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Features > Snelling Sevens
Snelling Sevens
Introduction
1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Snelling Sevens Pennants from the Everson Room

The Snelling Sevens ran from 1954-1995 and when it was considered that there was no longer time in the rugby calendar to hold the event, the Snelling Trophy was handed back to Newport RFC where it was inaugurated.

Reg Snelling, then Chairman of Newport Athletic Club presented the trophy and Newport led by international wing Ken Jones beat Ebbw Vale 6-0 in the first final at Newport in May 1954. Newport’s team that day was Malcolm Thomas, Malcolm Quarterly, Dick Sheppard, Graham Ross, Ken Jones, Brian J Jones and Roy Burnett.

Bill Everson of Newport played a big part in the organisation of the tournament and when he died in 1966 a “Player of the Tournament” Trophy was introduced to perpetuate his name. Fittingly Newport’s David Watkins was the first ever winner in 1967. Other Newport winners were wingers Steve Pill in 1985 and John Churchill in 1977.

In the early years Newport reigned supreme and won 9 of the first 14 tournaments and runners-up in another 3 Only failing to reach the final in 1960 when scrum half Billy Watkins was injured and in 1964 when Stuart Watkins, David Watkins and Brian Price were on Wales’s tour to South Africa.

1967 saw Cardiff with internationals Gerald Davies and Maurice Richards meet Newport in the final in front of a 40,000 crowd. Newport won 21-15 and David Watkins lifted the trophy and kept his magnificent record of never being on a losing Newport sevens side.

In 1995 the tournament (Worthington Sevens) was held for the last time and the Snelling Trophy is held at Rodney Parade, Newport - its birthplace - for perpetuity.



Snelling Sevens Honours
Team Winners Runners-Up
Newport109
Cardiff96
Bridgend66
Llanelli51
Swansea42
Newbridge22
Neath21
Glamorgan Wdrs11
South Wales Police11
Ebbw Vale14
Bath10
Pontypool03
Abertillery02
Penarth02
Leicester01
Pontypridd01
Total42


Newport's Snelling Sevens Record : 1954 -1995
1962 Cup winners.

1963 Cup winners.

1967 Cup Winners

Played 128
Won 94
Lost 34
Points for: 1709
Ponts against: 1135

Finals : 19 - more than any other team
Winners : 10 times - more than any other team
The only team to win 3 consecutive finals (1961, 62 and 63)

Opponent Played Won Lost
Aberavon 5 2 40% 3 60%
Abertillery 4 4 100% 0 0%
Bath 1 1 100% 0 0%
Bridgend 8 3 38% 5 63%
Cardiff 17 10 59% 7 41%
Cross Keys 7 7 100% 0 0%
Ebbw Vale 10 8 80% 2 20%
Glamorgan Wdrs 6 6 100% 0 0%
Leicester 1 0 0% 1 100%
Llanelli 10 7 70% 3 30%
London Welsh 1 1 100% 0 0%
Maesteg 8 7 88% 1 13%
Moseley 2 1 50% 1 50%
Neath 7 5 71% 2 29%
Newbridge 10 8 80% 2 20%
Penarth 9 7 78% 2 22%
Pontypool 7 6 86% 1 14%
Pontypridd 5 5 100% 0 0%
Swansea 7 5 71% 2 29%
South Wales Police 2 0 0% 2 100%
Tredegar 1 1 100% 0 0%
All matches 128 94 73% 34 27%


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