The Pock 7s was back to its best on Good Friday as Yorkshire's oldest and biggest sevens tournament saw a record crowd bask in the sunshine and enjoy a full day of high speed rugby culminating in a cliffhanger final.
After a two year hiatus, the 62nd John Smiths Pock 7s got underway at 10.30 in the morning with a womens sevens curtain raiser competition. The men followed on at 1.00 pm and the rugby ebbed and flowed right through to 7.00 pm in the evening when the day's two best sides provided an entertaining finale. It was a triumphant home coming for former Pocklington School and Pocklington RUFC junior, Elliot Adamson, as his Jungle 7s Tropics invitation side overcame the International Penguins, the world's most travelled rugby team, 17-14.
The Tropics, a team of mates from London and Leeds and Newcastle who are running their own sevens tournament in Leeds in June, were making their Pock 7s debut, and their reward was to be presented with the Fowler Trophy by the Rugby Football Union's CEO, Bill Sweeney.
Though the Tropics and Penguins deserved to meet in the final, they were both pushed all the way in their respective semis - the Penguins having to pull out the stops to beat Malton & Norton, the top club side in the tournament, 21-12, and the Tropics having a similar battle in overcoming Northern Exiles, a team of former Newcastle students.
In the Plate Competition Hull Ionians beat York Saints 45-0. The women's competition saw Wetherby beat Malton & Norton 25-5 to lift the cup.
pic Tropics 7s receive the Fowler Trophy from Bill Sweeney.
RESULTS
Main Competition
Preliminary Round
Goole 17 Pocklington Porkers 12; Wot-a-Pullet 0 Woldgate OB 24; Malton & Norton 24 York Saints 22; Hull Ionians 7 Old Pocklingtonians 17.
First Round
Penguins International 19 Goole 12; RG Hedelberg 28 Woldgate 12; Leeds Beckett 36 Selby 17; Lowground Lions 0 Malton & Norton 36; Jungle 7s Tropics 55 Pilgrims 0; Pocklington 12 OP Dragons 31; Driffield 14 Old Pocklingtonians 31; Northern Exiles 31 Old Peterites 12.
Quarter Finals
Penguins International 27 RG Hedelberg 17; Leeds Beckett 14 Malton & Norton 36; Jungle 7s Tropics 61 OP Dragons 0; Old Pocklingtonians 7 Northern Exiles 47.
Semi Finals
Penguins International 21 Malton & Norton 12; Jungle 7s Tropics 26 Northern Exiles 14.
Final
Penguins International 14 Jungle 7s Tropics 17.
Plate Competition
Pocklington Porkers 35 Wot-a-Pullet 5; Hull Ionians 22 Pocklington 14; Driffield 10 Old Peterites 22; York Saints 24 Selby 22.
Plate Semi Finals
Pocklington Porkers 17 York Saints 22 (aet); Hull Ionians 31 Old Peterites 14.
Plate Final
Hull Ionians 45 York Saints 0
Womens Final
Wetherby 25 Malton & Norton 5
