The thriving Hammersmith Morris Men morris dancing team has slated reports the ritual may be dying out.

Members of Hammersmith Morris Men disagreed with a statement put out by Charlie Corcoran, a member of the Morris Ring, which said unless more young people could be recruited, morris dancing may become extinct within 20 years.

"We have been going for nearly 50 years, and we've definitely not found that morris dancing is dying out," said Matt Morris, of Hammersmith Morris Men, known as the Smiffs. "Our youngest member is 19, and our members range in age up to about 60 years old. We're finding that the next generation of morris dancers is coming through, with sons and grandsons of members starting to join."

Hammersmith Morris Men has more than 20 dancers, although Mr Morris concedes some groups only have six members left.

He added: "We're not short in numbers now, but we realise that doesn't mean we won't need more in a few years time, so we're always looking to recruit new members."

Mr Morris believes a strong team spirit is the secret to the Smiffs' success.

"We do it because we enjoy it," he said. "I love dancing and I love showing off, and morris dancing combines these two perfectly. People tend to find it's a lot more energetic than it looks and it tends to put strain on your knees, so some of the older members are finding they can't do it as much."

The group will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a party on the weekend of July 10-12 this year.

Mr Morris added: "We'd like to bring back as many of the 250 former Smiffs as possible, including one of the founding members John Kirkpatrick."

Hammersmith Morris Men only allows male members to join. However the team's sister group, New Esperance Women's Team, will also be performing that weekend.

The Smiffs train every Tuesday evening from 8pm-10pm at London Corinthian Sailing Club, in Upper Mall, Hammersmith, and gives performances mainly between May and September.

For more information see www.hammersmithmorris.org.uk or www.newesp.org.uk