Well, all the way back in 1989, our senior section – along with a number of clubs across Hampshire – decided to kickstart a little seven-a-side tournament between them, launching what became known as the Hampshire Club Sevens. That year, Petersfield actually won the whole thing – toppling Havant RFC in the final (The team that won that can be seen on the cover of this article)!

Despite a brief hiatus the following year, the tournament returned and ran annually until 1994. Back then, it was a brilliant way of building rivalries between local sides, long before ‘summer rugby’ was even a concept.

But in 1995, a new chapter began.

The very first Petersfield Pub Sevens was held in September 1995. Thanks to the sterling efforts of Hugh Afleck Graves and the senior team captains of the time, Petersfield RFC had managed to field up to five senior teams during the early ’90s. However, with the professional era of rugby dawning, the landscape changed almost overnight – leagues grew fiercer, fewer overseas players arrived to work in agriculture, and senior player numbers began to dwindle.

The Pub 7s was born as a way to publicise the club and attract fresh blood to its ranks.

The very first tournament – won by The Trooper Inn – was a roaring success in spirit, but it came at a cost. Played at the beginning of the season on rock-hard grounds, it quickly turned into a hospital pass. Jonny Walker and the coaching staff were left tearing their hair out as injuries piled up before the league campaign had even begun. Lesson learned: the tournament was shifted to the end of the season, where it found a natural home on the May Bank Holiday – and there it remains today.

At that time, the junior section was booming, but fewer players were making the leap into senior rugby. Meanwhile, the club’s veterans (‘vets’) were getting themselves organised, and there was a growing feeling that more needed to be done to bridge the generations.

Cue a brilliant bit of thinking: every team was required to have a colt and a vet on the pitch at all times. Suddenly, these players became hot property, and the Pub 7s transformed into a true cross-generational affair.

Importantly, the tournament was never supposed to be taken too seriously. Fun was baked into its DNA from the start. Teams were sponsored by pubs rather than rugby clubs, and the format – with group stages leading into Plate, Bowl, and Shield knockouts – meant there was always something to play for, no matter how the day unfolded.

The following years saw some fierce competition. The Cricketers Inn lifted the second Pub 7s trophy, The Old Drum followed, before The Trooper Inn returned to glory at the turn of the millennium.

From 2001 to 2007, a United-under-Fergie-style era of dominance was ushered in as Foggy’s took the title an astonishing seven years in a row. Their reign finally came to an end in 2008, when The Folly kicked off their own mini-dynasty by winning three straight titles from 2008 to 2010.

Then the competition tightened: five different pubs lifted the trophy across the next five years, before Annie Jones managed a back-to-back triumph in 2016.

Enter the White Horse – a side so relentless they captured four consecutive titles, sandwiching their dominance around the two years that COVID-19, somewhat unfairly, claimed the tournament for itself.

But even the mighty Pub 7s was not immune to the shifting tides. With pubs up and down the country struggling financially after lockdowns, the number of teams inevitably dipped. What was once a 20–24 team tournament (with one year even hitting 28!) slimmed to around 10–15 sides.

In 2023, 15 teams fought it out, with The Duke of Cumberland crowned worthy winners. A year later, 14 teams entered what became a truly cracking day of rugby. Hundreds flocked back to the sidelines and it felt like the Pub 7s was finally roaring back to life. Rugby Against Cancer emerged victorious, beating the previous champions Duke of Cumberland in a brilliant final.

As one punter in a local pub said to me last week, “The Pub 7s used to be the event of the year — the whole town would be there.”

This year, we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure the 2025 Petersfield Pub 7s becomes just that again. With 20 sides set to compete across four competitions next Sunday, we’re expecting upwards of 2,000 people at Penns Place.

The Pub 7s is more than a rugby tournament. It’s a celebration of community. It’s a love letter to something so inherently British that we always miss it when we go abroad – the pub. We’re lucky enough to have some of the best pubs in the country right here in Hampshire – but they’re a dying breed, as British drinking habits continue to dwindle.

The Pub 7s might be Petersfield RFC’s official “End of Season Party,” but it’s more than that. It’s the town’s unofficial opening ceremony to summer. And that’s what makes it so special.

This year, we’ve taken the tournament firmly into the 21st century. You can now have the Pub 7s at your fingertips with the Tournify App introduced to track your team’s scores, check the standings, and see upcoming fixtures. Every match on Pitches 1–3 will be streamed live on YouTube, allowing former players, friends and family across the globe to tune in from wherever they are.

We’re also bringing women’s rugby back into the heart of the day. In the early 2000s, there was a women’s tournament at the Pub 7s, but it fizzled out due to numbers. Now, with a helping hand from our friends at the University of Portsmouth RFC, Women’s Rugby Unleashed will debut this year. Free and open to all female rugby players in the area, the event will feature skills sessions, touch rugby, and the chance to play a full sevens match on Pitch 1 ahead of the final. We’re hoping it sparks not just a women’s tournament for future Pub 7s, but the rebirth of a women’s side at Petersfield RFC itself.

Over the years, countless young players have grown up on the sidelines at Penns Place, watching their parents, family members, and local legends take to the field at the Pub 7s. For so many, the tournament wasn’t just a day out – it was the first spark, the moment they fell in love with the game. Those kids are now stepping into the boots of the players they once cheered for, continuing the tradition and keeping the spirit of the Pub 7s alive.

This year, we're taking that spirit to new heights with the highly anticipated Next Gen Touch Rugby Tournament. Open (and free) to players aged 13 to 16, the tournament will be played on Pitch 4 from 1pm. Teams will be picked on the day, with the two best sides getting the chance to battle it out for glory on Pitch 1 – just before the main Cup Final. It’s our way of giving the next generation their own moment on the big stage and showing them that the Pub 7s belongs to them too.

This year’s Petersfield Pub 7s is shaping up to be the biggest and best we’ve seen in years. Twenty teams, six competitions, thousands of supporters, live music, fresh food, cold pints, and rugby running through every blade of grass at Penns Place. It’s more than just a tournament – it’s a homecoming, a festival, a celebration of everything and everyone that makes Petersfield so special. Whether you’re lacing up your boots, pulling on a shirt for your local, or just turning up for a day in the sun with family and friends – this will be the event of the year.

Sunday 4th May – you won’t want to miss it.
Penns Place awaits.
May the Fourth be with you.

More information on this years tournament will be available very soon!