Firstly, may I make a public apology through the Malvern Gazette to the management and members of the Civil Service Sports & Social Club (formerly known as the RSRE Club) for any inconvenience caused by unauthorised parking by visitors to Malvern Rugby Club last Sunday morning (January 30).

Our visitors had no intention of causing the members of the club any inconvenience and they, in all innocence, mistook the the club's private car park as part of the town's public sports facilities, which are also based along Spring Lane.

However, when Malvern Rugby Club was alerted to the problem by senior officers from the RSRE Club, the owners of the parked cars were contacted. Thereafter, the owners moved their cars to parking slots elsewhere along Spring Lane.

For the record, close to 1,000 people visited Malvern Rugby Club on Sunday morning, when the club's Youth Section hosted 18 mini rugby teams, four junior boys teams and two junior girls teams from Malvern, Dursley, Leominster and Yardley.

Most of the children were joined by their parents/carers and their respective coaching teams and most travelled to Malvern by private car. In fact, the sheer volume of traffic descending on Spring Lane between 9.45am and 10.15am was overwhelming and if it was not for the kind co-operation of businesses along Spring Lane, who allow visitors to Malvern RFC to park on their frontages and empty car parking spaces, there would have been serious traffic problems to contend with.

In the event all was well and I would like to take this opportunity to pass on my personal thanks to all the referees, squad managers and the kitchen and bar staff, who worked so hard to ensure the performers and the supporters were catered for throughout the morning.

I am pleased to say that not one person complained about the referees, the quality of rugby, the arrangements or the club facilities. In fact, it was a great morning of mini and junior rugby and by 2pm, when everyone had departed, all that could be seen across the Spring Lane rugby pitches were the seagulls (the flying sort that is, not the Malvern 'Vets' rugger team).

Gary Tolley, community rugby co-ordinator, Malvern RFC.