Baines ruled out of Raiders trip

CHRIS BAINES is out of contention for the Barrow Raiders friendly this weekend.

The bustling second row man, now into his fourth season with the Roughyeds, impressed with some crunching big hits in the defeat at Leigh but also picked up a painful knock to his sternum.

The 24-year-old, who made a total of 22 appearances off the bench last term, will be further assessed at training tonight along with the other injured parties within the squad.

Gary Sykes (knee) and Jason Boults (elbow) are the other main doubts to emerge from the game at Leigh Sports Village, while the availability or otherwise of prop forward duo Paul Highton (wrist) and Richard Mervill (knee) will also be considered.

With a number of outdoor training sessions falling foul of the elements recently, Roughyeds officials are hoping for a clear week in which coach Tony Benson can put his men through some much-needed ball work ahead of Sunday’s Craven Park test.

n THE draw for the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup takes place at the home of Wath Brow Hornets tonight.

Saddleworth Rangers are the town’s only remaining amateur club left in the competition, after their 36-12 win away at Hull Isberg in the first round.

Teams from the Co-operative Championship divisions enter at the third-round stage, with Super League clubs exempt until round four.