For a place the size of Cheddar, the junior rugby section is a thriving and growing concern.

More than 100 youngsters regularly gather at the Sharpham Road Club Ground on a Sunday morning to continue the tradition of playing rugby in the village.

Since the late 1960s when a group of former Kings of Wessex pupils wanted to continue playing the game after they left the school, there has been a club in the village.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the club prospered and was hugely successful but although those days are long gone, the club is aiming to rekindle that spirit.

So the emphasis has moved to the junior section, which now boasts six age groups from Under-7s up to Under-14s giving youngsters in the village the chance of enjoying rugby in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

And this season has seen the re-emergence of a senior side which, it is hoped in years to come, will benefit from the number of rugby players being produced by the junior section. Since the wooden clubhouse had to be demolished several years ago, the club has been using the nearby changing rooms owned by the parish council.

The groundwork has already begun on a new clubhouse but until there is enough money to finish and make sure the clubhouse is economically viable, the plans have been put on hold.

Simon Charles, club chairman and coach of the Under-10s age group, said: "Given the size of the village, the number of youngsters turning up on a Sunday is amazing. There is a real passion for rugby in this area and the youngsters have caught that feeling and are really committed.

"The re-emergence of a senior side this season has helped to give the club further impetus and we are hopeful that this will continue. The club does suffer from a lack of a clubhouse and work is going on to try to resolve that situation but the economic conditions at the moment are not conducive to making any concrete financial commitment."Talk to anyone who has been around the rugby scene in the south-west and they will tell you about the warm feeling they have for Cheddar and we are hoping to return to those glory days.

"There is training every Sunday as well as training under floodlights on Thursday and Friday."

But for many rugby aficionados, Cheddar is synonymous with the Junior Rugby Festival every April. This year's event is on April 23 with teams from Wales, Gloucestershire and Cornwall making the trip.

For more information visit the club's website at www.cheddar-rugby.co.uk