ALEX TAIT will embark on his ninth season as a Newcastle Falcons player after agreeing a new contract with the club.

The Wolsingham full-back, who is a product of Barnard Castle School, follows Will Welch and Tom Catterick in agreeing a new two-year deal at Kingston Park.

A versatile player who can fill a number of different roles in the backs division, Tait made his first-team debut in January 2008 from the bench in a club-record win against Cetransa el Salvador in the European Challenge Cup.

The 26-year-old has gone on to make 145 senior appearances, with last season representing the high point of his Falcons career as he was named Players’ Player of the Season and claimed the Ken Lockerbie Trophy, which is awarded to the club’s most consistent performer at the end of season awards.

“Alex is another of our talented local contingent and as such it is good that he has chosen to remain with us here at Newcastle and will remain part of what we are looking to build here,” said Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards.

“He has been part of the club since graduating from the academy, has become an integral part of the squad and improves year on year and I am looking forward to seeing that continue.”

Tait, who is eligible to play for both England and Scotland at international level, has been one of Falcons’ most consistent players this season, with his strong running from the back three forming a key feature of his side’s attacking set-up.

“It’s good to have agreed to stay at Kingston Park for at least two more seasons,” he said. “It has been my club for my whole professional career and being from the area, it is great I am going to be able to continue to pull on that shirt and represent the area.

“I am enjoying my rugby and the club has really started to show signs of how it is developing and I think that the next few years are going to be really exciting times to be involved.”

Meanwhile, Alex’s elder brother, Mathew, will leave Leicester Tigers at the end of the season to join French club Bayonne.