Ampthill 1stXV stepped out of their comfort zone on Saturday entering a squad in the second annual Olney 7s tournament.
There were twenty sides entered, mostly local but with a number of 'invitational' squads in a 5 team 4 game round robin followed by quarter final, semi final and final in the shield competition with plate and spoon finals format. Amps found themselves in a group with two club sides Olney (mainly colts) and Bletchley under the name of Average Joes as well as invitation sides Bedfordshire Tigers mainly ex East Midlands age group and a couple of ex Northampton Saints academy players and eventual tournament winners Southern Cross, a team of ex pat South Africans.
It has been a while since Ampthill have competed at 7s, with just two pre-season training sessions and twenty minutes 7s session after training on thursday the team travelled with both enthusiasm and a degree of trepidation. With New Zealand born Sam Wilson, our resident star sevens turn, injured in training in the week Tom Lemon, from Bedford College accepted a last minute invitation becoming the only non registered Ampthill player in the Mighty As squad.
 Ampthill started really well with a big win against Data Re (Olney youngsters) followed by another victory against Bedfordshire Tigers (2 scores). At this point the squad started to think that they may have a chance of getting into the main shield competition. A further win against the Average Joe's with a clean sheet followed and the A's found themselves facing the huge phsyical challenge of the Southern Cross who had also won all their games in a group decider which should also provide an easier draw in the latter stages. Amps produced an outstanding performance with Sam Bates turning on a master class scoring two great trys as they saw off the Saffas 28 v17 reducing them to frustrated impotence in the process.
As group winners Ampthill progressed into the shield competition as the only club side against all the sevens specialist invitation sides. Unfortunately, Tom Warfield, who had been a rock as the sweeper making multiple one on one tackles, was injured in the warm up for the quarter final against Kim Barbarians. Despite his absence Amps scored four unanswered trys in the first half with JJ Raven and Phil Lane physically dominant before conserving energy for the semi final.
Next came the semi final where Ampthill found themselves drawn against the reigning champions Lady Rohesia Boat Club who, as well as including number of age group internationals and national league players in their ranks, also fielded Dan Lavery, son of Amps Director of Rugby, Mark
The stage was set with local bragging rights at stake (even if they were a team of ringers!), unfortunately, despite taking the lead early on Ampthill appeared to be on the wrong side of the referee with a number of (from our point of view) dubious decisions leading to the sides sharing the first half one try apiece.
After half time the award of a penalty try to LRBC baffled all the watching spectators as well as the A's players who proceeded to concede three more scores to the sevens specialists who ran out deserved victors. LRBC went on to lose the final against Southern Cross who Ampthill had beaten in the group stages.
On the whole a very worth while experience and the squad led by John Lasbrey and including JJ Raven, Phil Lane, Tom Warfield, Kieran Davis, Sam Bates, Adam Shaw, Rex Hedges, Gareth Farbon, Josh Stafford, Tom Lemon and Bruce Thomas, deserve huge credit for flying the flag for club sides in an unfamiliar version of the game.
Director Of Rugby Mark Lavery commented that the squad had exceeded expectations and the skill, fitness and physicality shown promises an exiting season at Dillingham Park.
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