South Wales Scorpions name initial squad
South Wales Scorpions have named four full Wales internationals in their initial train-on squad following a successful trial on Sunday afternoon where over 50 players turned up at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
The 28-man squad contains three players who scored tries for Wales when they beat Scotland 28-16 to win the European Cup in November last year, Ashley Bateman, Christiaan Roets and Lee Williams.
The Scorpions will be entering Co-operative Championship 1 in 2010 and will open their season with a home game at The Gnoll in Neath against former Super League side Workington Town on Sunday 28 February.
By sheer co-incidence, the Crusaders faced Workington at their first ever game at this level four years ago. The Scorpions have selected two players in their first training squad who starred in that game which finished 50-18 to the Welsh side, Dean Scully and Phil Cushion, both of whom were regulars throughout the Crusaders’ inaugural 2006 season. Cushion is the fourth full Welsh internationalist in the squad.
Many of the rest of the training squad have been starring for either Crusaders in Super League reserves or clubs in the successful Welsh Conference Premier including two players with the same name, David James. One previously played for Bridgend Blue Bulls and the other for Blackwood Bulldogs.
Scorpions director Mark Rowley said: “We were very pleased at the turn out for the trial, there was a lot of quality there and I’m glad I wasn’t the person who had to select the squad!
“The squad now go into extensive training this week but I have to emphasise that this just the initial train-on squad and there is still a lot of hard work to go. Further in house trials and friendlies will be held and players will be added and deleted from the squad in the next six weeks prior to the first League game against Workington at The Gnoll on February 28th.”
TRAIN-ON SQUAD: Adam Coupe, Alan Pope, Ashley Bateman, Barrie Phillips, Christiaan Roets, Craig Foster, David James (1), David James (2), Dean Scully, Gareth Dare, Garyn Lucas, Harri Greville, Jamie Stewart, Jamie Tibbs, Joe Burke, John Saniger, Lee Williams, Leigh Taylor, Loren Quick, Neil Dallimore, Paul Boden, Phil Cushion, Sam Studley, Shaun Owens, Stephen Ireland, Steve Parry, Stuart Harvey, Stuart Volkes.