DAVID Dunn has insisted Bournemouth would resist the temptation to go semi-professional should their promotion dream become a reality.

The Lions put themselves in the driving seat to win a place in English rugby’s fourth flight after seeing off closest pursuers Chinnor on Saturday.

Victory in their final three games of the season would earn Bournemouth a ticket to National Two South where they would rub shoulders with some financial big hitters.

However, should the Lions prevail, Dunn is adamant the Chapel Gate club would avoid boarding the gravy train and would retain their amateur status.

Director of rugby Dunn told the Daily Echo: “We don’t pay our players and believe that is one of the secrets to our success. We are an amateur club with a group of local lads who want to play for each other. There is great team spirit in the camp and a family ethos at the club.

“We understand there are a lot of players at our level who get paid and have heard of some who get as much as £300 a game. We are not a group of mercenaries who will be playing for Bournemouth this year and somebody else next year. Money is a big lure but there is more to a team ethos than being paid.

“We want a group of lads who will fight for each other on the field, who will get on well together and who enjoy being in each other’s company. We feel that this is a more dangerous weapon than putting together a group of mercenaries from the M4 corridor and south Wales.”

Bournemouth’s final home game of the season against Weston-super-Mare on April 14 is sandwiched between trips to Old Patesians on Saturday and Oxford Harlequins on April 21.

Dunn added: “If we were to win promotion, we would be moving into an area where we would be asking more of our players and the demands on them would be greater, certainly in terms of travelling and such like.

“I still think the club ethos would be one of not paying players but trying to make the experience as positive as we possibly could for them. There would be situations where overnight stays would be required and we would want the players to be comfortable.

“We had a phase several years ago where we introduced a win bonus but found it to be counter-productive. We are a club and it is not just about the first XV. We want to be successful but we want to maintain the notion of being a club.”