CROCKED club captain Richard Martin-Redman will stay on to help with coaching at London Welsh after announcing his retirement due to injury.

The 27-year-old has been restricted to just 10 appearances for the club since joining from Bristol two years ago.

Having recovered from a knee injury sustained during his first pre-season, Martin-Redman then suffered a further knock to his knee in January last year, forcing his retirement.

Head coach Danny Wilson said: "Richard is a really good professional who worked extremely hard on his rehab. His heart is at London Welsh, and I don't think there are too many like that around in the professional era.

"He's a real clubman and has worked very hard off the field for us while he's been injured. It's such a shame we won't see him again in a playing capacity."

Club chief executive Peter Thomas also paid tribute to Martin-Redman.

He said: "Richard has been incredibly unfortunate with injuries since joining us, but throughout he has remained an outstanding addition to the club. He has dealt with his injury set backs with professionalism and dignity.

"For a period last season Richard showed the qualities, both as a player and as a leader, which persuaded us to bring him to Old Deer Park."

Martin-Redman's most memorable spell in a Welsh shirt came in October 2007 when he scored twice against Cornish Pirates, then led Welsh to a narrow defeat at Northampton Saints the following week.

Welsh could have done with some of his on-pitch inspiration as they crashed out of the EDF Energy National Trophy quarter-finals 27-21 to Moseley on Saturday.

Leading 18-3 at half-time through tries from Jonathon Mills and Paul Doran-Jones, plus a conversions and two penalties from Mark Harris, Welsh threw it away after the break.

Another Harris penalty was all they could muster as Welsh's dream of a first final since 1985 died.

* ALED THOMAS has been selected for the Wales squad to play in the Rugby Sevens World Cup, which gets under-way in Dubai this weekend.

The London Welsh fly-half was part of the Wales side which reached the quarter-finals of the IRB

Sevens Series in Wellington last month, including impressive wins over Fiji and New Zealand.