Super League hotshot Caine Barnes will return to West Cumbria tonight to take part in a Workington Town open training session for young local players.

Former Stainburn School pupil and Seaton Rangers player Barnes, 18, was boosted up to Wigan’s first team squad for this season after strong performances for the club’s Under-19s and reserves earned him a spot in the England Academy team.

The second-rower, who graduated from Warriors’ academy, will be at Derwent Park tonight with the Town squad as part of an event to improve links with young local players.

Youngsters from the area’s community clubs will be able to pick up tips with light coaching from Barnes, the Town stars and head coach Dave Clark before watching the first team train.

Demand to take part in the event has been so high that a second session is already in the pipeline.

Marnie Jackson, community development manager at Town, said: “Caine Barnes is a Super League player and we also have Conor Fitzsimmons who is on loan from Castleford, so they are players the children can aspire to be like.

“Dave Clark is very much of the mindset that these kids are the future of the club and they need to feel part of it.

“We’ve always run kids training camps but this is a way of getting more players involved in the community by bringing the children down to one of their training sessions.

“Even though we’ve gone down a league this year, so the profile of the club probably isn’t as high, these children still want to be part of Town and they still see the players as heroes.”

More than 80 children aged between six and 16 from clubs including Seaton, Clifton, Aspatria, Maryport, Broughton Red Rose, Cockermouth, Glasson and Wath Brow have applied to take part.