HAVANT & Waterlooville will be lining up with two Cayman Islands internationals at the heart of their defence next season.

In what must be a non-league first, new signing Neil Sharp from Woking is now the second Hawks player to have played for the former British colony, joining Alec Masson in a rare double.

After drawing blanks for Stevenage Borough's Nathan Bunce and Wycombe's Ian Simpemba, H&W boss Dave Leworthy has swooped for 26-year-old Sharp who, until recently, looked all set to rejoin his old club Swansea City.

H&W secretary Trevor Brock explained: "Swansea offered him a contract which he was about to sign when their manager Kenny Jackett decided he needed a goalkeeper and didn't have the money."

Hawks are also celebrating the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion's former Millwall and Watford midfielder Geoff Pitcher who had a loan spell at Westleigh Park last season.

Brock said: "Geoff joined us at a difficult time last season and we didn't see the best of him, but he's a tremendous player with a fantastic reputation in non-league football from loan spells he's had with Woking, Barnet, Farnborough and Stevenage - and he's still only 28."

Pitcher will be a direct replacement for Hawks' former Nottingham Forest midfielder Bobby Howe, who is returning to his native north-east for personal reasons.

Howe's decision had been on the cards for several weeks, but the unexpected bad news for the Hawks is that former Luton Town and Colchester defender/midfielder Aaron Skelton has been forced to pack up playing at the age of 29 due to knee cartilage damage. No such problems for Hawks' Woolston-based hitman James Taylor, who has returned to training after having four spurs of bone removed from his problematic ankle. He should be back in action by the beginning of August.