We will survive. That's the strong message coming from members of crisis club Banbury RFC.

The club's very existence has been put in doubt following a series of financial and legal troubles at Bodicote Park.

Since Banbury Recreational Facilities, the company, set up to run the clubhouse and ground, went into liquidation this month with debts of more than £100,000, Banbury RFC have only limited use of the clubhouse.

The bars have remained closed, while the players have been restricted to one training session a week - and then must vacate the clubhouse by 9pm.

Until the administrator, appointed by the investigating charity commssion, completes his report, these restrictions are set to continue.

This puts a strain on the club's finances, with no income being taken over the bar, while some fear that the crisis might force the club away from the ground, which became their home amid a great fanfare six years ago.

"I feel that with the facilities we can offer here, we'll be here for a long, long time," said club president Roy Evans.

"But it will be a long struggle. There are a number of stages to go through, but the main thing is that we make sure we play rugby here for the rest of the season.

"If the club didn't survive, it would be the end of the world."

"The future is uncertain," admitted club secretary Bryan Davies. "We're struggling, but I'm sure we will pull through.

"If we don't, I'd be devastated, after all the work I've put in over the years.

"I have no regrets about moving here, but a lot more questions should have been asked before we moved."

These sentiments were echoed by long-standing committee man Phil Montanaro.

"I regret a lot of what we've done, but I don't regret the move," he said.

"We needed the 34 acres, although we can argue all day long about whether we needed this monstrosity," he added, referring to the clubhouse.

"We've tried three different ways to run it commercially, but they've all failed."

Montanaro was mainly concerned about what would happen to the thriving junior section, which boasts more 300 members and trains every Sunday morning on the club's spacious playing fields.

"Since we moved, we've trebled the size of the junior section. That has taken six years, we could lose all that in six weeks."

Councillors on Cherwell District Council, to whom Banbury Recreational Facilities owed £100,000 in unpaid bills, visited the club on a Sunday morning. "I feel the council now has a better understanding of the situation," said Montanaro.

It would appear that the best eventual solution would see the rugby club sharing the ground with other sports, and the council writing off the £100,000 debt.

"I think at the end of this, Banbury will come out of it as a stronger club," said committee member Godfrey Harvey.

"It will take time, but with all the hard work put in by the members, the club deserves to be playing here."

Harvey stressed that the club had a lot support from around the area.

Evans agreed and said this support was spread nationwide.

"Trevor Brooking, from Sport England, and former sports minister Kate Hoey have given us their backing, while the Rugby Football Union support us totally.

"Having that support means a lot to the club. I feel we will survive."