Cumbria v Jamaica: Rugby League World Cup warm-up 'is chance to showcase' game in county

Workington Town captain and half-back Jamie Doran is part of the Cumbria squad for the World Cup warm-up game for Jamaica

Cumbria play their first representative match for 11 years on Friday when they face Jamaica in a World Cup warm-up game.

They hope that the match at Workington Town's Derwent Park (19:45 BST) will be a timely reminder that the county remains a hotbed of rugby league.

"This should be a great occasion and it can hopefully be the start of something," said Workington captain Jamie Doran, a member of the Cumbria squad.

"It can only be beneficial for us to showcase the talent we have up here.

"To be part of this game, I'm a proud Cumbrian like everyone in the squad."

'Game could thrive up here'

A forgotten outpost of the game, well away from the M62 corridor across the north west and Yorkshire, the county has had a proud record of developing players.

Names include former St Helens wing Ade Gardner and current Saints and England loose forward Morgan Knowles, thanks to a thriving game at youth level with a string of top amateur clubs.

But this is the first time a Cumbria team has been selected since they were defeated 26-12 by England Knights in October 2011.

At club level, Workington were part of the inaugural Super League season in 1996, but they finished bottom of the 12 clubs, were relegated and have never returned.

In the season just finished, all three of Workington, Barrow Raiders and Whitehaven competed in the Championship.

There has been talk of a united Cumbrian team, and that is one of the issues that needs to be tackled, according to Doran.

"A lot of Cumbrians have made a successful career in the game," the 27-year-old half-back told BBC Sport.

"We're a hotspot for children. The clubs produce some outstanding talent from under-12s up towards the senior ranks.

"The game could really thrive up here, but the RFL (Rugby Football League) have to look at how they could make it better. The next step forward is to invest money into the game.

"Workington have just had a terrible season and been relegated, but Barrow finished in the top four and Whitehaven made the top eight last year.

"There has been talk about whether the teams could merge and whether backers would buy into that idea of one team, but that is probably a couple of years off."

St Helens and England loose forward Morgan Knowles grew up playing the game in Barrow-in-Furness

Could regional rugby league return?

The squad for the Jamaica game is largely made up of players from the county's three main clubs, supplemented by recently departed St Helens veteran prop Kyle Amor, Brad Walker of Wakefield Trinity and Wigan Warriors trio Brad Singleton, Sam Halsall and Harvie Hill.

They have only had two training sessions together, organised by Barrow coach Paul Crarey, but they are keen to put on a show.

In years gone by, regional rugby league was an integral part of the sport. Matches between Lancashire and Yorkshire ran for over 100 years until they stopped in 1991. A reintroduction during the Super League era in 2001 turned out to be short-lived as only thee matches were played.

Yet, in Australia, the three-game State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland is huge, with players desperate to be selected to wear the blue or maroon of the respective teams, and Doran believes that it would be the same in England.

"You have Lions tours and England squads, but this would be something else for players to aim for," he said.

"You could have Cumbria against Lancashire and Yorkshire in a round robin, or even include a Midlands team.

"When counties play each other, everyone wants the bragging rights. I just hope the RFL don't miss a trick because this is an opportunity we can't miss."