Sands stars on the beach WEYMOUTH Seamen and Dorchester Colts were the big winners at the 11th annual Weymouth Beach Rugby Festival.

On a day when the weather broke and the sunshine prevailed, 19 teams took to the sand with the competition split into three groups – under-7s to 12s, under-13s to 18s and adults.

The youngest age group saw Beach Raiders, Pirates, Buccaneers, Warriors, Chiefs and Team to Beat all take part but it was the Pirates who claimed top spot, ahead of worthy runners-up the Beach Raiders.

Weymouth Samurai, Weymouth Score, Dorchester Colts, Starburst and Pen Island competed for the middle group honours and after the pool games, the third and fourth-place play-off was contested between Samurai and Starburst, a game which the former won by nine tries to five.

The final was then played between the Colts and Pen Island with the county town outfit winning by 10 tries to five.

In the adult section, Seamen, Hounddog, Old ’Uns 1, Old ’Uns 2, Opal Fruits and Men in Blue did battle.

Once the pool matches were completed, Seamen and Hounddog progressed to the final, where the former earned a narrow 5-4 victory.

A spokesperson said: “A big thank you to the organisers and the referees, including John Read, Glyn Arnold and Mike Murphy.

“Anybody interested in playing beach rugby can come along on a Wednesday evening from 6.30-8pm in front of Alexandra Gardens.”