Girls from across the North West descended on Bolton RUFC on Sunday for a festival of rugby.

Members of the Greater Manchester Girls Network made the trip to Avenue Street with more than 60 girls involved from clubs such as Eccles, Preston Grasshoppers, Oldham, Burnley and hosts Bolton.

The age groups for the event covered under-12s, u14s and u16s - Year 6/7, Year 8/9 and Year 10/11.

It was the first time Bolton had hosted the cluster which takes place once a month at different venues.

The network has been established to help promote the girls’ game and ensure participants enjoy competitive rugby.

It also helps to continually grow the sport among school-age girls and events like this help to provide a spotlight on the female game.

The u16s from Burnley, Preston Grasshoppers and Oldham joined forces and played in a very competitive game, while u14s from Bolton joined forces with Eccles to play a strong Burnley side.

This game was closely fought and the torrential rain did not dampen spirits.

The Bolton u12s - Years 6 and 7 - joined with Eccles and Burnley to play a small-sided game.

Bolton RUFC are always looking for new players across both boys’ and girls’ teams.

Players do not have to have taken part before and will receive coaching in a friendly and inclusive environment.

To find out more, look at the club’s social channels on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or visit their website at www.boltonrugby.co.uk.