Batley’s hopes of securing their first major trophy for 86 years have been given a boost with the return of former York City Knights scrum-half Gareth Moore for tomorrow’s Northern Rail Cup final against holders Widnes at Blackpool.

The 21-year-old, who has scored 241 points for the Bulldogs this season, missed his side’s Championship win over Barrow on Sunday with a shoulder injury but was today cleared to play in the biggest match of his career.

“I appeared in a Grand Final with the Leeds Academy side but that was as a warm-up for a Super League match,” he said. “This will be very special occasion for me and hopefully the first of many big rugby league experiences.”

Tomorrow’s final follows the Northern Rail 9s in Blackpool today, which features the other 18 English-based Championships clubs, including the Knights.

Batley’s last appearance in a final was in 1998 when they beat Oldham 28-12 in the Trans-Pennine Cup, which featured only teams from the game’s third tier and was scrapped after three years. Their last major final appearance was in 1952 when they lost to Huddersfield in the Yorkshire Cup final.

Their last trophy came in 1924 when they beat Wigan 13-7 in the Championship play-off final.