A NEW site for Okehampton Rugby Club could be on the cards if popularity in the sport continues to rise. Extensive use of the club?s pitches at Oaklands Park is putting a huge strain on the facilities and maintenance bills are hitting the roof. This situation is largely down to the demand for junior rugby ? in excess of 100 young people are taking part in junior rugby at the weekends. Lifetime club member Ted Cann said this enthusiasm for the sport, which had continued to grow under the guidance of a very successful senior team, was great but it brought its own problems. ?We have simply outgrown the premises,? he said. ?It is not purely and simply a matter of playing games on the pitches, it is the training as well. The pitches are in use six days a week during the season and the ground cannot stand up to this.? Mr Cann said the club would either need to look for a site with two playing pitches and a separate training pitch or keep its existing site and buy or rent a training pitch somewhere else with the necessary changing facilities. ?This would mean the facilities we have at Oaklands Park would be reserved for matches only,? he said. Each year maintenance costs to keep the ground in playing condition were increasing and members were indebted to Simon Essex from the Manor House Hotel for his generous support in helping the club to do this, added Mr Cann. There is no land for expansion at the current site which was bought from Okehampton Show Committee in 1961. ?It would be a tragedy to move from here in many respects because it is a beautifully positioned site and many people who come here to play comment on the facilities and the outlook,? said Mr Cann. ?But the costs are becoming astronomical and we have no choice but to look into the options.? Okehampton Rugby Club has been riding high on its success this year having won 21 of its 22 league games, restoring the club to the Devon and Cornwall League. Success in the prestigious Devon Junior Cup secured a double victory and there have been other wins for the veterans. Interest in rugby in Okehampton has also been sparked by the achievements of former Colts members England prop Julian White, who was part of the country?s World Cup winning squad in Australia, and under 19s England professional Richard Bolt.