CLECKHEATON hope to give a debut to former England rugby league international Ewan Dowes.

The 34-year-old Leeds Rhinos, Hull FC and Dewsbury Rams stalwart has been selected for the next-to-bottom National League Three North club at fifth-placed Wirral on Saturday.

Cleckheaton's rugby chairman Neil Gillan explained: "Ewan is a mate of our former coach Pete Murphy, and has been down to the club before.

"He has missed the last couple of weeks with a hamstring injury and we have selected him at outside centre but he can also play at inside centre and in the back row."

The visitors have also picked Mikey Hayward on the wing alongside Dowes, with Gillan adding: "We have played against Mikey before when he was with Wheatley Hills but more recently he has been playing amateur rugby league in Castleford."

Cleckheaton (at Wirral): J Wilson; M Hayward, E Dowes, Matt Piper, L Queeley; R Evans, J Bickerdike; P Turner, J Crowther, A Piper, R Piercy, J Malkinson, T Austin, R Piper, J Seddon. Replacements: L Pearson, M Barlow, B Thrower.