FORMER rugby league players are being encouraged to pick up the oval ball again and prove that age is no barrier when it comes to enjoying the 13-a-side code.

Two RL Masters matches are being arranged for Saturday, November 21 at Redwaters, with a Barrow/West Cumbria Masters team to play a Chairmans XIII team at 1pm, followed by a Cumbria Masters versus GB Masters past and present clash at 2pm.

Organiser Shaun McPoland, a former Roose Pioneers player who now takes part in Masters rugby, wants to encourage old faces to return to the sport as well as encouraging newcomers over the age of 35 to give it a go.

He said: “These matches have been arranged as a way of gaining support and interest in the Masters RL ethos for the whole of the county.

“We all know there are loads of ex-players in the area, it is just a matter of enticing them back and getting some new ones into the Masters family.

“Let’s see if we can revive Masters RL in Barrow and help improve things for the whole of the county. Even if it is your first time, bring some boots along and you WILL get a game.

“Nobody is excluded from masters, as long as they are over 35 years of age and have retired from competitive rugby.

“Play for just 10 minutes or as long as you can. It’s all about staying connected with rugby league, having a craic afterwards, reliving tales of old and meeting friends you never knew.”

For more information, contact Shaun McPoland on 01229 430271 or 07720 849306.