Pocklington rugby club again stages Yorkshire’s oldest rugby seven-a-side tournament and Pocklington’s biggest sporting occasion, when the 57th John Smith's Pock 7s, gets underway on Friday (3 April).
England coach, Stuart Lancaster, did the draw in the Pocklington clubhouse on Sunday, with Old Pocklingtonians, the Pocklington School old boys side, first out of the hat to meet Bridlington at 1.00 pm. Six hours of non-stop sevens rugby follows with the final scheduled for 6.40 pm.
The event has been held at Pocklington every Good Friday since 1959, and has grown into one of Yorkshire's major rugby occasions, with many local ex-pats making their way back home for an annual Easter reunion, several travelling back from abroad especially for the weekend.
The 2015 tournament again has an entry of 24 sides, with a
mixture of local clubs, teams from further afield and invitation sevens all battling it out in the main competition and plate. There is a particularly good representation from teams from across north and east Yorkshire, including club based sides from Malton & Norton, York, Hull, Pocklington, Goole and Selby: plus touring and invitation outfits from the south, north-east and midlands.
Last year Norfolk based Oxfam Crusaders, formed to raise funds for the charity, won the tournament at the first attempt when they beat Northern Exiles, a group of ex-Pock lads at university in Newcastle, in a thrilling final. Driffield lifted the Plate trophy.
The Oxfam Crusaders are one of seven former winners back this time to battle it out for the Fowler Trophy
Draw
First Round
A: Old Pocklingtonians v Bridlington (1.00)
B: Burton Sounds (Burton on Trent) v Three Feathers (1.20)
C: Goole v Ionians Hawks (1.40)
D: Brookfield v Hullensians (2.00)
E: Old Tridents (Nottingham) v York Peterites (2.20)
F: Newitts Centurians (Darlington) v Parisi Mustangs (2.40)
G: Selby v Thorne Stingers (3.00)
H: Catterick Fijians v Yapham Badgers (3.20)
Second Round
Sedgefield Squirrels (Durham) v Winner A (1.40)
Oxfam Crusaders (Norfolk) v Winner B (2.00)
Northern Exiles (Newcastle) v Winner C (2.20)
Driffield v Winner D (2.40)
Stingers (South Yorkshire) v Winner E (3.00)
Malton & Norton v Winner F (3.20)
Pocklington v Winner G (3.40)
Hull Ionians v Winner H (3.40)
ends
pic: Pocklington chairman John Bryant, England coach Stuart Lancaster and Pocklington bar chairman Allen Clovis make the draw of the 2015 John Smiths Pock 7s.
ends