2009
Forge Press Varsity sports special // Thursday April 2 2009
Hockey miss their chance to clinch Varsity
Match report - pages 12-13
Photo: Simon Boardman
The Uni hockey men’s firsts team only needed a draw to secure Varsity victory, but fell to a hard-fought 4-0 defeat.
“Spectacular” Varsity draw By Paul Garbett
Inside...
Thousands of students celebrated into the early hours of this morning after Sheffield’s Varsity competition ended in a tie for the second consecutive year. Sports officer Ella White said it was a day of mixed emotions as the University of Sheffield’s winless run in Varsity extended to six years, and crowd trouble overshadowed the rugby union finale. White said: “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t disappointed with the result, because I always look to win, and before the competition I
actually said I would rather lose than draw for a second time. “I’m really upset that five or 10 people fighting in the stand have ruined what was a great day of sport for the 4,000 students here. “Both universities need to be spoken to about it, but the majority of the Sheffield supporters were really great today”. White added that she was immensely proud of her side’s performance, which saw Uni upset the odds in sports which had previously been Hallam strongholds. “I’m so proud of the spectacular performances over the last three weeks, especially considering
that Hallam get almost twice the funding that we do. “The fact that we are up there with them in this kind of competition speaks for the spirit of the teams and the talent we’ve got here. “To win the Varsity athletics for the first time in 15 years is unbelievable and from a personal point of view, winning the netball for the first time in my final year was amazing.” The Sports Officer said she understood concerns that a second consecutive draw was a slight anti-climax for the competition, but feels that the closeness of the tie raises competitiveness between
the universities. She said: “I personally think it’s amazing that you can draw after so many sports over three weeks, especially for two years in a row. “With the scoring system the way it is, it would be very difficult to avoid the event being a draw, but perhaps it’s something we can look into changing for next year and we’ll be doing a full review into the system.” Sheffield Hallam went into the final day of the sporting showpiece just one point ahead, and were boosted by victories in the early football matches which gave Hallam a three point lead. However, Uni clawed back
the deficit with victories in the men’s and women’s lacrosse and women’s hockey, before taking the Varsity lead with an excellent 26-13 win in the women’s rugby union fixture. With Uni leading the event 2119 after securing points in the men’s rugby union and women’s tennis, a Sheffield draw in one of the final events would have secured their first varsity crown since 2003. However, a heartbreaking tiebreak defeat in the men’s tennis and losses in the Ultimate Frisbee and men’s hockey meant the trophy was shared for the second time in the competition’s history.
Athletics
Water polo
Netball
Climbing
Uni take victory in a thrilling 124-123 encounter
Men’s and women’s teams dominate Hallam in the water
Sports Officer’s final match grabs Uni Netball point
Uni climbers conquer again despite close contest
Down to the wire
Page 14
Uni cruise control
Page 10
White’s swansong
Page 6
Narrow margin
Page 15
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FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
VARSITY REPORTS
2009 Contents 2
Winter Varsity Review
3
Rugby Union
4-5 6
Uni keep Winter Varsity trophy after domination on the slopes
Football Netball Basketball Volleyball
7
Tennis Badminton Squash
8-9
Commemorative poster
10
Waterpolo Swimming Canoe Polo Cycling
11
Lacrosse Golf Ten Pin Bowling Sailing
12-13
Hockey
14
Athletics Cricket Rowing
15
Climbing American Football Trampolining Korfball
16
Rugby League Ultimate Frisbee Varsity comment
Results American Football Athletics Men’s Badminton Women’s Badminton Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Men’s Canoe Polo Women’s Canoe Polo Climbing Men’s Cricket Women’s Cricket Cycling Men’s Football Women’s Football Golf Men’s Hockey Women’s Hockey Ice Hockey Korfball Men’s Lacrosse Women’s Lacrosse Netball Rowing Rugby League Men’s Rugby Union Women’s Rugby Union Sailing Ski Slope Style Ski Big Air Ski Racing Snowboard Slope Style Snowboard Big Air Snowboard Racing Squash Swimming Men’s Tennis Women’s Tennis Ten Pin Bowling Trampolining Ultimate Frisbee Men’s Volleyball Women’s Volleyball Men’s Waterpolo Women’s Waterpolo Varsity 2009
Hallam Uni Hallam Uni Hallam Hallam Uni Hallam Uni Tie Hallam Hallam Hallam Hallam Hallam Hallam Uni Hallam Hallam Uni Uni Uni Tie Hallam Uni Uni Uni Uni Hallam Uni Uni Uni Uni Hallam Hallam Hallam Uni Uni Hallam Hallam Hallam Uni Uni Uni
Uni 22 - 22 Hallam
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(Left to right) Andy Cox, James Zeller, Will Westwood, Si Bainbridge, Ben Marshall and Ella White display the trophy. By Oliver Hughes Winter Varsity Uni 5 Hallam 2 Uni’s Winter Varsity domination was clearly reaffirmed after an awe-inspiring performance at Sheffield’s Ski Village, despite an unfortunate defeat in ice hockey. Speaking after the event, Sports Officer Ella White couldn’t hide her delight at the victory, which set the trend for the rest of this year’s tightly fought Varsity contest. “What a fantastic way to start the competition. Well done to all the competitors. “There has been a fantastic turn out and the events have run smoothly. “I’d like to thank all the team captains and the Sports Committees of both universities. The competition has now begun and it feels brilliant.”
Support for both the ice hockey team at Ice Sheffield and skiers and snowboarders upon the slopes was extensive and ensured a fantastic, vibrant atmosphere which both teams duly repaid in some well-fought contests. Si Bainbridge led his team of skiers out for a terrific 5450 victory in the freestyle, with Laurie Anthony, Andrew Burton, Alan McDonald and Bainbridge sealing the point. Hallam were able to pull a point back in the big air ski through Alex Anthony, Joe Mac and Rodrey Evans, but Uni’s snowboard captain Ben Marshall and his team of Paul Smart, Ben Kolb, Polly Baker, Robin Grint and Dan Sadler secured two more vital points in the snowboard freestyle and big air. Two self-assured slalom races then guaranteed a 5-1 triumph for Uni as they cruised to easy victories. Despite the disappointment at Sheffield Ski Village, Hallam
did, however, preserve their reputation as superior performers on the rink, despite a late surge from Uni which took the tie into extra time. The Hallam side tucked home an overtime goal past goaltender James Zeller to ensure a valuable Varsity point and improve on the overall 6-1 defeat in 2008. In spite of beginning the fixture without Oliver Barron, Lloyd Gibson and Nick Manning, who were all away with Team GB at the World Student Games, Hallam were extremely confident of maintaining their title of being undefeated on the rink. Uni were also without one of their star performers in Stuart Brittle, also with the GB squad. Hallam’s early dominance paid off at the end of the first period when Chris Bryniarski slotted home after neat work from Tom Larcombe. They doubled their advantage under dubious circumstances in the second when Matt Jeffcock’s
Photo: Olivia Lightfoot
shot was saved and prodded home by Bryniarski from the rebound, but Uni players thought the puck hadn’t crossed the line. As the third period began Uni had looked completely out of the contest, but a seemingly rejuvenated side came out and immediately looked to claw their way abck into the match. Captain Tom Ray grabbed an early goal to begin the comeback trail before Lee Cheong set up Jack Ware to fire in the equaliser, much to the shock and ecstasy of the Uni fans who had packed out one half of the arena. Lee Cheong then silenced the Hallam support with a goal to put Uni into what had seemed an unthinkable lead. But with only two minutes left Bryniarski sealed a well-deserved hat-trick to pull the match into overtime. Hallam’s Ben Davies then smashed in an overtime winner to take a cruel victory away from a valiant Uni.
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REPORTS VARSITY
Hacking praises team following “amazing” Varsity experience
First team frustrated by loss
By Ross Turner
By Rob O’Connor
Women’s rugby union Uni 26 Hallam 13
Men’s rugby union firsts Uni 15 Hallam 9
The women’s rugby first team won their Varsity match in spectacular style with an indomitable performance in which they completely outclassed their opponents. The 26-13 score, if anything, flattered their Hallam rivals, who were lucky to reach double figures after barely being given a lookin to the game by the seemingly unstoppable Uni team. Captain Sade Hacking said after the match: “We were very confident going into the game having had a great season, getting promoted last year and managing to remain in the premiership for the first time in the University’s history. “Saying that, Hallam have won all their matches this year; they are admittedly a couple of leagues below us, but still I think they were looking to get something out of today.” In fairness to the Hallam side, Uni did have to work hard for the first 20 minutes, and an early Uni try was responded to quickly with two converted Hallam penalties. However, five minutes later fantastic build-up play created a second Uni try which was subsequently converted, and from then on the side looked untouchable. The dominant Uni performance was characterised by superb passing movements which penetrated the Hallam defence again and again, with no sort of coherent response. The superior Uni ability shone through again after half-time as they took complete control of possession, and they were soon rewarded with a well-deserved third try that was once again converted by the on-form Rowan Longhurst. A fourth try was always on the cards with Uni’s continued dominance and it soon came, and, despite not being converted, made the scoreline start to resemble that of a walkover.
The University of Sheffield’s rugby union first team suffered a narrow 15-9 loss to a technically sound Hallam side in a match characterised by last-ditch tackles and a rugged determination. The early exchanges were promising for Uni, as a well-taken Matt Poulten penalty opened up a three point lead, but a swift reply saw the scores levelled before any foothold had been gained. For all their technical prowess on the ball Hallam struggled to break down a determined Uni back line which resorted to a number of last-ditch efforts on the line to keep the opposition at bay. This tightness in defence was to prove Uni’s most potent asset, and offered a glimpse of what has been missing in a turbulent season. Uni’s collective spirit received a further boost when a Hallam penalty hit the post just before half-time. This stroke of luck rallied the Uni cause and they added a penalty of their own before the break to send them in at half-time with an unlikely 6-3 lead. In the second half, Uni never threatened to translate their rugged determination into points, seeming grateful enough to accept their technical inferiority and defend their slender lead. When a third penalty extended the lead to 9-3 it began to look as though the Uni gameplan might pay off. However the advantage was to be short-lived as two late tries, either side of a ludicrously ambitious Matt Poulten penalty attempt to salvage the game, saw Hallam settle comfortably into the ascendancy that their rugby had warranted. Uni winger Alex Arthur summed up the experience as “a bitter pill to swallow” as the Uni side saw their gallant efforts go unrewarded. Centre Will Peberdy said: “We were confident before the game but Hallam were worthy winners.”
A fantastic performance by the women’s rugby team led to a memorable victory. Uni’s performance was marred only by an undeserved converted Hallam try which came about from an intercepted pass; one of very few mistakes made by the women’s team.
Hacking added: “The Varsity experience has been amazing, and I think everybody did so well because of that. “I’ve got to give special praise to our number 13 Emily John
Photo: Adam Harley
who had a stormer, and the other try scorers Francis Creasy and Rowan Longhurst, in particular Rowan who converted three tries and played her last game ever for the club today.”
Convincing wins secure a deserved point for Uni By Michael Hunter & Ross Turner Uni seconds secured the Varsity point for men’s rugby in convincing fashion with a 26-10 finals day win over Hallam at Abbeydale Sports Ground. With the thirds having already taken victory earlier in the day, this result made the outcome of the firsts’ fixture irrelevant. Tries from Mark Mennon and Owen Pocock either side of the break were enough to set up the victory after a tight first half. Afterwards, men’s club captain Stuart Totty said he was always confident of sealing the point for Uni. “I’m over the moon to have won two years running,” he said. “We knew they had strong backs and we managed to keep the ball away from them.” A nervous opening saw Hallam going over first through captain
Joe Shaw. The scrum-half’s try on 15 minutes was converted by Tom Bell to create a four point lead after the boot of Alex Rumley had opened the scoring for Uni. But Uni were back in front 10 minutes later when winger Mennon touched down in the corner following a good drive to the line by Dan Seddon. Rumley coolly converted from a tight angle before exchanging penalties with Bell to take a narrow 13-10 advantage in at the interval. Two minutes into the second period, the ball was worked inside from the left, and full-back Pocock was on hand just inside the 22 to pierce through two tackles and send the Uni following into raptures. More Uni pressure took its toll on the Hallam rearguard and they conceded a third penalty minutes later to leave Rumley with a simple kick in front of the posts. Hallam rarely threatened
to close the gap and a scrappy second half was livened up when a streaker ran onto the pitch, only to be brought down by a great tackle from a spectator on the sidelines. Tempers soared in the closing stages and both sides were reduced to 14 when Hallam’s Shaw and opposite scrum-half Ben Ashton swung fists at each other. Minutes later Uni’s Adam Goodband was sin-binned, but it did not affect the result as fly-half Ross Budgen kicked three more points on the stroke of full-time to round off the scoring. Uni’s third team also secured victory after a dogged 15-5 win in which they were under pressure for large periods of the second half, but never looked like losing thanks to their resolute defensive work. Captain Richard Foster said: “It was a really fantastic performance from the lads and I’m happy we got the result that we deserved”.
Both the seconds and thirds came out on top.
Photo: Sam Bennett
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FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
VARSITY REPORTS
Uni seconds falter at set-pieces
Amukapemu brace secures memorable win By Paul Garbett Men’s football firsts Uni 2 Hallam 0
Players challenge an aerial ball. By Oliver Hughes Men’s football seconds Uni 5 Hallam 2 Hallam’s Tom Payne fired in a crucial effort before being dismissed for a second booking as they held on for a 2-1 seconds win over Uni at Norton. Hallam took the lead after just 10 minutes. James Williams whipped in an inswinging corner and Luke Cunnings met the ball and powered it into the back of the net with a solid header. Throughout the opening period the ball was bogged down in midfield and, after the opener, neither side managed to create too many meaningful opportunities. Uni were denied an optimistic penalty after a possible handball in the six-yard box was waved away by the referee. A Kieran Quinn long throw did cause some problems in the Hallam penalty area, but a header from the penalty spot floated over the bar. Hallam did assert some pressure just before the break, and a raking volley from 25 yards was caught easily by the Uni goalkeeper. As the second period started Uni looked to assert some pressure on the Hallam back line. Uni’s Tom Gaunt then struck a sensational 20-yard half volley which cannoned against the inside of the post before hitting the back of the net. But not long after, Uni’s hope of a win took a turn for the worse as Tom Payne slotted home to give Hallam a 2-1 lead. Payne was then dismissed after picking up a second yellow card for a late challenge, but Uni failed to break down a resolute Hallam defence and held on for the win. Skipper Jacob Travis was gutted to lose, but felt that his players had given their all. “They gave 100 per cent effort so I’m absolutely pleased with that; two errors just let us down again, as it has been all season,” he said. “We got relegated so it’s been a bad season all round really. It summed it up, really, with those two goals. We’ve conceded 30-odd goals this season, and most of them from set-pieces. “I’m not here next year but obviously the team’s got to move forward. There will be new players coming in, we’ve just got to build on the squad we’ve got. Most of us will still be here and we’ve got to just get straight back up.”
Talented midfielder Matthew Amukapemu struck twice as the men’s football first team soundly beat Hallam 2-0 in a savage Varsity tie at Sheffield FC’s Bright Finance Stadium. Uni were seeking revenge from the Varsity match, having missed out on the league title to Hallam and lost both of their matches against them this season. However, the underdogs commanded Hallam with a strong defence and took full advantage of their chances in front of goal. Sheffield opened the scoring on 28 minutes when a Sean Rushton corner found Matthew Amukapemu in space. He guided the ball into the top left corner of the net with a thumping strike that sent Sheffield’s supporters into raptures. Just two minutes later, Sheffield doubled their lead in controversial circumstances after the referee adjudged Hallam’s Andrew Potter to have handled the ball inside the penalty area. Amukapemu stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, and coolly finished to the right of the goalkeeper to make it 2-0. In the second half, Sheffield defended strongly, with Finnish goalkeeper Joonas Puolamäki on good form to keep Hallam at bay. After 60 minutes, Ryeoil Kim should have added another for Uni when he rounded Hallam ’keeper Tom Cross, but he failed to get his shot away. In the latter stages of the second half, Hallam began to pressurise and look to get back in the game. In the 67th minute, Uni were lucky not to concede after a defensive mix-up gave Josh Van der Boss a clear sight of goal. However, his powerful shot was excellently parried by Puolamäki, with Adam Prior blasting the rebound over the bar from just six
yards out. Hallam should have scored in the 78th minute when Nick Howitt missed an open goal after Puolamäki had done well to parry a Van der Boss strike. Uni finished the match with 10 men after substitute Nick Hall was given a straight red card by the referee for an off the ball clash, having been on the pitch for less than 20 minutes. Uni managed to see out the game with an impressive defensive display which condemned Hallam to defeat. After the match, team captain Tom Macleod said he was “delighted” with the result and praised his players. He said: “We were disappointed to lose the league title to Hallam, so I’m absolutely delighted we’ve finally beaten them. It was a great all-round performance; there were some outstanding individual performances in the first half, and in the second half when we needed to battle we really worked hard.” Macleod singled out goalscorer Ampukapemu and goalkeeper Puolamäki as Uni’s star performers. He said: “Matthew Ampukapemu in particular was outstanding today, and has been great for us in midfield all season. Its a shame we’re going to lose him next year, and Joonas made some great saves to keep us in the game late on.” Macleod believes that Uni’s underdog tag helped the side. He said: “We had no pressure going into the game, whereas they were the league champions and favourites to win, but we worked so hard and everyone won their individual battles on the field. “We believed we could win today and that strong attitude came through.” The captain also praised the hundreds of enthusiastic Uni supporters who provided vocal support. He said: “The support was wicked, I didn’t even realise there were any Hallam fans here. It’s great to play in front of such a great crowd”.
Thirds edged out By Chris Rogan Men’s football thirds Uni 0 Hallam 1 The men’s football thirds were beaten by Hallam in a close encounter. The first half was characterised by Uni domination as they maintained possession and toyed with their opposition. The Uni side put together some neat passing moves and defended solidly, but they failed to capitalise on their possession. Uni’s best chances of the first half came from striker Jonathan Tyrell. After 27 minutes Tyrell dinked the ball over the goalkeeper, but a Hallam full-back scooped it clear. Hallam took advantage of sloppy Uni defending in the box just before half-time, but they failed to convert their chances, leaving honours even at the break.
Within two minutes of the restart, a tremendous Hallam strike ripped into the top corner. The goal demoralised the Uni side, and they looked a different team for much of the second half. Indeed, it was Hallam who dominated for the large part of the remainder of the match, with the Uni defence constantly stretched to keep the score at 1-0. Some good moves from Uni captain Oli Durham in central midfield, and more excellent play from Tyrell, came intermittently between the Hallam attacks. Durham said: “It was an even match, and in the end, it took something very special to win. I think we were slightly unlucky not to take anything from the game, but we battled hard and the team did themselves proud. “We played some good football, and the team shouldn’t be too disheartened.”
Uni goalscorer Matthew Amukapemu gets in amongst it in midfield.
Hallam captain Leah Richards.
Photo: Helen Munro
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Men’s fourth team crumble to gift crucial point to Hallam By Oliver Hughes Men’s football fourths Uni 3 Hallam 4 Men’s football fourths lost in disappointing circumstances after squandering a two goal cushion early in the first half. Uni began the match with a positive swagger as they controlled the scrap in the middle of the park. A ball over the top from Chris Walker caught the Hallam defence unawares, and Chris Graves took the ball down superbly as he turned his man and fired on the bounce into the bottom left corner to give Uni a goal advantage. Uni then extended their lead after Graves was involved again. He brought down to the left of the penalty area after a mistimed Hallam challenge. Captain Chris Anstey then dispatched the penalty with consummate ease to give his side some breathing space. But almost immediately from kick-off, Hallam halved the deficit after Uni conceded a careless penalty carefully placed out of the reach of the keeper, leaving the Hallam side with optimism going into the half-time break. Uni lacked focus as they came out for the second period, and Hallam’s Brendan Gilligan capitalised as he slotted home the equaliser. Jake Burnham then scored a remarkable volley from the edge of the area which sailed into the top
corner to give Hallam a surprise 3-2 lead and complete a forceful comeback. Uni were then given a golden opportunity to peg the game back yet again as Hallam conceded a sloppy penalty for handball. Up stepped skipper Anstey, but he blistered his penalty aimlessly over the bar, much to the frustration of the large support on the sidelines. Dan Spence then dealt Uni a cruel blow as he tickled his effort
Hallam’s women celebrate a goal.
through the goalkeeper’s legs to almost put the game beyond doubt with Hallam 4-2 up. However, Matt Lee scored what can only be described as an astonishing goal as straight from kick-off he clobbered the ball from the halfway line over the Hallam keeper’s head and it nestled into the back of the goal. But unfortunately for Lee and his team-mates that goal was just mild consolation as the whistle blew for a depressing 4-3 defeat.
Photo: Helen Munro
Women punished for errors By Matt Duncan Women’s football firsts Uni 1 Hallam 4
Photo: Adam Harley
Hallam’s women show Uni no mercy By Chris Rogan Women’s football seconds Uni 0 Hallam 6 A sorry women’s football side were thrashed by their Varsity opponents, who showed little mercy in the sunny conditions at Norton Playing Fields. Going into the match it was hard to envisage any other result, with Hallam four leagues ahead of the Uni team in the BUCS Conference, and an upset was never really on the cards. Uni only managed to attack the Hallam goal on rare occasions, forcing the goalkeeper into action just two or three times. One of these incidents was a missed penalty, which added insult
to injury to the pitiful Uni side. Hallam scored six well-taken goals after good build-up play, and could have had more. Lois O’Neill and Shanaie Griffin both scored twice, and Kat Clark scored once. Hallam captain Leah Richards also scored, and was elated with the result. “It was a great team display, I’m really proud of the girls. It’s great to win 6-0 against any side, and they put up a good fight,” she said. Uni side captain Lucy Baldwin was not too forlorn after the result, despite the humiliating look of the scoreline. She said: “It was always going to be tough; they are a much bigger side than us, and are in a higher division. “But we didn’t play too badly, and that’s the main thing for us.”
Sheffield’s women’s first team paid the price for a catalogue of defensive errors, as they were outclassed by Hallam in a 4-1 varsity defeat. The Sheffield side never really looked in the game, and fell behind in embarrassing fashion after just six minutes when Hallam’s Kimberley Harford drifted in a corner which beat everyone and went directly into the net. However, Sheffield could have equalised after 19 minutes, when Sarah Bailey found herself with just the keeper to beat, only to have her early shot saved by Donna Krukowski in the Hallam goal. Hallam doubled their lead on 27 minutes, after Uni’s Amy Pedderson handled the ball inside the area, with Laura Condon coolly slotting away the resulting spot kick down the centre of the goal. After just 17 minutes, Hallam took a three goal lead, when Catherine Davies took advantage of slack marking and headed home from a corner kick, giving Sheffield a massive mountain to climb. Following the half time interval, Sheffield started brighter but were again undone by their ineptitude at defending set pieces. Just seven minutes after the restart, Hallam made it 4-0 when Michelle Wong received the ball from a corner kick, and hit a superb strike which came off the post and into the net. Hallam should have scored
Hallam’s women celebrate a goal. again in the 48th minute, when Jodie Hancock rounded the keeper, but saw her shoot towards an open goal, cascade off the bar and be cleared to safety by a Uni defender. Uni did however; provide some resistance to the Hallam onslaught and could have grabbed a goal back when some great footwork from Jen Pearson allowed her a shot on goal, which was saved by
Photo: Adam Harley Krukowski. And Natalie Froggatt was just millimetres from scoring a memorable free kick from 30 yards out, but saw her strike hit the post. However, Uni did take a consolation goal from the game when Catherine Chapple made no mistake from the penalty spot, after being taken down illegally inside the area.
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VARSITY REPORTS
Uni caught cold by ferocious Hallam
FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
Hollow ensures that White goes out in style with netball point By Michael Hunter Women’s netball firsts Uni 32 Hallam 17
By Matt Duncan & Jade Chan The men’s basketball team fell to a disappointing 92-61 defeat at the English Institute of Sport. Uni started the game slowly and found themselves 10 points down after the first 90 seconds of play. This stunned Uni into action and they closed the gap to four points within five mintues. By the end of the first quarter Hallam had extended their lead again to 18-10. The gap never really shortened despite numerous attempts by Uni to inject a new verve into their play. By the end of the quarter Hallam held a comfortable 45-32 lead. Uni were shell-shocked after the break and Hallam went on a 12 point scoring run, opening up a 63-42 lead in the third. Uni entered the final quarter trailing 73-44, and despite a good show of support from the Uni faithful, Hallam continued to extend the lead. With five minutes left, they led 80-48 and, despite Uni going on an eight point run, the outcome was never in doubt. The score at the final buzzer was 92-61. Uni captain Will Platt said: “We were not at our best out there today. “These matches have been close in the past but we just didn’t play as well as we can.” Meanwhile, the women’s basketball team were comprehensively beaten by Hallam 77-24 to bring an end to what has been a tough year for the team. Uni scored just four points in the first half and allowed Hallam to dominate and take an unassailable lead. Despite a vastly improved second-half performance, Uni had left themselves with too much to do and the task of constantly playing catch-up proved to be too difficult in the end.
Hallam struggled to keep up with Uni as they dominated the women’s netball events. Both the firsts and thirds secured the Varsity point with superb victories and the seconds recorded a respectable draw. The first team steamrollered clear favourites Hallam, who play one tier above Uni in the BUCS League. Ella White, playing in her last ever game for the club, couldn’t hide her relief after three years on the losing side at Varsity. She said: “We were expecting the thirds to have the best chance of winning so we’re just really pleased. Hallam are in the division above us and it’s my last ever match so I’m dead chuffed.” Uni started strongly and had opened up an 11-6 lead at the first interval after bossing the opening quarter at the English Institute of Sport (EIS). Jessica Harvey and Rebecca Hollow made the territorial advantage count with some clinical finishing under the net, while Natalie Morris and Jenny Paris were resolute in defence. Uni picked up where they left off in the second quarter, stretching their advantage to eight points and leaving their rivals’ chances of scraping a point looking ominous. Hallam worked a number of impressive openings but struggled to convert their chances, and that form continued into the third. Uni should have capitalised on Hallam’s wasteful finishing even more than they did, but eventually settled for a 26-12 lead going into the final period and the tie was as good as over. They ran out clear winners in the end after seeing out the final 15 minutes in professional style, sparking scenes of jubilation on and off the court. Uni’s second team were left frustrated after failing to see out
Jessica Harvey’s solid finishing was crucial to hard-working Uni’s success. the closing stages in a thrilling second rubber at the EIS. The game ended in a nail-biting draw following a series of dramatic comebacks from both teams. But captain Vicky Hamblin was left rueing refereeing decisions which she believes cost her side a deserved victory.
“I’m a bit disappointed with the Hallam referee, there were some pretty dodgy decisions out there. “But the enthusiasm and the drive shown by the girls was just incredible and I think all the girls, in our hearts, know we won.” The third team saw off their opponents with Uni leading
Photo: Olivia Lightfoot comfortably for the majority of the closing stages, and the victory was never really in doubt against a lacklustre Hallam side. They eventually closed the game out by seven points having taken a 20-13 lead into the final quarter in front of a near-capacity crowd at Sheffield’s EIS.
Women smash past Hallam despite men’s setback By Robert Golledge & Tanzilur Rahman
Sheffield’s women overpowered Hallam.
Photo: Helen Munro
The women’s volleyball team effortlessly overcame their rivals 3-0 to claim a Varsity point, but were let down by their male counterparts who were consigned to defeat in both firsts and seconds. The women defeated an inexperienced Hallam side in straight sets in a game stricken by errors on both sides of the court. Hallam could never get into any sort of rhythm, whilst a more cohesive Uni team took advantage of thier opponents’ inability to capitalise on errors. Initially, there was nothing between the sides, but Uni eventually broke away from Hallam to take the first set 25-19. The second set saw Uni quickly assemble consistent five point leads but a Hallam fight back saw the sides go neck and neck. Uni once again though kept their composure. Fine finishing and tidy defence work by American
Rebecca Hollis saw Uni take the set 25-18. In the final set player of the match Hollis scored several points to see Uni edge closer to defeating their city rivals. Minutes later it was only fitting that the impressive Hollis scored the match winner, spiking deep into the Hallam half to make it 25-20. Uni first team coach Richard Brewer admitted the result was a good one for the side. He said: “Whilst it wasn’t a totally demanding game, the girls worked really hard to get a brilliant result. “There were a few incidents where a few errors would have let a more experienced side get back into the game, but they eventually managed to eradicate the errors and win each set.” The men enjoyed far less success and were dominated by a far superior Hallam side. The first set was tight, with Hallam leading only 10-6, but Uni hardly had any answer to the
spiking duo of captain Anthony Hienett and Callum Green as they unleashed their attacks on Uni, and they eventually took the rest of the set easily. Hallam took the second set 2514 before they wrapped up the victory with a 25-22 scoreline. In the second string, Uni made more of a go at the fixture, securing an unexpected set in a 3-1 defeat. Hallam started the match brightly and deservedly won the first set 25-13. Uni responded well to the initial defeat and fought to a respectable 25-18 loss in the second set. Hallam seemed to falter in the face of improving Uni play in the third, and a number of inspired moments enabled Uni to take a consoloation set with a 25-21 win. However, as fatigue set in during the fourth, Hallam began to dominate and comfortably recorded a 25-8 win to take the match, despite vociferous encouragement from the Uni support.
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Tennis captain blasts set-up after teams take point apiece
Uni slump to squash defeat By Matthew Kewley
By Paul Garbett Tennis captain Christian Kleeli last night said the organisation of the Varsity tennis competition was a “fiasco” after Uni lost the men’s event in a mixed doubles showdown which had not been originally been included in the Varsity schedule. Kleeli said: “It’s been a fiasco, there’s no other way to put it. The points system has confused everybody. “The decision to play mixed doubles really hasn’t helped us today, and we didn’t have enough time to properly prepare our parings. We really should have won. “Some of the guys out there have never played with each other before. The decision was made by the wrong people.” The mixed doubles event was only scheduled at late notice and was played to decide the men’s point, after Sheffield came back from 9-3 down to tie the match at 9-9. In a breathtaking performance, Uni’s Chris Duffy kept Sheffield in the match, facing three championships points against Hallam captain Tom Winson. Duffy came back to win the match to keep the tie alive, and prompted an incredible comeback from the Uni men’s team to level the tie at 9-9. With nothing to separate the men’s sides, a mixed doubles competition was held to decide who got the men’s Varsity point. In the opening game, the Sheffield pairing of Claire Hewitt and Chris Duffy could do little to stop Hallam’s Ed Gee and Lauren Robertson, who came away with an 8-2 victory. The second game was a tighter affair which was eventually won by Hallam’s Claire Morris and Mark Winson who beat Sheffield pairing Ruth Wakefield and Connor O’Kaine by nine games to seven. Earlier in the day, Sheffield’s women’s teams recorded an emphatic 8-0 victory over their Hallam counterparts to take the Varsity point again, following a victory last year.
REPORTS VARSITY
Connor O’Kaine smashes a forehand return as Uni fall to a cruel mixed doubles decider.
Photo: Adam Harley
Despite several outstanding performances, Uni’s squash team were unable to secure a Varsity victory over Hallam at the Hallamshire Squash Club after succumbing to a 6-5 defeat. Uni’s Luke Elcock delivered a great first game performance against Hallam’s Matt Turner, securing the first win for Uni. The match saw a closely fought battle with both players refusing to give way. But after several textbook shots from Elcock, he was able to comfortably defeat his opponent 11-1, 17-15, 4-11, 12-10. Uni’s Nick Burgess then faced Hallam’s Luke Watkins in another fierce battle. However, Burgess was unable to gain the upper hand over Watkins, with the Hallam player winning 3-0. Uni’s Lyndon Borrill demonstrated exhibition squash when he defeated Hallam’s Jon Vella-Blake. Borrill’s win undoubtedly paved the way for Uni’s next victory between Uni’s Paul Snape and Hallam’s Tom Perry. With four matches on the board for Uni, Hallam needed to find a way back into the match. An offform Steven Spedding-Love took on Hallam’s confident-looking Adam Smith, and the Hallam player sealed a fine 3-1 victory. As the tie sat on the knife edge with Uni holding a 5-4 lead, it all came down to the final two pairs. But Hallam’s top order was too strong for Uni, as captain Tom Anthistle suffered a whitewashing at the hands of Hallam’s Dan Lawrence, whilst on court five Hallam’s captain Chris Hall sealed the point with another 3-0 win over Uni’s Will Bennett. Although the match ended with a 6-5 win to Hallam, Uni’s captain Anthistle was in a positive frame of mind after the match. “If we’d have won more of the earlier matches things could have been different,” he said. “We finished second in the league to Newcastle who were clearly the strongest players, so I’m confident that with plenty of coaching we can definitely have a really strong team next year.”
Women scrape victory whilst men lose again By Jonathan Caldwell
The women’s team narrowly took the point.
Photo: Olivia Lightfoot
The women’s team salvaged a Varsity badminton point for Uni, despite drawing their fixture 4-4. Uni were able to claim the point by virtue of the fact that they had won more games overall in the eight women’s matches that had been played. The victory was vital after the men’s team lost their fixture. The result created anger within the Hallam ranks, with some of their players accusing their opponents of manipulating the rules in order to claim victory, although their protests were in vain. It was perhaps surprising that the women’s contest was so close given Uni’s success in the fixture in recent years. Team captain Kimberley Lau said: “We have won pretty convincingly for the past two years. “But they have a lot of stronger
players this year, and we have lost a couple of important players since, so it was bound to be closer. “We are pleased to have won the point, and it is much better to play in front of your supporters cheering you on.” Lau got the side off to a flying start and was integral to her side’s success, winning both the opening rubber and her second match convincingly. However, two defeats for Kat Wong meant that the scores were level at 2-2 after the women’s singles. Two more victories in the doubles for Laura Harrison and Alison Campbell appeared to make the point safe, before consecutive defeats for Katie Owen and Adele Whiteman led to the tie. The men went into their contest with lower expectations than the women and, although they gave an excellent account of themselves, succumbed to an 11-5 defeat.
Simon Williams said he believed that his side stood a better chance of victory than in previous years. He said: “Hallam had better players last year, so we honestly thought that we’d stand a better chance of winning. “Even though we lost, it is still fun; it is so much different to playing at BUCS. The atmosphere is fantastic.” Despite the loss, there were some notable victories of which the team can be proud. Williams and Graham Priestley’s emphatic victory in their first doubles match was a highlight, as was Joe Pickering’s triumph in his opening rubber. Equally impressive was Rich Grainger and Iain MacBrairdy’s doubles victory after they had lost the opening game. These victories are rendered all the more impressive with Hallam playing in the BUCS division above Uni, and having a superior Varsity record over recent years.
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FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
VARSITY REPORTS
Sublime Uni water polo sides sink Hallam to avenge last year
By Paul Garbett
By Jonathan Caldwell Water polo Uni men 9 Hallam men 2 This year’s Varsity water polo events were both one-sided affairs as the University of Sheffield’s men and women totally dominated proceedings. After a surprise defeat to Hallam last year, the Uni side were more determined than ever to put in a good performance, and to show their superior quality in the pool, with Hallam a division below in the BUCS standings. The men’s team did most of their work in the first half where they scored eight of their goals and made it difficult for Hallam to play. Scorers included Will Liddie and captain Mark Cheetham. Uni were limited to just one goal in the second half as the match turned scrappy. The referee was left stranded and did not know how to control the game and this aided some Hallam resistance but did not affect the outcome. Cheetham said: “We all played well as a team to get this result. Hallam don’t play that much and we were expecting to win going into it. We lost last year, which was a bad result, because we were over confident, so we were much more determined this time around to get the necessary result.” The win was a satisfying end to a season tinged with disappointment after the men were knocked out at the group semi-final stage of the BUCS Championships. Cheetham said: “It’s not bad getting to the semi-finals because you’re one of the best eight in the country, but last year we got to the finals and came fourth so perhaps we should have done a bit better.” The women’s team water polo team beat their Hallam opponents 24-2. Cheetham said: “It’s really unusual to get a result like that so the girls did really well. It was a total mismatch.” Hallam were unable to deal with Uni’s quality, or provide any fightback in the second half. The main goalscorers were the outstanding Helen Foley and Beth Proctor.
Cycling struggle to compete
Both the men and women’s water polo sides enjoyed notable success.
Photo: Marek Allen
Uni’s cycling club are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing Varsity series against Hallam which saw them lose all three cycling disciplines despite some strong individual performances. The cycling Varsity contest involved a BMX competition held at Bole Hill Park in Crookes, while results from the recent BUCS Championships at the UK Bike Park in Dorset were used to decide winners of the downhill and cross country programmes. In the cross country event, Uni were defeated by Hallam despite excellent performances from Andy Douglas and Eóin Elliott, who both finished in the top 25 of the BUCS national event. In the female competition Katie Hegmann rode to an impressive tenth place, having competed in the downhill championship the day before on an ill fitting and unfamiliar bike. Katie battled through the fatigue but lost out to Hallam’s Emily Benham by a matter of minutes. Uni also struggled to match a talented Hallam team in the downhill event, even with Uni’s Ruari Hallam getting an eighteenth place finish in the competition, which saw 350 riders from all over the UK compete. Hallam then rounded off their Varsity title with victory in the BMX discipline in Crookes on Wednesday, March 25, a result which confirmed a frustrating 3-0 whitewash. Cross country captain Elliott said the team were disappointed to lose to, and would be looking to come back stronger next year. He said: “The team are disappointed to have lost the Varsity point, particularly after such a strong performance from some of our riders in the BUCS events. “However, it’s important to realise that Hallam have got a really strong team of riders and we’ll need to improve in order to beat them next year. “It’ll be a blow to us to lose riders like Andy Douglas through graduation, but there’s a great set of young riders coming through who could be really successful.”
Swimmers beaten
Canoe polo win men’s event
By Paul Garbett
By Jade Chan
The University of Sheffield pushed Hallam to the limit in the Varsity swimming at Ponds Forge, losing 13-11. In a sport usually seen as a Hallam stronghold, Uni came close to causing an upset, performing particularly well in the men’s events and relay races. Architecture student and Uni captain, Sarah Christian said: “It was the closest it’s been for years and even though they didn’t win, the boys did themselves proud. “Hallam have an outstanding record in the swimming events and so to come close is a big achievement for all involved.” Last year Uni’s swimmers lost the Varsity tie by 15.5 points to 7.5, and look to improve their performances even further and continue to close the gap.
After a hard fought match, the University of Sheffield men’s canoe polo team emerged with a 3-2 victory. Meetings between these two teams have tended to be close affairs, and this match was no different. Uni team captain Matthew Lawe believed Hallam had a particularly good team this year and had been aided by several outstanding new players. Added to this, Hallam had some new boats and equipment which had put them in a very good position leading up to Varsity. “On paper, they had the better team this year,” he said. And as a consequence, Uni had not realistically expected to win this encounter. With neither side dominating, Uni managed to come out on top after half time
Relay action. Photo: Adam Harley
with goals from Dan Bailey, who was the stand out player of the Uni team. In the second half, Hallam came back strong and were always snapping at the heels of the Uni team, but a further goal from Bailey meant that Uni were able to end the season on a high. “It was a very very close game,” according to Lawe, but the win was thoroughly deserved. He went on to say that Hallam certainly did not play at their best on the day, but Uni exploited that fact and took their opportunities. Lawe gave particular mention to new player Bailey, describing him as “an exceptional player” who not only managed to score all of Uni’s goals, but did so without ever having previously played for the team. Despite a terrific performance from the men’s team, the women’s side succumbed to a strong Hallam side, crashing to a 3-2 reversal.
Narrow win.
Photo: Sam Bennett
FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
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All-conquering lacrosse stars survive Hallam’s early assault Men’s lacrosse Uni 14 Hallam 9
Ten pin bowling triumph
Victory for men’s side meant that Uni took all available lacrosse points this year. with the side’s performance and knew the match would be harder than many expected, despite having dominated most fixtures this campaign on the road to BUCS Championship glory. “It was a really good game,
pretty close. “We have a Saturday team that plays in the north of England men’s league and that’s both Uni’s so we know the Hallam players well and knew they’re all good players.
Photo: Sam Bennett
“It was one of the closest games we’ve played all season. We were quite comfortable, but we knew they were a very good team. And after the first quarter it was two all so we knew we weren’t going to run away with it.”
Ruthless finishing shows gulf in class By Jonathan Caldwell Women’s lacrosse Uni 28 Hallam 0
Uni dominated play from the start.
Golfers struggle on the greens
The University of Sheffield Golf Club narrowly lost to bitter rivals Sheffield Hallam at the Hallamshire Golf Club, writes Matt Duncan. Despite individual victories from Josh Dyson and Beemal Parekh, the team went down 3.5-2.5 on a windy Wednesday afternoon. Dyson and Parekh were the first two out and got Uni off to a great start winning their games. Chris French managed to get a half, but defeats for Johnny McClaughlin, Adam Kirby and Dave Oliver meant that Hallam took away the vital Varsity point. Captain Chris French was not disappointed with the loss. He said: “We didn’t expect to win, we have lost convincingly in recent years. “We have had to start from scratch after our captain left in the summer without warning so to get this close is actually quite good. “Hopefully next year we can get a few more players in and build on this and try to win the Varsity title.”
By Oliver Hughes
After an early scare for Uni’s men’s lacrosse, the side eventually cruised to an expected victory with a solid 14-9 win. Uni took the lead early on, Tom Marsh opening the scoring after smart build-up. Hallam then pulled a goal back when Chris Wainer slotted home. Elliot Appleyard then cancelled out a Jay Tunstall effort before Hallam took a shock 3-2 lead. Gareth Roberts caught the Uni defence offguard which allowed the Hallam man to pounce with a well worked effort. But that was as close as the Hallam side could manage as England international Tom Leahy grabbed the equaliser as he cut inside and slipped the ball into the bottom corner. Leahy then grabbed two more as he dispossessed a Hallam player deep inside his own half and beat the keeper with a fierce shot. With the scores at 5-3, Hallam called a time out, but to no avail as Josh Sherry-Brennan added a sixth as the second period came to a close. After the break Hallam’s Jack Murry gave Hallam a glimmer of hope, but Uni then turned up the heat as Leahy added his fourth with Mike Armstrong grabbing a brace. Hallam were giving Uni far too much time on the ball and pulled away to an 11-5 lead with SherryBrennan making use of the space available to bullet home from long range as the third period ended. Armstrong then scored either side of a Sherry-Brennan effort and despite a late onslaught from Hallam bringing the score to a respectable 14-9, Uni were always able to keep their rivals at a comfortable arms length. Captain Tom Bailey was pleased
REPORTS VARSITY
Photo: Adam Harley
Having been narrowly beaten in the corresponding match last year, Uni went in the game desperate for revenge. They would not have anticipated however, just how easily they overcome their opponents this time around. Barely a minute had passed before Uni raced into a four goal lead, effectively putting the game beyond doubt in the opening quarter. Hallam looked increasingly out of their depth as the game went on, and the players of both sides were clearly aware that it was not a question of whether Uni would win but rather by how many. Hallam didn’t pose any threat to Hardeep Sidhu’s goal, and never had any sustained spells of pressure. The closest Hallam came to getting on the score sheet was in the dying seconds when a speculative effort struck the bar,
but in many respects they got what they deserved. There is no shame in losing heavily to superior opposition but Hallam looked as though they couldn’t wait for the game as soon as they fell behind, much to the disappointment of the crowd who had at least expected a fiercely competed contest. Team captain Lucy Bradbury said after the game that last year’s defeat weighed heavily on the team’s minds in the build up to yesterday’s fixture. “We were so much more up for it this year, and they have lost some excellent players so we knew we had a chance. “We really didn’t expect to by this many though, but it was a deserved victory. It was a massive team effort.” Bradbury did single out the performances of man of the match Katie Smith, Romilly Hibling, Sophie Saunders and Jess Twigg. Twigg provided possibly the finest moment of the game when she scored Uni’s eighteenth goal. She picked the ball up well inside her own half, brushed a series of defenders aside and finished clinically.
Sheffield’s ten pin bowling team continued their unbeaten Varsity run, beating Hallam 30.5-22.5 at Hollywood Bowl, writes Paul Garbett. In a competitive match that went on for several hours, Sheffield came out on top to defeat their training partners by an eight point margin. Club secretary Hui Yiang Tay said: “It was a really challenging game, made even more interesting as we’re such good friends with the Hallam team. “The match started off really close but eventually as the game drew on, they got a little tired and we took advantage.”
Sailing club take Varsity The University of Sheffield sailors beat Hallam in easy fashion, winning the first three team races of the five race series, writes Paul Garbett. Racing at the Pennine Sailing Club on Winscar Reservoir, Uni commanded proceedings from the start, with an easy win compensating for last year’s cancelled event. Crew member Tom Haslan said: “We are all well chuffed to beat Hallam, as they’re good friends and we were all gutted last year’s competition was cancelled at the last minute.” The 2008 Varsity sailing competition was abandoned due to adverse weather conditions, with Uni hot favourites to take the key point. A victory for either side in last year’s competition would have been decisive in the tournament, after the historic 20-20 Varsity draw.
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FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
VARSITY REPORTS
Heated scenes as Hallam win thirds game
Brave Uni firsts defeated in close
By Tom Ibison Men’s hockey thirds Uni 3 Hallam 4 The University of Sheffield men’s hockey thirds went down 4-3 to their Varsity rivals in a heated affair at Goodwin on Monday night. Uni started the brighter, with Josh Hill spurning an early opportunity after neat play by Nick Baverstock and James Maddick. However, Uni took the lead moments later when Jonathan Fearing slid a beautiful pass into David Akers who fired his shot into the top left corner. The response from Hallam was swift as they won a short corner straight from the restart which was hammered into the bottom right corner to equalise. Hallam took control of the half, and midway through they went ahead from another short corner. The goal brought Uni to life and they equalised five minutes before half-time, with Ross Barrable running at the defence and finding Lee Birch, who slotted his shot into the bottom left corner. But Uni gifted Hallam the lead five minutes into the second half when slack defending from a corner left Hallam’s forward unmarked to fire home. Hallam piled on the pressure, and substitute Jamie Hall had to clear a shot off the line, but they added a fourth minutes later after turning in a goal mouth scramble. Uni got a goal back late on when Hill slipped a pass to Barrable who fired in from the top of the D, but it proved to be in vain. Unsavoury scenes at the end between the rival sets of supporters marred an exciting game, with Sports Officer Ella White having to step in to calm the situation. A devastated Uni captain Alex Metcalfe said: “I don’t know what to say. Everyone tried their best and we should have got more from the game.” With the men’s seconds winning it meant that the hockey Varsity point would have to be decided by the first team fixture.
Uni’s captain Dave Harvey putting pressure on a Hallam attacker in a close fought contest in the men’s hockey firsts. By Robert Golledge Men’s hockey firsts Uni 0 Hallam 4 A determined men’s hockey first team could not cause an upset against league champions Hallam in a crucial fixture which could have won the Varsity trophy for Uni. Hallam triumphed 4-0 but it was
by no means an easy win. Uni started in lively fashion, but it was Hallam who looked dangerous on the attack. After 10 minutes Uni’s left back Chris Abbott made a stunning save to deflect a Hallam penalty corner. The first goal came in the closing stages of the first half when, after a short spell of pressure in the Uni box, Hallam’s Brion Weedman smashed home the opener. At half-time Union Sports Officer Ella White rallied the team, telling
Quality seconds triumph By Matt Duncan Men’s hockey seconds Uni 3 Hallam 0 The University of Sheffield men’s hockey seconds overcame a stubborn Sheffield Hallam side to claim a 3-0 victory at Abbeydale. The first half passed by without any real chances for either side, with the major talking point being a yellow card for Uni’s Andrew Maguire. Even this lacked contention as Maguire kicked out at a Hallam attacker, leaving the umpire with no choice. The second period saw Uni come out and look more like a team. The passing was crisper and the movement more purposeful. Despite this it was Hallam who had the first real opportunity,
having a shot cleared off the line within three minutes of the restart. Uni’s quality soon began to tell, however, and after a period of concerted pressure they took the lead. This appeared to wake Hallam up, and the aggression level of
Uni ease to win.
Photo: O. Lightfoot
the match rose accordingly. There were a number of niggly incidents, and it was surprising that there were no more cards through the game. As the match entered the final 15 minutes, Uni doubled their lead through Joe Stanbridge. This damaged the Hallam rearguard beyond repair, and after hitting the post Michael Husk made it 3-0 to Uni. After the game, Maguire said the team were happy with the second half performance. “We were so much better after half time, we deserved to win,” he said. Uni’s Chris Denning paod tribute to the fans who turned out to watch the match. He said: “It was amazing, Uni had so many more fans than Hallam and the wall at the side made the sound absolutely fantastic on the pitch.”
them that only a draw was required to seal the Varsity trophy. Uni started the second half well and Chris Abbott missed from a close corner. In what was a scrappy start, Hallam managed to get a second, with Brion Weedman securing a brace after a loose ball in the Hallam D. It wasn’t long before Hallam added a third, Dave Measom scoring from a penalty corner. Uni continued to battle away
but could not create any clear cut chances. Uni’s failure to create chances was then punished as Hallam scored their fourth. Brett Holland scoring a plucky chip after a series of errors from both sides in the Uni D. Hallam played out the last 10 minutes with nine men after having two sin-binned, but Uni were unable to take advantage of the extra numbers. Dave Harvey, Uni captain, said:
Hallam comeback not
Hallam firsts nearly fought back to claim a last gasp draw.
FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
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REPORTS VARSITY
hockey decider
Women seconds net narrow victory By Tom Ibison Women’s hockey seconds Uni 2 Hallam 1 The University of Sheffield’s women’s hockey seconds scraped passed their city rivals 2-1 in a close match at Goodwin on Monday night. Uni dominated the first half, and it took them just 10 minutes to open the scoring. After some comical defending by Hallam, Cerys Bate was on hand to give Uni the lead. Hallam responded by drawing Uni goalkeeper Nikki Hilton into a smart save from a short corner, but Uni added to their lead soon after. Katherine Francis rounded the Hallam goalkeeper only to be brought down cynically. Bate stepped up to fire the resulting penalty flick past the goalkeeper to double the lead.
Photo: Simon Boardman “I thought we played really well and battled really hard. There were a couple of lucky phases for them. “They are significantly better than us but on the day we more than competed with them. “Will Beeching and Joe Battman are both freshers and they played really well. “I am proud of the whole team, they played above themselves today and it was unfortunate that we couldn’t capitalise on our our spells of dominance.
“We knew this was a fixture which could have swayed the overall score but we didn’t let it get to us. We were too focused on winning.” Victorious Hallam captain Andy Dixon said: “It wasn’t our best game out there today but we knew it would be one of the toughest fixtures of the year. “The difference between the sides today was that a few fringe players really stood up to the plate. “Leo Guy played excellently and
Brion Weedman scored a couple after a quiet season in front of goal. “It feels great to win, and well played to a solid Uni team. We’ve had a really great year winning the league. Uni finished mid-table and we knew they would come out fighting today as it is the biggest game of the year. “Traditionally Varsity is never the best quality of play due to the pressure and both sides raising their games.”
ot enough in women’s firsts By Matt Duncan & Pete Ford Women’s hockey firsts Uni 4 Hallam 3
Photo: Simon Boardman
The University of Sheffield women’s hockey firsts claimed victory over Sheffield Hallam at Abbeydale to claim a clean sweep of the women’s hockey matches at Varsity. The Black and Gold team came out firing and quickly converted a close range effort to take the lead. Uni had a lot of the early pressure but couldn’t create any more chances, a fact which they rued soon after when Hallam finally woke up and levelled the score through a deflected shot. It was clear that the match was not going to be a walk in the park for Uni, and they came right back at Hallam. They managed to put
the ball in the net but the effort was chalked off by the umpires. Uni regained the lead just before half time after earning a short corner which they skilfully converted to make it 2-1. There was no let up in the opening minutes of the second half from Uni, and after pressurising the Hallam defence into giving the ball away they broke through and converted to open up a two goal lead. This was soon a lead of three after a close range effort. It was clear that Uni thought this was the end of the game as they let Hallam back into it. Hallam managed to keep possession of the ball for long periods in the closing minutes and got one goal back courtesy of a rebounded effort. They then set up a nervy finale after scoring from the second of two consecutive short corners. However, the Uni women managed to hold on and secure the series 3-0.
Uni were in complete control of the half and played some slick hockey but failed to find another goal, despite concerted pressure. In the second half the momentum shifted to Hallam, and they got a goal back a few minutes after the restart with a brilliant flick into the top left corner. The goal shook Uni, and only tough tackling by captain Helen Quirk and defenders Lauren Belk and Claire Rook kept Hallam at bay. Francis and Bate, who combined well up front, looked dangerous on the break and created a few half chances, but Hallam continued to dominate possession. A horror pass by Quirk almost gave Hallam a late equaliser but Hilton was equal to the shot, and Uni hung on for a narrow victory. Captain Quirk said: “I’m so proud of the team. Hallam tested us but we showed how strong a team we are and ground out the result.”
Women’s seconds celebrate after scoring.
Photo: Simon Bordman
Easy win for thirds By Jonathan Caldwell Women’s hockey thirds Uni 3 Hallam 0 Two goals from Amy York gifted Uni victory in one of the most onesided Varsity fixtures this year. Hallam didn’t venture into Uni’s half at all in the opening period and, although they improved marginally in the second half, they will be disappointed with their lack of intent. The game got off to a slow start, with no real chances of note in the first 15 minutes. Uni were dominating territorially and keeping Hallam under pressure admirably, yet they couldn’t muster any efforts on target. With Uni asking all sorts of questions of the Hallam defence it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken. A fine spell of possession led to a goalmouth scramble, and York was quickest to pounce on the loose ball to score the opener mid-way through the first half. Uni wasted a priceless opportunity to double their lead just a few minutes later when they were granted a penalty corner, but a poor delivery saw the opportunity squandered. The second half continued in the same vein as the first, with Uni unable to make the most of their
supremacy. Having fallen behind, Hallam were forced to come out of their shells and offer more in attack. This did allow Uni to create more clear-cut chances than they had been able to forge in the first half, although it did mean that Hallam at times created cause for concern in the Uni backline. With just 10 minutes remaining, Uni were denied another goal by a combination of some superb Hallam goalkeeping and last-ditch defending. Just moments later Uni did make the game, and the women’s hockey Varsity point, theirs when York fired in from close range with the goalkeeper stranded. The goal clearly knocked the life out of the Hallam side, and a third goal was added by Nina Batt in the dying seconds. The scoreline could have been even more emphatic had the Uni forwards been more clinical in front of goal, or if the Hallam goalkeeper had not been in such inspired form. Two-goal hero York said after the game: “Everyone played so well; it was a fully deserved victory. “Our ’keeper didn’t actually touch the ball at all during the whole game. We were good all over the pitch. “We scored some three cracking goals, and we thoroughly deserved our win for the way we played.”
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FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
VARSITY REPORTS
Uni athletes produce epic performance to stun Hallam on the athletics track By Paul Garbett Athletics Uni 124 Hallam 123 The University of Sheffield beat Sheffield Hallam by just one point to record their first Varsity athletics victory in over a decade. The stunning 124-123 victory at the English Institute of Sport marks a dramatic turnaround in the club’s fortunes, following an embarrassing defeat in last year’s Varsity fixture. Club captain Steve Garrett said he was “delighted” with the win, and that increased training and commitment was the secret to the club’s success. He said: “I’m just delighted that we’ve finally got a Varsity win. It’s been over 10 years since we beat them, and it’s an incredible achievement for everyone at the club. Everyone did their best today, with some great individual performances and some personal bests. “This victory just shows how far we’ve moved as a club in just a year. There’s been a complete change in the way we’ve organised ourselves this year. We’ve got more members than ever now and the level of training and commitment has been raised so much.” Sheffield entered the fixture as huge underdogs, but had their chances of success boosted after Sheffield Hallam entered a weakened side without John Keeley and Zara Hohn, who both won bronze medals at the Aviva UK Indoor Championships in February. Garrett said: “Without doubt their weakened team helped us, and they probably would have beaten us if they had their best athletes on the track. “However, we had a strong squad and were missing some top athletes as well, so it’s all part of athletics. Perhaps they expected to beat us without needing their best athletes.” On the track, Sheffield’s Sarah McCormack produced another impressive display in the distance events, after recently running well in the BUCS indoor championships.
Sheffield celebrate a momentous athletics triumph after Uni athletes proved to be in formidable form on the track. McCormack won both the women’s 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m, with Sheffield’s Emily Armstrong second in the 3,000m. Uni’s strength in the distance events continued into the men’s programme, with Ben Corfield winning the men’s 3,000m race in a time of nine minutes and six
seconds. Elsewhere in the men’s schedule, sprinter Matthew Quine completed an impressive sprint double, winning the men’s 60m in a time of 7.1 seconds and the 200m in 22.8 seconds. Sheffield’s relay teams also outclassed their Hallam
Cricket sees mixed results By Jonathan Caldwell This year’s Varsity cricket contest was a surprise package; the men gained an unexpected share of a precious point, whilst the women lost a game they will feel they should have won. In what they would have expected to be a comfortable victory for their first team, Hallam batted first and made a respectable 105 in their 12 overs, two early wickets for Ross Stewart limiting their progress, as well as a superb run-out by Alex Whitby. Uni lost only three wickets in response, knocking off the runs with six balls to spare. Mark Williams made 38 not out, Liam Hume retired on 25, whilst Daniel Walton made 22 not out, including the six to win the match. First team captain Mark Williams was delighted with the
upset his side had caused. He said: “We weren’t really expecting to get anything from the game to be honest. “We had spoken to Ella White before the matches and she wasn’t really banking on getting a point so it was a bonus really. “We’d played Hallam three times indoors this year and they have beaten us all three times, so it was a bit of a turn up.” The second team could not equal the upset caused by the firsts, and the spoils had to be shared. Uni batted first and made 93 all out, using just less than the allotted 12 overs. Having been 59-0 off five overs, the team suffered a collapse. Ben Reece, captaining the side, retired after making 25, but the side struggled from there. Hallam lost only one wicket in reply, taken by Ian Thomas, but made the runs with about three overs to spare.
While the men took half a point that no one had really backed them to win, the women went into their tie as favourites for victory. Batting first though, the side could only make 80 all out, a total that Hallam chased down with little difficulty, winning with a whole over remaining. Captain Kate Rickard blamed her side’s indiscipline with the ball for their defeat. She said: “We bowled far too many extras, which is unusual for us because we are normally a tidy bowling side. “It is hard to take because we don’t think Hallam really won the game; we lost it.” Despite the disappointment of defeat, Rickard singled out Heather Hales for special praise. “She batted and bowled really well, and took two wickets. She was definitely the star of the team.”
opponents, with the women’s team of Sarah McCormack, Laura Bealey, Alicia Roberts-Brown and Suki Cirillo winning their event. The men’s team of Steve Garrett, Peter Drake, Matthew Quine and Chris Wright produced a great run to defeat Hallam and earn four points for their team.
Photo: Helen Munro In the field events, Lawrence Grey took first place for Uni in the high jump, with a leap of 1.80m good enough to beat the rest. Chris Wright produced an excellent display of versatility, winning the men’s long jump with a best of 6.75m, having earlier won the men’s 400m in 50.1 seconds.
Rowers share spoils By Jade Chan The rowing event at this year’s Varsity meeting between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam was a story of two halves. The men’s and women’s Uni teams, which each consisted of an eight crew, a novice four, and a double, went into the event confident of winning the full point this year. Having lost this event in the past, settling for half a point was not too much of a disappointment. The men, as expected, won all of the their three races by a comfortable margin and so the women’s team were hoping to gain at least one win in order to secure an overall victory for the University of Sheffield. Despite their best efforts, the Uni women lost all of their races as Hallam just managed to pip
them to the post in three very close races. Although Uni were hoping for the full point, team captain Marlous Van Laar said: “I am quite happy with the outcome because it was quite close and not a complete disaster in the end. “There was a great club spirit because it was Varsity, when normally we are all quite separated, so it was a great day for us all to take part in.” Van Laar was keen to praise certain members who stood out. She said: “I think the men’s novice four did really well because we weren’t sure how they would perform on the day, but they ended up winning by quite a lot so I’m really pleased for them.” Uni did have a little bit of luck on their side as one of Hallam’s boats broke midway through the men’s novice four race, but overall a draw seemed like a fair outcome for both sides.
FORGE PRESS Thursday April 2 2009
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REPORTS VARSITY
Uni maintain domination despite “strange” problems
Warriors deny hardworking Sabres side
By Jonathan Caldwell Climbing Uni 569 Hallam 563 A tighter than usual contest saw Uni once again take the Varsity climbing point. The narrowness of Uni’s victory probably owed more to the flaws in the problems presented to the climbers than to the improvement in Hallam’s climbing quality. Having dominated the fixture for years, Uni would have been confident of repeating their recent tradition of success, but a questionable standard of problems meant that their climbers were unable to fully demonstrate their superiority. Ned Feehally claimed joint first place with an impressive 190 points, although his total was matched by Hallam’s Ian Turton. Tom Arnold was a close second, just three points behind the winners. Raelene Cowie was forced into sharing the title of highest-scoring female with Hallam’s Katie Whittaker. Dan Waters, who was the third-highest scorer for Uni, claimed that the competition lacked enough variety. He said: “We were always pretty confident, but it was a strange range of problems this year. “Normally it is a bit of a walkover but it could have done with a better range of problems. “There was a lack of variation in difficulty at the top end of the scale. There wasn’t enough to separate the best climbers. “Obviously you can’t have hundreds of problems, and at the same time you can’t make the problems so hard that it isn’t enjoyable for the climbers.” “We were without Dan Varian, who recently won the BUCS Championships and is one of our best climbers so it could have been easier for us.” The exploits of the University’s climbers has been a real success story this year, not only for their Varsity victory but also for the performance at the BUCS Championships in Sheffield in March.
The Warriors overcame the Sabres. By Jonathan Caldwell American football Sheffield Sabres 14 Hallam Warriors 21
Uni won the climbing point again this year, although the scoreline was closer than usual.
Trampoliners lose By Chris Rogan The Varsity trampolining event saw Hallam take the honours in a close-run contest at All Saints School. Uni put up a brave fight but always faced an uphill battle against a Hallam side who, as recent history dictates, were always likely to walk away as victors. Hallam’s success over Uni in the event is primarily down to the size of the squad available to them. A heavy defeat at last year’s competition did not represent the brightest of prospects for the side this time around, but an assured set of performances meant that the Uni side left with their heads held high. A string of good performances this season from the Uni team made Varsity an exciting prospect, but the larger, better established
Hallam club proved too strong. Although the overall event ended in defeat, several individual performances were of note. Uni’s Carmilla Hague and second year Biomedical Science student Fran Solari provided the best routines in their category, both coming first in Novice and Intermediate respectively. Lauren Bell came second in the Advanced category following another good performance. Captain Katie Blackburn felt happy with her team’s display, despite the defeat. She said: “We had a better chance than recent times at this year’s Varsity, and we arrived and performed with confidence. “Hallam have always been a bigger side, and it would have been difficult in any situation. “I’ve been impressed with the girls this season, and we should be able to keep improving next year, so the Varsity loss is not too disheartening.”
Photo: Sam Bennett
A strong second half performance by the Hallam Warriors denied Uni victory in a closely fought contest. The omens looked good for the Sheffield Sabres, who won their league championship this season, when they scored a touchdown on their opening offence. A Warriors comeback did not take long to materialise though, and the Sabres were dealt a sucker punch in the final few minutes of the first quarter. Two Hallam scores meant that Uni trailed by 14-7 at the first interval. The second quarter was one of stalemate, but the deadlock was finally broken by the Sabres in the dying seconds of the half. But it was in the penultimate quarter that Warriors’ superior quality told, and the inevitable touchdown essentially ended Uni’s hopes. Team captain Kirk Mavraki said: “It was an odd game. Hallam are always so good and so it’s difficult to be disappointed to lose to them. “We played well, and it was a tight game, but you can’t win every game can you?”
Korfball disappointment By Matt Duncan The korfball first team ended up on the wrong end of an 8-6 scoreline in a tight game at Ponds Forge, despite leading at half time. Uni started well, with Matt Clement scoring a running-in shot within three minutes of the start. The next 15 minutes saw the play become fairly even, although Uni’s Rich Ward was dominating his defensive division. Hallam finally managed to find a way through, however, and after 21 minutes they levelled things up at 1-1 with a long range effort. There then ensued a frantic period of play that saw four goals in five minutes. First Dan Brookes scored from long range to put Uni back in front. This was followed a minute later by a second Hallam equaliser which in turn was followed by a second running-in
goal from Clement. Amy Cosstic then added another for Uni just seconds before halftime to give the them a two point lead. Half-time appeared to disrupt Uni, a fact which was seized upon by Hallam who upped the game to a higher level. Hallam began to create their chances, and in the space of 18 minutes scored five goals that effectively killed the game off. Uni did fight back, with Ward and Clement both adding to their tallies, but Hallam also added another making the final score 8-6 in their favour. Clement said after the match that the team were disappointed. “We are annoyed that we threw away a half-time lead, but we did play well for large parts of the game. “The crowd here were great today, they made it very enjoyable to play,” he said.
The seconds crashed to a demoralising yet unsurprising 10-1 defeat to ensure that Hallam claimed the full point. From the start it was clear that Hallam were going to be very hard to beat. They came out of the traps very quickly and were ahead inside all of three minutes thanks to a long range effort. By the time the teams reached half-time the score was 5-0 to Hallam, with the closest that Uni came to scoring being a pair of free pass opportunities midway through the half. The second period carried on in the same way with Hallam adding another three goals to their tally before Stuart Taggart managed to finally get Uni on the scoresheet. The comeback was shortlived, though, as Hallam went on to score twice more before the final whistle blew.