Egremont carry the hopes of west Cumbria tomorrow in the National Conference Premier Division play-offs.

They beat local rivals Wath Brow Hornets last weekend to set-up a surprise home clash with Underbank Rangers.

Paul Henson, Egremont assistant coach, said: "We expected to be travelling to Thatto Heath so it was a pleasant surprise when we found out that Underbank had beaten them.

"Mind you, we will still be showing them plenty of respect because, although we beat them at home, we lost down there."

Henson said the Egremont coaching team, headed by John Paul Brocklebank and his dad John, were delighted to have won the derby eliminator with Wath Brow.

"In truth, we hadn’t played well at all when we lost recently at home to Wath Brow and beat Kells, so it was good to find some form," he said.

"Wath Brow seemed to suggest that they had put out one of their strongest teams of the season so that made the win even better.

"I would expect us to be able to field a similar team on Saturday with two good forwards, Pat Wells and Mitchell Edwards, added to the squad after they didn’t play against the Brow."

If Egremont are successful against the Holmfirth side tomorrow, they will travel to the winners of Hunslet Club Parkside and West Hull.

In the Iggesund Cumberland ARL, two cup ties have been arranged for tomorrow and both should be well contested.

Glasson entertain Premier Division rivals Seaton in the first round of the Cumberland Cup while, in the CARL Cup semi-final, Egremont Rangers host Cockermouth Titans.

Cumbria Under-17s go into action in the County Championship Tri-Series on Sunday when they play Yorkshire at Dewsbury Moor.

They will play their follow-up game next Sunday against Lancashire at Egremont.

The county’s Under-19 trial between the combined Copeland/Allerdale squad and their Barrow counterparts lasted only six minutes when it was abandoned because of a serious leg injury to the West team’s Wath Brow player Jay Wetherall.

Cumbria’s challenge game with Scotland Under-19s at Wath Brow on Sunday will now be used as a trial for their opening County Championship clash in Yorkshire at York Acorn on Saturday, November 3.

The second game is against Lancashire at Millom on Saturday, November 10. The Open-Age matches will be played on the same day.