Gallery1

A festival feel, with a hint of a difference, echoed around the Davey Field last Saturday.

The inaugural Shelford Sevens Festival was staged and although the delay in lifting Covid restrictions meant things were not quite back to normal, the protocols in place did not dampen enthusiam for the event.

Forty-four teams had arrived from across the country to take part in the tournament, including from the Isle of Man, with three separate categories – men’s open, women’s open and men’s social.

Staged across four pitches at Shelford’s ground, you were never more than a glance away from the action, which culminated after 11 hours with a representative side from Norfolk and Suffolk called the Dardanites defeating the host club to lift the men’s open cup.

The women’s open cup was won by Random Ruckers, a barbarians team from the Midlands, who beat Yorkshire White Roses in the final, while the men’s social cup was won by Compeed Marlborough Nomads, from London, who defeated Joue, a team of former Perse School students, in the final.

Louis Mann, Shelford’s commercial manager, said: “In my eyes it was a hugely successful event, our main objective was to deliver an enjoyable day and lots of rugby.

“Judging by all the positive feedback we’ve received, we certainly did that. It was a tremendous effort that required over 100 volunteers to facilitate 120 games over an 11-hour period.

“A massive thank you has to go out to all those that made such an event possible.”

He added: “Teams from all over the country came down and were impressed by our set up and our operations. And for those that are familiar with what we do, they seemed to welcome the sense of ‘normality’ that Saturday brought.”

Winning teams: Men’s open: Cup – Dardanites; Plate – Random Ruckers; Bowl – Liquid Exiles; Spoon – Lion Cub 7s. Women’s open: Cup – Random Ruckers; Plate – Hammerheads; Bowl – Wasps FC. Men’s social: Cup – Compeed Marlborough Nomads; Plate – Pacific Islanders; Bowl – Jamaica Blues; Spoon – Poulton Exiles.