Middlesex Sevens
Template:Short description The Middlesex Sevens was a Rugby Sevens tournament held annually at Twickenham stadium in London, England until 2011. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London-based Scot.[1] The event was held at the end of the rugby union season in May every year for 75 years, but moved to August in 2001 due to lack of available stadium dates and players in May. The Middlesex Sevens tournament was last played in 2011, as the new Premiership Rugby 7s Series caused many of the top clubs that previously took part to pull out.
This tournament was a charitable event, officially called the Middlesex Charity Sevens, with the beneficiaries being Wooden Spoon and the RFU Injured Players Fund.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Middlesex Charity Sevens raised over £10 million for charities.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
History
Traditionally the Middlesex Sevens was an invitation tournament with entertainment derived from overseas and qualifying sides challenging rugby union's top teams.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 2005 the tournament became a twelve team competition with only Rugby Premiership teams participating.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 2008 the tournament reverted to sixteen teams. Brazil was amongst the teams invited to take part in the 2011 tournament.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The final was played between Esher RFC and Samurai.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Two rugby league clubs have won the Middlesex Sevens. In 1996 Wigan brought a star-studded team including Martin Offiah, Shaun Edwards, Andy Farrell, Va'aiga Tuigamala and Jason Robinson to Twickenham in 1996. Bradford Bulls were champions in 2002.[2]
The Women's Middlesex 7s was introduced in 2011, the final year of the tournament, and was won by Wooden Spoon Women.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
List of winners
By wins
| Team | Titles | Years of Titles Won |
|---|---|---|
| Harlequins | 14 | 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1933, 1935, 1967, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2008 |
| Richmond | 9 | 1951, 1953, 1955, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983 |
| London Welsh | 8 | 1930, 1931, 1956, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1984 |
| London Scottish | 7 | 1937, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1991 |
| London Wasps | 5 | 1948, 1952, 1985, 1993, 2006 |
| Loughborough Colleges | 5 | 1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1976 |
| St. Mary's Hospital | 5 | 1940, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946 |
| Rosslyn Park | 4 | 1947, 1950, 1954, 1981 |
| Barbarians | 3 | 1934, 1997, 1998 |
| Blackheath | 2 | 1932, 1958 |
| British Army | 2 | 2001, 2004 |
| Penguins | 2 | 1999, 2000 |
| ULR Samurai | 2 | 2010, 2011 |
| St Luke's College | 2 | 1957, 1969 |
| Bath | 1 | 1994 |
| Bradford Bulls (RL) | 1 | 2002 |
| Cambridge University | 1 | 1941 |
| Cardiff | 1 | 1939 |
| Gloucester | 1 | 2005 |
| Heriot's FP | 1 | 1949 |
| Leicester Tigers | 1 | 1995 |
| London Irish | 1 | 2009 |
| Metropolitan Police | 1 | 1938 |
| Newcastle Falcons | 1 | 2007 |
| Northampton Saints | 1 | 2003 |
| Nottingham | 1 | 1945 |
| Sale | 1 | 1936 |
| Stewart's Melville FP | 1 | 1982 |
| Western Samoa | 1 | 1992 |
| Wigan (RL) | 1 | 1996 |
See also
References
Bibliography
- Bath, Richard (editor) The Scotland Rugby Miscellany (Vision Sports Publishing, 2007 Template:ISBN)
External links
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".