The last fortnight has been busy for Chelmsford Chieftains as they continue to build their squad for the forthcoming season.

With light training having started and several training camps for junior players having taken place, Head Coach Erskine Douglas is delighted with the way his team is coming together.

Chieftains have signed the former Invicta pairing of Darren Cotton and Jamie Randall, and Cotton joins his brother Jon who signed earlier this month.

Darren ended last season with a niggling injury but still amassed 65 points from just 27 games (27 goals, 38 assists).

His injury problems appear to be behind him as he looks forward to linking up again with older brother Jon.

Joining the pair is Randall, who played alongside the Cotton's in the same line for a season and a half scoring most of Invicta's points tally.

Randall has superb stick-handling ability and himself scored 45 points from 25 games for Dynamos last season (25 + 20).

Returning to the squad from the last season is Richard Whiting.

Whiting, 22, ended the campaign in fine style, having scored 32 points from 49 games, of which over half were scored in the last 16 games of the season.

Whiting has always shown superb commitment and enthusiasm to Chieftains and is now reaping the rewards, in terms of points.

Defender Dan Oliver also returns for his fourth season with Chieftains having spent the summer playing and coaching in-line roller hockey.

Popular goalkeeper Dave Pinchin returns to Riverside to join Simon Smith, who signed earlier this summer.

This is Pinchin's fourth season with Chieftains, having made an impressive transition from recreational hockey.

Two defenders back at Chelmsford are club captain Jake French and Canadian Craig Metcalf.

French, formerly with the Slough Jets organisation, joined Chieftains in 1996/97 and has been immensely popular with fans and team members alike.

He has attacking qualities as well as defensive, and scored 26 points last season.

French suffered a nasty injury at Oxford which kept him out for three games but his determination saw him return for the play-off campaign.

Metcalf was signed after an unhappy spell at Romford and although he prefers a defensive role, he was played in attack by the Chieftains.

A player who gives 100 per cent every game, he recorded a fine points tally of 37 (21 + 16) from 39 games, and he was switched to a defensive role for the play-offs where he excelled.

Chieftains have also added two young Swedish players to their line-up.

Jonas Stenmarik, 20, is a utility player from Swedish second division side Asele. He can play either at Centre or is equally at home in a defensive role.

Forward Jonas Vikstrom, 20, plays either centre or wing, and he comes to the club from Swedish second division side, Vannas Hockey.

Both have excellent credentials and have both come up through the Junior Elite programme.

Jon Blundell, Chieftains PR & Marketing Director, said: "we now have the majority of a strong squad who we are confident will be among the front runners.

''We will be making one or two further significant signings over the next few days, and it looks like being an exciting season".

Karl Rogers, who has re-signed for the Chelmsford Chieftains for the forthcoming campaign.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.