BANCROFT Ladies Rugby Club are sending out an SOS call in fear that their club will be forced to fold due to shortage of players.

There has not been a single occasion this season where Bancroft, based in Buckhurst Way in Buckhurst Hill, have been able to field a full team of 15 players. League rules permit teams to play with 12 players but twice they have not even had that many.

Skipper Marie Hopkins fears that if they lose any more they will not be able to resume next season.

She said: 'The players we have are very talented and we are currently fifth out of seven teams in the London and Eastern Counties division three despite playing the whole season without any recognised props or second row players. With a full side we could be challenging at the top.

'We desperately need new players to join up. The difficulty is in getting people to give it a go. Ladies rugby gets very little good publicity and people have preconceptions about female rugby players which are just not accurate.

'We are just ordinary girls who enjoy playing sport.

'The first time I played I had to be dragged on to the pitch but once you get out there it's great fun. It's just confidence.'

Last year the team, who recently beat Oxford 38-0 when both teams had 13 players, were the subject of a feature programme on Sky Television in which they were coached by England's Lawrence Dallaglio.

Marie added: 'We have tried everything but we don't have the time or money to go around promoting women's rugby. We just hope that more people will give it a go.'