A huge day of multi-sport action takes place in the West Country on Sunday, as Bristol Grammar School hosts their annual 7s tournament across Netball and Rugby.
NextGenlive will be streaming the action from both tournaments, as Pitch One and Court One from both sports can be found on the NextGenLive YouTube Channel.
Rugby Draws
U18 Boys
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Bristol Grammar | Blundells | Beechen Cliff | Bristol Schools |
| Taunton | Christ College Brecon | Collegiate | Millfield |
| The Crypt | Clifton College | Downside School | Mount Kelly |
| Wells Cathedral School | King’s Worcester | Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital | Pangbourne College |
Let’s start with the U18 Boys rugby, and take this group by group as we preview a tournament that has taken a massive step up in terms of quality since last season, as the tournament continues to grow! With only the top side from each pool able to make the cup semi-final, the group stages will be hotly contested, and a semi-final is on the line at every position in the group from 1st to 4th, so every game matters! The Rugby starts at 10am, with the hosts up first
Group A
Bristol Grammar had a very good tournament last season and will be confident of perhaps going a step further this year, and making the cup final for the very first time. They have a difficult group to contend with, however, with Taunton School likely representing the biggest obstacle. Although their influential captain will likely be away on Academy business, Taunton have had a stellar season, which includes narrow losses in the XVs season to some of the very best sides at the BGS 7s come Sunday. What a blockbuster start to the competition then, as the two group faverioutes face off at 10am in the very first game of the day, live on pitch 1. This is not to count out Wells Cathedral School, who won 13 of their 15 games in the regular season, or the Crypt, who actually beat Bristol Grammar by two points in an exhilarating 35-33 contest back in December. If Taunton or BGS slip up at any stage in the group, than any of the 4 sides could make the cup!
Group B
Talk about a group of death. If any one of these sides were to be crowned winners at the end of the day, there would be few complaints. Blundells have beaten a number of sides local to them on the circuit this season, many of who will be out on the field come sunday, but they find themselves up against it in an almighty pool that also includes Christ College Brecan, soon to host their own high-quality competition across the border, Kings Worcester, whose firepower tends to reside in the pack, and may not be as suitible to the game of 7s as some others in their gorup, and Millfield, last season’s Rosslyn Park finalists, and the number one seeded side for the BGS 7s overall. And yet, Millfield will not even make the semi-finals unless they can take down all through of the big-name schools in their opening three games. Such is the quality of this pool, that winning all three games may not be necessary to progress if they each beat one another. All 4 silver-wear winning teams could be found in Group B, which is the real testament to its ability. Clifton College, heavily rotated a few weeks ago at Seaford, have more short-format experience than most and will bank on it here.
Group C
Sides from Bath have had great success at Bristol-based tournaments in the past, and Beechen Cliff will be hoping to add to the tally as perhaps the best team in England over the past season. This success comes at a price, and they will be missing at least two full sevens sides full of talent to Bath over the weekend; however, even their second side made a big impression at the Kingswood festival at the start of the season – they have an awful lot of depth. Two Bristol sides, QEH and Collegiate, will hope to challenge them, while Downside, also just off the Avon, will be hoping the 7s season brings them more success than XVs. This group really depends on what kind of side Beechen bring, but Collegiate, ahead of their own tournament in a few weeks’ time, will be hoping to make an impression.
Group D
In a complete reversal of the group of death, this group could unfortuantly end up being a little more one-sided. Millfield are a huge get for BGS and brings real pedigree to the tournament. They have been rewarded for turning up with a kinder group than most. Bristol Schools are a really fun side, who operate a bit like a bristolian barbarians, full of players previously on the books at the Bears, and will hopefully bring some real flair to the field. Mount Kelly will be representing Devon, but may struggle in this group alongside Pangbourne, who will hope to grab a few scalps. They have had a decent season, but the real test in this group will be rather dependent on serial winners Millfield. The neutral will be hoping that someone can challenge them before the semi-final stage.
U16 Girls
The Girls competition consists of four sides in a round-robin competition. Hosts Bristol Grammar School are joined by Bromsgrove, Clifton High School, and The Crypt in what should be a great chance for each side to experience tournament rugby, something that there are all too few opportunities for in the girls school game. The action will mainly take place on the 3G pitch next to the live broadcast, however the final game of the girls competition will be LIVE on the NextGenLive YouTube Channel when Bristol Grammar School and Clifton High School go head to head in their derby game at 2pm.
Rugby Live Schedule
10.00 Bristol Grammar v Taunton School (Group A)
10.20 Christ Brecon v Clifton (Group B)
10.40 Collegiate v Downside (Group C)
11.00 Bristol Schools v Pangbourne (Group D)
11.20 Bristol Grammar v Wells Cathedral (Group A)
11.40 Blundells v Clifton (Group B)
12.00 Beechen Cliff v Collegiate (Group C)
12.20 Millfield v Pangbourne (Group D)
12.40 Bristol Grammar v The Crypt (Group A)
13.00 Clifton v Kings Worcester (Group B)
13.20 Collegiate v QEH (Group C)
13.40 Mount Kelly v Pangbourne (Group D)
14.00 Bristol Grammar v Clifton High (Girls)
14.20 Bowl Semi Final 1 – 4th Pool A v 4th Pool C
14.40 Shield Semi Final 1 – 3rd Pool A v 3rd Pool C
15.00 Plate Semi Final 1 – 2nd Pool A v 2nd Pool C
15.20 Cup Semi Final 1 – 1st Pool A v 1st Pool C
15.40 Shield Final
16.00 Cup Final
Netball Draw
Group A: Cathedral School Llandaff, Christ College Brecon, Downside, Solihull B, St Mary’s A
Group B: Bristol Grammar, Clifton High, Mount Kelly, QEH, St Mary’s B, King’s Worcester
The Bristol Grammar School 7s tournament returns this year with an expanded netball competition, to more closely replicate the rugby event.
With four new teams joining the lineup, the netball draw now features twelve schools, split evenly across two pools for the morning stages. Each team will battle through a round-robin schedule, with every match setting the scene for the afternoons knockout stages.
The semi-finals will see the two pools meet for the first time, as the top two teams from Pool A and Pool B cross over, first place from one pool facing second place from the other. From there, everything is on the line with the winners progressing to contest the Cup final, while the remaining semi-finalists meet again for the Plate final.
The hosts, Bristol Grammar School, find themselves in Pool B alongside a number of familiar opponents. Returning teams include Mount Kelly, local rivals Clifton High School, and St Mary’s Calne, who have doubled their chances this year by entering two teams, with their second side competing in this pool.
Joining these established sides are some fresh faces to the competition, with Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital and The King’s School Worcester completing a competitive group.
Over in Pool A, Downside School and St Mary’s Calne 1st VII make the journey up to Bristol once again, but this time they face an even tougher test. They are thrown into the mix with schools of serious netball pedigree, including Solihull, Christ’s College, Cathedral School, and Sherborne. A group that promises to provide you with a showcase of quality netball.
With some high level of talent across both groups and silverware on the line, the BGS 7’s Netball competition is set to be a thrilling day full of action bringing together elite school netball for a day where every point counts.
Netball Live Schedule
10.00 Solihull v Sherborne
10.20 Christ College v Downside
10.40 Llandaff Cathedral v St Mary’s Sky Blue
11.00 Solihull v Downside
11.20 Sherborne v St Mary’s Sky Blue
11.40 Christ College v Llandaff Cathedral
12.00 Solihull v St Mary’s Sky Blue
12.20 Downside v Llandaff Cathedral
12.40 Sherborne v Christ College
13.00 Solihull v Llandaff Cathedral
13.20 St Mary’s Sky Blue v Christ College
13.40 Downside v Sherborne
14.00 Solihull v Christ College
14.20 Llandaff Cathedral v Sherborne
14.40 St Mary’s Sky Blue v Downside
15.00 Semi Final 1 – 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B
15.20 Cup Final
