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Pocklington RUFC again stages Yorkshire’s oldest rugby seven-a-side tournament and the town’s biggest sporting occasion, when the 53rd Guinness Pock 7s, get underway at Percy Road on next Friday (22 April).

The event has been held at Pocklington every Good Friday since 1959, and has grown from humble beginnings as a small in-house event to become one of Yorkshire's major rugby occasions. The sevens attracts a big regular following as some 3,000 rugby enthusiasts pack into Pocklington's Percy Road ground, with numerous East Yorkshire exiles making their way back home for an annual Easter reunion, several travelling back from abroad for the weekend, making it the busiest weekend of the year for both the rugby club and the town.

This year’s tournament has a full entry of 24 sides, with a mixture of local club sides and teams from further afield battling it out in the main competition and plate, including a strong entry of sides from North and East Yorkshire.

There are six former winners taking part, with current holders of the Fowler Trophy being sevens specialists, Raging Bull Ronin, who beat Malton & Norton in last year’s final. And a cosmopolitan flavour to the day is expected as several sides are likely to include South Sea Islanders in their ranks.

The seven-a-side action gets underway at 12 noon with a womens rugby mini tournament involving ladies teams from Pocklington, Doncaster and Hull. The main tournament follows straight on at 1.00 pm with the first game between Goole and midland tourists, Market Harborough. More than six hours of non-stop sevens rugby follows with the final scheduled for 6.40 pm.

Draw
First Round
A: Goole v Market Harborough (1.00)
B: Selby v Edinburgh TMC (1.20)
C: Hullensians v Peterites (1.40)
D: Pocklington v Market Harborough (2.00)
E: Ionians v Yapham Badgers (2.20)
F: Rogue Traders v Sheffield Medics (2.40)
G: Scunthorpe FH v Old Pocklingtonians (3.00)
H: Old Hymerians v Yorkshire PDS (3.20)
Second Round
Catterick Garrison v Winner A (1.40)
Hull Ionians v Winner B (2.00)
Malton & Norton v Winner C (2.20)
Driffield v Winner D (2.40)
KS Crusaders v Winner E (3.00)
Ronin v Winner F (3.20)
Royal Artillery v Winner G (3.40)
York v Winner H (4.00)