EVESHAM'S under-12s might have missed out on the chance to attend the Aviva Premiership final but still relished their day among the stars at Worcester Warriors.

Matt Cox and Tom Howe were among the Sixways club's Premiership stars casting an eye over the future talent in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, hosted in the shadow of the club's famous home.

Since being launched during the 2008-09 season, the nationwide grassroots rugby event has seen more than 70,000 children take part.

This season sees the tenth anniversary edition of the event with Warriors hosting their festival on Saturday.

Evesham under-12s was one of 30 under-11 and under-12 teams in attendance who welcomed the chance to strut their stuff in front of their Worcester heroes.

And while they missed out on the chance to attend Twickenham in May, 11-year-old Luke Rothwell insisted he had loved every minute of the experience.

"I thought it would be tough but that if we kept our heads in it we’d be alright,” said The De Montfort School pupil.

“The quality of the teams was high, there were some teams we’d never played before and that taught us what they were good at and what we could improve on against them.

“I’m a Worcester fan so playing at their stadium was a good opportunity.”

Teams from across the county will compete at various festivals hosted by the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs this season, with the opportunity to earn a trip to the Aviva Premiership Rugby final on May 26 where they will meet a Land Rover rugby ambassador, join in a half-time parade and hear which of them has won a club most valuable player award.

Meanwhile, Cox was quick to express his admiration for what he had witnessed at the event.

“I remember doing these kinds of tournaments when I was younger, being a local lad up at Woodrush which is only 20 minutes away from here,” he said.

“It’s great when you’re a kid because you get to play against teams who you wouldn’t normally get to play. It’s a great day out and the kids love it. You remember days like these because you have such a good time at them.

“But seeing the youngsters play, I can never remember being that good. It helps evolve their ability and their knowledge of the game — in five years they’ll probably be taking my job!”

n Land Rover is celebrating its testimonial season following 10 years of its Premiership Rugby Cup.

The national series of grassroots rugby festivals is testament to Land Rover’s continued support of grassroots rugby through its We Deal In Real campaign.

Follow @LandRoverRugby and #WeDealInReal on Twitter.