Wednesday 25 June 2014 14:10, UK
Tom Gilmore has pledged the next two years of his career to Super League club Widnes Vikings.
The 20-year-old half-back committed his immediate future to his local club, having signed a deal that will keep him at the Select Security Stadium until the end of the 2016 season.
Gilmore, 20, who learnt his trade at the Vikings Academy, has collected five tries in seven appearances for the club this season.
He says: “I’m very pleased to sign my contract and I feel I’ve got lots more to give Widnes.
“Denis Betts (head coach) trusts me and always has done. He knows what I’m capable of and I’m looking forward to developing even more and bringing that on to the pitch.
“I’m pleased to get some more game time this year and I’m keen to push on and get more games under my belt at the back end of the season.
“My plan has always been to stay at Widnes and eventually become the scrum-half here. Widnes Vikings is my home town club and I’m proud to represent it and pull on the shirt.”
Betts adds: “Tom is really starting to mature as a player and I believe he’s a half-back with huge potential.
“We’ve seen him play a good number of games for the first team where he’s impressed.
“I’m really pleased that Tom has signed a two-year deal with the club as he is part of a young group of players that we have developed and they enhance our culture and environment.
“It’s important that we keep hold of young players like Tom who are improving all the time. He’s been in our system since he was a teenager and has come through the ranks.
“He is part of a group of players who we think will develop and play a big part in making the club successful.”
