Mull Sevens a success despite adversity
Isle of Mull Rugby Football Club saw its fair share of action last weekend as 24 teams flocked to Garmony for the island’s annual sevens competition.
Despite ferry booking issues, 16 men’s teams and eight women’s teams took part in the event on Saturday May 20, with only two teams forced to withdraw.
Their spaces were filled by a Mull RFC second team and a select team, with local residents doing their bit to create an energetic atmosphere.
Lochaber and Oban Lorne were both represented by ladies and men’s teams, with Mull men’s team reaching the semi-finals of the competition.
In the men’s competition, Isle of Mull topped their group with six points after winning against ICD, Too Many Pints and Stirling County.
They were defeated by a strong Boroughmuir side in the semi-finals, as Lochaber lost their four tough encounters in Group 3.
Oban Lorne finished third in Group Two, defeating Muileachs 40-0 and narrowly losing to Jordanhill, before drawing 14-14 with Boroughmuir.
In the women’s competition, Isle of Mull ladies competed against Lochaber in Group A, with the Fort side triumphing 27-12 as Oban Lorne made it through to the semi-finals where they were narrowly beaten by Cartha 14-12.
Isle of Mull Rugby Football Club club secretary Duncan Swinbanks said: “It went amazingly well, despite a ferry horror show.
“This threw us into confusion, but we put out an appeal on social media and we had the biggest number of locals we’ve had come down to support it.
“It was great to see how the community responded to adversity and there was a real feeling of community spirit, which was also shown in the wonderful sponsorship we received.”
The event was also attended by British and Irish Lion Iain Paxton and Banjo, a Mullbased interior designer, who recently helped to redesign Isle of Mull Rugby Football Club’s bar for an episode of the BBC programme Designing the Hebrides.
The eventual winners were Highland and the Jordanhill Ladies team after an action-packed afternoon of rugby.