YOUNGSTERS from a small War-minster school without a playing field of their own have won a county rugby tournament.
Crockerton Primary School is one of the smallest schools in Wiltshire, with just 88 pupils but they still managed to field a team to take on some of the best budding rugby players in the area.
The school's mixed team won all seven matches in the west Wiltshire tag rugby tournament which was held at Folly Lane, Warminster, last Wednesday.
They beat Paxcroft Primary School in the final, winning by two tries to nil.
Crockerton's victorious team will now represent west Wiltshire at the Western Counties Youth Games in July.
Headteacher Val Culff said: "We don't have a playing field or gym so we have to make very complex arrangements each week to simply fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for PE.
"This involves the use of the local sports centre, assembly rooms as well as using Warminster Rugby Club for outdoor sports.
"However, we also give the children opportunities to do extra sports activities and we have thriving rugby and judo clubs.
"We are also a partnership school with Kingdown College in Warmin-ster which means we get support with training and resources."
Crockerton pupils' enthusiasm for tag rugby was highlighted this year when more than half of children aged eight to eleven stayed after school for extra coaching.
Mrs Culff said: "Maybe the fact that I'm an enthusiastic rugby fan has something to do with it.
"At the beginning of the year I was coaching the children myself, but gladly a coach from Warminster Rugby Club offered to help us out and he's now taken over much to my relief.
"We've also had two sixth form students from Kingdown to help us out each week.
"The children have really had a great time with them."
Twenty-two primary schools from across the district took part in the round-robin tournament last Wednesday. Each school entered a mixed squad of ten.
The event was run by West Wiltshire District Council's sports development team, in partnership with the schools sports co-ordination programme and the RFU rugby development officer for Wiltshire.
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