WOODRUSH coach Chris Parsons has warned clubs will go to the wall within two years if they do not look at survival measures.

The Icknield Street side were forced to pull out of the Midlands West Three South on the eve of the season and are struggling to field three sides on a regular basis.

But the Rush coach said clubs in South Birmingham have struggled to attract players for years and this season has seen things come to a head.

Players are retiring earlier and there is a lack of replacements, he said.

I've played all over the West Midlands for around twenty years and there are too many clubs in South Birmingham and not enough quality players.

He said players were retiring in their mid thirties rather than carrying on into their forties because the win-at-all-costs attitude introduced with the league structure made the game more physically demanding.

And he bemoaned the fact rugby was not being played in schools because of demands on PE teachers' time and said the sport was not fashionable enough to attract youngsters to fill the void.

Woodrush are trying to address the crisis with a youth section but the club are also in talks about radical proposals including groundsharing and merging sides to ensure survival.

Talks are at the very early stage but we have approached Bournville, Five Ways and Kings Norton about merging teams, added Parsons.

If Kings Norton and ourselves are struggling to field a third team we could field a joint side, but we are also looking at the feasibility of mergers.

People will not want to lose their name but otherwise I can see clubs going under, it's all about timing, you don't want to sacrifice your club name and history prematurely but you can't afford to leave it too late.

The club have enjoyed a promising response from their young first team and are hoping to return to the league structure a division lower after a year in the wilderness.

Redditch coach Warren Dalby also pointed to the number of rugby sides in the area as a problem.

This area has always struggled to attract players because of the amount of teams, said the injured former captain.

If you look up north or down south clubs have a catchment area of 60 or 70 miles and can attract hundreds of players and field six or seven sides.

The only way to attract players is by being successful.

Dalby said the money pumped into Worcester by Cecil Duckworth had not affected clubs in South Birmingham because players discarded by the club would not be prepared to drop to the Kingfishers' level.

And he blamed a crippling injury list and a lack of commitment in pre-season training for Redditch's Midlands Four West South plight.

Lack of commitment was also cited by Alcester skipper Andy Flynn who said people were not prepared to commit to rugby because of the social demands.

"It's not like football where you can get away with just playing the match, he said.

Playing rugby takes your whole Saturday because it's all about club spirit.

People have far more demands on them than when I started playing, from work or whatever, and they aren't prepared to commit themselves.

Two years ago Alcester were talking about fielding a sixth side but are struggling to fill four this season and the lack of depth has been exposed by a horrendous injury list.

It's a Midlands-wide problem, said the crocked captain, We face a lot of trips to Coventry in the Warwickshire One which puts off potential recruits, but when we get there we see sides like Pinley having the same problems.

The collapse of the youth section, which only restarted this season, has left a yawning gap between ageing first teamers and the 13-year-old Colts and Flynn pointed the finger at under-achieving England.

There's no doubt England disappointed in the 1999 World Cup after good performances in 91 and 95.

People aren't coming along to try it out, it's like tennis, if Tim Henman wins Wimbledon next year everyone will pick up a racket.

With Woodrush, Alcester and Redditch investing in youth the hope is youngsters can keep club's going but in the short term mergers could be the only solution to stop long-established clubs going to the wall.

Kings Norton's Paul McGlynn said the money pouring into rugby at the top level was trickling down and Midlands West Three South rivals Leamington and Old Coventrians were buying up the most talented players.

The big clubs have even got into the schools, he said.

We used to get a lot of players from Kings Norton Boys School but a guy from Moseley is coaching there and signing up the best of them.

McGlynn said a merger with neighbours Woodrush was the only option but overtures had so far been rejected by their former league rivals.