Honoured Lynch looks to book spot on Four Nations tour with England

BRADFORD BULLS captain Andy Lynch has spoken of his "honour" at being asked to lead England for the first time.

The experienced prop takes charge of the international squad when they face Cumbria in Sunday's Garry Purdham Memorial Game at Whitehaven.

Lynch, who has not featured representatively since earning his sole Great Britain cap against France in 2007, conceded the news came out of the blue.

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"I was a bit shocked," he said, ahead of the fixture which he hopes will see him force his way into Steve McNamara's Four Nations tour party which is announced the following morning.

"I was just happy to get in the squad and make the team for Cumbria so I was really honoured when Steve told me this morning.

"I know lots of players are not in but it is just great to actually captain England."

As well as tomorrow's Super League Grand Finalists from Wigan and St Helens, McNamara has not included any of the Huddersfield Giants and Leeds Rhinos players whose clubs were eliminated from the play-offs last weekend.

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But that gives a host of players who have been involved in the recent train-on squad chance to make their final claims for a spot in the 24-man list.

Even with the loss of regular England captain Jamie Peacock through injury, prop is still one of the most fiercely competitive positions offering an explanation of why a player of Lynch's undoubted calibre has so often failed to push through before.

Adrian Morley and James Graham are nailed on and – to a lesser extent – Huddersfield's Eorl Crabtree meaning he could be fighting it out with Bulls team-mate Nick Scruton, Warrington's Garreth Carvell, Harlequins' Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Wigan's Stuart Fielden for only one more slot.

ENGLAND: Riley (Warrington); Fox (Hull KR), Shenton (Castleford), Clubb (Harlequins), Briscoe (Hull FC); Sykes (Bradford), Myler (Warrington); Lynch(Bradford), Higham (Warrington), McCarthy-Scarsbrook (Harlequins), Westerman (Castleford), Westwood (Warrington), Langley (Bradford). Substitutes: Scruton (Bradford), Carvell (Warrington), Broughton (Salford), Atkins (Warrington), Harrison (Warrington), Murrell (Hull KR).