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Teams Announced for 2011 Melrose Sevens

The teams to take part in the 2011 Melrose Sevens (Saturday 9th April) have been announced, featuring some familiar names alongside one Scottish debutant, and a new international club being launched at the tournament.

Invitational sides taking part are the Hamilton club from Cape Town in South Africa who are returning to defend their 2010 title, Waikato from New Zealand – and newcomers Hong Kong Scottish.

The Hamilton Dynamiters, the veterans section of the club, is also competing in the Davidson Chalmers Melrose Sevens Veterans Tournament (Friday 8th April), the first international side to have entered both competitions.

The club was founded in 1875 and is recognized as being the oldest rugby club in South Africa. The club’s first playing colours were that of the Scottish club from which Hamilton Football Club was named. Waikato were New Zealand’s national sevens champions last year. Their team manager, David Fox, played rugby in Melrose some 20 years ago.

Four Waikato players are in the New Zealand Sevens squad. Hong Kong Scottish is being “launched” at the Melrose Sevens, and will have a role similar to that of London Scottish in England.

The Hong Kong Scottish team includes players of Scottish heritage and local Chinese development players. Among the squad is ex-Scotland Sevens international David Tait, former Glasgow Hawks centre Ally Maclay, former Melrose player Dave Whiteford, with the side coached by Joe Shaw, the former England Sevens player.

Scottish Clubs

Melrose, Selkirk, Hawick, Kelso, Langham, Gala, Jedforest, Peebles, Ayr, Heriots, West of Scotland, Watsonians, Boroughmuir, Currie, Dundee HS, Glasgow Hawks, Stirling County, Stewarts Melville, Falkirk, Aberdeen Grammar, Edinburgh Academicals.

Davidson Chalmers Melrose Sevens Veterans Tournament

The Davidson Chalmers Melrose Sevens Veterans Tournament this year features invitational sides from South Africa, the Cayman Islands and, for the first time, Tyndale, the English rugby club which hosted the first Sevens tournament south of the border in 1894.

The veterans’ tournament, now in its fourth year, will consist of teams of ten players, with clubs eliminated being entered into subsidiary Bowl and Plate events.

Last year, the competition was won by Melrose.

Invitational Teams: Cayman Islands & Hawick Harlequins, Hamilton (South Africa) and Tyndale. Scottish Teams: Orkney, Morgan Old Blacks, Edinburgh Accies, Melrose, Islay, Madras, Glasgow Hawks, Puffin Gannets (North Berwick), Craigiehall (Army).

“Melrose RFC would like to extend a warm welcome to all the teams competing in the 2011 event, and to their travelling supporters, for what will be – as always - a fun and colourful occasion,” said Ian Cooper, Sevens convenor for Melrose RFC.

“Every year we welcome visitors from all over the world to the birthplace of the game and, each year, it is a tournament that just gets bigger and better,” he said.

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said, “EventScotland has supported the Melrose Sevens since 2008. This year marks the first where it will receive funding through our International Funding Programme to help broaden the reach of the event through increased PR and marketing activity. “The event has an ever increasing global appeal as the sport looks towards Olympic inclusion in 2016 and it will be one of the sports in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. As the birthplace of the seven-a-side game, we believe the tournament can continue to grow and attract visitors and supporters from far beyond the Scottish Borders,” he said.