Ryde’s team, back, from left, B. Cox, R. Knight, M. Wilks, C. Edwards and J. Poore. Front, D. Vyce, P. Roberts, A. Moody, J. Anthony, V. Kenndy and A. Woodridge.
BEACH RUGBY
A GOLDEN try earned Sandown and Shanklin Hurricanes victory in the annual Ryde Beach Rugby Sevens tournament last weekend.
There was nothing to separate them from their final opponents, Team America 1, after full time so an extra-time period with a golden try rule followed.
The ball went over the line several times with all efforts being disallowed, to add to the tension, until Sandown scored the all-important winning touch-down.
The trophies were presented by tournament organisers Danny Vyse, Matt Wilks and Adam Moody, who said: "The beach tournament is a classic contest of skill and endurance. We’ve seen and played some great rugby today and we’ve once again separated the boys from the men."
A total of ten teams travelled to Appley for the day, including some from Portsmouth, Fareham and Bristol but there was one opponent no one could defeat, and it ended up knocking three teams out of the tournament. It was the rain.
After a sunny opening, the rest of the tournament was lashed by a torrential downpour, destroying morale, soaking supporters and sending many teams running for cover.
Despite the weather, there were two round-robin groups before the winners of each progressed to the final.