Wellington College sealed the Shiplake 7s title on Sunday after a superb day’s play in one of the first major competitions of the season.

It was the weekend that saw 7s, in large part, take over as the main event from 15s and Wellington College – that perennial 7s title chasing side – that claimed the title at Shiplake.

They beat Bedford School in the final, 20-5, the latest of a series of impressive displays throughout the day, which had seen them top a tough pool before strong victories in the quarter finals and semi finals of the Cracknell Cup.

Bedford should feel huge pride in having reached the final though, they finished second to St Paul’s in their group but then put in some rock solid displays in the knockouts.

Clifton College meanwhile won the Plate, beating Ipswich 19-10 in the final, the Plate saw the Cup quarter final losers competing in the Plate semi finals.

Millfield won the Bowl, competed for by those finishing third in the groups, beating St John’s Leatherhead 33-0 in the final, while in the Shield, for those finishing 4^th in the Groups, Haileybury beat Hurstpierpoint College 10-7 in the final.

Cracknell Cup

The main trophy at the Shiplake 7s is named after old boy Chris Cracknell, the former England 7s star. Wellington College claimed it after topping a tough group that contained Ipswich, Downside, and Cheltenham College. The key game in the group would turn out to be against Ipswich, with Wellington College performing well for a 17-5 victory.

Ipswich would go through too though, qualifying second in the group. That was Group C, Group A saw St Paul’s through alongside Bedford, and ahead of Millfield, whom both sides secured victories against. Worth finished in fourth.

Over in Group B things were incredibly tight, Hurstpierpoint College finished in fourth, while Clfton College, Dulwich College, and Marlborough College all took points off each other, Clifton beating Marlborough, who in turn beat Dulwich, who in turn then beat Clifton. That left it all down to points difference, with Marlborough finishing up on top with +42, and Clifton just edging out Dulwich with a superior points difference of just 9.

Group D was also tight, Tonbridge sailed through with three wins from three, but behind them Shiplake College, St John’s Leatherhead, and Haileybury all took points off each other. Again points difference was key, and it was Shiplake College that edged into that crucial second place for a place in the Cup quarter finals.

Those quarter finals saw the hosts take on Wellington College, and it was at this point that the rampant form of Wellington College really started to take hold, with a 45-5 victory sending them to a semi final against St Paul’s, who won a tight game with Clifton College 24-19. Bedford meanwhile beat Marlborough College 38-7, while Tonbridge stepped up against Ipswich for a 33-19 victory to set up a semi final with Bedford.

Bedford were superb against Tonbridge though, sealing a brilliant 31-19 victory, while Wellington College continued to look hugely impressive with a 19-0 victory over St Paul’s.

That form continued right into the final, where despite Bedford’s best efforts they were powerless to stop the irrepressible Wellington College, who sealed the title 20-5.

Plate, Bowl, & Shield

Clifton, Shiplake, Marlborough, and Ipswich headed to the Plate after their Cup quarter final exits, Clifton beating hosts Shiplkae 26-5 in their semi final, while Ipswich edged Marlborough College 15-10 in theirs. Clifton then secured the silverware with a 19-10 victory.

In the Bowl Millfield, who also had two sides out at the South Coast 7s at Portsmouth Grammar, were in fairly dominant form after a slow morning, beating Dulwich College 33-7 in the semi finals and then St John’s Leatherhead 33-0 in the final. Things were tighter in the Shield Final, Hurstpierpoint College and Haileybury both had dominant semi final victories, but in the final they could barely be separated, just edging it 10-7.

Shiplake 7s Results

Cracknell Cup Champions: Wellington College

Final: Wellington College 20-5 Bedford

Semi Finals: Wellington College 19-0 St Paul’s, Bedford 31-19 Tonbridge

Quarter Finals: St Paul’s 24-19 Clifton College, Wellington College 45-5 Shiplake College

Bedford 38-7 Marlborough College, Tonbridge 33-19 Ipswich

Plate Winners: Clifton College

Final: Clifton College 19-10 Ipswich

Semi Finals: Clifton College 26-5 Shiplake College, Marlborough College 10-15 Ipswich

Bowl Winners: Millfield

Final: Millfield 33-0 St John’s, Leatherhead

Semi Finals: Millfield 33-7 Dulwich College, Downside 5-29 St John’s, Leatherhead

Shield Winners: Haileybury

Final: Haileybury 10-7 Hurstpierpoint College

Semi Finals: Hurstpierpoint College 28-0 Worth, Haileybury 33-0 Cheltenham College

Final Group Standings

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D