Frodsham has played 11 times in two years at St Helens

Widnes Vikings have completed the signing of Gareth Frodsham from St Helens on a one-year loan deal.

The 21-year-old front-rower has captained England at both Under-15 and under-16 level and made his debut for the Saints in 2008 against Warrington.

"We are delighted to welcome Gareth to play for the Vikings in 2011," said Widnes director of rugby Paul Cullen.

"We hope he follows in the footsteps of Liam Farrell and uses this process to promote himself to the next level.

"We have a proven track record of giving young players a chance at the Vikings and look forward to establishing our links with St Helens as we have with Wigan."

We hope he can gain similar benefits that the likes of Jacob Emmitt and others have experienced in the past Saints head of high performance Mike Rush

Saints head of high performance Mike Rush added: "Gareth has missed a lot of rugby due to injury over recent seasons and therefore this move is part of his continuing development as a Rugby League professional.

"We hope he can gain similar benefits that the likes of Jacob Emmitt and others have experienced in the past."

Meanwhile, the two clubs will compete for the Karalius Cup at the Stobart Stadium on Saturday, 23 January (1500 GMT).

The game will be the first run-out in 2011 for both sides as they prepare for their respective seasons.

The Karalius Cup friendly match is held every year in honour of the late Vince Karalius, who played for both clubs between 1951 and 1966.

The Saints beat the Vikings last season 42-26 to lift the trophy.

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