A FESTIVAL of tag rugby, involving around 160 children, is being held at Exmouth Rugby Club next Monday (March 22).

Sixteen teams, drawn from schools that feed Exmouth Community College, will compete for the chance to win through to a final at Sandy Park, Exeter. That will be played in front of a bumper crowd before the Chiefs' first home Championship play-off match against London Welsh on Saturday, March 27.

The festival is being sponsored by Exmouth-based firm Digita, which develops and supplies specialist financial software for the accountancy and legal professions and employs 92 staff at its Liverton Business Park headquarters.

Keith Fleming, community development manager at Exeter Chiefs, said: "Tag is the non-contact form of the game and is played by boys and girls of all ages."

The festival at Exmouth RFC will start mid-morning and finish around 4pm.

Two teams each from Withycombe Raleigh, St Peter's and St Joseph's primary schools have entered the tournament and they will be joined by teams from Littleham, Bassetts Farm, Beacon, Woodbury, Woodbury Salterton, Brixington, Marpool, Exeter Road, Otterton and Drakes primary schools.