Millward decides to drop compensation case against Saints

Ian Millward has dropped his case for compensation from St Helens for his sacking last year. Millward was claiming £150,000 for "wrongful and unfair dismissal" by the club, but Saints announced yesterday that the case had been settled without any compensation being paid.

"St Helens always maintained that Millward would not be entitled to a penny of compensation and was wasting his money in bringing a claim," said a statement from the club. "The club has been totally vindicated in that view."

The statement went on to say that Saints, who sacked Millward for gross misconduct, based on three instances of using abusive language, would be making what it called "a small payment to his solicitor, to make a contribution to his legal costs."

Saints also acknowledged that they had offered Millward a pay-off to go quietly when he was sacked in May, but if yesterday's statement was intended to draw a line under the affair it does not appear to have satisfied Millward.

On his way to Portugal for pre-season training, he issued his own statement, revealing that he had met the St Helens board for 14 hours on Thursday before reaching what he thought was "an amicable and totally agreed settlement".

"My lawyers were certainly prepared to take my complaints forward, but with the Wigan club in mind I agreed to a compromise. What disappoints me is the terminology used by St Helens," said Millward.

The Gloucestershire Warriors, the surprise team of the preliminary round of the Powergen Challenge Cup who beat the Yorkshire side, Illingworth, hope to enlist the help of Denis Betts for their first-round tie at home to Blackbrook.

The Warriors are so-called because of a twinning arrangement with Wigan, with whom Betts spent 17 years before becoming Gloucester RU's skills and development coach.

Warrington Wizards are to give trials to three Serbian internationals with a view to them playing in their tie at Clayton on the weekend of 4 to 5 February.