Gus Warr heads trio of representative players doing Winnington Park proud

GUS Warr’s senior debut for Scotland this weekend is the latest in a triple whammy of representative honours being celebrated at Winnington Park this summer.

The Sale Sharks scrum-half, who started out in the minis and junior section at Burrows Hill, is to start at No9 for Gregor Townsend’s side in the first game of their Americas tour against Canada on Saturday.

It is the icing on the cake to a fine season for Warr, who made 25 appearances for his club in 2023/24.

Gus Warr scoring for Sale Sharks against Exeter Chiefs in the Gallagher Premiership (Image: PA)

And he will be looking to impress in Ottawa and keep his place for further tour matches against the United States in Washington on July 12, Chile in Santiago on July 20 and Uruguay in Montevideo seven days later.

Townsend has said about Warr ahead of his debut: “Gus has integrated really well, he’s an experienced player at a young age and the role that we see him playing, he is going to have a big say in our game.”

Warr is also following in the footsteps of his dad Mark, a one-time Winnington Park coach who was also a scrum-half and played rugby for Sale FC and Orrell in the mid-nineties.

Now 24, the University of Manchester history graduate was with Winnington Park aged six to 13 and his achievements since have not been missed by those at the club who recall him learning his trade.

He has represented both Scotland and England at age-group level, but the pathway in senior rugby is now clear for the Arsenal football fan whose eligibility for playing his international rugby north of the border is due to his mother being from Strathaven.

Warr studied at Tarporley High School and then Ellesmere College in Shropshire but moved to Dollar Academy in Clackmannanshire for sixth form, and went on to represent Scotland at under 18s, under 19s and under 20s level.

He was captain for the under 19s in games against Scottish Students, Romania and France but went on to compete for England against Scotland in the final round of the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.

Warr, who had joined the Sale Sharks Academy aged 14, signed a five-year contract with the Premiership side Sale just months after finishing his academic studies.

He ended up making his Premiership debut for Sale against Harlequins at the Stoop in September, 2018.

Club highlights so far include Warr featuring in the semi-final and final as Sale were Premiership runners-up in the 2022/23 season.

He spent time out on loan with Doncaster Knights in the 2019/20 and 2021/22 seasons.

Current Winnington Park players have also been doing the club proud on the representative scene recently.

Charlie Hyde was co-captain of the England North Under 20s team which faced Midlands and South West last month. Playing at full-back, he scored a brace of tries in each match.

He was also selected for the North in the English Divisional Tournament.

Charlie Hyde on duty with Winnington Park (Image: John Pickering)

Meanwhile, Winsford-based Park player/coach Ben Elliot featured on the wing for Cheshire against Oxfordshire in the County Championship Final at Twickenham in June.

Elliot, who is head of physical education at Brine Leas Schoolin Nantwich, was among the try scorers as Cheshire took a 27-3 lead into the second half but his side fell foul to an Oxfordshire rally in the last 20 minutes and were beaten 38-37 in added time in a Twickers thriller.

He was formerly a backs and skills coach at Newport Salop RUFC.

Ben Elliot goes for goal in Winnington Park colours (Image: John Pickering)