NEW signing Liam Bishop admitted the ‘amazing atmosphere’ he encountered when Rams beat Cinderford in the final National One home game of last season – along with the chance to learn from the ‘legendary’ James Baker – made it a simple decision to sign on at Old Bath Road for the coming campaign.

The 22-year-old tight-head prop, who has played for Ireland Under 18s and U20s, arrives from Championship side Nottingham and is relishing the chance to kick on.

He said: “I’m looking forward to it and see it as a bit of a new chapter in my life – when I heard Rams were interested, I thought it’s a great opportunity.

“Everything about the club, it’s ambitious and there’s just a great atmosphere around, so I’m excited to come down and become part of the team.

“There are big plans and to be made to feel so wanted feels fantastic.”

He reiterated: “I came down to the last game against Cinderford to see what it was going to be like, how the team plays, and it was a big influence as well.

“Seeing how the club’s run, the fans, the atmosphere was amazing and I’ve never really been a part of anything quite like that.

“It felt like everyone knew each other, was in it together and that was a big thing.”

Having originally grown up in Retford, near Nottingham, Liam started rugby at Under 7s before moving up to Doncaster where he played his from Under 10s to U17s at Doncaster Knights.

He was then spotted by the Irish Exiles – his grandmother on his mum’s side is from Belfast – and then selected for Irish U18s.

A sports scholarship at Trent College and then at Nottingham Trent University followed, with Liam admitting the chance to play at international level as a junior was something special.

He explained: “It was a massive honour, a phenomenal thing to be a part of and an unbelievable experience.”

The sports science and coaching graduate also had the opportunity to play for Munster Under 19s during his first year at University, as well as Montreal Irish in Canada last summer, but admitted there is one talismanic figure who also played a part in his decision to head to Reading.

Liam continued: “As I’m still young I’ve got my scrummaging trade as a tight-head to learn, and that was one of the main factors in coming to Rams with James Baker.

“I’ve heard a lot about him, speaking to Seb, to Joe Southwell when I came for my testing, his name always comes up.

“I hear he’s an absolute legend round the club, how many games he’s played and more, so having him there – I’ll be looking to be a sponge and soak up all the information I can from him, it’s massive.”

Aside from Baker and Sean McDonnel-Roberts, Liam will be competing with younger men like Paul Englezos, Ryan Lomas and Terrel Harry to snare the No. 3 jersey, with Rams’ commitment to giving youth a chance another reason for Bishop’s arrival.

And he also believes his all-court game will hopefully fit in well at OBR, ending: “I like to think my ball-handling and carrying is a big part of my skill-set – I like getting my hands on the ball, doing little tip passes, putting it out the back.

“And it’s great to know Seb’s got faith in young players to go out there and perform on Saturdays – the mix of experience and younger players is something I really want to learn from.”

*Welcome Liam and we can’t wait to see you in a Rams’ shirt!