GREAT YARMOUTH HOST BEACH TOURNAMENT

Great Yarmouth hosted its third beach rugby tournament last summer. Beach Rugby is growing in the UK and is providing an opportunity for more players to get involved in the sport in a new exciting way.

The tournament took place last July on Great Yarmouth’s Central Beach. Seventeen teams from Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire competed in the tournament. The players ranged in age with the youngest participant aged just six with the oldest players being in their 50s.

The tournament was organised to appeal equally to veterans and to newcomers to the sport with a real emphasis on the taking part being what counted.

The event took the form of a touch tournament with a fine display of handling and tackle averting runs. The lack of full contact only helped to make the tournament appeal more to novices and increased the friendly feel to the tournament.

The tournament was organised by Asa Morrison, chairman of Broadland Great Yarmouth Rugby Club, in partnership with Betfair Rugby. He was incredibly satisfied with how the tournament went, praising the number of novices who took part and the wide range of people involved, with many coming with other generations of their own families.

The main tournament was won by the ‘Skegness Sharks’, with local team ‘The Billy Whizzers’ taking the plate competition, the shield was won by ‘The West Bog Trotters’ with a side from Swaffham winning the Bowl competition. The use of shield, plate and bowl tournaments ensured no one left the event too early, maintaining interest on the pitch for every team throughout the day.

The event, like many of the other Beach Rugby tournaments sprouting up around the UK and throughout Europe has proved a massive success and the future of Beach Rugby is looking bright. Every tournament reports a large amount of novices taking part and a great atmosphere enjoyed by all involved.

The tournament finished with the Sale – Worcester match on a big screen with a barbecue. The exciting match went against the latest Rugby Union betting odds, with Sale storming into an unassailable lead to win the match.