Swaffham Sevens was worth the wait

Swaffham Summer Sevens returned after a short break this year, and it was well worth the wait.

Action from the Swaffham Summer Sevens, Rumns v Sudbury. Pictures: Jim Crouchman - Credit: Jim Crouchman

Ten teams from as far away as Gloucester and Portsmouth fought it out on a beautiful summer's day with Oxfam Crusaders taking the top prize for the third year.

Games started at 11.30 and soon the locals were treated to some excellent flowing sevens, full of entertainment and action, whilst the bar was occupied by those wishing to taste the sponsor's beer from Nethergate brewery.

Two pools of five played each other to determine their rankings, with Oxfam and Wise Monkeys from Colchester topping the groups. Neither had it easy as Swaffham pushed Crusaders closest in their pool game, whilst the Queens Dragoon Guards only narrowly lost out in their battle for a top spot.

Sudbury and St Pauls Sharks made up the top six, with touring team Fareham Melons running out of steam in the latter stages of the pool to finish lower down alongside Ely, Norwich Union and Rum'ns 7.

Action from the Swaffham Summer Sevens, Swaffham v Sudbury. Pictures: Jim Crouchman - Credit: Jim Crouchman

The final between Oxfam and Wise Monkeys remained even at half time with both having scored only once, and the second half was another tight affair until minutes from the end, when Crusaders spun the ball out wide and used their pace to score 10 more points and secure the £250 prize money.

With lots of positive comments, and teams keen to compete, next year's event is already being planned.