Gloucester youngsters get chance

Lewis impressed last season before breaking his ankle in January

Gloucester have promoted eight of last season's academy side to their first-team squad for the 2009-10 campaign.

Scrum-half Dave Lewis and outside backs Charlie Sharples and Henry Trinder played in the Premiership last term.

And the trio have been joined in moving into the senior ranks by Freddie Burns, Yann Thomas, Dan Williams, Tristan Roberts and Jordi Pasqualin.

Lewis, Sharples, Trinder, Williams and prop Shaun Knight all turned out for England at the recent Junior World Cup.

Academy manager Mark Cornwell hailed the club's links with the likes of Moseley, Cinderford and Hartpury College in helping his players get exposure to senior rugby.

And he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: "It's good that we can bring these youngsters through.

"Hopefully they'll come through and establish themselves permanently in the first team for a few years to come."

Head coach Bryan Redpath added: "A successful academy set up is vital for any Guinness Premiership club. It's good to have a steady progression of young, local talent coming up through the ranks.

"Some of them have already made the breakthrough and I hope that they'll all go on to become regulars in the first team squad."

Of the 2008-09 academy group five more will stay for another year, while Dave Blackwell, Jed Hooper, Andres Pretorius and Guy Thompson have been released and Dan Norton signed for Bristol in April.