Testicular cancer in spotlight at Worthing rugby sevens

Oddballs without their kits on! Picture: Warwick Baker

There was plenty of rugby fun had at the Worthing Sevens tournament – and it was a chance to raise awareness of an important health issue.

Teams taking part in the men’s competition included OddBalls 7s, a ‘social-elite-ish’ sevens rugby team raising awareness of testicular cancer, who were the day’s winners.

They represent The OddBalls Foundation, the registered charity fighting the battle against the condition.

Worthing sevens winners Oddballs with Tom Miller's parents / Picture: Warwick Baker

Worthing Sevens was a poignant and special tournament for OddBalls as the day was held in memory of Tom Miller.

Tom, who sadly passed away in December 2020, was a university ambassador for The OddBalls Foundation based at Nottingham Trent University.

As a university ambassador, Tom would visit schools, colleges, sports clubs and businesses delivering testicular cancer awareness talks to break down the stigma associated with testicular cancer, encourage more young men to check themselves regularly and to encourage people to speak up if they have any concerns.

Tom was an integral part of the university ambassador team - a natural leader, always putting himself forward to help, and setting the standards for others. Friends and family said he was an incredible young man with a huge heart and great sense of humour.

Worthing Warriors enjoyed their part in the club's sevens / Picture: Warwick Baker

And at the Worthing event, teams competed for the Tom Miller Cup to celebrate Tom’s passion for rugby and shared the day with Tom’s parents, Emily and Duncan.

Meanwhile, it was a great event for the women’s teams too.

It’s been a long time since Worthing RFC ladies’ team, Worthing Warriors, have been on the pitch against other teams but they started the day off with a fantastic 40-0 win against Chichester Ladies with three of their new players scoring tries. Their second game was another huge win of 30-5 against Hild RFC and it was clear that their additional training was paying off.

The Warriors’ third game was against championship level team Trojan Ladies and they lost 37-0 but went through to the next stage and played the eventual winners, the Southeast Sharks,, with a final score of 48-0 .

The Warriors were thrilled to finish fourth and with a number of new players and some additions to the coaching team, next season is looking exciting.