WINSCOMBE rugby players will be able to improve their skills even more next summer because they will be able to train later on the club s pitches.

WINSCOMBE rugby players will be able to improve their skills even more next summer because they will be able to train later on the club's pitches.

Winscombe Rugby Club's first team is currently sitting at the top of the Somerset Premiership and club chairman Steve Bridges is hoping that more training will keep up its success next season.

An approved planning application means that one of the pitches off Yadley Lane can be used until 9pm or dusk, depending on which is earlier.

These changes only apply to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, however, in the past all pitches could only be used until 7pm on these days.

During the winter, team members are put through their paces at a separate floodlit training area.

Steve said: "Before, summer training has had to be stopped early when it could have carried on.

"Next summer we are hoping that more training will mean we will do even better the following season."

The approval of the planning application at a meeting of North Somerset Council's south area committee last month also means the pitches can be used for an extra two months every year.

From now on the fields can be used between August 1 and May 31 of the following year.

Steve said: "We had to make the application because the RFU lengthened the rugby season by one month.

"We wanted the extra month at the beginning of the season for training purposes.