Keighley teenager Dan Connell is celebrating after being called up for the Great Britain Emerging Lions Under-17s squad.

The 16-year-old Oakbank School pupil began his league career playing through the age groups with the Keighley Cougar Cubs junior set-up before switching to Bradford-based West Bowling last season.

A bright future in the game for the stand-off is predicted by Keighley Cougars head of youth development Jeremy Crowther.

He said: “We’ve been watching Dan’s progress for a number of years at the club and his selection to represent his country is fully deserved.

“We are del-ighted for him”, The Lions will tour Germany, after which Connell (pictured) is set to return to Cougar Park to join up with the new under-20s squad, which will play over the coming summer months.

“We can see, with his skills and commitment, Dan bec-oming a major part of that team.”

Crowther first saw Connell in action as an under-13 and has been impressed with his development.

He said: “He has grown a lot but I always thought he had that little bit of something which made you think ‘this kid could be a special player’.

“He has enhanced his game with West Bowling but we are looking for him to play in our under-20s and, in two years time, I think he could be good enough to play in the Cougars first team.”