Fire and brimstone won't stop England's latest challengers from following their sporting dream. Ice, or rather its absence, could prove more problematic.

The Olympic gold success of Scotland's curling squad inspired Chris Munns to set up the Ice Melters in June.

But he immediately hit on a problem. The nearest place to practise is in Wales - and it's only open on Mondays.

Chris, who lives in Upper Dicker, near Lewes, contacted the English Curling Association earlier this year to find out how to get involved in the sedate sport.

He was immediately placed as the fourth man in a team taking part in a contest in France.

Although two of the foursome had never hurled a curling stone before, they came 20th of 26.

Judges were so impressed they gave the entrants a consolatory last-place cup.

His appetite whetted, Chris returned to the UK and founded the Melters.

Chris, 32, a marketing and publicity officer, said: "To begin with, it was people who knew me and were generally interested in the sport. We got 12 people which formed the basis. Now we are going to build on that.

"We are looking for people of any age and any curling ability."

Members are aged from 26 to 40. The team includes a teacher, a nurse and computing consultants from Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

They have secured sponsors in equipment company Curling Supplies, clothing designers Design Plus and Eurostar.

But so far the players have not had the chance to train together.

Chris said normal skating rinks tended not to allow curlers to use their ice because they must be specially treated for four hours before a match.

Undeterred, the team is gearing up for this year's season which starts on Monday when members travel to Wales for their debut practice session.

Chris hopes to qualify so he can return to the international competition in Paris in April but is wary of setting his sights too high.

He said: "We will probably be looking at the last place cup again."

Curling is played in teams of four. Each player slides two stones towards a series of concentric rings called the house.

A point is scored for every stone closer to the centre circle, called the button, than the opponent's nearest stone.

Chris reckons the pastime is ready to take off in the South.

He said: "It's a fantastic sport. People have called it chess on ice because there's so much strategy."

Andrew Dodd, a 36-year-old salesman from Crawley, is the Melters' most experienced player, having competed against the Russian ladies' champions.

He will be the captain, or skip, at the team's first match in Chester later this month. He said: "I love all the camaraderie, the way everybody in the sport makes you feel welcome."

For more details about Ice Melters go to www.icemelters.co.uk