Rescuing the game's past

One result of last weekend's double by Ellingham & Ringwood is that it is now possible to come up with a list of previous winners of the National 7s - or at least the U18 competition as the U15 trophy only has winners from last year (did the 2008 winners not return it?). For some reason the information is not available on the RFUW's website - or anywhere else - so its worth recording.

It seems that the first National 7s was in 2000 - and ferreting about a bit I think I have even unearthed most of the venues. So, the U17/U18 Roll of Honour is...

• 2000 (at Worthing) - Lichfield U18
• 2001 (at unknown) - Lichfield U18
• 2002 (at Southampton) - Scorpions U18
• 2003 (at Richmond) - London Sproggs U18
• 2004 (at Univ Northumbria) - Worcester U18
• 2005 (at Harpenden) - Worcester U17 (our first tournament)
• 2006 (at Harpenden)  - Basildon U17
• 2007 (at Leighton Buzzard) - Worcester U18
• 2008 (at Leighton Buzzard) - Exeter Saracens U18
• 2009 (at Harpenden) - Reading U18
• 2010 (at Harpenden)  - Ellingham and Ringwood U18

First, one thing worth noting is the way that we have been drawn the eventual winners of the tournament in our group every year (apart from in 2008) - which seems to go against most laws of averages, I think...!

Second, it does show again how even very successful clubs can disappear just as quickly as smaller ones. Burfield are a partial revival of Lichfield (combined with Burton) - but there was a few years gap between; "London Sproggs"??? Who were they??; and Scorpions were a very successful team from Hertfordshire (based at Datchworth) who, after over five years of remarkable success, disappeared overnight in the middle of the 2002/3 season - the year before Welwyn began and two years before us. Their website still exists with their final season running well, it seems, right up to the (first?) regional programme, after which... (hmmmm... regional rugby having an effect from the start?),

You do wonder where all the girls went (do you recognise any names or faces?), as they had several England U16 (remarkably the RFUW had an England U16 squad!) and regional players (London & Home Counties region?).

• Correspondents have now unearthed the following U16/U14/U15 Roll of Honour:

2000 (at Worthing) - Unknown
2001 (at unknown) - Unknown
2002 (at Southampton) - Scorpions U16
2003 (at Richmond) - Worcester U16
2004 (at Univ Northumbria) - Worcester U16
2005 (at Harpenden) - Dorking U14
2006 (at Harpenden)  - Cranberliegh U14
2007 (at Leighton Buzzard) - Cranberliegh U15
2008 (at Leighton Buzzard) - North Hykeham U15
2009 (at Harpenden) - Worcester U15
2010 (at Harpenden)  - Ellingham and Ringwood U15