Millfield School regain the Marches Sevens title after superb display
12:37pm Thursday 28th February 2008
MILLFIELD School clinched the Hereford Cathedral School Marches Sevens title for the seventh time in the last 10 competitions, at Wyeside on Sunday.
The Somerset school were the best team in the tournament and it was their 12th triumph since the event was established in 1977.
Millfield also had the outstanding player - Oliver Lindsay-Hague who scored 14 tries.
The jet-heeled Lindsay-Hague played for the England Under-16 A side last year and is attached to the Harlequins academy.
Millfield carried off the title after beating Old Swinford 27-14 in the final - but it was much closer than the scoreline suggests.
After Millfield had opened up a 15-0 lead, Old Swinford pegged the score back to 15-14 thanks to a try each from Daniel Scott and Louis Sterling, who also kicked two conversions.
But the Somerset school scored two late tries to seal the title.
Lindsay-Hague bagged two tries for Millfield, while George Swinburne, Jonathan Joseph and Chris Cook also scored tries. Mike Ward added a conversion.
Millfield completed a double over the West Midland school because they had won 33-7 when the two teams met in the group stages.
The standard of rugby throughout the day was superb.
Hereford Cathedral School's playing involvement ended in the third round when they were comfortably beaten 42-0 by Filton College.
Cathedral had earlier made it through their group after beating Cheltenham 19-17 in their first match before losing 24-17 to RGS Worcester in their second group game.
Cathedral trailed 12-0 to Cheltenham at half-time, but tries from Alex Valentini, Matthew Holt and Matthew Hall, plus two conversions by Ed Oliver, gave the Hereford side a thrilling last-gasp win.
Cathedral led 17-5 at half-time against RGS Worcester in their second match, thanks to tries from Tim Hanks, Holt and Oliver, who also booted a conversion.
But the Hereford school were overpowered after the break.
Cathedral finished second in their group but their third-round tie with Filton proved a step too far.
Hereford-based Ollie Frost, who played for Hereford Rugby Club a fortnight ago, was part of the Bromsgrove team which reached the semi-finals before losing to Millfield.
The holders, Llandovery College, suffered a surprise third-round exit after going down 30-19 to Plymouth.
Glantaf won the plate competition, which was held for the teams which did not make it through the group stages.
Glantaf recorded a 31-26 win over Rydal Penrhos in an all-action final.
Tournament organiser John Taylor is retiring from Hereford Cathedral School later this year.
In fact, Sunday's Marches tournament was the last that Taylor is organising.
Speaking after Millfeld had won the final, Taylor praised all the schools for producing an excellent standard of rugby.
He thanked all those who had made the event such an overwhelming success.
Taylor also singled out the tremendous support from allpay.net who were, once again, the tournament's main sponsors.
Full results: Group A: Hereford Cathedral School 19, Cheltenham 17; Cheltenham 19, RGS Worcs 0; RGS Worcs 24, Hereford Cathedral School 17; Group B: CC Brecon 22, Plymouth 10; Plymouth 34, Barnard Castle 12; Barnard Castle 5, CC Brecon 27; Group C: Monmouth 7, King's Worcs 22; King's Worcs 12, Coleg Sir Gar 17; Coleg Sir Gar 36, Monmouth 7; Group D: St Edwards 29, Rydal Penrhos 12; Rydal Penrhos 7, Bryanston 43; Bryanston 19, St Edwards 0; Group E: Bromsgrove 28, Dean Close 10; Dean Close 7, Bristol Grammar 24; Bristol Grammar 5, Bromsgrove 47; Group F: Llandovery 19, Llanhari 12; Llanhari 24, Glantaf 0; Glantaf 14, Llandovery 28; Group G: Filton College 40, Solihull 14; Solihull 32, Kelly College 14; Kelly College 5, Filton College 31; Group H: Arnold 0, Old Swinford 28; Old Swinford 7, Millfield 33; Millfield 50, Arnold 5.
Third round: Bryanston 57, Bristol 5; Cheltenham 7, Solihull 12; Coleg Sir Gar 0, Old Swinford 26; CC Brecon 21, Llanhari 12; Bromsgrove 24, St Edwards 7; Filton 42, Hereford Cathedral School 0; Llandovery 19, Plymouth 30; Millfield 50, King's Worcs 0.
Quarter-finals: Bryanston 38, Solihull 5; Old Swinford 31, CC Brecon 7; Bromsgrove 26, Filton 7; Plymouth 0 Millfield 55.
Semi-finals: Bryanston 5, Old Swinford 14; Bromsgrove 0, Millfield 17.
Final: Millfield 27, Old Swinford 14.
Plate competition: Quarter-finals: Rydal Penrhos 33, Dean Close 14; RGS Worcs 17, Kelly College 14; Monmouth 28, Arnold 17; Barnard Castle 15, Glantaf 19.
Semi-finals: Rydal Penrhos 14, RGS Worcs 5; Monmouth 14, Glantaf 24.
Plate Final: Glantaf 31, Rydal Penrhos 26.