One of the county’s leading amateur rugby league stars has decided to dip his toes in the professional waters – after signing a new deal with Workington Town.

Matty Henson, of Egremont Rangers, has put pen to paper to pledge his immediate future to Chris Thorman’s side as they up their preparations for next season in Betfred League 1.

The talented hooker believes this is the right time for him to take the next step in his own career, after a string of representative honours for his country.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to the next step in my rugby career and excited about the challenge.

“Once we get the go-ahead I’m looking forward to beginning training with Chris, his staff and meeting the other players.’’

Henson who came through the RFL player pathway for the most talented players in the country, has played for the England Lions from under-17 level and captained England Lions at under-18 and under-21 level.

Most recently he represented the England Lions at open age on their tour of Fiji in 2018.

He’s played for Egremont for seven seasons and, after gaining so many representative honours for his country, feels the time is right to make the next progression in his career.

Town’s head coach Chris Thorman says he is excited to see what Henson can do at this level.

Thorman said: “We’ve seen how successful our previous community club recruits have been and I’m totally confident Matty will be another one.

“After speaking with him, he’s ready to take the next step in his rugby league journey.

“He’s comfortable with everything he’s achieved in the amateur game and we’re extremely pleased such a talented player has decided to join us.

“He has plenty of hard work to do to make the step up, but we’re all really excited to watch him progress.’’