THE 49th Guinness Pock 7s gets underway at Percy Road tomorrow with a full entry of 24 teams from across the country.

The event has been staged at Pocklington every Good Friday since 1959, and has grown into one of East Yorkshire's biggest sporting and social rugby days out.

The event also gets the Easter sporting weekend underway, with many exiles from the area making their way back home for an annual reunion, some even flying back from abroad just for the day.

There is a strong local interest from a dozen sides from the York and East Yorkshire area, but they will be challenged by several useful teams from London, the Midlands and Edinburgh, and again there is a good mix of club and invitation sides.

Last year produced a cliff-hanger final with Hull coming back from the dead to win 19-12 against southern Army side, the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, who usually have several South Sea Islanders in their ranks.

Both are back again this time, and there are seven former winners in the draw who are looking to repeat past success, including Hull Ionians, champions in 2005, and Pocklington, Driffield and Goole, who have all been successful in recent years.

Hosts Pocklington play the winners of invitation side, Ipswich Exiles, and British Asians, who will contain their usual quota of Pakistan and India internationals led by former England rugby league cap Ikram Butt.

The newly formed Pocklington Women are also getting in on the seven-a-side act and they will be playing a sevens challenge against Doncaster Ladies at 1.20 pm.

The main event 7s action gets underway at 1pm to kick-start an expected six hours plus of non-stop, high speed rugby. The final is scheduled for 6.40 pm.


POCK 7s DRAW

First round: A' Selby v Beerandrugby.com (1.00); B' Edinburgh v London X-Factor (1.20); C' Goole v York University (1.40); D' Pontefract v Pocklington Colts (2.00); E' Harrogate v North Derbyshire Panthers (2.20); F' Matlock v Brookfield (2.40); G' Borough Road OB v Old Pocklingtonians (3.00); H' Ipswich Exiles v British Asian RA (3.20).

Second round: London Prowling Pretenders v winner of A' (1.40); Hull v winner B' (2.00); Hull Ionians v winner C' (2.20); Malton & Norton v winner D' (2.40); Duke of Wellington Regiment v winner E' (3.00); Beverley v winner F' (3.20); Driffield v winner G' (3.40); Pocklington v winner H' (4.00).