Widnes have continued their preparations for a return to Super League by handing new contracts to a trio of teenagers.
Betts sees promising futures for all three youngsters at Widnes
Widnes have continued their preparations for a return to Super League by handing new contracts to a trio of teenagers.
The Vikings have handed three-year deals to full-back Danny Craven, 19, who has missed most of the 2011 season due to a shoulder re-construction, and junior England internationals Jack Owens and Tom Gilmore, both 17.
Owens made his Widnes debut at the age of 16 years and 276 days in the Challenge Cup third-round win over Siddal in March, while Gilmore, a one-time trialist with Liverpool, played in the club's pre-season trial matches.
Widnes coach Denis Betts said: "We've rewarded Danny, Jack and Tom with three-year contracts because not only do we think so much of them but we also firmly believe that by year three, they'll be pushing on toward being regulars in our first-team squad.
"We see the future of this club being built on local talent that has been nurtured and developed through our Academies."
Vikings director of rugby Paul Cullen added: "Youth development was pivotal to our successful Super League licence application. We promised it wouldn't be a false promise and here's the proof."
Widnes have already retained Macgraff Leuluai, Paddy Flynn, Steve Pickersgill, Dave Allen, Thomas Coyle, Kurt Haggerty and Ben Kavanagh from their current squad.
They havs also recruited Shaun Briscoe (Hull KR), Ben Cross (Wigan) and Hep Cahill (Crusaders) ahead of their Super League comeback in 2012.
