The Holmen Iggesund Cumberland ARL kicks off tonight with a real cracker in prospect at Kells.
It’s Kells A against Maryport, two well-matched sides who are both likely to be contesting the top four at the end of the season.
For Maryport, it’s a recovery mission but is the third tough game in a row they have faced after narrow defeats to Wath Brow in the Amateur Cup and to Lowca in the League.
Mark Foster the Maryport coach said: “We have shown improvement from the start of the season but two lapses of concentration cost us against Lowca.
“Kells are a well-established club and will have a well-drilled side with a lot of promising youngsters, taken round the field by a couple of older heads.
“We have a few lads missing but welcome back a couple who have been out recently. We will need to concentrate for the whole 80 minutes of what should be a good, competitive game.”
Jonathan Wignall, his opposite number, added: “Maryport are well-drilled and have some quality players such as Sam Forrester that we will need to keep an eye on.
“We will be looking to keep our unbeaten home record intact with some expansive rugby on what is forecast to be a nice evening.
“Once again we have some changes in personnel but so far this season we have adjusted well and kept a solid core.”
Also tonight Hensingham A and Flimby are ready to lock horns.
Hensingham A are likely to include members of their Under-18s team who won through to the BARLA National Cup final for their age group on Sunday.
Flimby also have a young side and officials have been really excited by the performances of two in particular.
Ricky Morrison said: “Seventeen-year-old Cody Petrie has earned his starting position after a solid display against Aspatria last week when he scored.
“We are also pleased with how Rhys Booty has been performing. He’s 17 as well and was among the points against Aspatria.
“It will be a tough encounter, though, because Hensingham are a very good well-drilled young side.”
There should be three games tomorrow but that has been reduced to two as Ellenborough have players injured, on holiday or at work and can’t field an A team to go to Lowca.
It leaves two nicely-poised games, though, which both might be hard to call.
Cockermouth Titans and Aspatria Hornets both enjoyed big wins last week and they come-up against each other tomorrow.
The Titans have home advantage and are in better shape than they were the last time they met.
Player coach Liam McAvoy said: “I am looking forward to the game when we will be trying to get one back on them after they beat us in the Amateur Cup.
“They pretty well battered us on that occasion so it would be good to even the score.
“Since that game we have had a lot more coming training so we will have a bit more choice in selection than we did last time.”
Aspatria chairman Mark Ridley expects to see some familiar names on the Cockermouth team-sheet.
“I think they have three ex-Hornets players and four or five who during the winter play their rugby for Aspatria at Bower Park.
“We know they will be up for it and are expecting a hard game after beating them at Silloth early on in the Amateur Cup but I’m sure our lads will be up for it.
“For us Owen Thorndyke returns at full-back and Jack Wilson and Callum Scott to the pack. James Robinson misses his first League game of the season so Cory Bouch will deputise at loose forward.”
The other game is in the south of the county where Askam entertain Egremont Rangers A.
Askam coach Chris Broadley said: “We have strong links with Egremont over the years so I hope we might be seeing some old friends.
“We travelled to Kells with just 15 players and I’ve given massive raps to all of them who got on the bus and gave it their all right through the 80 minutes against a well-drilled side.
“This week we have two young players back to boost the squad – Luke Bolton and Lucas James – who have done really well for us when they played.
“It should be a good contest between two youthful sides.”
Egremont coach Kevin Brown also commented on the close ties between the two clubs.
“I know we had the Tyson brothers coming up to join us from down there while John Brocklebank and Dave Richardson both coached at Askam in the 1990s.
“We are looking for an improvement from the lads. I think we did well for half the game against Cockermouth and then rather fell away so it will be about playing for the full 80 minutes.”
