ABBEY RFC Under 11s star Josh Bodimead may have missed out on appearing at the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham, but still he insists he experienced a memorable weekend at a festival organised by Bath Rugby.

Bodimead and Abbey RFC U11s (pictured) had been hoping to head to Twickenham on May 27 to meet an England 2003 Rugby World Cup winner and join in a Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup Parade at half-time – but it wasn’t to be despite a strong performance at the rugby festival.

Bodimead and his team received the opportunity after taking part in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup – a nationwide series for U11 and U12 teams – at the weekend at Trowbridge RFC.

Abbey showed maturity beyond their years as they played with a combination of brave tackling, crisp passes and slick off-loads in a tournament that saw more than 30 teams take part.

“I was so excited to be playing for the chance to go to Twickenham,” said Bodimead – who attends Purley CofE Primary School.

“We wanted to do the best we could, we like the physical side of the game and the contact parts of rugby are great.

“I am quick and fast and so I love running with the ball. I am excited to play on the pitches with posts, I have to go to the park and kick over the goalposts at the moment.”

The Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup has seen nearly 68,000 children take part to date, from all over the country, providing opportunities for U11 and U12 players to play, develop and excel in the game.

Launched during the 2008-09 season, the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup is the first national grassroots tournament officiated by Premiership Rugby and run in conjunction with all 12 clubs.

Bath players supported the event, with prop Will Vaughan saying: “It is great to see all the players enjoying themselves.” said Vaughan.

“The standard of rugby has been really high with lots of the boys feeling really comfortable on the ball. They play with flair and that only comes from having good skills.”

Land Rover is a proud supporter of grassroots rugby and has been a partner of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup for nearly a decade. Land Rover’s ‘We Deal In Real’ campaign continues to champion grassroots rugby through Premiership Rugby and the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup. @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal.