Blundell’s translated their superb fifteen-a-side from to the school 7s field at the Marches 7s on Sunday as they won this prestigious title.
Hosted at Hereford Cathedral School, the Marches 7s is often a big indicator of who will be in the mix at the HSBC Rosslyn Park National School 7s at the end of the month, and Blundell’s will take huge confidence from this victory.
They beat former champions Millfield 22-14 in the final, no easy task in any year or competition, while Millfield themselves had beaten the reigning champions, Harrow, 28-12 in their semi final.
Blundell’s, meanwhile, had enjoyed a dominant semi final, where they beat Barnard Castle, what a distance they had travelled, by an impressive 19-0 margin.
It had been a strange start to the day, with five teams missing. That meant that Group E had to be scrapped and Group G was a side short. Effectively it meant that in the Cup, Plate, and Bowl there would be one quarter finalists with a bye to the semis, while in the Shield there would be three.
Having topped a tricky Group F that included Adams Grammar School, Llandovery College, and the Plate winners, AASE legends Hartpury College, Blundell’s were set to play the Group E winners in the quarter finals. That of course meant that they were the beneficiaries of the bye, perhaps keeping them fresh for those outstanding semi final and final performances.
Hartpury, as mentioned, picked up the Plate with a 50-0 win over Whitchurch High School, with Beechen Cliff, who finished behind Millfield and Monmouth in Group D, beating Christ College 21-7 to win the Bowl. Malvern College, meanwhile, won the Shield, beating Solihull 35-7 in the final.
The story of the day though was that of Blundell’s, who had to beat some of the finest teams in the country to secure this title, and will now look ahead to the rest of the 7s season confident that they can make a huge impression in the very biggest tournaments of all.
Marches 7s Results
Cup
Final
Blundell’s 22-14 Millfield
Semi Finals
Millfield 28-12 Harrow
Blundell’s 19-0 Barnard Castle
Quarter Finals
Millfield 32-5 Plymouth College
Harrow 21-14 Cheltenham College
Blundell’s v Bye
Barnard Castle 24-10 Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf
Plate
Final
Hartpury College 50-5 Whitchurch High School
Semi Finals
Hartpury College 36-7 SGS Filton College
Whitchurch HS 24-14 Monmouth
Quarter Finals
Hartpury College v Bye
SGS Filton College 41-0 Sir Thomas Rich’s
Whitchurch HS 28-12 RGS Worcester
Monmouth 17-7 Dean Close
Bowl
Final
Beechen Cliff 21-7 Christ College
Semi Finals
Beechen Cliff 12-7 KES Bath
Christ College 31-28 Llandovery College
Quarter Finals
Beechen Cliff 19-12 King’s Worcester
KES Bath 26-12 Pate’s Grammar
Christ College 12-7 KES Stratford
Llandovery College v Bye
Shield
Final
Malvern College 35-7 Solihull
Semi Finals
Malvern College 38-14 Adams Grammar School
Solihull 17-12 King’s Worcester 2nd VII
Quarter Finals
Malvern College v Bye
Adams Grammar v Bye
Solihull 27-12 Hereford Cathedral School
King’s Worcester 2nd VII v Bye
Marches 7s – Final Group Standings | |||
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
Cheltenham College | Harrow | Plymouth College | Millfield |
RGS Worcester | Whitchurch High School | Dean Close | Monmouth |
Pate’s Grammar School | KES Bath | King’s Worcester | Beechen Cliff |
Hereford Cathedral School | Solihull | Coleg Sir Gar | King’s Worcester 2nd VII |
Marches 7s – Final Group Standings | |||
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
N/A | Blundell’s | Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf | Barnard Castle |
N/A | Hartpury College | Sir Thomas Rich’s | SGS Filton College |
N/A | Llandovery College | Christ College, Brecon | KES Stratford |
N/A | Adams Grammar School | N/A | Malvern College |
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