Hensingham have the feel-good factor after reaching their first BARLA Cumbria Cup final for 15 years.

But the joy of getting through to the showpiece final has been rather dampened by the fact it won’t be played until September.

All the finals are being staged at the end of the season and the BARLA Cumbria Cup will be part of that spectacle.

Hensingham’s joint team manager John Pilkington, like everyone at the club, is disappointed at the prospect of waiting six months, but is just getting on with it.

“We were on a high after the quarter-final win over Distington as that was their first defeat locally for about two years," he said.

“So, we went to Ulverston last Saturday feeling really good and made a brilliant start, 14-0 up in 20 minutes. But they are decent down there and came back, although whenever they got to within six points, we managed to score again.

“The team is really playing for each other and we are hopeful of a good season. But we started well last year only to hit a run of injuries, one after the other.

“Two of those lads, Josh Rogerson and Dan Smith, have just come back this season and we are hoping for a third, Chris Smith very shortly."

Joint coaches Howard Hill, ex-Whitehaven and Chris McKinney, ex-Oldham are in their fourth season in charge and the players are responding.

“As former professional forwards, they work hard on our defence and I think that’s really starting to show through now,” added Pilkington.

Hensingham are not involved in the round of fixtures tomorrow which kick-off the Cumbria Men’s League, as they were due to play Maryport who have pulled out.

But their BARLA Cumbria Cup final opponents Walney will be up in west Cumbria, so I imagine a few representatives from the Hensingham club will be going on a scouting mission.

Walney will start at Seaton Rangers who could provide a decent test at home, despite losing down there in the BARLA Cumbria Cup 28-6.

Distington, who lost to the golden point against Hensingham in the cup, went through last season locally with an unblemished record.

They will want to put that defeat behind them and start on the right foot tomorrow when they travel to Wath Brow, with the Hornets again expected to blood promising youngsters in the competition.

Glasson, who lost at Walney in Saturday’s semi-final, can lick their wounds on a free date while the other game sees Ellenborough host Ulverston.

There are three games in the Iggesund Cumberland ARL and all of them look as though they could be hard-fought, close encounters.

It was good to see Cockermouth Titans start with a win last week on their return to the league and they have a local derby tomorrow at home to Broughton Red Rose.

The Broughton side were denied a game last week because of a waterlogged pitch and a lot more is expected of the team this season when they will no longer be the league’s whipping boys.

Flimby are likely to be among the early pacemakers, as they were last season before fading, and host a Kells team who are strongly fancied to lift the title this time round.

Egremont topped the league last season after the regulation round of matches but opened this time with a 16-6 defeat at Cockermouth. They won’t find it easy tomorrow, either, when they travel to take on an Aspatria side who look very capable of pulling-off a few surprises.

In the National Conference Premier Division, there was much disappointment last week when the derby, Wath Brow and Kells was called-off because of a waterlogged pitch.

Nothing has been announced yet but I gather the two clubs are looking at re-staging the game on Good Friday.

Both sides will be keen to get back into action tomorrow, especially Kells as they have a home game against the team who took over from them at the top last week through playing and winning.

Thatto Heath have strengthened since by signing some ex-professionals – notably Lee Carberry (who played at Whitehaven in 2016); ex-Widnes winger Paddy Flynn, who also spent time on loan at Workington, and Bobbie Goulding Junior.

“We will give them a warm Kells welcome and we are expecting a very good game,” said Kells coach Peter Smith, delighted with the winning start his side has made.

“We should be strong again as the lads who have come in this season have responded well when I told them it was up to them to earn the shirt. I have only had to make a couple of changes through injuries."

There’s a big home game for Egremont, encouraged by their performance at West Hull last week, where they were denied victory by a converted try from the last play of the game.

They host Skirlaugh, the only other team below them, both without a point from their opening three games.

Wath Brow go to Wigan St. Patrick’s, where Egremont have already won this season in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.