DARLINGTON MOWDEN PARK have confirmed tight-head prop Matt Shields' move to Aviva Premiership side Harlequins.

Originally from Cumbria, Shields progressed his rugby by signing for Nottingham in his final year, where he played for two years. He spent one season at Plymouth, before joining Mowden at the start of this season.

The 24-year-old was released by Mowden to play for Harlequins during the London club's LV=Cup campaign and has also represented their A League team.

Mowden Park director of rugby Danny Brown said: "We are delighted for Matt and I hope it shows that whilst we want to progress with players like Matt we also want to see players develop to their full potential and to do that at one of the biggest teams in club rugby is a real opportunity.

"Matt goes with our full backing and I would like to thank him for his time here at Mowden. His performances on the pitch and attitude off it have been fantastic and he has been a pleasure to have around the club."

Shields was quick to thank Mowden for their role in his development, saying: "I just want to say a massive thank you to Darlington Mowden Park for allowing me to pursue this opportunity.

"I have massively enjoyed my time here. It is clear that DMP are a club going places, it has world-class facilities as proved by the All Blacks using the Arena as their World Cup training base later this year and the international double-header next month.

"Both Danny and John have been very supportive during the past few weeks when this opportunity arose - they have a history of developing players and giving them a good environment with an exciting style of play to enjoy.

"Joining Harlequins is a huge honour for me. It’s a fantastic club with great tradition. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season and building with them next year."