FORMER West Craven Warriors forward Alex Szostak is set to make his World Cup bow tonight.

The 27-year-old, who now plays for Sheffield Eagles, started his career with the Barnoldswick-based club and still lives in the area.

He came on as a replacement in the Bravehearts 38-20 defeat to Papua New Guinea in a warm-up match at Featherstone on October 20, and has been named in the squad to face Tonga at Derwent Park in Workington tonight where he will be hoping to win his 17th cap.

Szostak joined West Craven Warriors at aged eight and has since played for Keighley Cougars, Bradford Bulls and French club Villeneuve Leopards.

Speaking before the tournament, Szostak said he was looking forward to representing Scotland, who also face Italy, again at Workington, before a match against the USA at Salford.

“I think the aim is to spread the game throughout the UK, and there is a strong rugby league heritage in Cumbria,” he said.

“The people who live there are passionate about the game, so it gives them a chance to get involved with the World Cup scene.

“When you’re picking rugby league areas in the UK, you think ‘M62 Corridor, Cumbria and North Wales. That’s where the heartlands are, so it’s only fair that they get to see a bit of the action, I think.”

While Szostak will be mixing with Rugby League’s big boys during the tournament, he will soon be heading back to his day job. After qualifying in Biomedical Science at Leeds University, he is a genetic scientist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

On Sunday night, Manu Vatuvei scored a hat-trick of tries as New Zealand made a winning start to the defence of their World Cup crown but it was outsiders Samoa who took most of the honours in an action-packed group A match in Warrington.

And France rolled up their sleeves and defied a partisan East Hull crowd to win their World Cup Group B opener with Papua New Guinea 9-8 at Craven Park, but they were not without their fair share of good fortune in doing so.