Finborough, Warwick and Wellingborough scooped the silverware as Northampton Saints welcomed 12 school teams to Franklin’s Gardens on Thursday for the Redrow 7s Series.
Finals Day in the under-13 boys category saw qualifiers from six regional tournaments across Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk take to Saints’ hallowed turf.
And after a day of fast-paced 7s rugby, Wellingborough beat Chipping Norton to claim the Bowl, before Warwick edged out Ousedale and took home the plate.
But Finborough saved their best for last in the showpiece Cup final, sweeping Felsted aside to claim the top prize on offer – which was presented to them by Saints first-team stars Cobus Reinach and Kieran Brookes.
“It’s been brilliant for us coming out and playing at Franklin’s Gardens,” said Wellingborough School student Ally Moffat.
“For a lot of us it’s a dream to play here and then maybe to someday become professional rugby players.
“Just to get to Finals Day was an incredible achievement for the lads, and then to actually lift a trophy here was more than we could have ever hoped for.”
Sharnbrook Academy, Royal Hospital, Alameda, Burford, The Perse and Colchester RGS schools made up the Finals Day line-up, battling hard throughout the Pool stages.
With between 10 and 20 schools involved in each regional tournament, approximately 1,500 students have taken part across the Series so far – with the girls and clubs categories still to come.
The Under-15s girls competition takes place in June, followed by the Under-13s boys club contest in August.
“We were delighted to host the Redrow Homes 7s Series finals here at Franklin’s Gardens once again, and there was some superb rugby on display throughout the day,” said Saints’ Head of Community Connor Fleming.
“The standard definitely seems to go up year on year, and congratulations must go to all 12 schools that took part for reaching the final stages of the competition.
“Saints are hugely grateful to Redrow for their support in making this tournament happen – with their support we’re developing our provision and making rugby more accessible to young people across six counties.
“We’ve had a great response and have seen an increase in schools signing up to take part in the Redrow Homes 7s.”
Bill Cairns, Redrow Construction Director, added: “At Redrow Homes South Midlands, we pride ourselves on creating thriving communities, so we were delighted to team up with Northampton Saints and local schools for the Redrow 7s Series.
“We’ve had a long association with the Club and are proud to help the youth of the area to be active and enjoy tournaments such as the Redrow 7s Series.
“Playing on the Northampton Saints pitch is a unique opportunity for the teams involved, and we hope that it helps to inspire sports enthusiasts of the future.”
Tickets for Saints' final clash of the season against Worcester Warriors are still available from the ticket office at Franklin’s Gardens, online by CLICKING HERE or by calling the Saints Ticket Office on 01604 581000. Prices start at £36 for adults and £16 for juniors.
