King commits to Hull

Paul King has been called into the Great Britain squad

Rising star Paul King has signed a new four-year contract with Hull.

The deal sees the 22-year-old committed to the Boulevard until the end of the 2005 season.

The East Yorkshire club were keen to prolong the services of the versatile forward, who is equally adept playing as prop or hooker.

The Hull-born player has been named as part of David Waite's 34-man squad for the forthcoming Ashes series against world champions Australia.

He's a great example of what can be achieved by hard work

Hull chief Shane Richardson

"I now have the security I have been looking for and it means I can concentrate entirely on improving my game and playing well for Hull," said King.

The news comes at a perfect time for Hull, who secured the signing of New Zealand centre Toa Kohe-Love from Warrington on Tuesday.

Chief executive Shane Richardson believes the best is still yet to come from King.

"He's not the finished article yet but he's making tremendous progress and he's a great example of what can be achieved by hard work," he said.

"Extending his contract is also important for Hull because the future is in the youth and our home-grown products.

"I think people are aware that one day I'd like to see a team entirely from Hull and it's players like Paul who will make that possible."