In pictures: Young rugby players take part in annual competition

Wet weather provided the perfect conditions for young rugby players yesterday as the annual Maidenhead RFC Youth Tournament got underway.

Taking place at Braywick Park, in Braywick Road, squads aged from under seven to under 16 travelled from as far as Cwmbran, in Wales, to take part in what is one of the UK's biggest junior tournaments.

Starting at 10am, matches took place throughout the day as more than 1,000 young rugby players took part from about 100 teams.

"It has been a great day," said tournament director Annemarie Hargreaves, who added the kids loved to take part.

"They love the competitiveness, they get a real thrill out of it.

"We are all just here to make it the best experience for the kids to improve their love of rugby.

"There are a lot of local teams and it has more of a community feel."

The tournament, which is now in its 20th year, also invited three special guests to help dish out the medals to children.

These included Phil Swainston and Rory Pitman of the London Wasps, while first team members of Maidenhead RFC were also on hand to hand out coaching advice to the future rugby stars.

Teams showing of their tackling and passing skills included Maidenhead, Marlow, Windsor, Bracknell, Newbury and Harrow.

The tournament raises funds for Maidenhead RFC, which helps to reduce fees to make the sport more accessible.

See more pictures from the tournament below: