A local rugby team are in the running for a major award.

St Ives 2nds have been nominated for the Rugby Team of the Year accolade at the Crabbie’s National Rugby Awards.

The Bulls second string have enjoyed a rapid rise since billed as the worst senior side in Cambridgeshire three years ago.

They won promotion Eastern Counties (West) Division Three last season and also appeared in a first-ever cup final.

Hooker Craig Cheetham, who nominated the club for the award, said: “While there are other rugby teams out there who have achieved amazing successes, St Ives is from a small market town that punches above its weight.

“The way in which the second team have bonded coherently and ambitiously to achieve things that very few people in the team or the club would have thought possible two years previously is something that each individual should be extremely proud about.

“From nurturing the youth to embracing the theme of ‘Return to Rugby’ for older players, the team is the very definition of how grassroots teams can thrive, even in the lower echelons of the league structure.

“After all the blood, sweat and tears, the guts the glory and the occasional heartache, these boys really deserve it.”

Held at rugby headquarters, Twickenham, on August 30, the National Rugby Awards celebrate the best of English rugby, from grassroots to the very pinnacle of the game.

Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer passionately support rugby at all levels. To help amateur clubs thrive, they have launched Crabbie’s Rugby Rewards.

Clubs can earn kit for every bottle of Crabbie’s sold in their clubhouses - details at www.crabbiesrugby.co.uk