I realised recently that the last time I covered a rugby league match was in 1996 before I left my job at the then North West Evening Mail to relocate to the north-east to work for news agency.

While I was working in Barrow-in-Furness I wanted to get something different for my portfolio for my senior photojournalism qualification portfolio and my coverage of the Barrow Raiders grudge match with the team from Workington, where the local rivalry was well established, and that match delivered the goods.

Having said that I recently expressed an interest in covering the sport about a personal photo project and I was invited to visit the Wath Brow Hornets in Cleator Moor and today marked my first visit.

Having said that I was made most welcome by the club and they were most helpful. I am hoping that I will be able to work with the club in the future to provide match reports to give them some much needed publicity.

The long term project will hopefully last longer than my short lived photo project with the Lovat Shinty club, which was equally as welcoming, but it was unfortunately cut short due to my relocation to Cumbria in July 2023.

I posted some pics from an early quick edit on Facebook and it is nice to see that my work is appreciated by a member of the squad.