Tributes paid as head rugby coach dies suddenly

Steve Worrall has been praised for his "immeasurable" impact on local rugby clubs

Tributes have been paid to the former head coach of Weston-super-Mare RFC after he died suddenly.

Steve 'Barrel' Worrall MBE, who returned as head coach last year after ten years with Chew Valley RFC, passed away on Thursday 2 January.

Club leaders said they were "shocked and saddened" by the news, adding Mr Worrall was "widely respected and liked in many circles, not just rugby".

His former club, Chew Valley RFC, said it was "heartbroken" to hear he had "passed away unexpectedly".

Planned matches this weekend against Thornbury and Wellington will still go ahead, with a two-minute silence beforehand and players wearing black armbands, the club confirmed.

Mr Worrall was Weston's head coach between July 2011 and October 2014, and returned to the club last November, where his "drive and enthusiasm for the game were rewarded with two victories", the club said.

"He spent several years as a coach at North Walsham RFC and Peterborough RUFC and as a player, head coach, and assistant director of rugby with the Royal Air Force Rugby Union," a post on the club's website said.

Chew Valley RFC said his impact on the club over the past decade is "immeasurable".

"Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family during this incredibly difficult time," the club said.

Chew Valley RFC called Mr Worrall a "beloved former coach"

Mr Worrall, who also played league cricket, served more than 35 years in the RAF, before leaving in January 2013 and starting a new job within the Military Aviation Authority at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Filton, Bristol.

He was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2011.