Matt Payne has stepped down as Henley Hawks captain after being convicted of unlawfully wounding a bouncer by biting off his ear.

The 28-year-old back-row forward was last week found guilty of the charge at Oxford Crown Court, but not guilty of wounding with intent.

Although he will not be sentenced until March 23, Payne has quit his post already and has been replaced by scrum half James Gaunt.

In a statement, Payne said: “Following the events of the last week, I have taken the decision to stand down as the Hawks captain.

“Representing the Hawks as captain of a club that I’ve been a member of for over 20 years is a responsibility that I take very seriously, and an honour I do not give up lightly.

“However, I want to put the interests of the club first and therefore I believe this is the right thing to do.

“I want to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone at the club for any damage that has been done to the reputation of HRFC and I want to assure everyone that I will do everything I can, both on and off the field, to ensure our success in the future.”

Payne has missed Hawks’ last two matches, but is expected to return at No 8 for Saturday’s National 2 South clash against Ealing.

Henley chairman Phil Wood-all said: “We know the depth of feeling that Matt has for the club and therefore understand that this is a hard decision for him, taken at a difficult time.

“However we also believe that he has made the right decision which shows respect for both the club itself and the responsibilities that come with captaincy and leadership of the Hawks.

“He has been with the club since he was a boy in the minis, and like any family we will be supportive of him as he goes through this tough period.

“We hope that by focusing positive energy into his playing duties over the coming weeks and months this will help him through a very difficult time.”

  • HENLEY 2nd handed Oxford Harlequins a walkover on the morning of their Oxfordshire Cup quarter-final.

Henley contacted Quins at 8.45am on Tuesday to say they could not field an eligible front row.

Cup organiser Doug Bosley explained: “Many of their 2nd XV players have played more than four times for their first team and hence are not eligible.”

Quins’ secretary Keith Latham said: “We are are very disappointed because we were looking forward to the game.

“However, it is onwards and upwards and we now look forward to playing Chinnor in the semi-final at a date to be fixed.”