A YOUTH and junior rugby festival saw more than 1,000 young players and hundreds more spectators descend on Ipswich Rugby Club on Sunday.

Nine clubs were invited to join the hosts for a fantastic day of rugby which proved that the future of the game is very much in safe hands.

Sunday’s festival was billed as a genuine Eastern Counties event and so it proved with Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester, Diss, Hadleigh, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Woodbridge all fielding sides along with Cambridge and the Old Northamptonians.

Ipswich’s youth and junior chairman Paul Rowland said the festival was the best in the club’s history adding: “The depth of competition and skill was evidenced by the fact that no single club dominated proceedings. The future of youth and junior rugby at Ipswich, and across the Eastern Counties, is very bright indeed.”

After very competitive pool stages and finals, from Under-7s to Under-12s, most clubs had at least one age group team in the finals.

The host club reached three of the five finals, winning one, and scored the highest in the fair play scoring system that was applied to every age group.

The other winners were Colchester, Bury, Hadleigh and Sudbury while the touring Old Northamptonians overcame a strong Colchester side in the Under-12s pool matches before beating Cambridge in the final.

Rowland wanted to thank everyone who helped make the event such a success including chief sponsors Spicer McColl and the various age groups within the Ipswich club, including the seniors, who helped act as everything from brochure sellers to runners.

ROLL OF HONOUR

- Under-12s: Cup – Old Northamptionans beat Cambridge

- Under-11s: Cup – Colchester beat Ipswich; Plate – Bury St Edmunds beat Sudbury

- Under-10s: Cup – Colchester beat Ipswich; Plate – Bury St Edmunds beat Hadleigh

- Under-9s: Cup – Ipswich beat Bury St Edmunds

- Under-8s: Cup – Colchester beat Bury St Edmunds; Plate – Hadleigh beat Cambridge

- Under-7s: Cup – Bury St Edmunds beat Ipswich; Plate – Sudbury beat Hadleigh