Orkshire Sevens 8

02 Feb 2025 - 02 Feb 2025

Orkshire's eighth Sevens tournament took place on 2nd February 2025, hosted at local gaming cafe Up A Level. A three-game Swiss competition, the day saw eight coaches taking to the astrogranite to battle for the title with a wide variety of teams.

Round 1 saw the top victory going to the Skavenbush Scramblers, who ran rings around the elven team Quenya Chameleons to win 4-1, a very impressive score given the shorter match time. Second place went to the vampires of Tennessee Bite'Ems, who weathered a slow first half against the dwarven Placeholders before upping the pace to score twice in the second half. The black orc Mandalorcians scored early against the human Nuln Oilers, no doubt thanks to their enthusiasm for hurling goblins around the place, but despite defending well for the rest of the half the Oilers returned the favour with an equaliser early in the second half. Undeterred, the orcs managed to get another goblin across the line right before the whistle for a 2-1 victory. And the final game saw the wood elves of Oakside Massiv matched in agility by the other skaven team, The Stink. The elves took quite a beating, with a wardancer murdered shortly after scoring the first touchdown, but they held the rats to a 2-2 draw.

The competition heated up in Round Two, with teams fighting to capitalise on early success or get back into the running. There was rat-on-rat action as the Scramblers faced the Stink. Another finely-balanced match, this time the Stink found themselves on the receiving end of the violence but grabbed another 2-2 scoreline that left the Scramblers slipping from the top spot. Quenya Chameleons found themselves on surer footing with a game against the Placeholders, able to outpace their shorter opponents with a dazzling display to win 2-1 and take their first points in the competition. Oakside Massiv started their game against the Oilers a player down, forced to draft in a last-minute temp, and their woes only continued from there. The Oilers cut through their armour like butter, removing four players permanently and others temporarily, before walking in a single touchdown right at the end to seal the win. Lastly, the Bite'Ems and the Mandalorcians faced off to see who could hold their unbeaten record. The Bite'Ems kicked off then set up a sturdy defence, mesmerising their opponents and stealing the ball to take the lead. A second touchdown in the second half sealed the victory, though a well-flung goblin managed to pull one back before the end. That win meant the vampires were the only team with two wins under their belts, leaving them in a strong position going into the final round.

To Round 3 then, and sadly the Oilers realised they'd left the kettle on and had to depart, gifting a win to their opponents, the Stink. At the bottom of the table, the tattered remnants of Oakside Massiv took on the Placeholders, and having survived the grinder of their previous match they brought a surprising amount of attack and permanently removed two dwarves late in the first half before taking the lead. A second touchdown followed after the break, and though the Placeholders pulled one back they took the wooden spoon with three straight losses. There was no chance of stealing the crown for the Quenya Chameleons or the Mandalorcians, but they faced each other for honour and bragging rights nevertheless. The weather in the first half proved changeable, but both teams rose to the challenge and scored a touchdown apiece. The elves took the lead in the second half and held off the orcs to win the match and guarantee a top three finish.

But all eyes were on the title clash between the Bite'Ems and the Scramblers. The vampires only needed a single point to ensure victory, but the rats could still steal the top spot with a win. With that in mind, the Scramblers took the lead in the first half and hoped to defend for the rest of the game. Feeling the pressure, the Bite'Ems equalised in the second half but they left the rats with a small window in which to fight back. A gutter runner surged down the flank only to meet a determined thrall who knocked them senseless. It seemed all hope was lost, but a fine display from the Scramblers saw the thrall cleared away from the ball and a linerat carrying it down to a blitzer, who evaded the vampire on his heels and ran the winning goal in right on the whistle.

So the Skavenbush Scramblers took the trophy, continuing the fine Orkshire Sevens tradition of having the title go to a different coach every time, while the Bite'Ems had to settle for second place and the Quenya Chameleons overcame a poor start to take a well-deserved bronze medal.