The focus of Egremont Rangers Head Youth Coach, John Wells, is to instil the team ethic of discipline and respect on and off the pitch, moulding young men who take pride in their sport, their club and their town. Speaking to Egremont Today, before Rangers Under-16s took on the might of Wath Brow in the top 4 play off final at Lowca, he talked enthusiastically of the inspiration that the young players found within the club, its proud history on display in the trophy cabinet. Under-16 coach John Brocklebank set an inspiring example, himself as amateur GB captain, who had been courted by professional clubs but remained loyal to Egremont. The club’s most successful player, Robert Purdham, currently plays in the super league, and is captain of Harlequins and England. "It doesn’t get much better than that," John commented.

In its youth development programme, Rangers run teams from Under-8s to Under-16s, the younger teams competing in summer leagues. All squads are thriving, but are restricted by the rules to 25 players, and each team has three coaches. Many of the youth players have represented Copeland, and some have gone on to play in regional and national teams.
The game has moved on since John’s playing days, especially at youth level, where a professional attitude is instilled by strict coaching principles. "We aim to produce the professional players of tomorrow, and there’s some on show here at Lowca tonight."

The match was as expected, competitive and hard fought, but Brow’s bigger pack imposed themselves on the game and set Man of the Match, James McDonald, free to score two outstanding tries in the first half, to lead 14 -4. James has represented England and has recently signed for Super League outfit, Bradford Bulls. Refusing to lie down, Rangers rallied in a fast flowing second half, with James McDonald, Blake Mahovic and Luke McCourt all showing outstanding talent. They scored two late tries, but Brow ran out deserved winners 23 – 16.
This is the third final for the team this season, who also reached the quarter finals of the National Cup and won the West Cumbria Youth League. The fact that seven of the team will still be eligible to play for the Under 16s next year gives the coaching staff and club every reason to be optimistic about the future.