Castleford hand promising youngster new deal

Castleford have handed England academy player Adam Milner a new deal at The Jungle.

Milner, 18, joined the Tigers academy side from Stanley Rangers and his impressive form resulted in selection for Barrie-Jon Mather’s 2010 England training squad.

He made his first appearance for the senior side in the Boxing Day friendly defeat against Bradford.

Head of the Tigers Youth Development Steve Gill said: “I am very pleased for Adam he has earnt this deal and I’m sure that he will progress. He has bags of potential and strong leadership qualities, and playing in such a pivotal position, we believe that he can learn a lot from ‘Raz’ (Ryan Hudson) when he joins in full time training.”

Milner’s deal is for the next three seasons and although College commitments means that he is only training part time at present, once he has completed his ‘A’ levels in May, he will join the senior squad in full time training.

Milner said: “This is a great opportunity for me and I aim to grasp it with both hands. I have enjoyed life at the Jungle since joining the club and the Tigers have a great track record in giving young players a chance. I know that I still have a lot to develop in my game, but I’m very keen to make the grade and I hope to learn from the senior players and give it my best shot to make the grade in Super League.”