YOUTH RUGBY: PROMISING centre Carole Elms is gunning for international honours after being selected for the South West Counties U16s squad.

The 16-year-old, a year 11 pupil at Lavington School, plays for top local ladies' side Avon and was selected for the squad of 22 after attending trials alongside more than 80 young hopefuls.

She has already represented England in age group fixtures against Wales and wants to break into the South West Counties starting XV in order to impress the national selectors again.

Elms will be on regional duty for three matches later this month.

She said: "We received a letter at Avon inviting a few of us for trials and I went there and got picked, along with four of my team mates.

"I want to keep playing rugby for as long as I can and see how far I can go. I have represented England already and will be playing in a game against a Canadian team in two weeks time.

"I'll move up to the Avon U18s next year and I am looking forward to that and they are top of their league."

Elms, of Grasmere, Melksham, took up the sport at the age of 11. She played alongside boys before switching to Bradford on Avon ladies' team for a season.

From there she was recruited by the Bath-based Avon Ladies' Rugby Club, where her dad Nigel is now involved as a coach.

She said: "I took it up because my dad used to coach at Melksham, but when I was 13 I had to play in a girls' team. I enjoyed it right from the start."

Elms, who plans to study for a diploma in sport after sitting her GCSE exams in May, believes women's rugby has grown in popularity in much the same way football has done.

She said: "Although I have friends in the team, none of my friends from school play and we don't have a school team or anything like that.

"But I don't mind that. I think more and more girls are getting into rugby all the time and that's a really good thing."