Rugby- Liskeard girls prepare for games

For the past few weeks, as part of preparation for the nationwide Millennium Youth Games, Mr Frank Butler, Youth Development Officer with the CRFU, has been training a bunch of enthusiastic girls at Liskeard Community School, in the skills of tag rugby.

Tag rugby is one of eight focus sports to be promoted for the games, and is being backed to the tune of £750,000 over the next three years by Ford UK, to promote the sport in over 90 primary schools throughout Cornwall. Mr Butler is involved with the 11 feeder primaries for Callington School. The present training for under 15's girls is resourced by the Sports Council with match funding from the government., and each participating school is receiving 20 sets of tags, 4 rugby balls, a video and coaching book, and an equipment bag.

Liskeard has been chosen as the training centre for the Caradon District, with six other comprehensives in the county taking part for the remaining districts.

After competitions between the Cornish girls' teams, a dry run is to be held on June 26, there will be a competition next summer to determine the county winners who will go on to Exeter for the South West Region final. The eventual winners will represent the South West at the Millennium Games at a national stadium.

The Liskeard team is being trained by Chris Perkins, who is the coach for the Cornwall RFU U'18's rugby team, and Mr Butler is co-ordinating the county wide programme.

In the best traditions of county rugby there are high hopes that it will be the Cornish girls from the South West who make the national finals.