A CROCKETT is definitely a person you want on your side in just about any sport, unless the event involves water.

Karen and Robin Crockett's four children, Tom, Rupert, Alex and Harriet are best known for their prowess at rugby clubs throughout the South West, but the four fiery redheads have been tearing around sporting fields of all descriptions since they were old enough to swing a plastic cricket bat.

"It's hard to find a sport they didn't play when they were growing up," said Karen from the family home in North Wiltshire this week.

"Rugby, cricket, soccer, tennis, basketball, canoeing - they were good at everything except swimming - the Crocketts have never been good swimmers."

While 23-year-old Alex has cemented a place in the first team at Bath over the past two seasons and is pursuing a professional career in the game, 25-year-old Rupert is club captain at Chippenham, 21-year-old Harriet stars in the club's women's team and Tom, 27, still plays occasionally after representing Bath's A team and Chippenham when he was younger.

All have recorded at least county honours in rugby, and one or the other in a variety of sports including cricket and badminton.

Father Robin was an international standard badminton player, and Karen also reached county level.

All four children also picked up a racket at a very young age, but it was a friend of the family who first took Tom down to mini rugby at Bath, and the rest followed suit.

"It was a nightmare on weekends with all four playing different sports all over the place," Karen said.

"I would take two in one direction and Robin would generally head off in the other."

These days the Crockett parents can afford to be a bit more selective with their sporting trips from their North Wraxall home of 21 years.

"We have headed over for nice trips to France or to Dublin for Alex's (Heineken Cup) games, and we make most home games down in Bath as well.

"But we like to watch Rupert and Harriet down at Chippenham as well when we can.

"My parents (Brian and Shirley Hedge) are the most keen, they go to every Bath game, and Alex has really had good family support."

While Alex represented England at the U21 World Cup, he isn't the only one to don the English Rose. Harriet made the England U18s women's side after coming back to rugby at the age of 15 with Avon Vale ladies in Bath and later Chippenham.

Rupert has captained Chippenham's first team to the top of South West Two East this season, and the rangy centre looks like leading the club, if not to automatic promotion, then at least a play off for the step up to South West One, uncharted territory for the black and whites.

But as if their involvement in their leisure time wasn't enough, Harriet, Tom and Rupert all work in the fitness industry as well.

"There were only really two rules in our house when they were growing up," Karen said.

"They weren't to ride motorbikes and they had to do A-levels. Then we told them to try and do something you enjoy and get paid for it, so I guess they took our advice."

Harriet is a fitness instructor at Blacklands Leisure Centre in Calne, while Rupert is operations manager. Tom works at Badminton House as head of leisure facilities.

But having four rugby playing siblings comes with its fair share of worry as well.

"I know with all of them that they don't go down easily, so when they do go down, you know they're really hurt.

Alex was kept out of Bath's Powergen Cup quarter final against Sale Sharks on Friday night with an ankle injury suffered at Bourgoin in France, and Rupert continues to battle a troublesome knee while trying to aid Chippenham's cause.

But whatever their state of health, they do find time to get home and see their siblings. It's not as if they don't have anything in common.

"It's nice to have them still all so close now they've left home," Karen said.

"They come home as much to catch up with each other as to see us."