The U17 tournament on Friday evening served as an official opening of the new pitches but the hosts were defeated by Larne in a hard fought encounter.
The following day, with the Cottonmount bathed in sunshine, the large crowd of spectators enjoyed some sparkling rugby in the U19 and Senior events. In the end, Lisburn won the Ken Bonar Memorial Trophy for the U19 competition and Queen’s University magnificently retained the Will Totten Memorial Trophy in the senior category. To the delight of the home support, Ophir won the Plate competition.
During the Saturday afternoon, the Mayor of Newtownabbey, Alderman Frazer Agnew formally declared the new pitches open. The club was also delighted and privileged to welcome two very special guests, President of the Ulster Rugby Branch, John Robinson and none other than Tommy Bowe.
Ophir’s President, Martin Morrison said: “As with last year, we have been very fortunate to enjoy near perfect weather conditions for the Sevens and all the teams have provided us with a great day’s entertainment. Many congratulations to all the winners!
“I want to convey my heartfelt gratitude to the Mayor of Newtownabbey, the President of the Ulster Branch and of course to Tommy for giving their time to attend our tournament. We very much appreciate their commitment to our level of rugby.”
“My thanks go to those members of our club who have toiled tirelessly behind the scenes and we also owe a great debt of thanks to our main sponsors for the day, Newtownabbey Borough Council. We are indebted to our main club sponsors, MCW Properties and Biffa. We very much value this backing, and indeed the generous support of many local businesses and companies who advertise in the Sevens programme.”