PICTURES: Local teams battle it out at Bournemouth Rugby 7s
SEVERAL local teams were in action at Bournemouth Rugby 7s festival at Chapel Gate over the bank holiday weekend.
The sport and music festival has grown over recent years, with more than 30,000 people attending this year.
The rugby sevens event was split up into several cup tournaments which ranged from elite to social competitions. The Crabbies National Cup was the main event with elite sevens teams competing which was followed by the Challenge and Cider cups. The Apache 7s won the National Cup in a 33-12 win against Team Honeybadger in the final.
Lonely Goats
The Lonely Goats had several solid performances which saw their elite Black side reach the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup while the White social team made the semi-finals.
The Black elite team finished second in their group behind eventual winners Oddballs after a walkover and an emphatic win over Yippee Try-Yay. The victory set up a quarter-final meeting with the Akuma Beavers who edged out the Goats in a narrow 14-7 win.
Despite falling short, the Goats can be proud of their efforts after facing stiff competition in the Challenge Cup that saw them lose only to both finalists.
On Sunday, the White team cruised through their group in the social Somersby Cup. The side did not concede a point in their first two games following a 41-0 win against Powder Hounds and a 31-0 triumph over Top Bar-barians.
The Goats went into the knockout stages brimming with confidence. An impressive 40-5 victory over the Ow Chiefs set up a semi-final against the South Coast Cobras. The New Milton-based side struggled to keep up with the Cobras who had several new faces for the knockout rounds and came unstuck in a 42-12 loss.
Dorset Dockers
The Christchurch-based Dorset Dockers entered the Challenge Cup and found themselves struggling in the group stage. Two defeats to The Cats and Fetch the Drinks put them into the Plate semi-finals.
In a low-scoring semi-final, the Dockers saw off Yippee Try-Yay in a 12-8 win to set up a Plate final with Sketty Hoops. The Dockers put up a good fight in the final but ultimately left empty-handed following a 29-7 defeat.
Ellingham and Ringwood
Ellingham and Ringwood won the third-tier Cider Cup Plate following a walkover in the final.
The side started their tournament with a resounding 49-5 win over Trent House RFC. However, defeats to the Smuggler 7s and the Belfast Baa-Baas put them into the Plate semi-finals.
The ERRFC 7s dismissed the Frenchie's Stag 20-0 in the tie which would be their final game as their opponents in the final did not take the field. The silverware capped off a successful weekend of rugby for Ringwood.
Hurn Windsocks
The Hurn Windsocks impressed in a Party Cup tournament campaign which ended in a semi-final defeat to Kelham Island 7s.
The Windsocks were dominant throughout the group stages, maintaining an undefeated three-game streak in which they scored 123 points and conceded only 17.
A 14-0 win over the Tropics 7s set up a tie with the Kelham Island 7s who beat the Windsocks 31-7 and went on to lift the trophy.
