• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

The third O2 Scrum on the Beach event took place at Southport last weekend, and despite being forced to move the event from the beach to the Southport RFC due to the inclement weather, the traditonal fun and enjoyment that has made these events such a success was very much in evidence.

Happily, the weather gods were kind on Sunday with the rugby union folk from Merseyside and the North West responding brilliantly.

With extra teams turning up on the day to register for the tag rugby competition, the total was swelled to 34 teams, with boys and girls, men and women all fully represented.

There was also plenty of family support to increase the numbers and with England international Paul Sackey providing a celebrity dimension, the first O2 Beach Rugby project staged in the North West evolved into a great success.

"The turnout today has been absolutely brilliant considering the switch from the beach at the last minute. I really love working with the kids and that’s why I signed up to be part of the programme again this year. I love to see the happiness and the smiles on the kids’ faces when they come along and enjoy it. O2 and the RFU have done an amazing job in getting these events up and running," said the Wasps wing.

O2 Scrum on the Beach is part of the RFU's Play On campaign which aims to keep more 16-24 year-olds in the game as they move from school into higher education and beyond.

Play On, which is also supported by the National Sports Foundation, has created a network of more than a thousand O2 Pathfinders to guide young players on their rugby journey, promote rugby directly to thousands of teenagers, and create more teams, competitions, coaches and referees to sustain the growth of the game.

"These programmes have enabled me to see just how many people enjoy playing rugby and just how big the game is everywhere," said the England international. "I’m very impressed by the skills some of the kids – and the not so young! – show in the games. It’s great to see and I’m very happy to be a part of it."

While Sackey went through a full repertoire of inter-personal tasks with a smile and an obvious enjoyment, his positive mood was matched by local organisers Mark Sutcliffe, the West Lancashire RDO charged with pulling the local strings in terms of project management, and Dan Brown, the RFU Leisure Rugby Project Manager, who has overall responsibility for the logistics of the O2 programme.

"Despite the impression that soccer dominates the area, Merseyside really is a hotbed of rugby and getting the O2 Scrum on the Beach festival was a real boost for us. Hopefully we have done enough, given the weather problems we’ve had to deal with, to earn a place in next summer’s itinerary,” said Sutcliffe.

"It’s turned out to be a great day, with good weather. It may have become ‘O2 Scrum on the Grass next to the Rugby Club’ rather than ‘Scrum on the Beach’, but to get 34 teams here and all the supporters isn’t bad at all," added Brown.

The next leg of the eight-event tour is at Bournemouth on July 25 before it continues at Weymouth (August 1), Tynemouth (August 8-9), Skegness (August 15) and Newquay (August 28-29).