Snelling Sevens

The Snelling Sevens (also known as the Snelling Seven-a-Side Trophy") was an annual Welsh rugby union sevens competition that ran from 1954 until 1995.

The trophy was inaugurated in 1954 and the trophy presented by the Chairman of Newport Athletic Club, Reg Snelling, whose gave his name to the trophy. The competition took place over a single day, and was originally a straight forward knockout tournament between 16 teams, with the initial draw taking place prior to the match day. The teams invited were the premier South Wales teams, but occasionaly if a team was on tour at the time clubs were invited from other areas, including English teams such as Leicester and Bath.

1967 saw the introduction of the Bill Everson Award for the Man of the Tournament Trophy.

In 1979 the competition changed format from an all out knockout tournament to a four team, four group pool system followed by knockout rounds.

A popular competition in the 1950s through to the 1970s, crowds diminished from 50,000 at its peak to around 5000 by the 80s and early 90s. In 1995 the competition changed name to the Worthington Sevens, but it was decided that due to the congested time-tables' of the clubs involved that the tournament should cease to be held. The trophy was awarded permanently to Newport as the most successful club in the competition's history.

nelling Sevens Trophy

Competition multiple winners

References

External links

* [http://www.snellingsevens.co.uk/ Official site of the Snelling Seven-A-Side Tournament]