Lancaster axes Ashton amongst others
Chris Ashton has been dropped from England's World Cup training squad
©PA
England have narrowed their back three options after removing three wings including Chris Ashton from their training squad for the World Cup.
Ashton is the highest-profile casualty among the seven axed on Friday evening, with his fellow wings Semesa Rokoduguni and Marland Yarde, centre Kyle Eastmond, scrum-half Lee Dickson, flanker Matt Kvesic and prop Matt Mullan also cut.
The departures reduce the number of players who will return to the squad's training camp at Pennyhill Park to 39, with August the 31 the deadline for Lancaster to name his final 31-man party for England 2015.
The removal of Ashton, Yarde and Rokoduguni limits England to only three wings with Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell and Jonny May the trio who will return to camp on Sunday.
All three now look set to be picked for the World Cup, unless Lancaster makes the surprise move of naming Mike Brown or Jonathan Joseph as a wing, enabling him to squeeze both Danny Cipriani and Alex Goode into his final 31.
"It has been difficult to narrow down the squad as everyone has contributed and given their all," Lancaster said.
"But what I have said to those guys who are not coming back in on Sunday is that the door is not closed by any means.
"They are only an injury away and there is a lot of international rugby to be played this season, culminating in a three-Test tour to Australia."
Only two forwards have been jettisoned with Kvesic and Mullan losing out amid the fierce competition in the back and front rows where the Red Rose have a host of options.
Among those is number eight Nick Easter, who remains with the squad after recovering from the back injury that prevented him from travelling to Denver last month for the two-week training camp at altitude.
Easter, who Lancaster revealed earlier this week is behind his team-mates in conditioning terms due to his spell in the treatment room, was thought to be among those most in danger of losing out, but he has been retained as Ben Morgan seeks to prove his fitness after recovering from a broken leg.
