Ashby School in rugby scrum world record bid

The participants said they had been inspired by former Leicester Tigers player Matt Hampson

Students and staff from a Leicestershire school say they are confident they have broken the world record for the largest rugby scrum.

The 126 members of Ashby School's Bullen House made their attempt under the supervision of two adjudicators.

Guinness World Records will now examine photographs and video of the scrum to establish whether the school has beaten the existing record of 68.

The sponsored event was in aid of the Matt Hampson Foundation.

The charity was set up by the former Leicester Tigers player, who was paralysed from the neck down when a scrum collapsed while he was training with England's Under-21 team in March 2005.

It helps to raise money for seriously injured sportsmen and women.

Motivational talk

Mr Hampson visited the school last month and gave the students a motivational talk.

Student Tom Watts, who took part in the record attempt, said: "Hearing Matt Hampson talk about what he'd been through made us think that, if he can do that, we can do anything."

The participants attended workshops "to be taught how to take up the scrum position" for the world record attempt.

Teacher Nick Morse, who ran the sessions, said: "The purpose of the scrum training was to let them all know where they were supposed to be in the scrum, where their heads should be and how to bind together in the right way so they didn't collapse.

"It was a non-competitive scrum with no pushing so there was no danger of anyone being hurt," he added.

The possible record-breakers are now preparing for their next challenge - a 23-mile sponsored walk from Ashby School to Welford Road, the home of Leicester Tigers.

The existing record for the biggest scrum is held by the BBC Sport team, who made their attempt in January while filming a trailer for the Six Nations championship.