York ace Ross Divorty set for Rugby League World Cup with Wales
11:35am Monday 30th September 2013 in Sport
By Peter Martini, peter.martini@thepress.co.uk
YORK star Ross Divorty is poised to grace the forthcoming Rugby League World Cup after being named in Wales’ 23-man squad – but there was no such joy for Scotland hopeful Lee Paterson.
Former York City Knights second-row Divorty, a product of New Earswick All Blacks ARLC, has kept his place in the Dragons’ party despite missing last autumn’s internationals through injury, having been an ever-present in their previous tournament, the 2011 Four Nations.
Divorty, 24, who scored seven tries in 29 appearances for Kingstone Press Championship big-guns Halifax this year, is the son of former Great Britain star Gary Divorty and qualifies for Wales via his Welsh-born grandmother. He made his international debut in 2009 and has 11 caps, with two tries.
His joy today was not shared by fellow Yorkie and ex-All Blacks junior Lee Paterson, who was omitted from the Scotland squad.
Paterson, the former Knights captain who has been playing for Whitehaven after a spell in France, was one of the players culled from the Bravehearts’ original list.
There are places in the Scotland squad for ex-Knights Gareth Moore, Ben Hellewell and Danny Brough – who captains the squad following a stellar year with Super League table-toppers Huddersfield which could well end with the Man of Steel accolade at tonight’s end-of-season awards ceremony in Manchester.
Wales reached the semi-finals of the 1995 and 2000 World Cups and beat England, New Zealand and France in the 1975 tournament, but are big outsiders this year given the number of part-timers in the present-day squad, including Divorty who is training to be a teacher.
They kick off their campaign by taking on Italy as part of a double header on the tournament’s opening day at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday, October 26. The opening ceremony is at 1.30pm, England face Australia at 2.30pm and Iestyn Harris’ men tackle the Azzurri at 4.30pm.
Scotland have a warm-up game against Papua New Guinea before beginning their World Cup campaign against Tonga at Workington’s Derwent Park on October 29.
Wales squad: Neil Budworth (Moranbah Miners, Australia), Ross Divorty (Halifax), Gil Dudson, Ben Flower, Rhodri Lloyd (Wigan), Jake Emmitt, Jordan James (Salford), Ben Evans, Elliot Kear (Bradford), Rhys Evans, Rhys Williams (Warrington), Dan Fleming (Castleford), James Geurtjens (Norths Devils, Australia), Danny Jones (Keighley), Craig Kopczak, Larne Patrick (Huddersfield) Peter Lupton (Workington), Rob Massam, Christiaan Roets (North Wales Crusaders), Matt Seamark (Wynnum Manly Seagulls, Australia), Anthony Walker (St Helens), Ian Webster (Central Queensland Capras, Australia), Lloyd White (Widnes).
Scotland squad : Gareth Moore (Batley), Danny Addy (Bradford), Peter Wallace (Brisbane), Jonathan Walker (Castleford), Ian Henderson (Catalan), Ben Hellewell (Featherstone), David Scott (Featherstone), Luke Douglas (Gold Coast Titans), Matthew Russell (Gold Coast Titans), Sam Barlow (Halifax), Dale Ferguson (Huddersfield), Danny Brough (Huddersfield), Adam Walker (Hull KR), Ben Fisher (London Broncos), Alex Hurst (London Broncos), Kane Linnett (North Queensland Cowboys), Andrew Henderson (Sheffield), Mitch Stringer (Sheffield), Alex Szostak (Sheffield), Oliver Wilkes (Wakefield), Ben Kavanagh (Widnes), Brett Carter (Workington), Brett Phillips (Workington).
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