TEAMS from across Suffolk and Essex took part in the annual Old Buckenham Hall School sevens tournament last weekend.

The tournament, for Under-11s and Under-13s teams, also attracted several high-profile visiting referees, including ex-British and Irish Lion Tyrone Howe, a rugby coach at Uppingham School and commentator for Sky TV, Toby Makhzangi, also from Uppingham, and Paul Rowland, chairman of Ipswich Juniors RFC.

The teams who took part were:

- Sudbury RFC

- Ipswich RFC

- Bury St Edmunds RFC

- Barnardiston Preparatory School, Haverhill

- St John’s Prep School, Cambridge

- Holmwood House, Lexden, Colchester

- New Hall, Chelmsford

- Ipswich School

- Langley Prep School, Norfolk

- Finborough School

- The Abbey, Woodbridge

- Dame Bradbury’s, Saffron Walden

The event saw a superb standard of rugby played as the teams fought it out.

In the Under-11s tournament St John’s triumphed over The Abbey in the plate final, while Dame Bradbury’s played some excellent rugby to beat Bury RFC in the first semi-final and Sudbury RFC overcame Ipswich RFC in the second.

The Under-11s final saw Sudbury play some flowing rugby to best Dame Bradbury’s and lift the title.

In the Under-13s competition both group stages were keenly contested, with New Hall topping group B followed by Old Buckenham and Barnardiston, while Ipswich School finished first and second in group A.

In the plate final Holmwood House lost to Langley, who improved as the day went on.

Meanwhile, in the cup semi-finals Old Buckenham lost to Barnardiston while New Hall beat Ipswich School.

The final was a hard-fought contest with Barnardiston’s speed and skill proving just too much for New Hall.