THE ALF 10s rugby tournament has been hailed a success yet again after it raised thousands of pounds for the charity.

Fifteen teams took part in the flagship event of the Aaron Lewis Foundation at Westcliff Rugby Club on July 1st – with more than 1,000 spectators turning up to enjoy the day.

Phallus Warriors, who won the competition in 2013 and 2015, were crowned champions once again.

The 2016 champions, Team ALF, picked up the Plate, while Hereford side Ledbury Raiders triumphed in the Bowl Cup.

And the 29 Commando Regiment from Plymouth – Aaron’s regiment – took home the Beer Cup.

ALF’s head of sponsorship Patric Redding, who helped to organise the event, was delighted with how the day turned out.

He said: “This year’s event was our biggest yet and it didn’t disappoint.

“Fifteen teams competed – six returning from last year, which shows we’re doing something right – and everyone walked away with a smile of their face.

“One team – the Racing Greyhounds – came over from Paris and The Peterboat pub in Old Leigh kindly hosted them on the Friday evening for dinner with Tigers in Leigh Road providing the entertainment later on. That was great to see.

“In all we raised £5,212.96, which beat last year’s total so we are delighted.

The competition had a host of other activities running alongside the rugby – and the organisers are already looking ahead to next year’s event on Saturday, July 7, 2018.

Patric added: “Next year is going to be the 10th year of the tournament and that’s really something we want to celebrate.

“When we first put this tournament on, there were only four teams and, as a group of Aaron’s friends, we’ve all been really pleased with how it’s grown.

“All the games were played in the right spirit and we’re excited to see it happen again in 2018.”