Shiplake Hosts 7s Season Curtain Raiser

On Sunday 1 February, Shiplake College hosted a curtain-raising event which marked the beginning of the 2015 schools rugby 7s season. Eleven leading schools from across the south of England arrived to battle it out for the Cracknell Cup.

Named after Old Viking and England Rugby 7s star Chris Cracknell, the tournament was first contested in 2013, won by Hurstpierpoint College. After the 2014 edition was regretably cancelled due to torrential rain, this made Shiplake’s rugby staff and spectators even more eager to enjoy the quality of rugby on offer this year. Hurstpierpoint were due to enter the tournament as defending champions, but their late withdrawal ensured there would be a new name engraved on the Cracknell Cup. The teams were all looking to make an early statement of intent as the season builds towards the Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s Festival in March.

As the Shiplake tournament falls first in the 7s calendar, it always captures the attention of rugby blogs and websites. Fifteenrugby.com had identified Wellington and Bedford as two of the favourites for the title, but first and foremost the schools had to ensure they made a safe passage through the tough pools stage. With only two group games, there really was no margin for error.

Despite the freezing weather, the tournament started at a ferocious pace, with the 14-minute matches a test of endurance as well as skill. Schools who arrived with large squads had a significant advantage as the day progressed. Wellington began in ominous fashion, dispatching Radley and Caterham with ease to top their pool. Group B was a far tighter affair, with Denstone perhaps surprisingly going through the cup competition courtesy of two narrow wins against Bryanston and Oakham.

Shiplake were drawn in Group C alongside Abingdon and 2014 Rosslyn Park champions Bedford. After watching the Bedfordshire powerhouses rack up 45 points against Abingdon, Shiplake had every right to be nervous ahead of their opener. However, the boys acquitted themselves very well in a brave performance, despite eventually falling to a 24-14 defeat. This left Shiplake and Abingdon with a winner-takes-all encounter to decide who would enter the second tier of competition and who would be left in the bottom tier. Shiplake edged through with a tense 17-15 victory.

Shiplake entered the Bowl competition but fell in their semi final against Bryanston. The maroons bounced back well though to end the day with a piece of silverware, thanks to a convincing 29-7 win over Caterham. This earned Shiplake the ‘Shield’ title, equivalent to 7th place overall. This gives Shiplake plenty to build on as they continue to adjust to the different format of the game.

In the main cup competition, Denstone battled hard in their semi against Bedford and the scores were locked at 14-14 with just seconds left on the clock. Bedford scored the crucial try to leave their opponents shattered, and Cheltenham compiled Denstone’s misery by winning the subsequent plate final.

This left a ‘clash of the titans’ Cracknell Cup final between Wellington and Bedford. It began as a cagey affair, with Bedford 12-5 in front at half time. However, as the game opened up in the second period, Wellington worked the ball well into space out wide and scored some tremendous tries. Their slightly easier route to the final appeared to pay dividends, as Bedford tired, leaving Wellington (pictured above, right) to lift the Cracknell Cup.

The full set of results can be viewed here. Take a look at the slideshow below to find out how the tournament unfolded on social media.