Keighley Cougars last night (Thursday) staged their biggest block signing when they gave professional terms to four players from their Scholarship Scheme.

They gave two-year deals to prop Wasim Shabir, scrum half or hooker Ben Stead, full-back Adam Reardon and stand off Jordan Atcheson.

Jeremy Crowther, the Cougars’ Scholarship and Football Manager, said: “This is a massive investment in the future of the Cougars.

“All four of the players have come through the club’s development system and that’s a massive vote of confidence in the quality of the work being undertaken by the club.

“We’ve produced similar numbers of players before but not all of them signed for the Cougars at the end of the day.

“And the exciting thing is that we’ve got more good quality youngsters coming through the system”.

Barry Eaton, the Cougars Head Coach, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Wasim, Ben, Adam and Jordan as professional players at Cougars.

“We offered them contracts because they showed the right kind of promise. But they and we know that signing for a professional club like Cougars is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a career that needs both hard work and dedication.

“They’re exciting prospects for the Cougars and we wish them every success in their professional careers”.