Bristol Bears have confirmed centre Sam Bedlow will leave the club for Sale Sharks at the end of the 2022/23 season.
The 27-year-old joined the Bears ahead of the 2017/18 campaign and has made 58 appearances for the club so far during his five seasons in the West Country.
Boyhood Sale fan Sam, whose brother Joe also players for the club, originally joined Sharks as a 17-year-old after leaving Myerscough College. He progressed through the club’s academy programme and after a loan spell at Fylde, made his debut in a Challenge Cup fixture at Welsh side the Dragons
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Director of Rugby, Pat Lam, said: “Sam’s progress and development here at the Bears is a real success story for the club. We gave Sam an opportunity in 2017 after he was let go from the Sale Academy. Starting initially in our Senior Academy, Sam has developed massively and worked his way into the Senior Team establishing himself as a very reliable Premiership inside centre.
“For his home club to offer him a very good contract to return six years later is a real credit to Sam for his perseverance and all his team-mates and staff. He heads home to Manchester, where his partner Charlotte, his family and his gym business are based, with our best wishes for the future.”
Lam has already moved to add additional resources in the centre, signing Fijian international Kalaveti Ravouvou, who can play both 12 or 13, with Semi Radradra also confirmed as leaving the West Country for Lyon next season.
Bedlow added: “I have had an amazing six years in Bristol - being part of the Bears has made me grow as a player and as a person.
“I would like to thank the fans for all the support they have shown over the past few years - running out at Ashton Gate to a packed stadium will be a feeling I remember forever.
“This season isn’t finished yet and I want to finish my time at Bristol on a high.”
"I’m so excited to be coming back up north to be close to my family and to play for the club I supported and watched as a kid.
"The club has changed a lot since I was here before but I know so many of the coaches and some of the players too. I’ve heard really great things about Alex and it’s obviously a club that’s on the way up.
"It’ll be brilliant to be playing with my brother Joe too. I know when I was coming through the academy I looked up to the senior players as role models. Hopefully I can do that for Joe and some of the other fantastic young players at the club too.
"I’m fully focused on ending the season well with Bristol, but I can’t wait to get started at Sale."
Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson added: said: "Sam left here as a highly-rated young player but he’s coming back as someone who we believe has increased his skillset, matured and become one of the top performing centres in the Premiership.
"He’s a big guy but he can play 10, 12 or 13 and he’s a real triple threat – he can run, kick and pass. He’s a great lad and a fantastic communicator and he’s only 27. I really think the best is yet to come from him.
"His family is up here and his brother is at the club and he’s coming back here for all the right reasons. He can see where the club is going and he knows it’s a club where good, northern players know they can progress their careers and be a part of building something special.
"This is right for him for all the right reasons, and it’s right for us for all the right reasons."
