Editing Middlesex Sevens

{{Short description|Rugby sevens tournament}}
The '''Middlesex Sevens''' was a [[Rugby Sevens]] tournament held annually at [[Twickenham stadium]] in [[London]], [[England]] until 2011. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London-based Scot.<ref name=BathMisc>Bath, ''Scotland Rugby Miscellany'', p82</ref> The event was held at the end of the rugby union season in May every year for 75 years, but moved to August in 2001 due to lack of available stadium dates and players in May. The Middlesex Sevens tournament was last played in 2011, as the new [[Premiership Rugby 7s Series]] caused many of the top clubs that previously took part to pull out.

This tournament was a charitable event, officially called the Middlesex Charity Sevens, with the  beneficiaries being [[Wooden Spoon Society|Wooden Spoon]] and the [[Rugby Football Union|RFU]] Injured Players Fund.{{cn|date=October 2024}} Middlesex Charity Sevens raised over £10 million for charities.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

==History==
Traditionally the Middlesex Sevens was an invitation tournament with entertainment derived from overseas and qualifying sides challenging rugby union's top teams.{{cn|date=October 2024}} In 2005 the tournament became a twelve team competition with only [[Rugby Premiership]] teams participating.{{cn|date=October 2024}} In 2008 the tournament reverted to sixteen teams. 
[[Brazil national rugby sevens team|Brazil]] was amongst the teams invited to take part in the 2011 tournament.{{cn|date=October 2024}} The final was played between Esher RFC and Samurai.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Two [[rugby league]] clubs have won the Middlesex Sevens. In 1996 [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] brought a star-studded team including Martin Offiah, [[Shaun Edwards]], [[Andy Farrell]], Va'aiga Tuigamala and [[Jason Robinson (rugby)|Jason Robinson]] to Twickenham in 1996. [[Bradford Bulls]] were champions in 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/english/2183583.stm|accessdate=7 April 2020|publisher=BBC Sport|title=Bulls wins Sevens|date=17 August 2002}}</ref>

The Women's Middlesex 7s was introduced in 2011, the final year of the tournament, and was won by Wooden Spoon Women.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

==List of winners==
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
*1926 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1927 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1928 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1929 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1930 [[London Welsh]]
*1931 [[London Welsh]]
*1932 [[Blackheath F.C.|Blackheath]]
*1933 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1934 [[Barbarian F.C.|Barbarians]]
*1935 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1936 [[Sale Sharks|Sale]]
*1937 [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
*1938 [[Metropolitan Police]]
*1939 [[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]]
*1940 [[St Mary's Hospital, London|St Mary's Hospital]]
*1941 [[Cambridge University R.U.F.C.|Cambridge University]]
*1942 [[St Mary's Hospital, London|St Mary's Hospital]]
*1943 [[St Mary's Hospital, London|St Mary's Hospital]]
*1944 [[St Mary's Hospital, London|St Mary's Hospital]]
*1945 [[Nottingham RFC|Nottingham]]
*1946 [[St Mary's Hospital, London|St Mary's Hospital]]
*1947 [[Rosslyn Park F.C.|Rosslyn Park]]
*1948 [[Wasps FC|London Wasps]]
*1949 [[Heriot's FP]]
*1950 [[Rosslyn Park F.C.|Rosslyn Park]]
*1951 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1952 [[Wasps FC|London Wasps]]
*1953 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1954 [[Rosslyn Park F.C.|Rosslyn Park]]
*1955 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1956 [[London Welsh]]
*1957 [[St Luke's Campus|St. Luke's College]], [[University of Exeter|Exeter]]
*1958 [[Blackheath F.C.|Blackheath]]
*1959 [[Loughborough Students RUFC|Loughborough Colleges]]
*1960 [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
*1961 [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
*1962 [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
*1963 [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
*1964 [[Loughborough Students RUFC|Loughborough Colleges]]
*1965 [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
*1966 [[Loughborough Students RUFC|Loughborough Colleges]]
*1967 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1968 [[London Welsh]]
*1969 [[St Luke's Campus|St. Luke's College]], [[University of Exeter|Exeter]]
*1970 [[Loughborough Students RUFC|Loughborough Colleges]]
*1971 [[London Welsh]]
*1972 [[London Welsh]]
*1973 [[London Welsh]]
*1974 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1975 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1976 [[Loughborough Students RUFC|Loughborough Colleges]]
*1977 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1978 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1979 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1980 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1981 [[Rosslyn Park F.C.|Rosslyn Park]]
*1982 [[Stewart's Melville FP]]
*1983 [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
*1984 [[London Welsh]]
*1985 [[Wasps FC|London Wasps]]
*1986 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1987 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1988 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1989 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1990 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*1991 [[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
*1992 [[Samoa national rugby sevens team|Western Samoa]]
*1993 [[Wasps FC|London Wasps]]
*1994 [[Bath Rugby|Bath]]
*1995 [[Leicester Tigers]]
*1996 [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] (RL)
*1997 [[Barbarians F.C.|Barbarians]]
*1998 [[Barbarians F.C.|Barbarians]]
*1999 [[Penguin International RFC|Penguins]]
*2000 [[Penguin International RFC|Penguins]]
*2001 [[Army Rugby Union|British Army]]
*2002 [[Bradford Bulls]] (RL)
*2003 [[Northampton Saints]]
*2004 [[Army Rugby Union|British Army]]
*2005 [[Gloucester RFC|Gloucester]]
*2006 [[Wasps RFC|London Wasps]]
*2007 [[Newcastle Falcons]]
*2008 [[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
*2009 [[London Irish]]
*2010 ULR Samurai
*2011 Samurai International
}}

==By wins==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!width=10%|Team  
!width=20%|Titles 
!width=35%|Years of Titles Won
|-
|[[Harlequins (rugby)|Harlequins]]
|14
|1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1933, 1935, 1967, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2008
|-
|[[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
|9
|1951, 1953, 1955, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983
|-
|[[London Welsh]]
|8
|1930, 1931, 1956, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1984
|-
|[[London Scottish F.C.|London Scottish]]
|7
|1937, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1991
|-
|[[Wasps FC|London Wasps]]
|5
|1948, 1952, 1985, 1993, 2006
|-
|[[Loughborough Students RUFC|Loughborough Colleges]]
|5
|1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1976
|-
|St. Mary's Hospital
|5
|1940, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946
|-
|[[Rosslyn Park F.C.|Rosslyn Park]]
|4
|1947, 1950, 1954, 1981
|-
|[[Barbarian F.C.|Barbarians]]
|3
|1934, 1997, 1998
|-
|[[Blackheath F.C.|Blackheath]]
|2
|1932, 1958
|-
|[[Army Rugby Union|British Army]]
|2
|2001, 2004
|-
|Penguins
|2
|1999, 2000
|-
|ULR Samurai
|2
|2010, 2011
|-
|St Luke's College
|2
|1957, 1969
|-
|[[Bath Rugby|Bath]]
|1
|1994
|-
|[[Bradford Bulls]] (RL)
|1
|2002
|-
|[[Cambridge University R.U.F.C.|Cambridge University]]
|1
|1941
|-
|[[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]]
|1
|1939
|-
|[[Gloucester RFC|Gloucester]]
|1
|2005
|-
|[[Heriot's FP]]
|1
|1949
|-
|[[Leicester Tigers]]
|1
|1995
|-
|[[London Irish]]
|1
|2009
|-
|[[Metropolitan Police]]
|1
|1938
|-
|[[Newcastle Falcons]]
|1
|2007
|-
|[[Northampton Saints]]
|1
|2003
|-
|[[Nottingham RFC|Nottingham]]
|1
|1945
|-
|[[Sale Sharks|Sale]]
|1
|1936
|-
|[[Stewart's Melville FP]]
|1
|1982
|-
|[[Samoa national rugby sevens team|Western Samoa]]
|1
|1992
|-
|[[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] (RL)
|1
|1996
|}

==See also==
* [[Rugby Sevens]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Bath, Richard (editor) ''The Scotland Rugby Miscellany'' (Vision Sports Publishing, 2007 {{ISBN|1-905326-24-6}})

==External links==
* {{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181749/http://ur7s.com/tournaments/middlesex7s|title=Vauxhall Middlesex Charity Sevens|work=Ultimate Rugby Sevens|url=http://ur7s.com/tournaments/middlesex7s|archivedate=3 March 2016}}

[[Category:Rugby sevens competitions in England]]
[[Category:Rugby union in Middlesex|Sevens]]
[[Category:Rugby union in London]]