The Seven Dwarves head coach Sam Townsend insisted he was surprised to triumph at a recent event but as they now gear up to take on the best the region has to offer, he is desperate to keep the hot streak going.

The invitational side from St Albans won the Herts 7s, which took place at St Albans RFC on May 20, and had been selected as one of 32 local qualifiers to host England Rugby’s inaugural community sevens competition, the 24/Sevens series.

24/Sevens is an exciting new community sevens series that aims to grow rugby and increase participation among men and women in clubs.

Local qualifier winners will progress to regional play-offs with the competition culminating in a showpiece national grand final event with 24 teams at the end of July, hosted by England Rugby.

And Townsend claims that their blend of youth and experience helped them to emerge victorious at the prestigious Herts 7s.

“We were quite surprised to a certain extent, but it was a good evening out,” the 31-year-old Verulamians RFC head coach said.

“It’s a good way to get together, it’s something different and fun. It’s the competitive nature that every rugby player has, you want to win something.

“We had four young lads from Berkhamsted School and then a couple from Old Albanians RFC and Verulamians. It was a bit of an amalgamation and we had never played together before.

“We have players from all over the country from Loughborough and Sheffield to Tunbridge Wells, St Albans and Harpenden which is where our main hub is.”

Seven Dwarves will now be part of the 24/Sevens South East play-off which takes place at Saracens’ Allianz Park on July 10 with a chance to reach the national grand final.

And Townsend says that while his side will relish the opportunity to play on such a big stage, they are certainly not just there to make up the numbers.

He said: “We are quite confident ahead of the regional play-offs. It was a development side we had and if we can put together a slightly better team we should be able to compete with the best sides there.

“We have England student and England county representatives coming into the squad so we should be able to field a good side. You never know with sevens though, we will go with confidence but it’s by no means a done deal.

“We are relatively successful, we won the barrel at the Harpenden National Pub 7s in 2014, we enter six or seven tournaments every year and usually get to semi-final stages.”

England Rugby 24/Sevens, a new exciting grassroots sevens competition for all rugby teams, welcoming anyone who just wants to pick up a ball and run, for fun or glory. Visit www.englandrugby.com/24sevens to get involved