Wooden Spoon Sides Complete Kinsale Sevens Double
Despite the ‘soft’ weather, a blast of the 86 teams’ ‘technicolor’ rugby jerseys set the scene for the 2014 Heineken Kinsale Rugby Sevens over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
Over 8,000 players, spectators and people from the locality enjoyed two days of competitive rugby as well as fun and festivities that the Kinsale event always attracts.
The Wooden Spoon Marauders won the coveted Men’s Elite trophy, scooping €;10,000. They beat the Wild Geese, last year’s winners, with a convincing score of 30-0.
In the Men’s Open competition, the Lightning Bolts narrowly beat the Crusaders in an exciting final that finished 10-10, winning the trophy for a consecutive year.
The ‘Bolts from Dublin ran in the first try after the final whistle, winning the match, much to the delight of their supporters and ‘water boy’ Irish golfer Shane Lowry (pictured below) who enjoyed touring with the team again this year.
The Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies 2 deservedly won the Men’s Social competition, beating the Ruckaroos 12-10. This was quite a poignant victory as the team were remembering their team-mate Alan Feeley who died of a brain haemorraghe last year.
Alan had toured with the Rubber Duckies for the past two years – www.alanfeeley.com is their site that is dedicated to #LiveLifeGiveLife, a campaign promoting organ donation and healthy living.
The Wooden Spoons, a UK-based children’s charity team, won the Women’s competition for the second year in a row. They were victorious over the Adler 7s from Germany in a closely-fought contest (15-12). Adler 7s were made up primarily of members of the US military residing in Germany.
The Heineken Kinsale Sevens is the longest running club-organised tournament in Europe with a prize fund of €;30,000. The overall prize winners included:
Men’s Elite – The Wooden Spoon Marauders
Men’s Open – The Lightning Bolts
Men’s Social – The Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies 2
Women’s Elite/Open – The Wooden Spoons
Women’s Social – The Lady Rogues
Featuring elite and club players from Norway, Germany, Luxembourg the UK and throughout Ireland, the 2014 Heineken Kinsale Sevens celebrated the spirit of a top-class rugby tournament with a great atmosphere.
The Heineken Kinsale Sevens generates a massive boost to the local economy at the start of the tourist season and is staffed entirely by volunteers.
It is a hugely important event for Kinsale town and district and allows Kinsale showcase its heritage and gourmet reputation.
Munster and Ireland’s Simon Zebo, Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray (pictured below) came down to meet the junior players on site and pose for photos and sign autographs.
Pat Maher, Heineken’s event and sponsorship manager, said: “Heineken, alongside our business partners in Kinsale and surrounding areas, are delighted with our long association with this fantastic event.
“Recent successes on the playing fields have rugby awareness and affinity at a very high level. This enjoyment has encouraged many people to come to Kinsale to witness another form of the game at its highest level.”
For the sixth year, Kukri was the official event wear for the Kinsale Sevens. At the launch, tournament director Philip Stokes announced that Kukri has just signed a deal for a further three years and thanked Terry Jackson, managing director of Kukri, for their continued involvement and support.
Other partners include Pride Passion Party; Hayes Caravan Services, Kinsale Town Council and EMC. Charity partners this year included Kinsale Youth Support Services Project (KYSS) and the Wooden Spoon Children’s Charity of Rugby.
The Kinsale Sevens had over 150,000 Facebook friends during the weekend, demonstrating the vast network the event connects. For results, photos and more, visit www.kinsale7s.com.