Tom Hill has won the trip of a lifetime touring the South Pacific with the BARLA Great Britain squad. The highly-rated forward tells SHAUN WATHEY that he owes it all to his beloved club, York Acorn.

TOM HILL grew up watching York Acorn’s stars go on to represent the BARLA Great Britain Lions, dreaming that one day it would be him.

Now the 22-year-old rugby league star has been handed that chance after a call-up to the Lions squad for their tour of Samoa, Fiji and Tonga in June.

Having played for Acorn since the age of five, Hill has risen through the ranks to win Yorkshire Under-18 and open age honours, while also playing for Great Britain at U21 and U23 level.

After starring in the Blue and Golds’ stunning debut season in the National Conference premier division, he will scale the pinnacle of the amateur game in the South Pacific.

The Lions tour starts on June 8 and after spending two days in Los Angeles, the squad will travel to Samoa, Fiji and Tonga before returning home on July 3.

“It’s the pinnacle of your career; it means everything when you first start playing rugby,” said Hill, who is coached by his father, Alfie, at Acorn.

“When you’re young, it’s what you work for, to represent your country one day.

“It means everything to me.”

The Thanet Road club’s last BARLA tourist was player and assistant-coach Darren Callaghan in 1998.

Hill is immensely proud to be following in his footsteps and putting York Acorn on the amateur rugby league map.

“I think my love for the club has made me a better player,” he said.

“I’m so loyal to the club, it’s made me want to succeed, for myself and for the Acorn.

“I have looked up to people like Darren Callaghan, who has played for the Acorn for years and has also been on tour with BARLA.

“My loyalty to the club makes me want to play harder, which is probably why I’ve made it.”

Alfie Hill has coached his son at club and county level and Tom knows he owes a lot of his success to his father.

He said: “I look up to my dad; he’s my mentor. He always taught me when I was younger.

“He’s been an excellent coach to me for the last four years, so it means a lot to him as well as me to get called up.

“I’m doing it for him as well as me.”

Alfie drafted his son into the first-team squad at Acorn and the Yorkshire team, but he had no say in the BARLA call-up.

That was important for Tom, who said: “It’s one thing my dad thinking I’m not a bad player, but it’s another thing for other people to recognise that I’m a player worthy of playing in the top 28 players in Great Britain.

“It’s quite special to know that other people rate you as a player.”

Hill’s place in the touring squad was rubber-stamped by a superb performance for Yorkshire in their recent 22-12 Three Counties Cup victory over Lancashire.

Having reached the top of the amateur sphere, Hill is keen to stay there – and has no plans to branch into the professional game.

“I just want to keep playing as well as I can for Acorn, hopefully maintain a spot in the BARLA team and go on more tours in the future,” he said.

“I don’t think going professional is an aim for me.”

Hill works full-time as a window fitter and admits balancing that with his rugby league commitments is hard to maintain.

“It’s hard for me to train, because I’m working away all the time,” he said.

“I train less than the other lads but, when I do train, I have got to train as hard as I can and I have to put the work in.”

Hill’s place on the tour has not come without a price... £2,000 to be precise. That is the amount the forward needs to raise to fund his trip.

However, club members are rallying around in support and organising a host of fundraising events.

The latest is a Donkey Derby day on Sunday.

The seven-race card gets under way at 1.30pm.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a race or lending their support should phone the club on 01904 330351.