West Bowling coach Ricky Helliwell questioned the wisdom of moving to summer rugby prior to the trip to Egremont Rangers for the last game of the National Conference League Division Two campaign.

The former Salford Reds and Keighley Cougar forward is eminently qualified to pass his opinion on the decision, having played at the highest level in the relevant period.

He said: “There appears to have been a rush to move into summer without giving the welfare of the players the proper attention.

"We lost centre Martin Tordoff with a serious knee injury last month and teenage prop Ryan Patchett, who is a great prospect, broke his ankle last week.

"It is all down to the rock-hard grounds, and most of our players are now seriously considering whether to play outside the winter season”.

Helliwell added: “Egremont are challenging for promotion and we will give them a good game but we also have full back Gareth Cullington and loose forward Ady Leek carrying bumps and cuts, so it will be a case of who is fit prior to getting on the bus.”