THERE will be another strong challenge from North and East Yorkshire clubs and invitation sides when Pocklington RUFC again stages Yorkshire’s oldest rugby seven-a-side tournament - the John Smith's Pock 7s.

The event, Pocklington’s biggest annual sporting occasion, gets underway at Percy Road on Good Friday.

Now in its 61st year, having been held at Pocklington every Easter since 1959, the Pock 7s has grown from humble beginnings into one of the White Rose county's major rugby festivals. It has also again been included as the first qualifying tournament of the Rugby Football Union’s national sevens series.

Many rugby exiles make their way back home for an annual Easter reunion at Percy Road, some travelling from abroad for the weekend.

The 2019 Pock 7s again contains a mixture of local clubs, invitation outfits and teams from further afield battling it out in the main competition and plate.

Pocklington, Malton & Norton, Selby, Goole, Beverley and Driffield are all sending club sides, while the invitation and social outfits include The Wild Turkeys, York exiles now spread around the country and led by former York centre Rich Downey, and Paddy Stephen’s TBF York Saints, drawn from former St Peter’s School players and York juniors, who also support the pancreatic cancer charity via the Three Bears Foundation initiative.

Those from distance include Richmond Renegades and former winners The Prowling Pretenders, from London. The North East has strong representation in the form of Morpeth-based Mighty Peth, Cleveland Cougars and Northern Exiles.

The Army interest is in the form of other former winners the Yorkshire Regiment, the Queens Own Yeomanry Yorkshire Squadron and Tokatoka Warriors – army Fijians now at the veteran stage.

The main Pock 7s action gets underway at 1pm, but it is preceded by a special Ladies 7s challenge at 10.45am as Pocklington take on sides from Scarborough and a combined Selby/Doncaster outfit.

The action-packed day of non-stop sevens rugby is scheduled to close with the final at 6.40pm.

Draw

Round 1: A Hull Ionians v Woldgate OB (1pm), B Beverley v Enable Baa Baas (1.20pm), C Yorkshire Wild Turkeys v Old Pocklingtonians (1.40pm), D Queens Own Yeomanry v Driffield (2pm), E Prowling Pretenders (London) v Goole (2.20pm), F York Saints v OP Dragons (2.40pm), G Tokatoka Warriors v Selby (3pm), H Malton & Norton v Wot-a-Pullet (3.20pm).

Round 2: Pocklington Porkers v Winner A (1.40pm), Hull v Winner B (2pm), Pocklington v Winner C (2.20pm), Northern Exiles v Winner D (2.40pm), Yorkshire Regiment v Winner E (3pm), Richmond Renegades v Winner F (3.20pm), Mighty ‘Peth (Morpeth) v Winner G (3.40pm), Cleveland Cougars v Winner G (4pm).