an exciting time for women's rugby in the UK, especially with the creation of the Tyrrells Premier 15s, I felt it was the right time to make that move and train alongside some quality players. I'm looking forward to showing what I can offer to the team over this season.”

Having risen through the Scotland age group ranks, Martin captained her country for the first time against England in the 2016 Six Nations. She now enters her third season as Scotland captain. On her aspirations with the Sharks, she said: “DMP Sharks have got a clear vision in how they want to develop and where they want to go over the next 3 years so it's an exciting to be a part of that journey. Everyone is buying in to the culture and professionalism that the new league demands, it's very similar to the international set up in that respect. Ultimately I want to help Sharks push on towards those Playoff spots and really test the top teams down here.”

The versatile back has also represented her country in the shorter format of the game, playing for both Scotland 7s and Great Britain 7s. Having teamed up with the squad already, Martin was pleased with her transition to a new team: “The players have been brilliant to welcome me in to the squad over the past few weeks, it's always a steep learning curve joining a new club and learning their patterns of play but it's an exciting challenge for me. The train commute each week from Edinburgh is something I'm getting used to, but it has been worth it for the standard of training and coaching. Mike and Justin are both highly regarded as coaches and I can't wait to see how they can develop and challenge me and the team as players this season.” Head of Programme Loveridge was impressed with Martin’s transition to the squad and was excited to see her perform: “Lisa has fitted in well with the squad during training and the coaching team are looking forward to seeing what she can bring to the Sharks on the field.”

Lisa is in line to make her Sharks debut in tomorrow’s game against Harlequins at Surrey Sports Park (3pm Kick Off). Supporters can keep up to date with the latest match updates on Twitter by clicking here.