TWO Askam RL aces hoping to make a big impact on the international stage have had a helping hand from Super League.

Tom Hopkins and Mark Tyson are heading to South Africa in October to represent the BARLA Lions.

The Askam pair – who will be joined in the Great Britain amateur touring squad by Millom’s Lee Edmondson and Perry Singleton, of Barrow Island – are staging a fund-raiser at Fallowfield Park next month to help pay for the costs of the tour.

A race night will take place on Saturday, August 22, along with an auction of signed jerseys courtesy of Super League big guns Leeds Rhinos, St Helens, Warrington Wolves and Widnes Vikings (7pm start).

The shirt donations came about due to Hopkins and Tyson’s contacts in the rugby league community, with a local contingent at the Super League clubs – Brad Singleton (Leeds), Greg Richards (Saints), Ben Harrison (Warrington) and Brad Walker (Widnes) – all helping out.

“We’ve been pulling in a few favours,” explained 22-year-old back-rower Hopkins, a player who has been on Raiders boss Paul Crarey’s radar for a while.

“I did pre-season with Barrow and I got on well with Liam Harrison and his brother Ben plays for Warrington.

“Another lad from Askam – Brad Walker – has signed for Widnes. Mark’s Tyson’s younger brother (Raiders full-back Kristian Tyson) went to school with Greg Richards, and Brad Singleton, who played for Barrow Island, is at Leeds.

“That’s how it has all come about. We’re pulling in favours left, right and centre. It should give us a big boost, and we’re hoping with Kristian being at Barrow we might get a Raiders shirt as well.”

The proceeds from the race night and auction – which is expected to follow a rearranged National Conference Division Two home match against Castleford Panthers – will help Hopkins and Tyson fulfil their ambitions of touring with BARLA Lions.

The attacking duo impressed selectors with their performances for Cumbria in the BARLA County Tri-Series Championship in the autumn, and they have been training with the Lions squad for the past few months – with sessions taking place mostly at Dewsbury club Shaw Cross Sharks, but also at other venues, including Askam.

The South Cumbrian quartet of Hopkins, Tyson, Edmondson and Singleton have been travelling down to sessions together and have formed a solid bond.

Hopkins virtually guaranteed his place on the squad with an outstanding display when Cumbria beat Yorkshire 22-20 at Stanningley in November under the guidance of former Walney boss Gary Broadbent.

“The coaches told me that man-of-the-match game for Cumbria when we beat Yorkshire was the reason I was picked,” said the former Dowdales School pupil.

“I think if you get man-of-the-match in a trial game it’s a bit of a formality that you get picked. It just clicked that day.

“Playing with Mark and Kristian, I play my club rugby with them, so it was dead easy to slot in. It didn’t feel like a step-up at all.”

Hopkins has featured in two GB trial games since – defeats to pro clubs Keighley and Leigh – and is now aiming to boost his fitness levels, a situation he feels has not been helped by Askam’s stop-start season in the Conference.

“I’m looking forward to it now, but I’ve just got to get myself fit,” he said.

“Our season has been a little bit broken up. Because a team folded at the start of the season there have been more byes in the fixtures than there should be.

“It’s been a case of play two games then have a week off.

“We’ve just played three games and now we’ve had one called off (Cas Panthers could not raise a side on Saturday), so now we’ve got three weeks off before the next game.”

One option Hopkins has to boost his fitness levels is an invite to return to Craven Park to train with Raiders.

He will jump at the chance, although he does not foresee himself taking the pro ticket for another few years.

“Cresta has said I can go down and train with Barrow – it’s a free house. He said I can train with the boys and get free physio as well,” explained a grateful Hopkins.

“I think I might want to go and experience a few more amateur tours first if I get picked, and then when I’m a bit older I’d like to turn pro.”

The three-match South Africa tour runs from October 5 until October 16 and will see the Lions play in two Test matches and also take on a select team.

Barrow Island are also hosting a race night to raise funds for Perry Singleton’s tour of South Africa, as well as for Richard Chatfield, Ian Irvine and Gareth Shaw, who are part of the Cumbria Men’s League side who will tour Serbia.

It will take place after Friday’s Cumbria League match against Walney Central at Rating Lane, starting at approximately 8.30pm.

lUlverston’s Tom Wilkinson scored a try for BARLA Young Lions as they defeated the British Columbia Bulldogs Under-23s 40-6 in Canada.