WORKINGTON have appointed their first club professional for eight years in 25-year-old Kiwi Simon Beare.

The Otago all-rounder is expected to arrive on Thursday in time for the opening game of the season at Cockermouth.

Beare, who hails from Dunedin, is also a Level Two coach but this will be his first professional appointment overseas.

He did tour Australia with Otago U19s and was a substitute fielder for Otago in a match against a touring England side in New Zealand.

Workington captain Martyn Turner said: “When he first started playing with Otago he was used mainly as a medium pace bowler but is now seen more as a batsman.”

Workington were one of the few clubs in the North Lancashire League without a professional - their last being Habib Balloch in 1997.

But that did not stop the first team finishing a very creditable fourth in the Premier Division last year after leading the table early in the season.

Turner says: “Since then we’ve been accepted into the North Lancs First Division with our reserve team and the appointment of a club professional moves us forward.

“Having taken the step to play our second string in a higher league we need to make sure standards keep moving forward.

“If our first team was to be relegated then our reserves would have to drop out as a club can’t have two teams in the same division.”

Beare will come into the Workington side for Scott Windley, the former Wigton all-rounder who is returning to Australia.

“Scott has a problem with his shoulder and doesn’t want to play any cricket before he goes back to Australia,” said Turner.