By Amanda Little

Last updated at 14:24, Tuesday, 02 March 2010

Mark Cueto is being backed to end his barren spell and steal the try-scoring crown of his fellow Cumbrian Steve Hanley.

Dad: Mark Cueto

Hanley, who was forced to retire a year ago with a serious back injury, still holds the Guinness Premiership try-scoring record with his 75 touchdowns, but the former Aspatria winger believes it won’t be long before the total is eclipsed by his former Sale team-mate Cueto.

Cueto is just seven tries adrift of that total, but is making painfully slow progress in rewriting the record books.

The Workington-born winger’s only try in 12 games for Sale this season came in mid-September and his drought has also been apparent with England as, after Saturday’s 16-20 Six Nations defeat to Ireland, he has now gone nine games without scoring.

However, Hanley expects that to change soon – and revealed he would be happy to hand over his crown to Cueto.

Hanley, whose sole England cap came in a Five Nations game against Wales in 1999 when he was 19, said: “We’ve very, very good mates and if someone is going to take the record off me I’m hoping it will be Mark.

“I would hope he can beat it soon and then put it out of reach of anyone else.

“Mark is an excellent player who had terrible luck with injury himself, and that will have stopped him getting to the record faster than he has.”

The pair will join forces at a junior rugby academy run by Sale Sharks at Aspatria Rugby Club later this month.

Cueto will make a guest appearance at the Steve Hanley Rugby Academy for eight to 16 year olds from March 30 to April 1, and the pair would love to unearth another Cumbrian star to follow them into top-flight rugby.

Hanley said: “My big thing is that lads from Cumbria are being missed by big rugby clubs.

“This is a perfect opportunity to bring Sale Sharks into Cumbria and for me to give something back to the area.

“Camps we have held around Cheshire and Lancashire have picked up players so you never know we might find someone in Cumbria.”

Youngsters taking part will receive three days of expert tuition from Hanley and Sale Sharks coaches.

The cost is £75 and includes a T-shirt and a ticket to a Sale Sharks match. Each day the academy will run from 9am-3.30pm at Aspatria RU Club.

For more information and to book a place call Johnny Acheson at Sale Sharks on 0161 286 8888 extension 204 or email john.acheson@salesharks.com or visit www.rugbycamps.com

First published at 12:27, Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk