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“This was my first trip to the Middlesex Sevens, a...”

written by matt of bicester on 20/08/2007

Good Points
A full day of entertainment

Family day out

Bad Points
None

General Comments
This was my first trip to the Middlesex Sevens, a tournament that has been going since 1926. For those who haven't heard of it, the event is an entire tournament of sevens rugby in a single day, held at Twickenham Stadium. Each match is 15 minutes long. There are 12 teams involved, this year the teams were all drawn from the Guiness Premier League. The teams are divided into four pools, in which each team plays the other two once. Following this there are quarter finals, semis and then a final. There are generally 5-10 minutes between matches, so the action is almost non-stop.



The action started at 10:45 so, traveling from Oxfordshire, we had a very early start. However, we were glad to have seen the entire day as every match was entertaining. People were arriving all through the morning so the seats gradually filled over time. Having said that, only about a tenth of the seats had been sold, and I feel the organisers could have done a better job of advertising the event. Despite this, the atmosphere was great, with loud cheers greeting every try and a steady murmur of conversation throughout the day. We even managed to start an impromptu game of rugby in the stands during one of the afternoon breaks!



The rugby was of a very high standard, with all 12 teams giving their all, you could see they really wanted to win, and this wasn't just another training session for them. The ball skills and passing were particularly good in difficult slippery conditions.



The organisation of the day was excellent, with the usual high quality stadium staff and marshalls helping the punters when required. Food and drink were available throughout the day. The progress of the tournament was clearly indicated using the scoreboards and tannoy announcements.



At £30 the ticket prices were reasonable and well worth it for the full day's entertainment we got. The day was suitable for all ages. I organised the trip for my sister and brother-in-law, my father and my father-in-law and we all had a great time. There were plenty of families with young children who got a lot out of it too.



The final finished at 6:30 which made our drive home not too late. Shuttle buses were arranged to take people to Richmond or Twickenham, or there was a short walk to the regular bus or train services.



I can't really find any complaints about the day. I will be going again and I fully recommend it to all rugby fans.