ILKLEY Rugby Club's second sevens tournament at Stacks Field proved to be a bumper success.

A large crowd generated record bar taking and there was an added bonus of the home team lifting the trophy.

It was their fourth sevens tournament success of the summer and delighted head of rugby Rhys Morgan.

Just like in 2017, the Dalesmen defeated Bradford Grammar School Old Boys in the final and Morgan said: "Winning the tournament meant a lot and helped make up for the disappointment of missing out in the national Twenty Four Sevens the previous week.

"The lads played some great rugby and it capped a super day. It really was a great success on and off the field."

Twelve teams contested in four groups of three in the men's event while three teams contested the women's competition.

West Park women came in as late replacements after other teams dropped out and took the title.

"I can't thank them enough for stepping in late on and playing" Morgan said.

Guisborough, Waterloo and Blackburn were among the visiting teams for the men's event and helped add to the huge success of the event.

The decision to install a big screen so that spectators could watch England's 2-0 soccer World Cup win over Sweden proved a big hit, but Morgan admitted he didn't watch.

"We still had a semi-final and final to play and I was nervous thinking about those matches as I wanted us to end our sevens campaign on a winning note."

And he added: "I still haven't seen the goals, but I heard the cheers when those watching did."

The weekend also saw record numbers camp out for an event which is fast becoming a popular fixture on the sevens calendar.

The location, the weather and the organisation have all been praised by visiting clubs on social media and Morgan feels its success is due to the huge amount of work put in by the club volunteers.

"They were magnificent," he said. "They made sure that everything ran smoothly and the event wouldn't be possible without their efforts."