MORE than 100 teams took to the field for for the Monmouth Young Rugby Festival on Chippenham Field and the Sports Ground in the club’s 150th anniversary year, reports Claire Evans.

The festival has become the biggest of its kind in Wales, with some 4,000 spectatotrs watching the 110 teams taking part.

The weather was kind for most of the day (Sunday, April 23) with the sun shining, and both players and supporters enjoyed a great day out supporting grassroots rugby.

All players in Under 7s to Under 11s were awarded participations medals by Lewis Ludow, captain at Gloucester Rugby.

He was also a popular attraction at the Halbro Sportswear stand where many autographs were signed, and many selfies taken.

Dragons Academy players Sam Berry and Walker Price also attended and presented medals, along with the renowned Rodney the Dragon.

In the Under 12s to Under 16s age group, competitive games were played for Cup, Plate and Bowl.

All Monmouth teams in these age groups did incredibly well and the future is bright for Monmouth RFC.

This year the festival was fortunate to have two main event sponsors: Principality Building Society and Haberdashers’ Schools Monmouth.

Local businesses also dug deep to support each age group from Under 7s right through to Under 16s.

Stuart Paterson, Chairman of Monmouth Young Rugby, said: “Without the support of local businesses, it would be impossible to put on such a large-scale event for our young rugby players, and we really are grateful to our sponsors.

“The day itself saw 110 teams from both Wales and England attend our festival and we have received some fantastic feedback.

“We have already started taking bookings for next years festival which will be on Sunday, April 28, 2024.”

Andrew Davies, Chairman of Monmouth RFC, added: “There was a great atmosphere on the day, a truly great way to celebrate our 150th year.

“A huge thank you to our organisers, sponsors and teams from all of us at Monmouth Young Rugby!”

Festival sponsors included – Principality Building Society, Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools, HCR Law, Monnow Site Services Ltd, Number One Property Management, Rockfield Glamping, Pengethley Farm Shop, Alpha Renewables, A1 Car Care, Archer & Co with Abbie Drew, AJ Butler Contracting, Old Court Hotel.

Monmouth Young Rugby has a thriving young rugby section from Under 7s right through to Under 16s, offering a safe, fun, and rewarding environment to play rugby.

Contact chairman Stuart Paterson for further information at [email protected].

You can also find Monmouth Young Rugby on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.