Tom Wilkinson, a multiple award winner with Whitehaven last season, has agreed a new one-year deal with the club.
The former Askam amateur loose forward picked-up five awards at the club’s recent presentation night, including player of the year and players’ player of the year.
Wilkinson, 25, who first signed for the club ahead of the 2019 season, insisted at the awards night “he wasn’t leaving” and it’s now confirmed he will be at the LEL Arena next year.
He said: “I’m really happy to have signed for another year, I think I have shown the fans what to expect from me now and I just want to keep on doing it.”
Head coach Jonty Gorley was particularly pleased to secure Wilkinson’s signature for another season.
He said: “It’s great to have Wilko back with us for next season. He was probably the first player I sounded out when I knew I was going to take the head coach’s job.
“What you all witnessed at the end of this season, in seeing Wilko pick up all the awards, was something that I already knew about Tom. He’s a genuine player who deserves all the accolades he gets.
“Even going back to when I joined in 2019, Wilko was a target because I knew what he could bring. I coached him as a kid and I knew back then he had a future in the game.
“Tom is one of those players who gets on with his job and does this really well, week in week out.
“’If I had a squad full of players with Tom Wilkinson’s attitude, work ethic and commitment I’d be a happy coach.”
Director Ashley Kilpatrick praised Wilkinson and his work ethic saying: “It’s brilliant to have Wilko back for another year. I think he’s been the stand-out player all season as shown at the presentation evening.
“He’s your eight out of 10 every week who does the horrible carries when we’re up against it. He tightens that middle for us and his improvement from when he first signed for the club to now is a sign of what hard work does and I think he will only get better and better.
“He was one we had to get signed up quickly before other clubs came calling for him which I’m sure there would have been plenty of.”
The five awards that he picked up were the players’ player of the year, coaches’ player of the year, the official supporters group player of the year, the away supporters player of the year and directors player of the year.
