A BRIEF sprinkling of rain during the week did little to soften the Penns Place pitches ahead of the 24th outing of Petersfield Rugby Football Club’s Pub Sevens tournament on Sunday.

The team to beat were Jarrolds 7 who, as the White Horse, had run away with the past two tournaments.

Jarrolds beat all before them in the pool stages to top their group with a perfect record. The top teams in the other pools matched the defending champions in completing their opening matches without a loss.

The Queen’s Head II topped their pool with a perfect record while in the final pool their first team were held to second place by the George. The George and the Queen’s Head I cancelled each other out in their head-to-head with a 5-5 draw, with the former claiming top spot thanks to a better points scored record.

The Queen’s Head I gained a measure of revenge over the George in the cup semi-final, winning handsomely to book a showdown with Jarrolds 7, who had narrowly beaten the Queen’s Head II. In the other finals, the Folly Wine Bar, aiming to win their third plate in a row, were drawn against the Townhouse and the Hungry Boys against Woody’s Bar.

Before the main finals kicked off, however, the two least successful teams of the day, the Forester and the Hungrier Boys, met to decide who would go home with the wooden spoon, and the Forester emerged victorious from a high-scoring game.

In the bowl final the Hungry Boys comfortably beat Woody’s Bar, having timed their campaign to perfection. In the plate final the Townhouse were clear favourites for the win at half time, but a flurry of second-half tries, including a double from prop Jay Bremner, pulled the Folly back to within two points at the death. The Townhouse held on for the win, though.

In the cup final the well-drilled Jarrods 7 were too good for their opponents and ran up an early lead they never relinquished, and the Queen’s Head I had to settle for the runners-up prize.

At the end of the event, Sarah Mantini presented the awards. In honour of her late husband, the renowned publican and club supporter Jerry Hicks, a tankard was presented to Woody’s Bar, who were judged to have the best shirts.