Bristol Bears' hosted an exciting under-11 and under-12 grassroots developmental festival on Sunday in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup.

The youngsters at Bristol Grammar School finally got the opportunity to lace up their boots again, with a myriad of teams from the West Country and surrounding areas locking horns.

This successful series of nationwide events, now running for nearly two decades and organised by Land Rover – the official vehicle of Premiership Rugby – has seen more than 100,000 children take part to date.

And for Weston star Zac Mellish it was a memorable experience as his side finally got back to playing against the likes of local teams from Gordano A, Gordano B, Taunton Blue, Taunton Red, Clevedon A, Clevedon B and Nailsea.

Mellish, 11, said: “I’m really excited about today because I love playing rugby tournaments. I just love tackling and being tackled. I’d love to be a player when I’m older. I’m a big Bristol Bears fan.”

The competition was a fantastic spectacle for those in attendance, with the highly competitive fixtures providing a meaningful platform for youngsters to develop their rugby skills.

Graduates of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup have gone on to realise their rugby ambitions, with several players now playing for Premiership Rugby clubs, including Louis Lynagh at Harlequins and Callum Chick at Newcastle Falcons.

Bristol Bears star Luke Morahan, who attended the event, said: “It’s always great to come down and see grassroots rugby. Looking here today there’s 32 teams, over 500 kids playing and enjoying themselves in what is pretty good weather here for this time of year.

“It’s good to come down here and still see that there’s that enjoyment of the game after probably 12-18 months of kids not being able to run around with their teammates and play this sort of stuff. It’s good to get back out here and see their enjoyment.

“I think I was about four when I started running around similar competitions like this in my local area. They are some of the best memories you have.”

Land Rover has been supporting grassroots rugby in the UK for nearly two decades, through the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup. Follow the latest Land Rover rugby activity on Twitter @LandRoverRugby #DiscoverRugby.