Eastern Counties Rugby Union

Suffolk held its annual youth sevens on Sunday, with 2 competitions at each of 4 age groups, on 9 pitches, in superb condition, at the spectacular Royal Hospital School at Holbrook.
Over 600 boys in 52 teams from 12 clubs took part in a competition that encompasses the potential premiership player to the beginner.
The warm sunshine brought out some spectacular rugby, and the new format ensured many very close and competitive matches. In general, the atmosphere was terrific, with virtually no incidents or issues. The new concepts of splitting into 2 age groups in the morning, with 2 in the afternoon, and dividing the competitions into 2 standards seem to have been an unqualified success.
A huge number of volunteers supported the event, including two fifteen year old referees.

Roll of Honour :-
U13 Trophy – Southwold 19 – Colchester 15
U13 Shield – Brightlingsea 22 – Bury B 20
U13 Plate – Woodbridge B 22 – Woodbridge A 12
U14 Trophy – Hadleigh beat Woodbridge A
U14 Shield – Stowmarket 17 – Colchester B 14
U14 Plate - Bury B 33 – Southwold 14
U15 Trophy – Colchester A 31 – Woodbridge 15
U15 Shield – Hadleigh 19 – Colchester B 14
U15 Plate – Woodbridge B 35 – Brightlingsea 28
U16 Trophy - Colchester A beat Hadleigh
U16 Shield – Woodbridge B 19 – Colchester B 19 – shared
U16 Plate – Colchester C beat Sudbury
U16 Spoon – Stowmarket 12 – Colchester D 10

Ross Cowie, Chairman of Eastern Counties Club / Community Development Group, managed the tournament, and commented “this tournament grows each year, and it so good to see so many boys from across Suffolk and North East Essex taking part in one of the largest community rugby events in the country. Although Colchester, with its huge youth section, managed superb wins at U15 & U16, this is also a day for all the players in the other teams, who all contributed to a very successful event. It is most pleasing to see the brilliant ongoing development in the smaller clubs, and it is fantastic to see Brightlingsea, Southwold, Stowmarket, Woodbridge and Hadleigh compete, but even more so to see them lift silverware – particularly Southwold who claimed the U13 Trophy and Hadleigh who took the U14 Trophy.”

Thanks to major sponsor, Touchline Sports, to the Royal Hospital School, in a most unusual school / club co-operation, and to both Eastern Counties Rugby and the Suffolk Rugby Union for underwriting the cost of the day.