THE Basingstoke Bison will play in a 10-team English Premier League this season instead of nine, after the Hull Pirates joined the league.

The move by the Yorkshire club comes just days after the demise Hull’s Elite League side the Stingrays.

The Pirates are a completely new team and the driving force behind them is EPL Sheffield Steeldogs’ owner Shane Smith.

He will be a co-owner of the new team along with player/coach Dominic Osman, who was expected to be the Steeldogs’ player/coach this season.

However, the former Stingray is the ideal man to lead the Pirates and with Hull’s excellent junior programme he should not shortage of young British talent.

Basingstoke and Hull’s rivalry goes all the way back to the team’s inaugural season when they both played in the old English Division One, which the Hull team then called the Humberside Seahawks won.

These sides last played each other when they were both in the Elite League.

Replacing Osman in the Steeldogs’ hot seat is former Bison British forward Greg Wood.

It has also been announced that the Manchester Phoenix will this season play out of Deeside, while they wait for their new rink in Manchester to be built.