ALTHOUGH most rugby players aren't built for long-distance running, members of Teachers Rugby Club swapped studded boots for training shoes on Wednesday in an effort to help one little girl who cannot walk.

And their sporting versatility has paid off handsomely, bringing in about $20,000 for wheelchair-bound Yushae Simmons.

Dressed in identical bright red T-shirts, 19 members of the team set off from the Bermuda Day half-marathon starting line in Somerset. And while one or two faster squad members soon shot ahead, the bulk of the team stayed together during the 13.2-mile slog, crossing the finish line together in a respectable two hours and 23 minutes.

The one break the pack took during their exertion was a single stop at Heron Bay in Warwick ? where they posed for a photograph with a cheering Yushae.

Club treasurer Jeff Sangster said the team had hoped to raise about $7,000 to buy an electric wheelchair for Yushae, 12, who suffers from cerebral palsy. And while a final figure has yet to be calculated, early indications are that around $20,000 has been raised.

"People have been extremely generous," a delighted Mr. Sangster said.

"We had a number of corporate sponsors but each team individual had a pledge sheet and approached friends and family and really it was a combination of those two that helped us raise the money. The club decided on its charity effort after hearing about Yushae's plight from club member Chris Naylor, who teaches Yushae at Sandys Middle School.

The club raises thousands of dollars for charity organisations through its annual Fight Night, but wanted to do something different with their latest fundraising effort.

"Yushae is a bright and energetic 12-year-old girl and a strong student," Mr. Naylor said yesterday.

"Not unlike most girls approaching their teenage years, Yushae yearns for independence from the adults in her life.

"Attaining any level of independence will be more difficult for Yushae than most as she has cerebral palsy and is permanently confined to a wheelchair.

"Her traditional wheelchair requires that she be pushed by an adult at all times. However, an electric wheelchair would provide Yushae a measure of independence desired by all teenagers."

Mr. Naylor added that the support from the public had been "fantastic" and that Yushae and her mother were overwhelmed by the public's generosity. "Right at the beginning I was confident that we could raise about $3,000 but to raise $20,000 was just fantastic. The support we had during the run was also great."

The club plans on using the surplus money to buy Yushae other essentials.