CUMBRIA have announced an initial squad of 60 players to prepare for the County Championship, which starts in May.

The opening game is against Hertfordshire at Aspatria on May 3 and before then Cumbria will play a warm-up game against Northumberland at either Carlisle or Penrith on Easter Monday, April 21 with an early evening kick-off.

Team manager Roger Hackney is organising a players' buffet at a get-together on Sunday, March 23 and that will be followed by four or five squad training sessions ahead of the warm-up game.

Hackney said: "After the second of those sessions we will thin-out the squad to around 30 and take it from there.

"In choosing the initial squad, which actually took a lot of discussion, we were mindful of being loyal to the players who travelled with us last season to both Devon and Surrey.

"The only two who didn't come into the equation were the South African pair of Dannie Kasselman, who has returned home, and Chris Malherbe who is playing now at Wharfedale.

"I estimate that about 15 of the players in the squad have not played for the senior county side before."

Tommy Borthwick and Graham Smith, who were the senior county coaches last season, are again in charge of the squad.

The initial squad is - Backs: Paul Senior (Carlisle), Ian Voortman (Kendal), Liam Nicholls (Aspatria), Mike Scott (Kendal), Jeremy Tiffen (Carlisle), Peter Murphy (Manchester), Phil Graham (Manchester), Steven Stoddart (Aspatria), Jason Spires (Aspatria), John Kelly (Carlisle), Graeme Sarjeant (Harrogate), John Allen (Wigton), Martin Armstrong (Kendal), David Hanley (Aspatria), Howard Graham (Army), Graeme Cook (Workington), Alex Walton (Aspatria), Jason Balmer (Kendal), Paddy McDonnell (Carlisle), Mark Irving (Carlisle), Gavin Young (Penrith), Robert Hogan (Workington), Ryan Dobie (Aspatria), Paul Newton (Orrell), Toby Slack (Penrith).

Forwards: Colin Rhodes (Carlisle), John Clappison (Aspatria), Richard Harryman (Wakefield), David Preston (Kendal), Robert Dawson (Penrith), David Humes (Aspatria),

Stephen Milnes (Wigton), Adrian Bateson (Kendal), Graeme Andrews (Aspatria), Bob Lee (Penrith), Stephen Stamper (Harrogate), Chris Wright (Manchester), Mike Burnett (Morley), Graeme Kidd (Carlisle), Billy Coxon (Kendal), James Lund (Penrith), John George Thompson (Aspatria), Gordon Maclelland (Penrith), Ian Gowing (Kendal), Mike Armstrong (Manchester), Gareth Morton (Wigton), Paul Clarke (Harrogate), Jim Lund (Fylde), Keith Robinson (Kendal), Greg Morton (Wigton), Nathan Bland (Otley), Daniel Bowman (Kendal), David Wilson (Aspatria), Paul Greening (Aspatria), Mike Capstick (Kendal), Colin Wolstenholme (Kendal), David Bowe (Workington), Glenn Murray (Penrith), James Cartmell (Tynedale), Mark Bowman (Kendal).

Cumbria have also selected their squad to prepare for the National County Sevens knockout competition, which has regional qualifying on May 8.

The squad comprises: Colin Wolstenholme (Kendal, capt), Dale Siddle (Penrith), Bob Lee (Penrith), John Ladell (Kendal), Glenn Murray (Penrith), Luke Ladell (Kendal), Graeme Kidd (Carlisle), Paul Hetherington (Penrith), Adam Pate (Barrow RL), Kevin Harper (Workington), Dion Seath (Workington) and Robert Hogan (Workington).

January 17, 2003 10:32