A decade ago, team-mates at Northern Suburbs Rugby Club in Sydney, some whose early years in the game were spent with the Kempsey Cannonballs, decided to band together to develop and sponsor a seven-a-side tournament.

Norths’ former front rower, Doug North, promoted the idea, aided and abetted by his club mate, Jack O’Mahoney, who employed a number of Norths players at his medical supplies company of Howmedica.

Two of whom were the Kempsey pair, James Lancaster and Glenn Jasprizza.

Other prominent players O’Mahoney employed were ex-Wallaby flanker David Wilson, former Australian centre Richard Tombs, international half Brad Burke, Fijian Test lock Sam Domoni and first graders David Schuster and David Sio.

The old rugby mates’ club, their roguish playing days behind them and now respected businessmen, decided to contribute $2000 each to fund an annual sevens tournament at Crescent Head.

With prizemoney of $14,000 and 22 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams to compete in this year’s carnival on Saturday, it has become one of the largest and richest sevens tournaments in Australia.

Lancaster, the former Norths, Sydney University and NSW Country representative five-eighth, and his husky Norths team-mate, the ex-Australian under-21 lock Jasprizza, said that being four hours north of Sydney, some metropolitan teams were reluctant to make the journey.

However, the men’s first prize money of $5000 has attracted Parramatta, Manly, Campbelltown, Lindfield and Hunters Hill clubs to send teams as well as the Newcastle representative side.

Newcastle clubs, Merewether and University, will be represented as well as the local Mid North Coast clubs, Port Pirates and Hastings Valley Vikings and host club, Kempsey, and country teams as far apart as Narromine and Yamba.

With the ACT Brumbies despatching their impressive academy squad to Crescent Head last year, the standard is clearly rising each year.

Dave Munday, secretary of the organising Kempsey club, said:

“It has become a most exciting tournament. We are delighted with the response we are getting each year, but this will be the best and biggest we have ever had provided the weather stays fine.”