The squad for the under-16 Combined Northern Counties has been selected following the three intra-county games over the past three weekends.
The purpose of the squad is to give the best players the best chance of progressing to the North of England and beyond. By bringing together the three counties into one squad the playing field is more even when players are competing against the likes of Yorkshire, who traditionally have greater strength in depth than most county sides. The 27-man squad includes nine Cumbrians, nine Durham players and nine players from Northumberland. Managed by Phil Healy (Cumbria), the forwards will be led by Steve Smith (Durham) and the backs by Gary Flemming (Northumberland) as the squad embark on fixtures against Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire before the North of England under-16 squad is selected.
The named squad (below) are all expected to report for training on Wednesday evening in preparation for the first festival this Sunday (28 October). Those not included may receive feedback via their county coaches, whereas the players involved will receive feedback from the Combined County coaches following the conclusion of the programme.
U16 Combined Northern Counties Squad 2012:
Injured Players still in contention: 4/5. Anth Davis (Durham), 10/15. Adam Redman (Durham), 14/15. Dan Marshall (Nland)
The details for the squad are as follows:
Training Session, Wednesday 24th October 2012 @ Kingston Park (NE13 8AF), 6.30-9.00pm (meet in East Stand Changing Rooms)