Widnes hand Super League contracts to youngsters

Widnes have handed Super League deals to three youngsters all products of the Vikings youth academy. 19 year old Danny Craven and 17 year olds Jack Owens and Tom Gilmore have all signed 3 year deals for Super League.

Craven, who made his first team debut for the club in 2010, has made 6 appearances for the Vikings this year having been awarded the number 1 jersey for the season. An injury against York in April has seen him undergo a full shoulder reconstruction which has kept him out of action. 

Owens who joined the Widnes academy at under 13 level made his debut for the club in the Challenge cup game against Siddal in March whilst Gilmore, an amateur with Widnes club Halton Hornets has yet to play for the first team.

Head coach Betts said ““We’ve rewarded Danny, Jack and Tom with three-year contracts because not only do we think so much of them, but we also firmly believe that by year three, they’ll be pushing on toward being regulars in our First Team squad.

“As an organisation, we’re really pleased to push our youth to the forefront, and we see the future of this club being built on local talent that has been nurtured and developed through our Academies. Under the leadership of Phil Finney, our coaches have been working extremely hard to create the perfect pathway for our junior players and offering them the best possibility to progress in the game and this announcement proves the point even further”