Workington Town and Whitehaven are due to meet up today for their traditional pre-season confrontation for the Ike Southward Memorial Trophy.
It’s a mark of how much they respect the competition that the game will be played under normal league rules regarding substitutes.
Both clubs have over 20 players signed on for the Championship and not having played a game yet, both could have been excused looking to give as many as possible some minutes on the field.
Both have been busy in their recruitment and fans from both clubs will be keen to get a look at their respective new arrivals.
Workington had a squad of 22 listed and that will be reduced to 19.
Town’s squad also includes two trialists, Jack Ainley, a second-row forward from Kells and the younger brother of prop Ross Ainley along with Reuben Butterworth, an outside back from Hensingham.
The squad: J Ainley, R Ainley, Bradley, Butterworth, Carter, Castle, Corkill, Donaghy. O. Doran, Farren, Fulton, Galea, Lawther, Leigh, Gibson, Lupton, Phillips, Rawhiti, Reid, Scholey, Walmsley, Wear.
Whitehaven have adopted a similar approach, by naming 21 in their squad which will be reduced to 19 for the match.
Their squad: Bailey, Bickerdike, Brennan, Brown, Burns, Eccleston, Holgate, Holliday, Kellett, Lowe, Newbegin, Nixon, Pearce, Shackley, Thomson, Todd, Turnbull, Walker-Taylor, Walker, McQuistan, Weatherill.
Town also found out their Challenge Cup opponents after Blackbrook beat the Great Britain Police 52-6. Town will now travel to St Helens to take on the community club on the weekend of January 24 and January 25.
Whitehaven face back-to-back games with Sheffield – at home in the league next Sunday and then away the following weekend in the Challenge Cup.
Seaton were Cumbria’s community representatives in the first round and they lost at Thatto Heath Crusaders 78-10.
