0…And they’re off. The 2014 TOLA campaign kicked off in Denton, TX on June 14th. The weather was excellent. By excellent and the fact that it’s Texas in the Summer, I mean tolerable with an occasional breeze. Due to the fact that the City of Denton is building a new facility for the club to host its annual 7s tournament, this year’s installment was an abridged affair being limited to 10 teams. Fortunately for the fans, it happened to be 10 really good teams and the competition was fierce for most of the day. Advancing to the cup semis were the Dallas Harlequins, Dallas Reds, Austin Blacks and Ft. Worth Bonobo. Advancing to the Bowl semis were the Oklahoma City Crusaders, DARC Knights, Shreveport RFC and Wichita Barbarians.
Shreveport defeated Wichita to earn their place in the Bowl final and the Crusaders were too much for the Knights. In the Cup semi, the Quins bested Bonobo in a tight match and the Reds dispatched the Blacks.
More rugby was played and trophies were handed out. Namely the following:
Cup Champion – Dallas Harlequins
Plate Winner – Bonobo
Bowl Winner – OKC
Shield Winner – DARC
As usual, Denton RFC proved that they are outstanding event hosts providing an outstanding pitch and facilities, being more than generous with their treatment of the referees and running the tournament pretty close to schedule. Thank you Denton RFC. Special thanks to Dallas Harlequins team Doctor Dr. Douglas Turgeon who was more than willing to lend his medical skills to any player in need throughout the day. His commitment to Rugby and 7s is greatly appreciated by all.
TOLA standings after week 1:
| Team | Points |
| Harlequins | 7 |
| Reds | 6 |
| Blacks | 4 |
| Bonobo | 5 |
| DARC | 3 |
| OKC | 3 |
| Shreveport | 1 |
| Wichita | 1 |
| Blacks 2 | 1 |
| Reds | 1 |
Follow the TRU on Facebook or Twitter to see updated standings and results.
Next week’s Bloodfest tournament should blow this thing up with a ton of teams entering and TOLA points being on offer for both the Rugby Ninja Elite division and the Bloodfest divisions.