Community spirit shines at Berwick Sevens
Berwick-upon-Tweed played host to round five of the Kings of the Sevens tournament on Sunday.
And while the summer weather which graced round four in Hawick the previous day failed to make an appearance it did mean the club’s worries over pitch playability came to nothing.
Berwick RFC president Colin Frame said work had been going on behind the scenes all week amid fears April’s plentiful showers would put a dampner on the event.
“We had in place contingency plans for relocating the main pitch over to another pitch,” he said. “But the three days of good weather leading up to the day meant that the pitch was in the best condition it has been for many years for the sevens.
“So as far as the pitch was concerned, it was in immaculate condition given the amount of rain we have had.
“When it comes to sevens, you want to have some sunshine in the morning so that the crowds make the effort to come along, then a little cooler come the afternoon for the players, but you can’t have everything.
“Hawick could have shared some of the warmth,” he joked.
“The crowds were slightly down on last year overall, but I think the people that were there really enjoyed the day.
“We tried a different layout for the beer tent and barbecue this year which helped open up the area around the pitch and really allowed people to move about a bit more, so that worked really well.”
Around 90 supporters enjoyed the pre-match lunch which also featured a raffle, lottery and a draw which saw £1,000 donated to the chemotherapy unit at Berwick Infirmary.
Colin added: “That emphasises the community side of this club. That’s what the sevens is all about, not just getting big crowds but getting the people of Berwick out and involved with the club, so in that respect it was a great success.”