Sevens heaven for young players in Newport rugby club’s Summer 7’s event
More than 200 young players will be involved in a new sporting event on the northern beaches organisers hope will become an annual event.
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Aston McCauley has never played a single game of sevens rugby but he can’t wait to try his hand at one of the few sports he has never done.
The schoolboy will compete alongside more than 200 other players in the inaugural Newport Summer 7s event on October 27, a tournament Newport rugby club’s Luke Jenks hopes will become an annual event.
“This will be my first time playing sevens but I have seen it before,” said 11-year-old Aston, a student at Newport Public school.
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“I surf, play softball, cricket and touch footy. I like a good team game and I think it will be fun with all my mates.
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“It is a fast paced game. It’s good. The girls are as good as the boys as well.’’
The new tournament at Porters Reserve will see 20 teams contesting around 50 games on the day.
Four teams will play in a girls under 11s comp with Newport’s Chelsea Carter playing in a boys under 12s side.
“I like playing with friends and having fun. I like the speed as well,” said Chelsea, 12, from Newport Public School.
“The girls didn’t have a team when I started and I like playing with the boys.
“I’m centre or wing and scoring tries is the best part of the game.”
Chelsea said her favourite player is Australian Olympic star Charlotte Caslick and one day would like to be playing alongside the best women in Rugby Sevens.
But for now, she is more than happy playing alongside and against boys in her sport.
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Jenks said the day will raise money for under 14s players to travel to Fiji for games with locals, bringing with them equipment needed by local teams.”
“This is the inaugural year and we hope to grow it every year as more people have a go and enjoy seven a side rugby,’’ he said.
“We are expecting teams from across the northern beaches and see it is an opportunity to raise the profile of rugby in our region.”
Jenks said one of the goals of the tournament is to entice more young players into rugby so competition expands on the northern beaches.
“It’s fun, a big festival event, designed to lift the profile of the sport again in the beaches.’’