YOUNG rugby union players at a Cleckheaton school are hoping to follow in some illustrious boot prints.
Students at Whitcliffe Mount are taking part in the Rugby Football Union’s All Schools programme which aims to promote interest in the 15-a-side sport.
Whitcliffe Mount is the school where international legend Jeff Butterfield started out.
The 28-times capped England and British Lions player first made his mark in Cleckheaton en route to a rugby career which saw him find fame at Northampton Saints.
Nor was Butterfield the only England player among the Whitcliffe Mount alumni.
Scrum-half Roger Pickering won six England caps from 1967-68 as well as playing for the Barbarians.
Few schools starting out on the All Schools path will have that kind of background.
But the record books underline that the All Schools partnership of Whitcliffe Mount and Cleckheaton RFC – which also nurtured the early days of Steve Burnhill and John Bentley – really has an impressive rugby union pedigree.
Whitcliffe is among 100 specially selected secondary schools nationwide to become involved with the All Schools initiative.
The ambitious programme will see the RFU team deliver rugby union across the year seven and eight curriculum timetable.
The school has also formalised a school-club link with Cleckheaton RUFC which will encourage students to play for the club’s junior teams on a Sunday morning.
The rugby club is also offering the use of its facilities for upcoming school games.
Andy Clark, junior chairman at Cleckheaton RUFC, said: “I attended the third session for year seven and eight recently and gave a brief talk on what our club had to offer.
“The lads who were training all enjoyed the session and we look forward to having some real talent amongst them and hopefully we will get a good number coming down to play with us at the weekend.”
