Whitehaven: Cumbria avoid punishment over lack of IMG grading

The third Cumbrian club, Workington Town, achieved a score of 7.26, the highest grade C ranking, less than a quarter of a point away from a B grade.

They finished sixth in League 1 this season and will be joined next year in the third tier by neighbours Whitehaven.

Workington played in the inaugural Super League back in 1996 and were relegated, the last time a Cumbrian side played in the competition.

The region is often seen as a forgotten heartland of the game, but Sutton insists that it will not be left behind.

“Our aim for Cumbria and west Cumbria is the same as it is for everywhere else,” he said.

“That is [the game] expanded and embedded in our towns and cities as much as possible.

“Our wider view is to have more people playing rugby, more people watching rugby, more people buying club shirts, more involved in the game overall.”