Rugby Union By John Walsh

Last updated 05:41, Friday, 17 October 2008

RUGBY UNION chiefs will be in Cumbria this weekend.

Chief executive officer Francis Baron has pledged a frank, no-hold-barred discussion of issues affecting the game in general and Cumbria in particular.

"These fact-finding visits have been a huge success in the past and we regard them as an essential part of our work," said Baron.

"The question and answer session at Penrith is an integral part of this.”

Nothing will be off limits, from the mechanics of the grassroots game to the future of the elite game and the England team under the new manager Martin Johnson.

Everyone involved in the game - players and coaches, volunteers, administrators, supporters and the media - will get the chance to question the RFU's top brass on the work of the Union and to provide feedback on the challenges faced by rugby at local, national and international levels.

Chairman of the management board Martyn Thomas, chief executive officer Francis Baron, community rugby director Andrew Scoular, community rugby chairman Rob Udwin and senior vice-president John Owen from Cumbria will launch their tour with a question and answer session at the Penrith club tonight. The visit then continues at Ullswater Community College (Saturday morning), Wigton club (Saturday afternoon) and Kirkby Lonsdale (Sunday morning).

The Wigton club, in particular, is looking forward to hosting the top brass as they will be there to see three different matches that are going on at Lowmoor Road.

Wigton’s first team host Wallsend in the Senior Vase; the Wanderers (their second team) host Ashington and the club’s Colts are in action against St Bees.

The Colts team are likely to be the subject of much pleasing discussion with the distinguished visitors as Wigton, who had such a good name for emerging talent in the 1980’s, appear to have found a new conveyor belt.

They had two Colts teams in action on Saturday, involving 37 players and at the end of the first team League fixture at Fleetwood the Greens had six 18-year-olds on the pitch.

Coach Malcolm Brown says: “They are a very talented bunch and we are delighted at the way they have progressed into the first team. Their presence augers well for the future of the club.” David Hanabury, Fergus Ledingham, Richard Moffat and Chris Patterson all started at Fleetwood while Ashley Gosling came on at half-time and Steven Green got the last 15 minutes.

Brown believes that Hanabury is one of the best prospects in Cumbria. He’s a west Cumbrian, from Moresby, who has been at the Wigton club for four years and played regularly in the first team last season, mainly on the wing.

This time round he’s got a man of the match playing full-back and in the win at Fleetwood was very influential at stand-off.

Ledingham played on the wing at Fleetwood but is a scrum-half of some potential while Richard Moffat has been putting in some big performances on the wing or in the centre. He’s actually a convert from soccer after being attached previously to the Gretna Academy.

Patterson, a centre or wing, joined the rugby union club with hooker Green from the Wigton rugby league club when it disbanded and they have brought new qualities to the squad.

Gosling actually made his senior bow on the wing but he’s a mobile back-row forward who has been selected for the Northern Colleges Under-18’s final trial.