FROM CALDY WEBSITE

Jet’s seal 10’s & 7’s

Once again Paton Field Caldy provided the setting for a fabulous weekend of rugby thoroughly enjoyed by thousands of spectators and 100’s of players alike. On Saturday the sun shone but even the mixed weather on Sunday could not put a downer on the excitement and as the crowds flocked to be part of one of the best weekends of rugby to be seen anywhere in the world.

Both days had busy itineraries with top name clubs such as Sale Jets, Leeds Tykes, Nottingham, Northampton, Morley & Macclesfield taking part. On Saturday it was the Super 10’s day for Senior Colts teams with and play started shortly after 11.30 a.m. over three pitches. The pool games saw some very tight, competitive games against the top clubs and some that had travelled from afar to be part of the proceedings. Leeds Tykes and both teams from Sale Jets eased through their initial games but Wilmslow also looked impressive and they provided something of a shock by beating some quality academy teams to reach the semi-finals where they met Sale 1. Having already beaten Caldy in the quarter final Sale 1 found themselves in a very close game Wilmslow but were eventually bettered by their Cheshire rivals. In the other semi-final Leeds Tykes were able to beat the Sale second team to set up a final against Sale 1. The Cheshire team had looked powerful and confident all day long and had too much for the Yorkshire side; they won the final by 27 - 5. The plate competition was won by Stockport for the third time as they beat Newcastle Staffs 33 – 5.

Caldy 7’s is one of the oldest continuously running sevens competition in Word rugby. It is very much a players day and the supporters relish the fact that they can get within touching distance of some of the most talented player around. Little surprise therefore that local favourites such as Birkenhead Park Caldy, Chester, Oldershaw, Merseyside Police and New Brighton and were joined by teams from Sale Jets, Glasgow Hawks, Leeds Griffins, Glasgow High Kelvin. Hilbre Islanders (Loa Tupou’s Tongan Trojans), Broughton Park, Legendary Anchormen, Burnage, Stockport, Mighty Minnows, Spoon AA and Wrexham.

An indication of what was to come when the winners for the last four years, Sale Jets kicked off at 11.30 a.m. against Broughton. Within seconds they had powered to an eight try 50 – 5 victory and then continued on with a 40 – 0 win over Burnage. The difference in level was then rounded off against the Legendary Anchormen with a 36 – 14 win. In the next pool Caldy looked impressive in the initial game against Anselmians and New Brighton made a fabulous start beating the much fancied Mighty Minnows by 26 - 14. The Ben Smith Caldy 7 started well in pool E against Glasgow High Kelvin and continued with a 36 – 0 win over Birkenhead Park.

The competition then spits into three with the bowl, plate and Main competition taking place. The former saw a fabulous final between Chester & Burnage with Chester taking the honours by winning by 28 – 21. The plate competition has become almost a speciality even for last years winners The Hilbre Islanders lead by Loa Tupoa Caldy’s burley back row forward. They overcame Glasgow High Kelvin and earlier put paid to the ambitions of Anselmians. However, they ran up against an in-form Birkenhead Park team who won the Plate final by 31 – 19. Sale Jets breezed past Leeds to meet Caldy Ben Smith 7 in the semi-final. In a close contest Sale score the decisive extra try and won by 19 – 10. The Mighty Minnows recovered from their opening loss and their form improved throughout the day as they beat the Morley in the quarter and then the Legendary Anchormen in the Semi finals of the main competition to meet Sale Jets in the Final. In one of the most keenly contested finals in recent years the Mighty Minnow ran Sale very close but in the end were three points short of an upset and they went down by 31 – 28. Throughout the day it was a privilege to see the skill, power, pace, fitness and determination of so many fine rugby players. One cannot fail to admire the ability of these men on the field and the spirit that is then taken into the clubhouse afterwards. Great thanks as ever goes to the referees over the two days who were ably coordinated by Ian Robinson. The British Red Cross provided first aid support and many thanks to all those who supported the teams even if some did not see an awful lot of rugby. The setting at Caldy was quite marvellous and great effort had gone in by so many volunteers to make the 64th Caldy Sevens a great success

This article was posted on 12-May-2007, 07:42 by Hugh Barrow.