NOTTINGHAM Rugby skipper Craig Hammond praised the School of the Week promotion which produced the biggest crowd of the season at Meadow Lane on Sunday.

The Green and Whites beat Neath 14-3 in the British & Irish Cup, which was played in atrocious conditions in front 2,322 fans.

Hammond was delighted to see such the big crowd at Meadow Lane. He said: "They were fantastic, we had trouble hearing our calls because of the noise.

"It was great to see so many kids in the stand as a result of the promotion.

"A big crowd like that makes a big difference to the boys, it's like having a 16th man on the field. We hope everyone had a great day out and that some people will come back because they liked what they saw."

Over 1,000 pupils and their families enjoyed the game, many of whom had never been to a live rugby match.

Rachel Humpriss said: "We had free tickets from College House Junior School for the game and we met up with other friends and sat together. For many of us it was our first experience of live rugby.

"We all had a fantastic time. The children loved it and were really enthusiastic, as were the adults.

"If we hadn't had free tickets we wouldn't have gone but now we are really looking forward to seeing another match. It's a great scheme."

The initiative was launched two weeks ago and now has over 150 schools signed up for the rest of the season.

All schools go into a draw ahead of each Nottingham home game to win free tickets for all pupils, teachers and even parents for the upcoming match.

They will also receive a feature on the club website and in the match-day magazine.

The first draw was being held today and the winning school will be invited to the Championship clash against Moseley at Meadow Lane on December 13 (3pm).