Old boys from Hampton School and St Paul’s were among 600 players who participated in this year’s National U21 Cronk-Cunis Rugby Festival.

The festival, now in its 15th year, is the biggest one-day event of 15-a-side adult rugby in the country, and saw players from across England and Wales met at Richmond Athletic Ground, on Monday, August 29, to compete for their old schools.

Hampton School’s team lost out in the first round of the cup tournament to Hertfordshire’s Berkhamstead School but fared better in the plate tournament.

They beat teams from Lord Wandsworth College and Marlborough College to reach the semi-finals before finally losing out to Norwich School.

St Paul’s School, Barnes, also fell out in the first round after losing to Worth School from West Sussex but later joined up with the John Fisher School, who were short of players, to compete in the plate and bowl tournaments.

Trophies were presented by Rugby Football Union’s new president Willie Wildash and top prize went to Winchester’s Peter Symonds College, a first time entrant.

Co-chairman Tim Cunis said: “The festival is such a great success because it’s an opportunity for lads who’ve played good rugby together at school, and who have possibly dropped out of the game after going to university, to have an enjoyable reunion and remember what fun it is to play. That’s what we wanted to achieve.”