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This Saturday 8^th June 2024 sees Old Penarthians host their Annual Seven-a-side Tournament at Cwrt-y-vil Playing Fields in Penarth.  This will be the 73^rd running of the event since its inception in 1950 which was initially contested at Penarth County School until 1963 with one season at Cogan in 1951. Without the unfortunate two-year interruption in the holding of the event due to the Covid19 pandemic this would have been the event’s Diamond Jubilee which would have been very fitting as it falls within the celebrations of the Club’s centenary.

Season 2023/24 has marked a hundred years of rugby at Old Penarthians RFC, since its foundation in November 1923.  The season has seen a series of events to honour this achievement which have included a Centenary Dinner hosted in a marquee at the club with 270 people present including WRU President Mr Gerald Davies and rugby legend Sir Gareth Edwards.

This was followed by a Chairman’s lunch with guest speaker Rob Howley and three presentation evenings where bespoke commemorative caps were awarded to players who had achieved milestone numbers of games for the 1^st XV. The season long celebrations will finish with a gala Dinner Dance at the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff at the end of June

But the annual Sevens tournament is always a special day in the Old Penarthians calendar and it is hoped that this year will be no exception to add to the seventy-two years of memorable occasions.

The traditional date for this local rugby highlight had been the third Saturday in May with an occasional visit to an earlier weekend however the last few tournaments have been staged in early June because of the extended WRU league rugby season and other conflicting Sevens tournaments that take place at the end of May.

The change of date has however attracted ten very good invitational specialist Sevens teams and again this year the teams in the tournament will compete in two Pools.  Each pool will comprise five teams and they will each play one another to determine the winners and runners-up in each Pool.  The winners of each Pool will compete in the final for the Roy Churchill Cup and the runners-up in each Pool will compete in the Golden Jubilee Plate final.

The draw for the main event sees the teams drawn in the following Pools:

The changing face of Sevens rugby and the demise of the Old Boys’ school network, on which the tournament was originally based in 1950, does however mean that the Old Penarthians are now the only ‘ever-present’ team in the competition and it is hoped that the team brought together by 1^st XV coach Jake Thomas will be competitive and perhaps repeat the success of the home club in the very first event.

Last season the final being played for Roy Churchill Cup, was a great exhibition of Sevens rugby with strong defences and patient attacking play interspersed with individual skills. The lead changed hands on numerous occasions and with just under two minutes remaining the Goats must have thought the trophy was in their hands as they led 21-17.  Godfathers were however not to be beaten and with the last play of the match a kick ahead over the try line was reached first by one of their players to claim the game by 22-21.

The men’s Jubilee Plate competition saw the runners-up from each pool, Voyagers and Ponty Butchers II contest the final which resulted in a victory for the Butchers by 26-15.

All four teams who competed in those finals return this year to enhance their reputations

The winner of the ‘Player of the Tournament’ were George Hilson of Godfathers and it has to be seen if he is selected to try and retain his award and to be one of only three other players to have won the trophy on two occasions.

Entry to Cwrt-y-vil will be by programme at a cost of £4.00.  Car parking will be available on the field and those attending are asked to make use of this parking facility to minimise the disruption to the local neighbours

In association with the tournament the Club will also be providing food throughout the day to accompany refreshments that will be available from the club premises as well as from a marquee manned by club volunteers.  No glasses or glass bottles will be allowed on the Playing Fields and it is hoped that spectators will make use of the many bins that will be provided to dispose of their waste in accordance with the requirements of the Welsh Government

The first game of the tournament will kick-off at 2.00pm and the event will operate across the two rugby pitches.  The first of the Mens’ finals will kick off at 5.40pm with the Cup Competition final at 6.10pm.