VARSITY
2013
COMMENT INSIDE:
The bigger picture Varsity at a glance
Even the weather can’t cool Uni’s red hot Varsity spirit Adam Hancock
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Winter Varsity recap: Plus American football and more
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Abbeydale Wednesday: Lacrosse, frisbee and fog
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Hallamshire Thursday: Tennis, squash and a lot of racquets
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Ponds Forge Friday: Canoes, courage and capsizing
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Don Valley Sunday: Men’s rugby 1s and early morning rowing
Manic Monday: 10-11 Volleyball,netball, basketball, futsal, hockey and football 12-13
Tricky Tuesday: Cricket and the penultimate day of the competition
14-15 ‘Winning’ Wednesday: Athletics and climbing as Uni almost win Varsity 2013 Cover photo: Adam Harley
Editor Alisha Rouse DePUTY Editor Rowan Ramsden WEB editors Lauren Archer Adam Harley The men’s cricket 2nds celebrating after their 51 run victory over Sheffield Hallam at the Graham Solley Centre Barring a monumental collapse of USA Ryder Cup style proportions, Uni will take the 2013 Varsity crown and end 10 years of hurt as Luke MacWilliam finally lifts the coveted trophy. Uni need a solitary half point to end Hallam’s dominance and return to the top of the city’s sporting rankings. This year, things were different. On ‘Manic Monday’ Uni didn’t crumble and let Hallam in. They remained composed with a ruthless streak that has been missing over the last decade. Fantastic wins in netball
1sts and futsal at EIS allowed Uni to maintain their momentum as they truly believed this would be their year. After taking control of Varsity last year, things began to go wrong after the weekend. Hallam began to claw Uni back and it was yet another loss for Uni on a tense final day. Fast forward 12 months and Uni are displaying the self belief and confidence to surge above Hallam and keep them down. When, and if, Uni take the Varsity crown it will be to the humungous relief of Andy Cox, the head of Sport Sheffield.
He has never seen Uni win Varsity, suffering ten years of miserable defeats and gut-wrenching drama. I caught up with him earlier in the week at the Hallamshire Tennis Club. “I can’t stand this again if we lose” he said. Each year he has prioritised BUCS overall standings over Varsity. However, after an incredibly close finish last year he decided to change things around. This year it was Varsity or nothing. He even employed a sports psychologist to help Uni athletes prepare for the mental pressure of the event.
This strength and desire has been seen across all the Varsity venues. The men’s waterpolo team came back to win from a seemingly impossible position, futsal kept calm despite a spirited Hallam fightback and netball 1sts dominated their match against Hallam. As with every Varsity we have seen disappointment and frustration along the way for Uni, but luckily there has been more cheers than tears across the Steel City. Credit to Hallam for once again providing stiff opposition and competing with pride and vigour.
Photo: Will Aitkenhead There was also many displays of sportsmanship as the competition was once again played in good spirit. Sadly, the weather contrived against this years event with the final outdoor events having to wait to compete in April. The tournament took place early this year due to the timing of Easter and this has been reflected by poor weather most days. However, fans have still flocked to every venue to proudly support their University. Uni should now go on to lift the Varsity crown and end 10 years of hurt.
Varsity 2013: This year’s defining moments Will Aitkenhead American Football
Rugby Union 1st XV
Netball 1s
Getting off to a good start was crucial for morale throughout the teams and the Sabres did just that with a convincing 4020 victory in the Steel Bowl down at Goodwin in February.
The 23-18 victory at the Don Valley inspired Uni into the final few days of Varsity and ensured they kept the lead overall heading into Manic Monday.
The netball girls delivered once again at the EIS, after winning the 3rds and losing the 2nds, the 1st team pulled out the performance of the season to see off Hallam.
Snowsports
Water Polo Men’s
Men’s Basketball 2s
The Uni domination in the skiing and snowboarding set the perfect platform for the main Varsity week. On the dry slopes of Derby, Uni were in incredible form and took a 4-0 whitewash.
The epic 10-9 victory capped an incredible day for Uni at Ponds Forge in the pool. The see-saw encounter looked to be going the way of Hallam before Uni steel delivered the point.
After a great day at EIS the men’s basketball 2nds kept up Uni’s winning momentum by springing a surprise to defeat Hallam 76-57 in a tense evening encounter.
Rugby Union celebrate the 1st XV win Photo: Peter Grieve
SportS EDITORS Will Aitkenhead Adam Hancock Matthew Smith PHOTOGRAPHERS Will Aitkenhead Sophie Allen Chris Chadwick Andy Chubb Adam Harley Clive Nichols Amaal Raheem Joshua Rock Alex Safar Holly Wilkinson REPORTERS Olivia Adams Will Aitkenhead Sophie Allen Lauren Archer Danny Armstrong Thomas Asker Phil Bayles Arnold Bennett Martin Bottomley Amy Brook Gillian Finnerty Peter Grieve Adam Hancock Amelia Heathman Hamilton Jones Parveen Jones Lizzy Jewell Dan Meier Nicola Moors Aidan Phillips Jessica Pitocchi Amaal Raheem Charlie Richiardi Alisha Rouse Karen Scattergood Andrew Smith Matthew Smith David Street Jack Taylor Elsa Vulliamy Mathieu Warwood Holly Wilkinson Coral Williamson
THE EARLY STAGES Winter Varsity // Boxing // American Football
Uni’s winter wonderland
Saul the saviour as Sabres take point American Football Uni Hallam
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Matthew Smith
Hallam won both ice hockey matches Photo: Adam Harley
Ice Hockey and Snowsports Uni Hallam
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Gillian Finnerty, Aidan Phillips and Matthew Smith The University of Sheffield thrashed Sheffield Hallam 4-0 in snowsports to win winter Varsity, despite Hallam winning both ice hockey matches. Snowsports Varsity kicked off with the racers. Uni won a very close encounter 2-1, with Hallam disqualified in one of the races. In the Race Skiing, Uni swept the board with
Hallam coming up short. After the races, skiing and snowboarding lined up for the freestyle event. Uni suffered a setback on the largest jump, with Andy Dods suffering a bruised spine. However, Uni were too strong for Hallam with their more technically difficult tricks. Lewis Ashworth won the snowboarding event for Uni, a real triumph for the first year who was making his Varsity debut. The rout was completed by the skiing freestylers, with high scores by Richard Quirke and Bethany Lilly. The event took place in Swadlingcote after
It was a dramatic night in snowsports Sheffield Ski Village burned down last year. In ice hockey 1sts, a determined fightback by Uni wasn’t enough to beat Hallam at the Motorpoint Arena as Hallam won in a penalty shoot out. The game looked over before the first period had even ended with Hallam dominating possesion. Hallam headed into the break with a 3-1 lead with Eric Lee-Cheong giving Uni a lifeline with a late goal before half time. Hallam continued to dominate and led 3-1 entering the final third period of the match. Lee-Cheong scored for Uni to close the gap on
Photo: Alex Safar
Hallam to two points. With 100 seconds to go Micheal Szollosy scored a tap in for Uni to further reduce Hallam’s lead. Szollosy then scored again to level the scores with only 15 seconds to go. Neither side could score in sudden death and the game went to a penalty shoot out. Nine shooters missed, leaving Hallam’s Alex Harding to slot home and secure victory for Hallam. In the ice hockey 2nds match Hallam hammered Uni 7-1 at Ice Sheffield. Uni drew first blood with Casey scoring, but Hallam stormed back to score seven goals.
The University of Sheffield started Varsity with a thoroughly convincing 4020 victory over the Hallam Warriors in the Steel Bowl. The star of the show was unquestionably David Saul, who ran in five of the Sabres’ six touchdowns. Under the spotlights on a very chilly evening, Hallam gave their all and led at the end of the first quarter.
Action from the Steelbowl
However, they were eventually overwhelmed as the Sabres were roared to victory by a vociferous and colourful home crowd. The Sabres gained 19 points without reply to seal the win. Saul got his third with a 10-yard run to the right-wing corner to put his team in front at half-time. Minutes after the restart he was at it again with the score of the match; a thundering 60-yard sprint, aided by some good support by Sam Broughton, before he made his and the Sabres’ fifth on a fourth down, after a pulsating team effort.
Photo: sheffieldsabres.com
Hallam fight back after Salmon win Sailing shocked
Boxing Uni Hallam Danny Armstrong
Sailing Uni Hallam
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Matthew Smith
Varsity Sailing at Winscar Photo: Andy Chubb Photography
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Sheffield Hallam won Varsity sailing for the first time ever after a stunning comeback win against Uni at Winscar Reservoir in the Peak District. Uni looked to have the event point wrapped up yet again as they led 4-1 with four races left, however Hallam won those four, including all three team races, to take an astonishing 5-4 victory. Uni started better as they won the first two races with ease, team captain Hannah Crossley and partner Andy Hibberd impressing. Hallam fought back, however, and won the final team race after occupying the first and second spots out of the six boats on the water . This win ensured that Hallam snatched the point.
The University of Sheffield lost a close affair to Hallam as they went down 2-1 in Varsity boxing. The first bout saw Charlie Salmon take on Jack Garety. Both boxers worked well behind the jab in the first round, Salmon came out with intent and even found time to showboat with bolo punches. In the second Salmon dictated the pace with clever lead rights and head movement. All out war erupted in the third, but Salmon was getting the better of the exchanges and a third standing count brought an end to the contest. Rhys Johnston took on Shay McCarthy in the Photo: Andy Chubb Photography second Varsity match. Owen Rogers pre-fight Johnston started well but the Uni boxer neglected fight as he was given a saw Uni’s Simon Hind his defence by leaving his standing eight count and against Tom Housley. hands low. had a point taken off for a Hind was stopped early Johnston’s stamina low head. He was beaten by in the third round with the ultimately let him down a unanimous decision. referee calling an end to throughout the rest of the The third and final fight the contest.
DAY 1 BIGGEST
UNI 8 : HALLAM 6
Rugby union 2s and 3s // Lacrosse // Ultimate frisbee
FIXTURES TODAY
Weapons of mist destruction Women’s lacrosse Uni Hallam
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Holly Wilkinson A strong University of Sheffield team strode onto the misty pitch at Abbeydale, and with their loss against Sheffield Hallam last year at Varsity, they weren’t ready to let history repeat itself. Despite a strong start from Hallam, the goals soon started pouring in from Uni and they stormed into a two goal lead within minutes. Uni seemed
unstoppable, and rarely let Hallam gain possession of the ball, let alone keep hold of it. At half time the score stood at 10-0 to Uni, with seven goals scored by their captain, Sarah Gibbson, who seemed to dodge around the Hallam defence with ease. However, Uni were not infallible and suffered from ball hogging, as well as slow, quite broken passages of play. The Uni women’s lacrosse team were demolishing their Hallam counterparts. At the beginning of the second half, the Hallam side came out fighting, and soon gained possession, but the Uni side were
just too strong and the spurt of enthusiasm seemed to end when Hallam had a player sin binned for two minutes at the end of the third quarter. The final score was 19-0 to Uni, with Gibbson saying, “It was just a great match actually. Last year we thought we got robbed of it, but this year we decided to come back and actually thrash them, and that’s why we pummelled in all the goals.” However, with six third years in the Uni team and a relatively young Hallam side, next year’s Varsity could turn out to be even more exciting. Uni ran out big winners in the women’s event
Lacrosse badly beaten Men’s lacrosse
Uni Hallam
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Karen Scattergood
Uni emerged from the Abbeydale mist with a first day advantage
Photo: Adam Harley
Men’s rugby union 2s
Men’s ultimate frisbee Uni Hallam
Photo: Holly Wilkinson
The University of Sheffield’s men’s lacrosse team put in a good effort against Hallam at the Abbeydale Sports Centre, but their efforts were futile as they suffered a 13-5 defeat. Hallam got off to a good start with three early goals, dominating the game. Uni got one back, but sloppy goalkeeping made it 4-1 to Hallam. Tensions were high from
the start with some noticeable Regina George-style aggression, mostly legal but occasionally resulting in fouls. Uni undoubtedly stepped up their game in the second half, making better plays and having a stronger presence on the pitch. Some controversial refereeing was in evidence, and both teams took time-outs, mainly due to interfering fouls and slashes to the wrist. Towards the end of the match, David Watson scored a great goal for Uni bringing some respectability to the score at 125. Hallam scored again late on though to make the final score 13-5.
Good-win for rugby 2s
Ultimate success for Phat’eds
The Phat’eds see off Hallam
Photo: Holly Wilkinson
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Uni Hallam
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Holly Wilkinson
Peter Grieve
Uni came from behind in an epic ultimate frisbee encounter at Abbeydale to claim the Varsity point, running out 11-6 winners. Hallam quickly knocked up three points on the board, before the Uni team managed to score their first point after some scrappy passages of play. After three more points from Uni, they called a time-out, and came back a more united, focused team and quickly scored three more points so that the half time measure of eight points was within touching distance. Eventually the Uni side managed to come together and scored an easy looking point to bring about half time. With the scoring standing at 8-3, Hallam had a lot of ground to cover and came out of ready to fight for the win. They quickly scored in an effortless flow of play, and cemented their strong start with another point in quick succession. The score standing at 8-5, Uni pulled together again and putting aside the scrappy play managed to score another point to bring the score to 9-5, and it was agreed between the teams that the game would be played to 11 points. Despite Hallam continuing to fight to the end, Uni eventually scored the final point, with captain David Sparks making the final catch, and taking the win 11-6.
Captain Moss Goodwin led by example as scored a hat trick in the 2nd XV’s emphatic victory over rivals Hallam. Three early penalties from Will Lamb put the boys in black and gold ahead inside 10 minutes, with tries from Joe Stevens, Eoghan Barry and three from Goodwin rounding off a resounding win in
a match that also doubled as a BUCS relegation battle. It took Uni fly-half Will Lamb just four minutes to open his account, a relatively simple place kick from just outside the 22 metres line, making the score 3-0. Just before half time, Hallam made clever use of an overlap to score in the corner. However, Uni responded immediately – hooker Eoghan Barry driving over the line in the corner. On 74 minutes, Goodwin claimed his third try of the afternoon to put the last nail in the Hallam coffin, and Lamb’s extras made the final score 40-17.
Scrappy defeat for Uni Men’s rugby union 3s Uni Hallam
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Peter Grieve Uni lost the opening rugby encounter of Varsity 2013 in a tight game. An early converted try from Lawrence Mouarkach put Uni ahead, only for Hallam to equal the scores 20 minutes later. Andy McAllister then put Uni ahead
with their last score of the game before Hallam took the rest of the points. Hallam’s second half dominance proved the difference as Uni failed to register any points in the final 40 minutes. With both sides contesting every ruck, any mistake could be costly for either side. With half an hour left, Uni refused to give up hope of victory. However, strong running from Staines, Beardsall and Cooke failed to create any defensive errors to exploit.
DAY 2
UNI 11 : HALLAM 9
Tennis // Squash
BIGGEST
FIXTURES TODAY
Easy wins for tennis Men’s tennis 1s and 2s Uni Hallam
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Jessica Pitocchi
Men’s tennis was dominated by Uni
Photo: Joshua Rock
The University of Sheffield men’s tennis teams served up a storm against Sheffield Hallam University with both 1st and 2nd teams taking wins at the Hallamshire Tennis Club. Despite the rival crowd’s cheers of encouragement and imbibing of drink, the Uni 2nds smashed their Hallam rivals 12-0 as the 1sts romped to a 10-2 win. Greg Bacon and Alex Grocott really shone for the 1st team
by both thrashing their Hallam opponents 6-0, 6-0. Both then continued their success in the doubles matches by claiming further victories over Hallam. Matt Ford picked up a smooth 6-2, 6-3 win in his singles competition. For Yasan Tsanev, on the other hand, the day did not quite go the way he would have hoped. He suffered a loss of 6-3, 6-3 to his Hallam rival. In his second set, his desperate desire to bring another Uni win was clear to see in his play but unfortunately, after a tight match, Hallam still took the win. In the doubles however, determination prevailed as Tsanev redeemed himself with a
straight sets victory with partner Grocott. This result capped a great day for the 1sts who gained revenge on Hallam after last year’s defeat. The 2nds enjoyed an even better day with their outstanding 12-0 spanking of Hallam. Dave Charlton and Tom Schmider started the day on a high as they both triumphed in their singles matches. Charlton looked sharp in a 6-1, 6-4 victory as Schmider followed suit with an impressive 6-1, 6-3 win. They then combined forces to destroy their Hallam challengers in the doubles, in what resulted in a very short match. The other doubles team also achieved a great win.
Hallam edge victory Women’s tennis Uni Hallam
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Mathieu Warwood The University of Sheffield women’s tennis team suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of Hallam who secured a comfortable 8-4 victory to earn the coveted Varsity point. The event kicked off with the first of two doubles as Hallam’s Charlotte Sykes and Becky Cole thrashed Uni’s Lizzie Jones and Katie Kelsall 6-0, 6-0. Hallam’s early advantage triggered a quick response in the second doubles encounter as Uni’s Danielle Smith and Helen Morse clinched victory over
Squash action at the Hallamshire
Hallam’s Laura Trigg and Helen Parker in a tightly fought match. Uni always looked in complete control of the encounter with Morse’s ruthless forehand strokes and Smith’s deftness at the net proving a potent threat. Hallam got off to a flying start in the first of the singles as Sykes stormed to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Lizzy Jones on the damp courts of the Hallamshire. In the second singles match a resilient Laura Trigg powered past Uni’s Danielle Smith easing to a 6-3, 6-1 win. Trigg who was the standout performer of the day, dominated her opponent with powerful ground strokes and some seamlessly executed backhand volley winners. Despite the loss Uni refused to throw in the towel without a fight.
Uni served up a defiant but ultimately fruitless performance
Photo: Joshua Rock
Photo: Joshua Rock
Uni’s hopes squashed Men’s squash 1s and 2s Uni Hallam
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Martin Bottomley The University of Sheffield’s 1st squash team narrowly lost 4-3 against Hallam at the Hallamshire Sports Club, with the outcome only being decided in the very last match. Uni started on a strong note by winning two matches, and Tom Anthistle’s and Paul Snape’s 3-1 and 3-2 wins respectively had the Hallam team with their
backs against the wall. Hallam however, were able to bounce back, and dealt hefty 3-1 blows to both Jac Poncelet and Elaine Dean of Uni. The University of Sheffield’s 2nd team were also unable to overcome their Hallam opponents, and lost 5-2. Losing their first matches 0-3, 1-3 and 0-3, Uni’s Jagnesh, Coverdale and Gupta faced a bulwark of Hallam opposition. Matt Oakes was the first to secure victory for Uni in his 3-1 win over Kyle Barlow, but spirits remained dampened after controversy erupted over the match point of Matt Fisher’s 2-3 loss to Ben Dinsley.
Uni picked up the Varsity point within half an hour
Photo: Holly Wilkinson
Uni women’s frisbee win is a piece of cake Women’s ultimate frisbee Uni Hallam
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Holly Wilkinson In the first year that women’s ultimate frisbee has counted for a point at Varsity, Uni took the spoils with a dominant performance to win 11-0. Uni scored two points within
minutes, and dominated play as Hallam struggled to put a point on the board. An excellent catch by Uni’s Tessa Hunt made it 3-0 and Hallam’s play was becoming scrappy as they lost formation. Hallam desperately tried to come up with a strategy to stop the Uni onslaught, but as play reset, Hannah Brooker neatly plucked the disk out of the air in the end zone from a superb long distance throw from Hunt. Uni quickly scored again,
making the score 5-0 to them and Hallam called a timeout. After Uni scored their eighth point, the Hallam team dropped what could have been two crucial catches in the end zone, still failing to put a point on the scoreboard. Hallam’s less structured formation meant that the Uni team lost their markers with ease, and within six minutes it was all over. The final score was 11-0.
DAY 3 BIGGEST
UNI 13.5 : HALLAM 10.5
Canoe polo // Swimming // Water polo
FIXTURES TODAY
Swimming teams crawl to a draw Swimming Uni Hallam
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Matthew Smith For the first time, the men’s and women’s events were worth a point each in this event, and that proved beneficial to both sides, as Uni and Hallam took a point each in two of the most one-sided events of Varsity 2013. Women’s swimming was won 71-59 by Uni, whilst Hallam stormed to a 85-45 victory in the men’s event. The tone for the day was set in the very early stages as in
the opening race, the 4x50m individual medley, Uni came well in front in the women’s race, whilst Hallam completed a dominant one-two finish in the men’s encounter. Uni had a number of stars in the pool, with Laura Huggon winning every race she competed in, whilst Hallam’s men were led by example by captain Niall Wainwright. Hallam also had a phenomenal performer in Dan Evans, who dominated across a range of distances and strokes. Uni’s men did come close to toppling the Hallam juggernaut, as in the men’s 100m freestyle, Wainwright won by less than half a second. Then, after the break, Uni got a one-two finish in the 50m fly.
However, Hallam struck back and dominated the rest of the meet, Tanji and Smart particularly impressing. It was becoming clear that Uni’s women were the ones aiming for greater things, as Kim Butler and Jenny Starling racked up impressive wins. Hallam did threaten in the second half of the women’s events, over the 50m distance rather than the longer 100m races which Uni were comfortable in. The closeness of the second half was demonstrated by the women’s 50m breaststroke, in which Butler of Uni and Bentley of Hallam scored a dead heat. However, Uni had done enough in the early stages to win the point.
Photos: Adam Harley
Canoe calamity for Hallam Women’s canoe polo Uni Hallam
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Men’s canoe polo Uni Hallam
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Alisha Rouse and Coral Williamson The Uni teams took one and a half Varsity points against the Hallam sides, with a controversial Hallam goal disallowed in the women’s game, and the men’s match ending in a tie. Goals came fast at the start of the first half, with a Hallam equaliser within minutes of Eleanor Asquith’s smash into the back of the net. The remainder of the first half was slow on goals, with some excellent saves made by Uni keeper Laura Duxbury. Hallam dominated play with some great passing in the Uni end, their movement was only stopped by Duxbury’s excellent efforts. In the second half, both teams came back fighting, determined to dominate the pool. Rosa Hopkins soon got the Uni side ahead, making a determined play
Polo dreams drowned
Uni fight back in water polo Men’s water polo Uni Hallam
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Jessica Pitocchi Uni showed us just how a comeback should be done by
snatching a 10-9 win after a yoyo match against Hallam. Hallam were applying all the pressure but keeper Georgiu was doing nothing short of amazing, beautifully and acrobatically deflecting several Hallam efforts. Uni were trailing 9-6 in the final quarter, but they
to make the score to 2-1. Hopkins’ tenacity paid off again, and she soon threw Uni forward with a 3-1 lead, after scrappy play led to black and gold victory. Hallam soon thought they had a goal back despite the determination of Duxbury, but it was disallowed as the ballflopped back out of the net into the water. As the second half drew to close, Hallam pulled out their big guns, and managed to grab another goal. But the effort was not enough for the girls in maroon, and Uni paddled to a firm victory. The men’s game was fierce, with neither team gaining possession for long, The uni men’s canoe polo team improved on last year’s Varsity loss by drawing against Hallam. Hallam were first to score and added a second soon after. A shot by GB team member Thomson brought the score to 2-1, followed by another long-range shot to equal the scores. Despite Uni hitting their stride, goals went in at both ends, making it 5-4, Hallam once again caught up, and the turn-taking goals continued. Uni captain Jamie Thomson managed to score from a truly impressive distance, but Hallam equalised to leave the score at 6-6.
dominated the final stages as Hallam panicked. Uni claimed the equaliser to bring the score to 9-9 with less than a minute to go. Doug Andrew smashed the ball into the back of Hallam’s net with just 11 seconds to go to win the point.
The match was full of scrappy play and goals aplenty, but the Uni team were unable to keep up,
eventually leading to a Hallam win. The goals came thick and fast in the first period, with Uni’s Grace Dolan getting the first goal of the game, with a quick swim up the pool. Hallam soon equalised, and then started to run away from the girls in black and gold, despite Ripley Fidle’s excellent efforts in goal.
Hallam rivals. The University of Sheffield Equestrian Club’s A team (whose scores count towards the final Varsity points) accumulated just 26 penalty points to Hallam’s 100. The B team – who played for honour, rather than Varsity points – were given 75 penalties to Hallam’s 181. Penalty points are given to riders using the same horse for
the difference between their scores and the best rider (who is awarded a perfect zero). The daylong event was split into dressage and show jumping trials, with riders from both universities’ A and B teams competing against each other. The University of Sheffield A team were given first place and the B team awarded second. The Varsity competition was claimed for Uni.
Women’s water polo Uni Hallam
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Alisha Rouse
Hallam bounce ahead Black and gold easy ride to win Trampolining
Uni Hallam
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Lizzy Jewell After two and a half hours of intense heats across six categories of competitors soaring to dizzying heights, one or two extremely close calls, plus a fall or two, the trampolining event was an engaging one which
Hallam just nicked 19-17. Uni impressively managed to secure the top place in all three of the most advanced categories, the ultimate victory to Hallam lying purely on the fate of the second and third places in each of the heats. Caitlin Joyce took the number one spot in the ‘advanced’ heat, Emma Street in the ‘elite’ and Bryony Page gaining the accolade of the top spot in the most prestigious category, ‘uber’.
Equestrian
Uni Hallam
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Lauren Archer Despite the grey skies at Parklands Equestrian Centre, the black and gold riders triumphed, scoring nearly quadruple the points of their
DAY 4
UNI 17.5 : HALLAM 13.5
BIGGEST
Rugby union // Rowing
FIXTURES TODAY
Hodgson makes Hallam pay the penalty Men’s rugby union 1s Uni Hallam
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Peter Grieve A close encounter in freezing conditions resulted in the 1st XV edging out their arch-rivals 23-18 at the Don Valley Stadium. With the scoreline toing and froing, the match could have gone either way, but robust defence allowed Uni to close out the game. Hallam took first blood on 10
minutes with an easy penalty attempt from in front of the posts. Uni came back with added pressure, and eventually reaped their reward through a Matt Clark try, the number 8 picking from the back of scrum 15 metres out and muscling over the line. However, two minutes later, Hallam kicked another penalty to regain the lead 6-5 at the 20 minute mark. Sustained pressure from the black and gold attack forced Hallam to concede a penalty which allowed captain and flyhalf Andrew Magowan to put his name on a scoresheet and give
Uni an 8-6 lead. But less than a minute later, Hallam restored their lead through another penalty from the restart, making the score 9-8 to Hallam on the half hour mark. Capitalising on Hallam losing a prop to the sin bin just before half time, the ball found its way wide to fullback Andy Hodgson, who wriggled through three defenders to score in the corner. Magowan missed the conversion, but Uni had the lead at 13-9. However, with the last kick of the half, Hallam struck a long range penalty attempt to leave the score with the smallest of
Photos: Will Aitkenhead
Uni make yet another attack
Uni Hallam
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Will Aitkenhead Hallam edged a tense and scrappy affair 17-10 at the Don Valley Stadium despite a strong second half Uni fight back, which saw a try each for Tolu Osibubi and Rachel Louise Berry. Two tries either side of half time for Hallam’s Lizzie Gladman proved the difference as Uni struggled to string phases of play together on a regular basis. Uni failed to capitalise on their bright start, however, as a good break from Lucy Okeden set the base for a strong attack but they could not turn the early pressure into points as a series of handling errors let Hallam off the hook. The team in red and white soon came into the game and it took a great cover tackle from the winger Berry to prevent
them from breaking clear after a misplaced Uni kick. Hallam had the lead soon after when some excellent running in the backs created a two on one which they executed perfectly, allowing winger Bronagh Doherty to score under the posts, Kim Boultby added the extras. Uni had the chance to respond almost immediately as Hallam infringed at the break down from the kick off but Harriet Jamieson was off target with her first attempt of the day. Hallam landed a killer blow right on the stroke of half time as good work after a set piece move allowed Gladman some space and she bundled over to give Hallam a 12-0 lead at half time. Uni came out for the second period looking a different side and immediately put strong pressure on the Hallam defence. They got on the scoreboard as Osibubi hit a great line from midfield to break the Hallam defence before shrugging off the full back to score, Jamieson
over ball, Hodgson offloaded to flanker Tom Maynard who fed Matt Jamieson who was deemed to have been held up over the try line. However, from the ensuing five metre scrum, the Uni pack demolished their counterparts and earned themselves a penalty try. Magowan added the extras to give Uni a 23-15 lead with 10 minutes left. A long range penalty gave Hallam hope, but Hallam couldn’t break down Uni’s defence: the story of the match.
Uni was dominant in the scrum throughout the match at Don Valley Stadium
Uni ladies miss out as Hallam hold firm and take precious point Women’s rugby union 1s
margins; 13-12. Buoyed by the vocal support, strong defence from Johnny France, and the midfield pairing of Ben Gabbott and Freddie Everitt, soaked up pressure from Hallam’s offense, before winning a penalty just inside the opposition half. Magowan slotted the kick from range in blustery conditions, extending Uni’s lead to 16-12. Nevertheless, once again Uni gave away a sloppy penalty right after the restart, reducing their lead to just 1 point at 16-15. Uni continued to pile on the pressure though and on a turned
missed the conversion, leaving the score 12-5. Uni failed to capitalise on this, however, and Hallam soon had their two try lead again as Gladman completed a well worked move to score in the corner. Uni countered again straight from the kick off as Hannah Reid made a break before offloading to Osibubi who was stopped just inside the Hallam 22. With Hallam penalised for offside at the ruck, scrum half Fran Scolari tapped quickly and Ashleigh Creswell was held up just short of the line. At the next phase the ball was knocked on over the line and the chance went begging. Berry grabbed a well worked try as she used her pace to finish well. That made the score 1710 with a little over 10 minutes to play but the Hallam defence held firm as they closed out the victory.
An oar-some Uni win Rowing Uni Hallam
8 3
Parveen Jones It was a bitterly cold morning at Damflask Reservoir, with 28 crews racing for that one vital Varsity point, the atmosphere was tense to say the least. An early win for Hallam in the novice men’s fours wasn’t the start that Uni had hoped for. Both boats got off to a level start, but then a few crabs were caught and Hallam pulled away. The senior men’s quad put in an impressive performance for Uni winning on the 700m course by four boat lengths. The crew of Matt Tapley, Tom Fantham, Dan Boardman and Will Briggs have over 30 years of sculling experience between them, this showed as they took the lead from the start and stormed to victory. After a busy morning, with the score at 7-3, Uni needed just one more victory to secure the Varsity point. Time was
running out, Damflask shared between rowers and sailors, with the rowers in the mornings and the sailers the afternoons. It was rapidly approaching 12 o’clock, if Uni could win the next race then then Varsity would be theirs and it wouldn’t matter that the final three races could not be rowed. It was down to the senior meen’s four to battle it out for the final point. Uni gained an early lead of over a boat length and it looked like the race was ours. But then the Uni stroke man caught a crab, Hallam took the chance and with an extra push drew level. Blade back in hand, experience showed as Uni regained composure and pushed away for a close win. The final score was a respectable 8-3, which could have been 11-3 if more time was allowed. A fantastic effort by all the Uni crews and an enjoyable morning’s racing for all. The club said afterwards, “We are incredibly grateful for all those that came and supported despite the freezing temperatures.”
UNI : 35.5 American Football Athletics Men’s Badminton 1sts Men’s Badminton 2nds Women’s Badminton Men’s Basketball 1sts Men’s Basketball 2nds Women’s Basketball
Boxing Men’s Canoe Polo Women’s Canoe Polo Climbing Men’s Cricket 1sts Men’s Cricket 2nds Women’s Cricket Cycling (3/5) Equestrian Men’s Football 2nds Futsal Men’s Hockey 1sts Men’s Hockey 2nds Men’s Hockey 3rds Women’s Hockey 1sts Women’s Hockey 2nds Women’s Hockey 3rds Ice Hockey 1sts Ice Hockey 2nds
VARS 20
RSITY 2013
28 : HALLAM Judo Korfball 1sts Korfball 2nds Men’s Lacrosse Women’s Lacrosse Netball 1sts Netball 2nds Netball 3rds Rowing Men’s Rugby Union 1sts Men’s Rugby Union 2nds Men’s Rugby Union 3rds Women’s Rugby Union Sailing Snowsports Squash 1sts Squash 2nds Men’s Swimming Women’s Swimming Table Tennis Men’s Tennis 1sts Men’s Tennis 2nds Women’s Tennis Trampolining Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Men’s Volleyball Women’s Volleyball Men’s Water Polo Women’s Water Polo
DAY 5 BIGGEST
FIXTURES TODAY
Women’s 1s hockey // Volleyball // Basketball
Mixed day for hockey as women’s 1s win but both 2s slip to disappointing defeats Women’s hockey 1s Uni Hallam
3 1
Women’s hockey 2s Uni Hallam
1 2
Amy Brook and Sophie Allen Uni 1sts went into their Varsity encounter feeling quietly confident. Hallam had the first push back and made the most of it, powering through to the top of the D. Several close chances to score were stopped in their tracks by midfielder Jessica Kennedy, both defending and attacking for the entirety of the game. In the second half, a brilliant run from the half way line from Hollie Webb gave Uni their first goal. Hallam tried to get back into the game, but were put under a lot of pressure from the Uni strikers. Hallam came back with a vengeance and the Uni defence was tested through a succession of five short corners in a row. Despite great defending from Alice Mellar and Amy Brook, Uni conceded to make the score 3-1. Despite being reduced to 10 players, Uni rallied their defence for a late
onslaught and battled all the way to the final whistle, and a Varsity victory over Hallam. Women’s 2nds hockey team braved sub-zero temperatures to put on an admirable performance, although ultimately conceding to an unjust 2-0 defeat. The maroon and white outfit shot wide on another chance to score just 10 minutes in. Another challenge by Hallam saw an excellent save by the Uni keeper and fought off any chances for Hallam goals. A penalty corner at around 13 minutes into play was cleared brilliantly by Maddie Wilkins, one of many instances in a great performance by this player in the first half. The second half saw the team continue to play well, easily fighting off many of Hallam’s chances to score. Amy Izzard showed exemplary possession and passing, yet despite several chances and a couple of penalty corners Uni still struggled to find a goal. In the final two minutes, Hallam managed to sneak in another goal, leaving the Uni team visibly disheartened and ultimately leading to a 2-0 defeat.
Men’s hockey 2s Uni Hallam
1 4
Sophie Allen
Photo: Sophie Allen
The men’s 2nds hockey team put on an aggressive performance maintaining a large portion of possession throughout the game, but they ultimately suffered a crushing loss, by four goals to one with three of Hallam’s goals scored in the final few minutes of the game. The team made an extremely strong start, squandering a chance to score very early on in the game and they maintained an aggressive attack throughout. After ten minutes an own goal by Hallam tipped the scale, making it 1-0. However, soon after this initial success,an equalising goal was scored by Hallam, which, paired with an injury to the Uni keeper who was ultimately forced to leave the field, tipped the balance in Hallam’s favour. After a short break, play continued without a Uni keeper, and the team worked frantically to keep the ball away from the vulnerable goal. Luckily their efforts
were successful, and the substitute keeper eventually came onto the field, and achieved some brilliance, deflecting several shots just a few minutes into his stint. The first half closed on 1-1, with Uni making some great attempts and having a few chances, but failing to score more than once. In the second half of the game Uni continued to play well with great passing. Although Hallam began to take greater possession, the team defended well and persistently managed to clear their goal and force Hallam back. Towards the end of the half, however, Hallam pursued a much stronger attack. In the final four minutes, they scored a hugely disheartening three goals. Despite things being clearly in Hallam’s favour, Uni carried on and bravely attempted to fight back, forcing play back up towards Hallam’s goal and having several chances to score. Having fought hard, however, a penalty corner when time was up failed to pull things back, and the team were forced to accept their 4-1 defeat.
Talas triumphs for Uni Hallam slam-dunk way to victory Women’s volleyball Uni Hallam
3 1
Arnold Bennett University of Sheffield cruised to a 3-1 win over Sheffield Hallam in the women’s volleyball at the English Institute of Sport. Uni’s Yvett Talas typified a team display that managed maintain their composure to eventually run away with the third and fourth sets.
The match began in understandably anxious fashion, with both teams trading points and individual errors as neither side managed to dominate proceedings. A close ending to the initial set saw Uni clinch a 25-23 lead to take the advantage, to the delight of the raucous home support. A succession of incredible volleys from Uni’s Floriana Van Der Woude and the reintroduction of Talis’ height at the net ensured Uni could see the match out and clinch the fourth set 25-18.
Hallam ease to win Men’s volleyball
Uni Hallam
0 3
Amelia Heathman Within minutes the score was already 5-3 to Hallam with both teams barely stopping to breath in between points, they both moved and worked extremely fast. The tension really built
when the score came to 21-10 to Hallam in the first set, they only needed to get to 25 with two clear points and they’d won the first set. This inevitably happened, with the first set going 25-12 to Hallam. In the second set, the University of Sheffield stepped up their game, even at one point arguing over the referee when he gave the point to Hallam. This was obviously in vain.
Men’s basketball 1s
Uni Hallam
59 99
Women’s basketball 1s Uni Hallam
37 104
Men’s basketball 2s Uni Hallam
76 57
Thomas Asker and Peter Grieve First was the men’s basketball 1sts, where Hallam won a convincing game 59-99. Bossley started his final varsity game in great form, scoring seven points. Chiguri also helped his team’s cause by coming up with steals and layups, he ended the game with 10 points. His team’s hard work was excellent to watch however the superior athleticism of Lewis and Gachette made it look as if Hallam were not required to put in as much graft to score. The
intensity of the game took a toll on the University of Sheffield who were made to work for every basket. Hallam finished the game so far ahead because of the effortless way in which they tossed in three pointers and fast break opportunities. Hallam’s star power made for interesting viewing though it must be said that the University of Sheffield were by no means dazzled, working hard from start to finish. Bossley ended his final varsity with an impressive performance, scoring 19 whilst Lovett signed off with 2 points. The women’s 1sts were next, where Hallam took another point, winning 37-104. Led by Naylor’s 27 points, Hallam raced out to an early lead. They knocked down almost every shot they attempted and offered a stifling defensive effort. Hallam, bolstered by 22 points from Palmer, held Uni to five points in the first quarter and a mere three in the second. They went into the halftime huddle leading 60-8. Uni’s Morimoto led her team with a solid 14 points. Unfortunately for them the afternoon belonged to Hallam. Their offense ran like a well-
oiled machine with most of the assists coming from Naylor who facilitated her teammates on fast break opportunities. In the men’s 2nds, 14 points and a double-double from Jonathan Adams helped Uni to a 76-57 victory over Hallam in the last event at the EIS. Uni led at the end of each quarter to ensure they retained a commanding hold on the game. A defensive master class from Curryer (4 points) supplied the platform for guards Campbell (5 points), Hashem (13 points), Diez (6 points) and Jinn (5 points) to continuously pull the strings around in attack. Uni began the final quarter with even more energy. Hashem scored a cool finger-roll layup before setting up Adams to power to the basket. Hallam’s desperate call for a timeout at 58-44 gave Hallam few new ideas, as Ryan Jinn’s free throws either side of his sublime 3 pointer pushed Hallam even further behind. With two minutes remaining at 67-57, Uni really turned on the style in front of the rapturous crowd. A Curryer three pointer accompanied by scores from Diez and Itturiaga put the nails in the Hallam’s coffin.
UNI 23.5 : HALLAM 21.5 Our sports officer says:
“Some magic on display at EIS today”
Netball day of triumph at EIS as Uni show the only way is Essex Women’s netball 1s, 2s, 3s
Uni Hallam
2 1
Olivia Adams and Adam Hancock Uni took two points in the netball matches, securing wins in both the 1sts and 3rds. The Uni 1sts put in a dominant performance over their inter city rivals at the EIS to triumph 4223. As soon as the whistle blew to start off the game Uni were on top form and took clear control of the game. The ball was always in their half and the dominance was clear. Uni’s goal attack Sally Essex was on great form, slotting goal after goal whenever the opportunity arose. Whenever Uni
slipped and Hallam got the ball, they managed to pick up good rhythm and slot of a few goals, but as soon as Uni intercepted they lost all momentum. Once again as soon as Uni fought the ball back Essex was slipping in goals again, pushing Uni up to a 17-6 lead. After each quarter Hallam tried harder than Uni and almost always scored first. They just lost it after the first few minutes when Uni would regain momentum and steal the ball back. Sheffield Hallam’s women’s 2nds Netball team stormed to an impressive win, out playing the University of Sheffield in both attack and defence to win 50-28. Hallam’s goal shooter Georgia Lowe stole the show, scoring a hatful of points as the spearhead
of the Hallam attack. Despite desperate Uni attempts to keep Lowe under control, she racked up the points, seemingly scoring on every occasion that she got possession of the ball. At the end of the first quarter Hallam led 11-8, with their goal attacker scoring a last minute point to keep Uni in touch with their rivals. During the second quarter Hallam began to pull away as Lowe caused chaos in the Uni area. Hallam’s goal attacker Elizabeth Cowell added to the scoring and linked up well with Lowe as Hallam began to dominate the scoreboard. They ended the quarter 26-12 ahead. Hicks continued to battle hard and Uni centre Gabby Hayward scrapped for possession as she
desperately tried to stop the swathe of Hallam attacks. Hallam had a seemingly unassailable 34-29 lead as the third quarter drew to a close. The final quarter followed a similar pattern as Hallam dominated at both ends of the pitch. Finally, Uni’s 3rds defeated Hallam 33-21 after a gritty display. After a tight opening to the match, Uni pulled away in the later stages with goal attacker Emer Haten contributing numerous points to the Uni cause. Uni centre Josie Appleby also impressed, with her captain Holly Lee describing her as the best player on the day. The scores were locked at 4-4 at the end of the first period. The second period began in similar
fashion to the first. As the second quarter drew to a close, Uni took control of the match and increased their advantage to 15-11. The third quarter began with more Uni dominance, much to the delight of the crowd at EIS. Uni scored several points in succession to halt any chances of a Hallam comeback. Uni were 24-15 ahead by the end of the third quarter, seemingly easing towards the crucial Varsity point. Uni further stretched their lead in the final quarter, with Haten showing no desire to ease off from her goal scoring exploits. As the clock ticked, Uni rounded off the match with a fantastic flowing move completing a hard fought 33-21 win.
Photos: Clive Nichols
Uni frozen out on night of misery Men’s football 2s Uni Hallam
0 2
Matthew Smith Uni failed to deal with Hallam’s long throws and direct tactics in blizzard conditions at Goodwin, as the visitors picked up a 2-0 win in the first football match of Varsity 2013, despite having a man sent-off late on. The first half failed to produce a genuine shot on target from either team, with both sides squandering free-kicks from good positions. Uni keeper Bart Frank was the most threatened keeper, but dealt well with the majority of the long balls and hanging crosses Hallam sent in. Uni tried to play the better football throughout, but were finding it
tricky in the conditions, and were retreating deeper under Hallam pressure. Uni had one good chance late on in the opening 45 minutes, but Josh Thompson’s cross from the left was just too high and fast for Luke Gunn to connect. In the second half, Uni changed formation to 4-2-3-1, with attacking midfielder Dave Hall replacing the deep-lying Kieran Jones. However, it was Hallam who went in front on 50 minutes. Frank’s punch only went as far as the edge of the box, and though Uni captain Kris Johnson blocked one shot, the ball was netted on the rebound. Jamie Evans should have scored soon after for Uni, when Hallam’s defence failed to deal with a long throw from Uni. The ball fell to Evans six yards out, but he somehow skewed his effort well off target. Snow started
falling in the 65th minute, and with it came the second Hallam goal. Their long throw tactic finally paid off, as a chuck from the left was flicked over the onrushing Frank’s head into the far corner. Thompson continued to cut a lone furrow up front for Uni, his pace causing worry for Hallam, but he’d left his finishing boots at home, scooping a volley over the top from 12 yards. Richard Khodabakhsh also had a chance from a long Frank punt in the 79th minute, catching the Hallam keeper out of position, but he scuffed his shot. Khodabakhsh was replaced by Ojo late on as Uni went 4-4-2. Hallam’s victory was briefly marred in stoppage-time when a player was given a second booking for a foul on, but they easily hung on for a win that was hard fought and largely expected.
Monday night futsal Futsal Uni Hallam
12 6
Jack Taylor The University of Sheffield picked up another vital Varsity point with a thrilling 12-6 victory over Hallam. With only two minutes gone Uni of took to the lead when Richard Ward toe poked the opener in. Ward quickly scored a second as he wriggled away from two defenders to power home. Hallam rarely troubled in the opening 10 minutes. Uni quickly doubled their lead and moments later Fakhural Roson finished on the stretch to make it 4-0. The second half started much
like the first. Sotonye was duly rewarded for his perseverance after good interplay with Fakhural saw him round the keeper before slotting the ball home. Uni then made it 6-1 as Msadala finished to the bottom left. However a lapse of concentration in 5 second half minutes saw Uni of looking nervy as first Glenn Drawbridge before Jack Langford headed home then Robi De began to claw back the deficit for Hallam. With the score at 6-4, Sotonye finished off his hat trick and was quickly followed by Ward’s hattrick to make it 8-4. Ward then turned provider with a through ball for Fakhural to finish. Ward soon grabbed his fifth to make it 11-5 before Hallam’s goalkeeper took the scored to 116. Ryan Wilson finished off the scoring to make it 12-6.
DAY 6 BIGGEST
FIXTURES TODAY
Cricket // Hockey 3s
Barr and Devereux deliver hockey wins Women’s hockey 3s Uni Hallam
1 0
Men’s hockey 3s Uni Hallam
4 3
Amaal Raheem and Phil Bayles The University of Sheffield hockey 3rds both won in exciting matches at Goodwin. In the women’s event, both teams put up a good fight but it was Uni who came out victorious. For the first half of the match dominance was equally shared, until Uni midfielder Eleni Barr scored the only goal of the match and put Uni ahead. The second half of the match was dominated by Uni players keeping the Hallam goalkeeper constantly on her toes defending Uni’s brilliant attacks. Meanwhile, at the other end, the Uni goalkeeper was braving the frosty winds blowing her way. The game also had its dramas with a green card and yellow card being handed out to Hallam players during the second half. After the match, Uni’s delighted captain said: “Everybody put everything into it, I couldn’t have asked any more from the team. I’m so happy, elated, ecstatic. “I’m just so proud of everyone. A whole season – all the games, all the training and fitness sessions all seem worth it now. Time to celebrate.” In the men’s hockey, Hallam put up a valiant effort, but the Uni team managed to keep one step ahead of them in a match that made for tense viewing. Uni came barrelling out of the gate from the moment the first whistle blew, with captain Nathan McDowell chipping the ball towards Hallam’s goalkeeper, who scored an own goal to put
Uni ahead. But Hallam refused to take this lying down and, after a couple of short corners, managed to equalise. Each team gave it their all in the first half, the action spread across the entire width of the pitch. Tom Hitchcock put Uni in the lead again, only for Chris Debney of Hallam to bring the scores level once more. Sam Ford grabbed Uni an impressive third goal just before half time, but this time Hallam were unable to match them, instead missing an open goal and receiving a green card in quick succession as the half ended. The second half, by comparison, started as a much less exciting affair – though both sides secured their fair share of short corners, most of the efforts sailed either side of the goal. That said, there were plenty of controversies. Hallam lost one player to the sin bin, a Uni goal was disallowed and a Hallam substitute was sent off. Hallam’s AJ Blythe got a nasty shot to the shoulder, but bravely carried on. Finally, after 15 minutes without a goal, Uni struck again – Andrew Devereux scoring a skilful shot off a short corner to bring Uni’s total up to four. From that point on Hallam were playing catch up, and although George Ratcliffe managed a lucky deflection into Uni’s open goal, Uni held on well and Hallam were unable to equalise before the final whistle. McDowell was thrilled with his team’s result and said, “It’s the best game we’ve played all season. “Everyone on the team brought their A-game, and I’m really proud of all of them.”
Photos
Judo joy for Uni in comeback win Terrific table tennis take to Judo Uni Hallam
4 3
Jack Taylor It was ladies first in the under 57kg category as Kayl Quail from Uni of took on Tasha Twinning of Hallam. The first minute was a cagey affair as the fighters tried to work each other out, but it didn’t take long for Twinning to get the upper hand and a quick fire throw saw Quail put onto her back for a match winning ippon. It didn’t take long for Uni to fight back in the over 57kg; less than 30 seconds of the fight between Amber Boulderstone and Mahalia Dixon had taken place when Uni’s Boulderstone also won by ippon, with a fine
throw in a dominant display. After the women’s fights, the scores were tied at 1-1 so all was to play for going into the men’s fights. The best fight of the night came in the under 66kg category. It turned out to be the only fight to last the distance on a night where result-via-ippon dominated. Victor Ambrus started well for Uni flooring his opponent, Hallam’s Anthony Storr, but only scoring a one point yuko. He was made to pay for missing out on big points as his opponent then managed a 10 point waza-ari half way into the contest and managed to hold onto the lead as both contestants tired.The score stood at 2-1 to Hallam. Uni once again managed to peg back the Hallam advantage when Dan Melling produced a
fine throw on Lewis Payne in the under 73kg. Hallam’s Payne had looked the most likely with constant aggression in the opening two minutes but Melling’s counter attack won the fight by way of ippon. Uni then won back-to-back bouts by ippon submission to seal the Varsity victory. Pete White managed to get James Gaskell in a 25 second lock in the under 81kg category and then it was the turn of Richard Taylor in the under 90kg to show his strength as he put a lock on Hallam’s Jamie Osborne. Uni were in an unassailable lead going into the final bout, though Hallam did manage a consolation as Uni’s Turar Baltynov was tapped out by the towering figure of Ed Brown, but the victory had been confirmed and another point sealed.
Table tennis Uni Hallam
15 2
Charlie Richiardi Despite an entertaining defence from the Hallam team and a few close matches, Uni secured a thrilling victory with a dominant, purposeful performance. The Uni team, led by captain Tristan Gretton were confident going into this fixture, given their leading position in a BUCS division above Hallam. This was clear in the first six matches, all of which were won in three clear games. With only 17 matches to be played, a 6-0 lead put Uni in a great position. It appeared that a comeback might be on the cards however, as Hallam’s captain, Luke Tattersall
won the first two games against James Atkins. A quick pep talk from the bench encouraged Atkins to be more aggressive, which lead to him taking the third game. However, Tattersall went on to win the fourth and the match for Hallam’s first win. A second looked possible when Joel Carton pushed Uni’s Mike Fraser to a fifth game, but Fraser’s powerful offensive ensured he took the match to make it 8-1. Next was a battle of the captains, with Gretton offering some incredible defensive shots yards behind the table that forced errors from Tattersall. Easily the most enthralling match yet, Gretton prevailed in three games to make it 9-1 to Uni. With only seven points left to play, the victory was certain, yet both teams continued with passion.
UNI 28.5 : HALLAM 23.5 Our sports officer says:
“Every point today is huge, come on Uni, let’s get ahead!”
Baker delivers but 1sts suffer shock defeat Cricket Men’s 1s - Hallam win Men’s 2s - Uni win Women’s - Hallam win Will Aitkenhead Sheffield Hallam took the honours in the cricket after a thrilling finish saw them win the men’s 1st team game off the final ball having lost the 2nds and won in the women’s game. Uni’s 1st team came into the game on the back of reaching the national final and were full of confidence, but it was not to be in a see-saw encounter that Hallam just edged. In the opening game of the day at the Graham Solley Sports Centre, Uni’s 2nd team produced a sensational performance to smash their inter-city rivals by 51 runs. Having lost the toss and been asked to bat, Uni got off to a slow start as Oli Perry was dismissed by Rob Nield in the third over. Carl Baker and Edward Pearce were in fine form, however, and were soon scoring freely.
When Baker retired for an excellent 25, Pearce picked up the pace and despite Josh Rodgers being dismissed early, Uni were able to register 94 in their 10 overs thanks to excellent running between the wickets by Richard Cantwell and Chris Hooper. In the field Uni were truly exceptional, and Hooper’s opening spell ensured Hallam were always behind the rate. Cantwell managed to get the new ball swinging both ways and Hallam simply had no answer. Hooper’s day got even better when he picked up two run outs inside two overs and there was no way back for Hallam as they were all out for just 43 runs. In the women’s game Uni were bowled out for just 33 and Hallam managed to knock them off without losing a wicket to secure the point. Opener Rosh Navaratnam was dismissed in the first over and from then on it was all Hallam as they put in a dominant performance with bat and ball. The men’s 1st team game was what can only be described as an absolute thriller. Having been asked to bat first Uni only
managed to post 85 having been bowled out in the ninth over after a series of run outs. Sam Hickinbottom and Orban Holdgate had got them off to a good start, taking the score to 33/0 off the first four overs before Hickinbottom was run out. Holdgate was caught and bowled soon after which brought skipper Chris Murrall to the crease and he formed an excellent partnership with Will Aitkenhead. The pair continued their fine form from the weekend and took the score to 60/2 off six overs and Uni looked well placed to post a big score. Aitkenhead was run out and Henry Eldred was stumped just two balls later leaving Harry Popplewell and Murrall as the last two in. Two more run outs resulted in Uni not batting out their overs, which proved to be incredibly costly, as a score of 85 looked below par. Having taken to the field as underdogs following the first innings, Uni started exceptionally as Popplewell and Eldred swung the new ball at pace and restricted Hallam to
23/0 off the first five overs. Popplewell produced a staggering spell in which he only conceded six runs from his three overs. Hallam captain Mark Smallwood was the fist wicket to fall, run out, and James Smith was out soon after, being caught by Holdgate at cover of the bowling of Popplewell. Hickinbottom continued with a miserly spell himself and with two overs remaining, Hallam needed 29 to win. Murrall bowled the penultimate over and, with seven coming from the final two balls, left Hallam needing 16 off the last with Hickinbottom to bowl, having been the hero with the bat in the BUCS northern final he now had the chance to do it with the ball on. He seemed to hold his nerve to begin with and a dot ball left Hallam needing 10 from three balls. A remarkable five off the penultimate ball, however, meant it was two off the last ball and the final two batsman scampered through for the winning run to leave Uni devastated.
s: Amaal Raheem, and (inset) Chris Chadwick
otal triumph
Matt Gould succumbed in four games to Hallam’s Dom Wilson whilst another four matches clearly went Uni’s way. The final singles match saw Gould fight through a visibly injured left knee to win the match in five games. It thus stood at 14-2 at the onset of the doubles but honour was clearly at stake and Hallam came out strong. It was not to be, however, as a confident Gretton and Fraser secured the final point in a resounding 15-2 victory. After the win, Gretton said “I’m happy for myself, and very happy for the team. “We were hoping for 17-0, but we’re very happy with 15-2 – we’ll look for 17-0 next year.” Tattersall said he was “obviously disappointed”. However, he told Forge Press that he was “happy with the standard we played.”
Captain Oli Perry bats for Uni during the Men’s 2s game
Photo: Will Aitkenhead
DAY 7 BIGGEST
Climbing // Athletics
FIXTURES TODAY
Stalemate in the athletics Athletics Uni Women Hallam Women
63 67
Uni Men Hallam Men
73 67
David Street With Varsity attention turned indoors, Uni and Hallam shared the points in a closely-fought athletics competition. The men’s competition started brightly for Uni. Having dominated the 10km race three days before, they already enjoyed a 15-6 lead over their rivals. In the early races the points started stacking up. Callum Chambers’ 1500m victory was the perfect start. Anu Iyandu’s win in the 60m pulled Uni further ahead, making the score 28-12. Jamie Roden’s emphatic victory in the 3000m, having left the rest of the field behind by some distance, extended the lead further. Angus Butler then won the 400m in style, taking Uni’s lead to 40-20. However Hallam, winners of the men’s event last year, were not going to lie down easily and produced some excellent performances; taking first and second in the shot put, high jump and 60m hurdles. However, for Uni, Josh Bones won the triple jump and in the 200m, Anu Iyandu got his second victory. The score now stood at 60-50 to Uni. Hallam managed to sneak victory in the 800m and in
the long jump; Josh Bones narrowly missed out on a win with a jump of 6.45m. In the 4x200m relay, Uni came second and fourth, bringing the final scores to 73-67. The women’s event was even closer. With the 10km finishing five points apiece, whoever won on the day would win overall. The 1500m was a closely fought affair, with Jen Berg just missing out on victory. Jazmin Sawyers impressively won the 60m and Rebecca Cope narrowly missed out on first place in the triple jump. As with the men’s competition, Uni dominated the 3000m. In a dramatic finish, Rachael Lundgren narrowly beat teammate Anwen Darlington. The scores were tied at 25-25. Hannah Sargeant came a close second in the high jump, as Hallam pulled ahead again. The lead was changing hands with every event. Uni took the first two places in the 400m, with Alex Foxworthy the victor. However, Hallam managed to do the same in the 60m hurdles. Hallam now had a lead that, as it happened, Uni would not be able to catch, despite some great individual performances. In the 200m, Alex Foxworthy got a second victory. Then GB long jumper Jazmin Sawyers comfortably won her second event with a jump of 6.1m. In the shot put Hallam took maximum points. Unfortunately for Uni, despite Rachael Lundgren winning the 800m and the points being shared in the relay, Hallam won the women’s competition overall.
Photo: Andy Chubb
Hallam badminton blues Men’s badminton 2s Uni Hallam
4 4
Women’s badminton Uni Hallam
5 3
Andrew Smith & Dan Meier
Uni players giving their all
Photo: Andy Chub
Hallam held Uni to an exciting draw in the men’s badminton 2s, in a tight four-all finish. Meanwhile in the doubles, Gaochao Zhang and Zehong Wu defeated Hallam’s James Latham and Santi Berry in two matches thanks to a couple of killer smashes. But despite a powerful opening, Uni were unable to keep this force going. The tide soon turned when Hallam started to come back with a new confidence that defied expectations, like Ben Affleck but with shuttlecocks. With the score at 4-3 to Uni, it all came down to the final doubles match in a tense climax (of which Ben Affleck would be proud).
Hallam’s James Latham and Santi Berry kept their cool and successfully outplayed Tak Chun Tsoi and Merwin Moh, with some exceptional rallies along the way. Uni hammered home a resounding victory in the women’s. Bensberg started strongly, playing some good shots and holding her own against the formidable smash-volley of Lam. After some well-executed drop shots, Bensberg emerged victorious with a final score of 21 – 19. Tsankova could not mirror this result on the adjacent court eventually losing the match to the Hallam player 21 – 7. It was up to singles competitor Tsankovao to secure ultimate victory against Hallam captain Lam, in the final match of the fixture. Being eternally cool throughout the entire competition, Tsankova remained the epitomy of calm, consistently dominating Lam with shot after well-placed shot. It was a misplaced final shot of Lam’s which secured victory for Tsankova at 21 – 12 and the outright victory for the University of Sheffield at five matches to four.
UNI 35.5 : HALLAM 28 Our sports officer says:
“10 points up for grabs, let’s take as many as we can Uni and dominate the poly!”
Mixed sport brings mixed results for korfball teams Korfball 1s Uni Hallam
6 10
Korfball 2s Uni Hallam
5 4
Hamilton Jones The 1st team game was always likely to be a Hallam win but Shakri Sahri scored a stunning goal early on for Uni to give them a faint hope of an upset. Hallam began to quickly score goals though, and not before long were at a 4-1 advantage. Hallam really turned on the style in the lead up to half time although Uni did manage to get two goals back, one being a fantastic shot from Greg Forrest to make it 4-3. Just before they broke for the second half Joe McArdle shot to try and equalize but it didn’t quite make it in, and Hallam seized the moment from Uni immediately scoring and taking them up to 5-3. The start of the second half saw Hallam once again steal their thunder and they went on to score another goal. Uni retaliated with a goal but were still behind at 4-6. It wasn’t long before Hallam scored again, and again, before Uni grabbed another goal despite calling a time-out to talk strategy. Hallam found themselves with a very strong lead but Uni managed to bag one last goal and bring it to 6-10 before the final whistle went. The 2nd team game started off strongly for Hallam as well as
Uni took a point in the Korfball 2nd team match xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx they took the first goal within 10 minutes of play. Uni managed to equalize shortly after but some good attacking saw them go 2-1 up. Coming into the last 10 minutes, Uni were 4-3 up thanks to another goal from Kerins.
Photo: Photo: AndyAndy ChubChub
Jess White carried the defence through for Uni to prevent Hallam from scoring again and it was looking like a sure win for the Uni team. The next few minutes were tense, but a superb goal from Tom Rich clinched the win.
Action from the Foundry
Photo: Nicola Moors
Cliffhanger at Foundry Climbing Uni cyclists have been dominant so far
Photo: Dave Camus
Cycling on top Hallam more than h’okay Cycling Downhill Dave Camus Following wins in the cross country and hill climb cycling events Uni took another victory in the downhill on Wednesday. With with the track churned up owing to the weather, racing was tough on the course. Uni picked up victory by just 0.65 seconds quicker over four riders, which in readable terms is probably a dab of a foot round a corner, or a extra pedal stroke. Uni lead 3-0, securing at least 1.5 points, with just the time trial and BMX remaining.
Men’s hockey 1s Uni Hallam
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Will Aitkenhead Uni suffered a humiliating defeat to Hallam at Abbeydale on the final Wednesday of Varsity. It was always expected to be a tough day for the Uni outfit who were facing opposition who sit in second position in the division above them. The match, rearranged following BUCS cup matches, got off to the worst possible start when Hallam gained a short corner and from the short corner a penalty flick awarded which they scored from.
From that moment on it was all Hallam as they took a 4-0 lead before half time. Two more quick goals after half time made it 6-0 and game over. Uni did manage to grab a consolation goal when Pinkeye finished a good move coolly to slot home and make it 7-1. Hallam found time to add three more goals, however, and take the score into double figures with another penalty flick just before the end. It was a disappointing end to what has been an otherwise successful season for the side who finished well clear of the relegation spots in Division Northern 1A.
Uni Hallam
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Nicola Moors Today’s climbing at the Foundry marked a crucial event, the potential three points that were at stake could have been the decider for the University of Sheffield to win Varsity. Despite the importance of the event, the climbing room kept a very friendly atmosphere and there was never a clear divide between the two teams. However, the wait for the scores to be totalled may have been the longest and tensest wait for results in Varsity history. The competitors and supporters were hushed when the totals were announced; it was tense indeed. However it was Uni that came out on top, 2 – 1. Uni took two important
points at the Foundry. Michaela Tracy was the top female in the competition with 162 points out of a possible 200. She said, ‘’I feel quite relieved – I didn’t think that I had that good a competition, because none of the climbing problems were that technical.’’ Jake Haddock of Hallam won the highest scoring male (and highest scorer in the competition) with 194 points. The final point went to the winning team which, again, Uni won with 1,342 compared to Hallam’s 1,290. Just nine points behind the top scorer were Johnny Field and Paul Lathan, both for Uni, and Tom Green, for Hallam, who all had 185 points and came third. Johnny said, ‘’I think we did very well and am pleased with how it went. We had seven people in the top 10 and so I think we won on consistency and did really well as a team.’’
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Both teams got well into the spirit of Varsity, the men’s team offering our reporter a lift home, and the women’s making cake for each other.
Faced with issues regarding scheduling and weather, the Uni sports officer did a sterling job. And he let us tweet the scores, which was nice.
The former Hallam sports officer waded in on the Hillsborough debate, claiming Uni bribed officials to get matches postponed.
We don’t mind chants, we don’t mind passion. What we do mind is the throwing of cups of urine over people, which is what this rabble resorted to.