Tom Lait has been a big part of Cheltenham Rugby Club for the best part of two decades as a player, 1^st XV captain and supporter.

He ended his playing days in April 2019 at the age of 34, but has remained very much involved at the club and has recently taken on the high-profile role of vice-chairman.

“It was an opportunity to put something back into the club,” said Lait.

“The coaching side didn’t appeal to me but I’ve played for the club and wanted to support it, I’ve got a lot of friendship groups across different generations there.”

Talk to the articulate Lait for only a couple of minutes and it’s not hard to see why he was offered one of the top roles at the Western Counties North club.

So how does he see his role?

“I probably see myself as a facilitator,” he said. “I want to bring people back into the club, get some of the old boys’ spirit and make it an even better place for the next generation.”

And if and when players and supporters from yesteryear do start going back to The Newlands they’ll find a club that certainly appears to be on an upward curve.

The men’s flagship team have made a great start to their league campaign while the women’s section is also looking strong.

“We’re putting out two teams for both the men and women,” said Lait, “and we’ve got 400 kids registered.

“The club have invested a lot of money into the clubhouse and having the AGP means a lot of sport can be played without the pitch disintegrating.

“The MUGA is also popular with netball and football, so it’s great to see the place so busy.”

One person who is obviously delighted is long-time chairman Steve Ratcliffe, who took on the top role back in the 1990s.

“Steve has done an amazing job, he’s been a phenomenal servant to the club,” said Lait.

“It’s incredible how much time and effort he has put in.”

Lait admits that he does not know how long Ratcliffe intends carrying on in the top position but said: “I don’t see myself in that role any time soon.

“I don’t need to be head honcho, it could be there is someone more appropriate.

“If we can give Steve confidence that there are a lot of good people involved, it will probably make it easier for him to transition away.

“We’ve got some great people on the committee who are very passionate about the club.”

That passion extends not only to the players but also the coaching set-up.

“The coaching set-up has evolved,” said Lait. “I think they are in a good place and there seems to be a really good bond between the coaches and the players.”

And what about promotion this season?

“I don’t think any club would turn down promotion,” said Lait, who captained the club in the mid-teens.

“The club went very close before Covid, I think we were third. Every team wants to play the best rugby it can and if we do go up we want to be challenging in the league above.”

It goes without saying that Lait will be cheering for them on a Saturday, of course, and he’s a regular at the club on Sundays as well.

That’s because his son Archie is playing for the under-9s.

“He’s got wonderful footwork and amazing pace for someone of his age,” said Lait, who was primarily a back row.

“But it’s contact after Christmas so we’ll see,” he added with a laugh.