Concourse Issue Eight

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Issue IssueEight Five

VA R S I T Y ‘10

Keele Army Wins VARSITY 2010, Full Match Reports Inside

I have a confession..... Whilst at Keele, I have been to four AU Balls, watched countless sporting matches, and have seen many a friend suffer from the hardship of defeat and experience the ecstasy of winning...

But... I have never joined the AU... or a sports team...or taken part in any form of competitive activity in my years here. So in a bold attempt to make up for my lack of commitment to Team:Keele, I have decided to dedicate this issue to all of Keele’s sportsmen & women for all their hardwork they have put in over the last year so that Keele can bring the Varsity trophy back to where it rightfully belongs.

So sit back and try and taste that sweet flavor of victory that keele has been basking in for the last few weeks, also be sure to read the brilliant musings of Keith Harrison on the Men’s Football match, also don’t miss the Men’s Hockey report... its one for the Team Keele history books...

Other than that, I hope you enjoy this issue of Concourse, and lets not forget... Come on Team Keele!

Produced and Edited by Nick Heath Vice President Communication & Democracy Any views expressed are not necessarily the views of Keele University or Keele University Students’ Union. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the explicit permission of the editor

­Advertising KUSU­Marketing sta65@kusu.keele.ac.uk 01782­733712

­Editorial­/­Submissions Nick­Heath­VP­Comms vp.comms@kusu.keele.ac.uk 01782­733702

Nick Heath - VP Comms

News

Entertainment

04 ..Whats makes you so special?

05...............KUSU Election Results

09 ..................................KUBE Radio 10..........Keele SU Entertainments 12...................Found on Facebook 13 ...................Games and Puzzles

features 06...............................Music Reviews 07............................................Politik 08..............................Societies News

Team Keele 14 - 20..............Varsity Results

CONCOURSE

NEWS Are you a career ostrich or a career racehorse?

If you are hoping to put your head down, plough on with your degree and hope graduate employment will be buoyant by the time you graduate you are probably an ostrich. If you are racing ahead, trying to enhance your skills, develop networks, undertake voluntary work, be involved in societies and gain relevant work experience then you must be a racehorse. In reality, you will probably be a bit of both.

In the current climate it might be advisable to take on a few more racehorse tendencies – not at the expense of your degree because, let’s face it, that’s what you came to university for. But in order to maximise the impact of your degree in life after Keele you do need to offer a degree plus.

There is no one set of skills employers are looking for but there are a number of skills that are always high on most recruiters’ shopping lists. Many of these you will develop through your degree but not all of them. These skills include: Self-Awareness : Having the knowledge of and confidence in your skills, strengths and working styles. Possessing the ability to review your behaviour and impact in order to learn and develop.

Communication : Having the ability to communicate in a variety of formats and contexts both orally and in writing.

Teamwork : Being able to work effectively with and through others to achieve a result.

Adaptability : Having the ability to think and work flexibly in the light of changing circumstances.

Keele’s Wife Georgina Couch Carol Ann Duffy, first woman poet laureate, once again graced Keele this evening with her refreshing poetry. A calm and undoubtedly cool Duffy treated the packed out Westminster theatre audience to an emotional poetical rollercoaster ride.

Readings from the hilarious, ‘The World’s Wife’ resulted in uproars of laughter from the audience, the gentleman next to me looked as though he might burst a lung. We then had our heart strings pulled as she read from ‘Rapture,’ a collection that documents the turbulences in life that come with love and relationships, from first kisses to first arguments.

The finale was a delicious taster of her unpublished works, one of which seems to have caused quite a stir across the Atlantic called ‘Achilles (for David Beckham)’ which is due to be published in The Daily Mail and The Guardian newspapers later this month.

A standing ovation was received as the ex Keele student walked off stage, and I think that I speak for all of us when I say that we felt enlightened and contented at the same time, the only negative aspect which comes to mind is the duration of the whole thing, frankly an hour with that woman is nowhere near enough. Miss Duffy’s books are available to buy in the campus bookshop and any good online book retailer.

Students go Bananas for Fairtrade Fun! Mark Holtz Keele students were treated to lots of Fairtrade freebies from Sainsbury's in Hanley last Tuesday, as staff from the store teamed up with student volunteers to sample Fairtrade products and find out more information from Britain's largest Fairtrade retailer.

Sainsbury's now sell over 800 different Fairtrade products, and Keele students got a taste of bananas, chocolate, coffee, tea, sugar, biscuit bars and many more of these. The biggest hit though, was the wine - "I'm converted!" announced law student Sara Sordillo, we're off into town this afternoon to buy some more!"

Problem solving : Thinking matters through in a logical manner, analysing and processing information selectively and appropriately then developing solutions.

Motivation : Possessing enthusiasm and drive to complete projects to a high standard.

Leadership : Being able to encourage, support and motivate others, whilst taking a lead.

Initiative : Having the ability to self motivate, see opportunities and set goals.

It is worth taking the time to think through which of these skills you have had the opportunity to develop or will do so in the future. Are there any gaps? Are these gaps important for what you might want to pursue in career terms? What can you do to fill these gaps?

Some of the skills areas and issues you need to learn more about will be dealt with in the What Makes You So Special? programme running in May. Take a look at What Are Employers Looking For? which will be co-delivered with a Marketing Development Manager from the Regent Theatre. See Boost Your Job Prospects: Volunteer giving you an insight into the voluntary opportunities available. Read about Three Seconds to Success for a day’s workshop series on presentation skills, networking, interview techniques and more with an input from PriceWaterhouse Coopers. See Assertiveness Training for tactics and tips.

Take a look and register at www.kusu.net/special Also seethe Careers Service website and pop in to speak to a Careers Adviser on drop in about your development opportunities and where your degree might be taking you. See www.keele.ac.uk/careers/ and click on Seeing an Adviser.

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Many of the students got to take their goodies away in a Fairtrade shopping bag, others received a free tupperware box to encourage them reduce food wastage - in line with Sainsbury's recent 'Make a Difference' Day. To make still greater use of the day, Sainsbury's also brought along sports relief products from their Hanley branch to sell. The wristbands, socks and water bottles were snapped up by students wanting to take part in Keele's Sport Relief Mile, taking place on Sunday 21st March. Students still wanting sports relief products can still buy them from any Sainsbury's, and those wanting to take part in the mile can sign up online at www.sportrelief.com/the-mile/keele-university-mile!

Vice President Communication and Democracy Nick Heath commented, "Our students are tremendously supportive of good causes, and when a local branch of a supermarket like Sainsbury's is prepared to work with us, we can do great things!" Sainsbury's PR Ambassador Mark Holtz added, "The student volunteers were fantastic, and a big thanks to all those who purchased Sport Relief products!"

Issue Eight

The Results are In!

NEWS

Nick Heath

President : Kari Rittoo Vice President Communications & Democracy: Fadi Dada Vice President Education & Welfare: Nikki Cooper Vice President Finance & Activities: Rosie Weatherly Vice President Sports & Fitness: Sonia Douz

After weeks of campaigning and months of planning KUSU has finally voted in its new Sabbatical team for 2010/11. Even if you could not stand any of the candidates, it was clear that election fever swept campus for three very long days in early March, and for the first time ever Keele moved in to the 21st century with the use of online voting to let the student body vote, and while the system was not perfect, overall the system was deemed a success...(if not a little too complicated) So it is my proud honour as the Returning Officer for this election to introduce your new Keele University Students Union Sabbatical Team.

For full election results visit www.kusu.net/elections

Kari Rittoo

Fadi Dada

Nikki Cooper

Rosie Weatherly

Sonia Douz

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MUSIC Andy Johnson - Music Editor

Reviews

Helping Haiti “Everybody Hurts”

Hot Chip One Life Stand Hot Chip's follow up to 2008's Made in the Dark mostly continues the introspective and romantic elements of that album, rather than its boisterous, chaotic side. As its title suggests, One Life Stand is a soothingly lovedup album and whilst the songs have in many cases slowed, the band's appetite for new sounds has not. Besides the single and title track, perhaps the best effort here is “We Have Love”, featuring a title which sums up much of the album as well as a sideways snaking exotic synth line and processed vocals that act like a call to prayer. Hot Chip's deity? Romance.

So apparently Simon Cowell is Gordon Brown's go-to charity single man.

You don't have to look far online to find people who have explained more successfully than I could how this choice of song is in very poor taste given the ongoing humanitarian situation. “Hang on” the people of Haiti are told, “don't let yourself go.” What are we meant to think they're doing? Both crass and misguided in its message and musically far inferior to R.E.M.'s original, this is a deeply cynical effort redeemd only by its contribution to charity. Better to snub Cowell and just donate directly to a charity instead, surely?

Feature

Jedward Feat. Vanilla Ice – “Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)” Let's just deconstruct this. 1990 – American rapper Vanilla Ice samples the 1981 song “Under Pressure” without crediting its writers, Queen and David Bowie. The result is “Ice Ice Baby”. 2010 – inexplicably popular reality TV duo Jedward fuse the two songs into a horrendous and wholly redundant cover. Why Vanilla Ice would be daft enough to actually participate is beyond me, but the worst thing about this is that it will probably precede a full-length Jedward album. Musically, this is a genetic experiment as abominable as Jedward themselves/itself.

Your Article Here!

Music is for everyone. We realise that here at the good ship Concourse, and so this is your oppurtunity to make a contribution in these pages and have your say. I'm looking for writers who have something interesting to say about music and would like that something to be printed in Concourse's music section. I'm open-minded – whether you have an article about a brand new release or a classic album in your favourite genre, or whether you've seen some great live music lately, Concourse can help you to get your musical voice heard. There are no limits but for space – 350 words should be about right for articles, and around 100 words will suffice if you'd like to write a review of a new release you've just heard.

If you're interested in taking up this chance, you can email me with your article idea, whether it's a finished article or still at the drawing board stage.

Let me know a bit about what you've done or are thinking of doing, as well as a bit about yourself and

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any writing experience you may have (although this is far from essential). As music editor, I'll help you guide your articles from first idea to being ready to print.

Once that process is done your work will be in Concourse in no time – with your name in lights, so to speak!

We can't publish everything but to be in with a chance, here's a recap of what you need to do: Write a 100-word review of a new release you've heard (LP, EP or single, as recent as possible) OR write a 350word article on a music topic of your choice (opinion pieces, retrospectives etc) Email your piece or an idea for one to me at andyrookjohnson@gmail.com Help me polish your work to perfection Happily see your words being read around campus!

I look forward to hearing from you...

Any of our Business?

There has been much talk recently about the personal life of John Terry. The question over whether he should have been sacked as England captain has appeared in every newspaper, has been discussed on Question Time, has featured on every news bulletin and the question was even put to the Prime Minister!

There are those that are more than happy to discuss and to judge his personal life and those that do not think that it is the right of them or anyone else to involve themselves in a private matter. It is becoming increasingly difficult to know what the boundaries are and how far we can go in to discussing what goes off in the personal life of those in the public arena. The same concept can be applied to another sports person, Tiger Woods, but also to the Prime Minister himself.

There was much debate about whether Gordon Brown should have appeared on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories and

Freedom of speech isn’t just for those who can afford it!

Nikki Cooper

I have always thought that freedom of speech is important, but UK libel laws seem to be tipped much more heavily in favour of protecting reputations than ensuring our right to say what we think.

I agree that there should be laws in place to prevent people from saying things which impinge upon the rights of others – such as incitement of racial hatred – but it is absolutely ridiculous that newspapers, for example, can get sued simply for telling us the truth about things we have a right to know.

Last November, Keele’s very own MP Paul Farrelly won the Spectator’s ‘Inquisitor of the Year’ award following his role in getting the gagging order which had been placed upon the Guardian newspaper when it had tried to report upon the Trafigura toxic waste dumping scandal in Africa. Since then, also prompted by Mr Farrelly, the Culture, Media and Sport select committee has made strong recommendations that the law surrounding libel and press freedom needs to be changed – and the government has been forced to listen.

For years it has been too easy for companies and wealthy individuals to scare newspapers off by threatening legal action, while at the same time there has been insufficient regulation of press standards to ensure that newspapers are not able to simply make stories up. Libel law has been so bad

Politik

Issue EIGHT

Matthew Davies - Political Editor

whether he should have been asked the questions he was asked. There are no doubts that elements of Gordon Brown’s life have involved tragedies.

However, does this affect how good a Prime Minister he is? Or is this a positive move in re-aligning the politicians with the electorate, so that people can feel that they know more about those who are running the country?

One thing is clear, that the case of John Terry will not be the last where the public have an insight into the personal lives of those we see so often in newspapers and on the television screen.

As the twenty four hour media grows and as celebrities become more established as national icons, the debate is set to rage as to what private information we should know about those in the spotlight. Have we any right to comment on and to judge the personal lives of celebrities anymore than we have the right to comment on and judge the lives of those around us?

that even honest medical and scientific comment have been compromised – and I do not believe any society can claim to be truly civilised or democratic unless scientists are completely free to state their views.

In the few weeks since the report was published, the Ministry of Justice has already been spurred into action over the impact of our libel laws and the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, has already announced the reduction of success fees that can be charged by lawyers in defamation cases. The fact that lawyers could make such a huge amount of money out of a single case was one of the major reasons for UK libel law having become so disjointed in the first place, so this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Human rights organisation Global Witness has agreed with Mr Farrelly’s assessment, stating that “the UK legal system is already being used by the rich, powerful and influential to attack publications” and had backed calls for a better balance between protection of reputation and freedom of speech.

Even Concourse, on numerous occasions, has been wary of printing stories that might be seen as too controversial, however important they may have been – and as somebody who believes in the sanctity of free speech, I am really pleased that our own MP has been taking action to ensure that we, along with the rest of the general public, cannot have the truth hidden from us by corporations and individuals with huge pots of money (and armies of lawyers).

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CONCOURSE

Societies Amnesty International Society Keele's Amnesty International Society is a student movement who campaign against human right abuses.

Amnesty International is a renowned world-wide organisation devoted to protecting human rights around the world.

Its activities range from educating people about human rights issues to actively fighting injustices across the globe. Amnesty international is based on the belief that committed action on the part of ordinary people can lead to extraordinary change.

While this may seem like an overly optimistic belief, Amnesty International’s record of achievements show that, with the hard work of ordinary people, injustices across the world can be eliminated.

Some of the changes that Amnesty’s work has helped bring about over the years include; The end of apartheid in South Africa, the release of tens of thousands of prisoners of conscience, the abolition of the death penalty in countries across the world and, more recently, significant moves towards a treaty restricting the global arms trade. The Keele Amnesty International Society works on a wide range of campaigns promoted by Amnesty. The current campaign is Shell.

Human rights are abused throughout world by many including corporations that are household names. In fact the oil giants Shell – a rich and powerful company – have committed human rights abuses in Niger Delta. Shell is exploiting Nigeria's weak regulatory system in order to bypass well established international laws, such as the right to a decent standard of living including food and water. The pollution from Shell's oil industry destroys livelihoods, decimates food sources and damages the environment. Furthermore the poor and haphazard maintenance of the oil pipes leads to oil spills, which cause devastating damage to the landscape. One of the cruel ironies is that despite living in an oil rich area, the people in the Niger Delta suffer in abject poverty brought about by their government's administrative neglect and Shell's unrelenting pursuit for profit.

However Amnesty International is committed to fighting these abuses. Amnesty International's ability to apply pressure on politicians and powerful organisations leaves hope for optimism. Keele's Amnesty group is holding a demonstration against Shell's human rights violations of the Niger Delta on the 13th March. The place and time of this demo is to be announced. If you’re interested in these issues, or human rights more generally, please join our facebook group (Keele Amnesty International Society 2009/10) or come along to one of Amnesty's weekly meetings every Thursday (the time and place will be posted on the facebook page shortly).

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Media Audio & Design Society First things first: welcome to our new committee members! In the elections last Sunday the following people were elected: MAD webmaster: Enric Torrents MAD secretary: Ibbi Onasanya MAD advertising/design officer: Becci Barnard They have already begun work to provide you with some brilliant opportunities that you will be impressed—demolished—by!

One of these will be an event which includes as many of the creative societies as possible. It will take on the style of an exhibition on a wide scale, and will give us all a chance to demonstrate what we’re made of and network with the people who can help us develop our talents. We will also be offering some workshops, the details of which will be discussed on our forum: www.Mad-Keele.com So register yourself on there and check it regularly—you can tell us what workshops you want, which will get you more of the training that matters.

We are planning a special social coming up! So keep an eye on our forums and facebook! We are hoping to hold a Photo-Hunt in Keele Woods.

Bring your camera - whether it is disposable, Canon, Nikon - whatever! We will provide a picnic, more details later...

Finally, congratulations to the winner of our photography competition, Victoria Buntanu. She submitted a thought provoking image which used architecture and advertising to express emotional debilitation, which we all agreed had a remarkable originality to it. Well done! Victoria’s image will be published in the art magazine Shoestring. We will be having more competitions of this kind, so keep an eye on those.

Showcase Showdown Showcase Showdown is one of the biggest events of the academic calendar in Keele University. It began in 2008 created as a revamped version of the well known International Extravaganza. The event presents the various cultures of Keele students with the aim to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. There’s singing, dancing, acting, a themed fashion show, amongst other things.

Showcase Showdown is a wonderful experience that caters for all tastes. It is guaranteed to get your feet moving as well as feeding your appetite to learn about other traditions. It is an event that is not to be missed. The performances are colourful, imaginative, entertaining, vibrant, educational, and exuberant; a great event that epitomises the cosmopolitan feel/environment of Keele University.

Cobra Starship, an alt-rock dance group from New York, that toured the UK last February. KUBE DJ Eleanor Hopkinson caught up with Ryland Blackinton in Manchester Hi I’m Eleanor from KUBE Radio and I’m here with Ryland Blackinton from Cobra Starship

K U B E R a d i o www.kuberadio.com

What is your favourite song to play live I like, ‘Smile for the paparazzi’, I like anything where I get to play keyboard

What made you want to start Cobra Cam? Well I went to school for acting, I got my BFA in like 2004, and so I was always trying to find a way to work that side of me into things, I feel like people like to see videos of us being ourselves, and being goofy. So we were on tour with the Academy Is and they were doing their webisodes, and it seemed like a good idea, cool thing to do… Jack has a really good sense of humour and he’s very talented so we just said f**k it, do you want to go on tour with us because we can do it as well. We just did it randomly at first and just put them out whenever, and then the label said we should do it once a week. We were nervous about that, it’s a lot of work but I’m glad we did it in the end. Just having fun, just something extra.

Your US fan base has exploded with ‘Good Girls Go Bad’, what effect has that had on your UK fan-base?

I don’t really know because the record is not out till the 15th of Feb, and so it’s hard to tell right now but maybe we will know better if we come back after a month or so

Where is your favourite place to play in the UK? I like the Reading and Leeds festival; we only got to do that once though, that was like the best time ever. Dinosaur Jr played, and Battles, was awesome, that was one of my favourite things, but I guess that’s not really a venue, but I like to play here.

What do you guys like to do in your free time in the UK? When I’m hear I like to go Big Hands, it’s one of my favourite bars in the UK and I like to walk around take pictures, around Manchester is a really cool gallery, which is pretty cool, go to the Gemini to eat, go to the bookstore maybe, there’s a cool music store here to, you know just the usual stuff, I try to get out I like England a lot and try to get in as much as possible

Your side project – This is Ivy league – how’s that going?

I wish we had more time working on it, we’re writing a new record now.

How did you guys get started out?

Well, Gabe started the band in 2005, they had a Myspace up with a couple of songs on it, and he had been in a band before called Midtown, and he just started writing some songs I guess, and he asked me and Alex if we wanted to go on tour together and we just said yeah! I was catering at the time and got bored

How do you get your ideas for the Cobra Cam podcast?

Well I usually sit down with Jack the camera guy who used to do the Academy Is webisodes, and we usually just sit around we have similar influences, like Fawlty Towers, the Python, stuff like that, we just riff and give off ideas, write it down and just wing it.

Any time frame for that?

Yeah, we’re just working on it; we’re half way done maybe so hopefully by the end of the year, we don’t have a lot of time off. After this we go to South East Asia, New Zealand, Australia. Come home for a moment, then a tour of the States with 3OH3, and then we have just a little time to work on our next Cobra Record, so not sure when, the futures uncertain!

KUBE Radio Deal or No Deal Trip On 22nd February, a mini bus full of KUBEites hit the road down to Bristol for the filming of Deal Or No Deal. Members were part of the audience for the filming of two episodes of the daily ITV show.

Not only were the KUBE and KUBE-ettes able to see Noel Edmunds in person, but they also got get see how daily TV shows that are shot in front of a live studio audience are filmed and managed. Paul Mitchell, Head Of News, had this to say: “It was a fun day.

I had fun. Everyone had fun. It was fun!!”

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in the Don’t forget to jo ents Group KUSU Enter tainm e par t in weekly k ta to k o o b e c a F on ze giveaways. ri p d n a ts e k c ti e fre V E K EEL E LOVE KUSU : LO

You Wanted Bands....You got Bands!!

F FO

After much hard work and devotion by the Ents team, we bring you a selection of live music this upcoming semester. There is something for everyone jammed in to one semester, all at affordable prices.

We have 'The Fall', a post-punk group, heavily influenced by The Velvet Underground and were named as one of Franz Ferdinand's biggest influences. With 27 studio albums and recently signed to a new record label, The Fall are rocking the Ballroom on the 2nd May and costs £15 in advance. After announcing that they are currently working on a new studio album, Young Knives hit Keele on the 6th May. Breaking onto the music scene with their single 'The Decision' and supporting The Futureheads, Dirty Pretty Things and appearing on 'Later With Jools Holland', Young Knives are headlining their own tour with Keele as its second stop, and are set to showcase a variety of new material as well as the classics. Tickets can be found at the SU reception now and are £10 in advance.

Aside from Live Music, we have the Easter party fast approaching on the 31st of March. The theme of which is 'Mad Hatters Tea Party'. Tickets are just £5 and can be purchased from Reception at the SU again. This is wrapping up to be a great event and shouldn't be missed. If anyone would like to help with decorations for this, please get in contact with either Dom Greenslade or Allie Coombs!

The next Live Lounge will be held on 28th March. Anyone that is interested in playing please contact Allie Coombs, it would be nice to get as many people performing as possible.

We also have the usual drinks offers and promotions running Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 - 4 - 1 on House Spirits (9 - 11) including Vodka, Malibu, Archers, Gin Bacardi and Whisky. It doesn't end there, we still have the Student Scramble party and Woodstoke 3 to offer you, details to be revealed soon!

Just a quick Congratulations to all the new Part and Full time elects here at Keele! Well Done!

That's all for now, check back to Kusu.net for the latest updates!

Dom Greenslade Ents Team

Are you in one of these three photos?

If so you’re on the Guest List for our

Wednesday Night Project

O OU OUFSUBJONFOUT UFSSUUBJONF NFOUT

Just go up to the ents office to get your name down!

Ballroom Top 20 Requested Songs You have been asking for the DJ in the Ballroom to get a new CD all year now, but did you know that you can get your favorite songs played every night just by requesting them?!?

Just go to the front of the stage and shout your loudest!

1 Don't Stop Believing 2 Twist & Shout 3 Riverside 4 Bad Touch 5 Bulletproof 6 Fireflies 7 In For The Kill 8 Mr Brightside 9 Pump It 10 Single Ladies 11 Stars Come Out 12 Telephone 13 The One and Only 14 Tik Tok 15 Tubthumping 16 Bad Romance 17 Bonkers 18 Fight For This Love 19 Fire 20 Killing In The Name Of

Jounrey/Glee The Beatles Sidney Samson Bloodhound Gang La Roux Owl City La Roux The Killers Black Eyed Peas Beyonce Calvin Harris Lady Gaga Chesney Hawkes Kesha Chumbawumba Lady Gaga Dizzee Rascal Cheryl Cole Kasabian Rage Against The Machine

N O D N FOU

N Kenny

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ever L

So ooked

Cool...

Found something on Facebook and want to share it with the rest of the Keele Bubble? Just Email the photo to vp.comms@kusu.keele.ac.uk or upload it to the Concourse Facebook group; if chosen, you could WIN free entry For you and a mate on a night of your choice!

KUSU SUdoKU

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VA R S I T Y ‘ 1 0

Women’s Rugby

Men’s Rugby

Keele - 26 Staffs - 20

Keele - 15 Staffs - 40

Sonia Douz After a few weeks of intense training sessions taken by three louder and harsher coaches than myself the women’s team had put rugby union to the back of their minds and were ready to play staffs at their own, rather boring, game of rugby league.

Having been undefeated at home this season we were not only looking to win Varsity, but maintaining our clean record sheet. Having watched part of the lad’s game the girls were getting nervous but fired up. With the banter slowly being directed to them during our warm up the common cheer of “Staffs will smash you” did not faze them. With the fact that we lost Varsity last year in extra time in the back of their minds, and unfortunately their team captain also being the very fiery AU President, the girls were not only focused but ready for war…literally!

Stepping onto the pitch with so many people watching at first made all of us uneasy but loved. The atmosphere just added to what we knew was going to be an awesome game. In the first ten minutes Staffs broke through scoring the first try but missing the conversion. I didn’t need to say much to the girls after that. Restarting the game we hit back harder scoring two quick tries and making a conversion. Considering Staffs are a rugby league team it was clear to see we went out there with a game plan and it was working! The Staffs team kept fighting back and scored a few more times but you could see we were tiring them out. The amazing combination in the Keele back line in the form of Momo, Pip, Pam and the Welsh Wonder Kayleigh not only outsmarted them but outran them! Big hits in the forwards from Lea (bulldozer), Jamie, Guinness and Hughesy no doubt just scared them and well hurt them! There was much pushing and shoving from the Staffs team but after our 6th try it was all just one big blur! It was fast from start to finish and clearly both sides wanted to win.

Unfortunately for Staffs we showed why we are 3rd in our league this year and why they have lost every tournament they have played in. When the final whistle went it was simply a moment of pure happiness! With the Keele crowd storming the pitch we knew we had made everyone proud and finally shut the Staffs lot up!

The final score being 26-20 it was job done! Apparently Staffs are converting to Union next year..now that will definitely be a game to watch!

Every single Keele girl on that pitch played amazingly! I would just like to say it has been a pleasure being your team captain this year and I have enjoyed every moment of it! I am extremely proud of you all!

14

Roger Weston Keele Men’s Rugby went into this game on the back of what has been a disappointing season, but full of confidence after lots of hard work during the 2nd semester in an effort to be ready for the game.

The game itself turned out to be a huge disappointment for the defending champions. After taking a 3-0 lead from a straight-forward Roger Weston penalty from 30 yards, Keele slowly surrendered control of the game. In the 1st half Staffs scored three tries and took a 19-3 lead into the break. In truth Keele had more prolonged periods of pressure than thier opponents, but failed to score. Staffs, in stark contrast made three visits to the Keele 22, and converted everytime.

Strong words at half-time turned things round briefly, after conceding an early penalty and going 22-3 behind, Jordan Grimshaw scored in the corner from a neat Keele line-out move. The try was converted and Keele were within two scores. Poor discipline after a Staffs break conceded another penalty and the deficit was 15. This meant Keele needed a huge push and started taking risks. Unfortunately these didn’t pay off and Keele were further behind after conceding a penalty try. At 35-10 Keele scored via a scrum move through Greg Wood, but this would be the last time they troubled the scoresheet as Staffs eventually ran out 15-40 winners.

The disappointment will live with the squad until they get a chance to put things right in 2011. A weak defensive shift in the 1st half cost us any chance of winning the game and as the chased the near impossible mistakes crept in and their scoreline didn’t reflect the quality that the Keele team possesses, but they young lads are learning that you have to keep yourselfs within touching distance at this level.

We have to now pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and fight for out North 2 status for the remainder of the season.

I’m sure the lads would like congratulate all the teams that won on Varsity day, unfortunately we couldn’t contribute as we did last year, but we promise to bring back the Doji Shield and a Varsity point for Team:Keele next year!!

VA R S I T Y ‘ 1 0

Cricket Keele - 91/4 Staffs - 91/4 Bowl Off Keele - 0 Staffs - 1 Andrew Nicholson

Jack Storrow coming agonisingly close none of the Keele lads were able to hit. None of the Staffs lads managed a further hit either meaning that Staffs took the bowl out 1-0 and a 1-0 lead in Varsity 2010. Also a 2-0 lead in the varsity series at cricket.

Wednesday 10th March finally arrived and all the eager anticipation was over. At 9am the KUCC boys gathered in the New Sports Hall eager to avenge the dismal showing against Staffs in the 2009 varsity match. As the crowd grew, the sense of anticipation started to grow also and by the time skippers Mike Dunning and Danny Milligan tossed up, a crowd in excess of 150 people were on the balcony making one hell of a noise, led by chief chant leader VP sport Roger Weston.

Skipper Mike Dunning spoke of his disappointment at the loss "It was a great effort by all the lads, after last years showing we were desperate to put things right this year and we're all gutted"

Milligan won the toss and inserted Dunning into bat. Dunning and Tom Fenn opened up for Keele but disaster struck on ball 6 with Dunning being run out attempting a tight run. This brought Warwickshire starlet Valeed Butt to the crease and Butt and Fenn set about taking it to the Staffs attack. Gucci in particular came in for some serious tap which only added to the serious stick he was taking from the crowd, Allan "Little Ginge" Holly and Tom "Sex Pest" Crosby being particularly vicious to the Staffs opener. Fenn retired on 25 bringing Matt Philpott to the crease who picked up where Fenn had left off getting after Spaxman and Sherrat. Butt perished on 23 when he was well caught by opening bowler Ian Kirk and was shortly followed by the departure of Chris Benoit who was well caught behind by Staffs Keeper Matt Bond off Kirk. It was left for Jack Storrow and Fenn to see out the remaining overs of the Keele innings and a good last over from skipper Milligan restricted Keele to 91/3 from their 12 overs.

One advantage of playing first thing was that come half 11 we were done and could crack open the crates of beer, which we duly did. Although the beer would have been all the more sweeter were we drinking it celebrating a victory the KUCC boys stuck together and set about following and supporting all the other teams who had so loudly and passionately supported them in the morning.

Following the turnaround, Ian Kirk and Gucci opened up for Staffs, with Gucci still the victim of a barrage of banter from the crowd, abuse which to be fair he only brought on himself after weeks of being a keyboard warrior and banter which to be fair to the lad he took in very good spirits and every credit to him and the rest of the Staffs team for that matter. Kirk set about after the Keele bowling retiring on 25 where as Gucci remained solid at the crease. Staffs looked in danger of running away with it in the early stages but once skipper Milligan departed Caught and Bowled by Matt Philpott the tide turned in Keele's way.

The wicket of Spaxman caught by Storrow again off Philpott was followed by the departure of Bond bowled by a Valeed Butt yorker.

With 2 overs to go things looked like going Keele's way. However no balls from Butt and some decent batting from the returning Kirk meant that with the final over to be bowled it was Staffs needing just 6 runs who were favourites. Nerves of steel from Tom Fenn as he sent down 4 dot balls, the 5th Staffs managed a 3, leaving 3 to win from the final ball and despite not hitting a wall Staffs were able to scramble through for a 2, meaning a tie on 91/4. With number of wickets lost even also it meant that the dreaded bowl out was to take place.

In the bowl out it was Staffs bowler Andrew Spaxman who kept his nerve and managed to clip the leg stump bail to give Staffs a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, despite Valeed Butt and

When all was done the cricket proved to be a fantastic curtain raiser to Varsity 2010, 2 evenly matched sides fought out a fantastic game of cricket played in great spirits with a superb atmosphere.

Women’s Lacrosse Keele - 25 Staffs - 1 This is the first year that lacrosse has been played as separate men’s and women’s matches, rather than mixed so it was hard to predict which side had the better team to start with. Keele women played Staffs once before this season as a friendly and won 12-6; however Staffs were 4 players down and were playing without subs. Keele have been playing really well this season, although we’re not in the same BUCS league as Staffs. Also this was a home game, so we had our supporters and we had our own pitch.

From the start it was clear that Keele would dominate the game. Play seemed almost entirely confined to Keele’s attacking end, with only one shot on Keele’s goal before half time.

Staffs’ defence couldn’t stop the onslaught of goals from Keele’s attack. The score at half time was 13-0.

Netball Keele- 41 Staffs - 28 Rachel Mobberley With Keele winning the netball match in the previous 3 years on this fateful day, the pressure was on to maintain our undefeated record. With Varsity training mounting up, the Varsity team slowly but surely gelling together and a warm-up routine to die for, we felt confident (yet nervous enough to soil our pants) that the game was ours for the taking...so when we found ourselves a few goals down in the first quarter, we were not best pleased.

Despite our best efforts and the immense encouragement from the seemingly hundreds of people watching the game did not get off to the best start and you could see it on Staffs faces that they felt that this year, with their brand new coach and all, the netball trophy would finally be theirs...not likely! A slight change in the team and the bringing on of some fresh legs meant that we brought the result up to a draw by half time, and the next 2 quarters saw Keele fight for every goal, every interception, every loose ball, and never let Staffs feel again like there might be even the slightest chance of them winning.

Despite quite a few dodgy calls by their umpire and some of their team making unnecessary remarks towards us, Team:Keele never dropped their heads for even a second, but we fought till the end and deserve every inch of that shiny silver trophy. Player of the match went to our Goal Shooter, Susan O’Toole whose shots were on fire!

Overall though if I was asked to pick my own player of the match I wouldn’t know what to tell you- every individual player played out of their socks but also played as a team and I could not have asked for more. Sometimes wanting something badly enough really is the key to winning.

After half time play swapped ends, giving Keele another advantage as the sun had come out and would be shining into the faces of the attacking Staffs players. Keele’s defence did an amazing job to keep the ball away from our defensive end, although Staffs did manage to sneak one goal in.

By the final whistle however, the score was 25-1, giving Keele a phenomenal win over Staffs, adding insult to injury as Keele men’s lacrosse had also just beaten Staffs men 7-6.

Every single player gave their all on the pitch, the attack were amazing, scoring goal after goal, and the defence were brilliant at keeping the ball out of Keele’s defensive end and getting it back up to our attack. Go Keele Tigers!

Team: Rachel Mobberley, Kelly Richardson, Susan O’Toole, Kasia Skrakowski, Georgie Weston, Melissa Bain, Clair Woolford, Amy Meadows, Charlie Fisher, Biba Sasegbon, Gemma Hindley.

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VA R S I T Y ‘ 1 0

Women’s Hockey Match Report Keele - 5 Staffs -2 After a team bonding Varsity breakfast and long warm up, Keele girls were raring to go right from the starting whistle. Unfortunately the run of play went such that Staffs started out on top, with a goal from them in the opening minutes and an injury to Laura Thomas putting us on the back foot. Up stepped Sara Blackwell from the bench to do a sterling job to replace Laura.

Against the flow of play Keele were able to win a penalty corner, allowing us to equalise with an excellent straight strike from Stefanie Kent.

Staffs restarted play coming back strong again, pushing hard for another goal, but yet again Keele were able to get another penalty corner. Good work from Geri Perkins won us our second goal to give us the lead at 2-1. After a length of equal play, Emily Postlethwaite was floored by a dirty tackle earning a Staffs player a very forgiving green card – much to the dismay of the Keele supporters! She got her revenge by picking up her game to score a goal by beating the goalie from what seemed an impossible angle.

At 3-1, the game seemed to be in Keele’s hands, until a Staffs player broke free to leave herself in a one-on-one with our goalie Theo Izzard, and was able to close the gap back up to 3-2. Staffs’ defence then made a vital error and left Vicky Golbourn free in their D, which we were able to utilise with a long ball through to her, resulting in a rather inevitable goal from an experienced striker, putting the cushion back up to two goals.

Finally, Laura Thomas who had returned to the field put the final nail in the coffin to make the end score a 5-2 win for Keele. The Varsity hype leading up to the match really helped us to be focussed on winning and we played as a tighter unit than ever before. Our halftime ‘ORGY’ chant was oh so true – the women’s hockey girls gave an excellent display of teamwork that enabled us to beat Staffs for the fourth year running.

Men’s Hockey Keele - 3

Staffs - 8

Alex Platt After the girls match Staffs came out hard, scoring 3 times early on, and penetrating our defence easily. After a sloppy start, a beautiful threesome involving Scott Voicey, Kabir Bowry & Tom Butterworth ended up with the ball in Staffs net.

Our midfield took advantage of Staffs gaping holes and pushed for another goal entering their box with good ball control, but unable to avoid Staffs bad tackles with Adam Priston winning a flick...

Kabir stepped up for a stroke, and with a good quick wrist action hit the back of the net.

After playing with each other for one season Keele came together for the equaliser. Phill Will put it hard between the keepers legs even though he was not used to this position. A messy second half meant the Staffs keeper lifted his leg over Kabir.

Staffs pushed forward with stamina, coming out on top at the climax. Next year we hope to grab everything we can and expect another hard one. X

VA R S I T Y ‘ 1 0

Men’s Basketball Keele - 64

Women’s Basketball

Staffs - 62

Keele - 74- Staffs 48 Ele Yap & Amy Meadows

With almost a brand new team this season, with 7 of the 11 players picked for varsity being in their first year at Keele, the Men’s Basketball team showed they have the passion for Keele to put on a performance when it mattered. From day one Club Captain Matt Youds and Team Captain Justin Wong drilled it into the squad how important this game was to the whole university. Every single player that pulled on that Keele jersey played with 110 % commitment, passion and fight.

The game started with Staffs taking an early lead, but after Keele shook off their nerves, started to play with a bit of flair, consistently and control, and at the end of the first quarter were up by a few points.

The performance in the second started a bit flat, with more turnovers than liked, but after a time-out and some strong words from the captain, Keele played like a team determined to win and not let the crowd down, and at the half time were still up. The third quarter saw Keele take a 8 point lead at one point and at the end of the quarter were up by 7. The third quarter was some of the best basketball Keele have played this year, with strong solo drives from Sam Passey and Jonathan Lima got the crowd jumping up and down, and Odell Kenneth Bent with some quick points on the fast break. Joshua RobertsMensah came into his own and controlled the offence which left Matt Youds and Jonathan Lima with open shots and left the Staffs defence static.

The Staffs coaching staff were obviously getting worried, and their coach got them a technical after a pointless arguement with the officials and table, and Matt

Youds stepped up to shoot both free throws to rub salt into their wounds, despite abuse from the stands. The fourth was the lowest scoring quarter, as nerves started to creep in again. Staffs put on a full court press and Keele got caught a few times, and with three minutes left took the lead for the first time since the opening quarter. Odell Kenneth-Bent got fouled out in the fourth, which could have caused a worry for Keele as Odell had been immense on defence throughout the game, however Ivan Navi stepped up and played out of his skin. Sam Passey took another solo drive to put Keele back in the lead and Justin Wong nailed one of his freethrows after a deliberate foul on the fast break with the crowd going wild in anticipation of a Keele victory. Staffs put on the pressure, however incredible defence and crashing of the boards from Paul Hanson and Adeo Fraser, who both had been brilliant all game on d, made sure Staffs had to do something special to win. With 9 seconds to go, and down by 2, Staffs had possession after a poor decision from the officials.

The Staffs coach called a time out in hope to win the game. They gave the ball to their number 6, who’s shooting had been impressive throughout the game.

However he must have felt the pressure and threw up a brick which crashed off the back board which left him in tears and the Keele defence scrapping for the ball before the buzzer for full time sounded, and Keele celebrated a well deserved victory.

Top Scorer’s Matt Youds - 18 Sam Passey - 15

After the intensity of the men’s game, women’s basketball were more determined than ever to win and bring home another point for Keele. The bleachers were rammed with spectators, adding to the nerves the squad were feeling and leading to a rough start. Despite easily winning the tip, passes were panicked and easy interceptions were made by Staffs due to their structured defence and good composure on court, taking a quick 4 point lead. Once the adrenaline had kicked in and the crowd began to chant, our first basketball was scored and we began to make the game ours. This lead quickly increased and Staffs began to struggle to keep up with us.

Keele’s defence was tight, putting Staffs under pressure, with numerous rebounds and interceptions in the key, making easy work for Julia Parnell and Ele Yap, to play a fast break down the court and nocth up points on the scoreboard. Fiona Halton and Vicky Tsang had no problem controlling the pace of play, feeding the ball in well to post players Faith Kasegu and Amy Meadows for easy under-the-basket points.

Amanda Klein kept the crowd happy, making four 3’s during the game to increase the lead further.

By half time, Keele had a 20 point lead but knowing how easily a game can change, everyone continued to put their all into playing. After leaving the court at half time for their a team talk and restructure their play, Staffs began to close the gap, but continuous defence from Kate O’Sullivan, Ola Awosika and Lindsay McOwat ensured that we kept control of the lead. Despite playing out of position, Hanna Salehi rebounded well and kept the offence out of the key to stop any further baskets from Staffs. Jackie To worked well with the point guards when bringing the ball down the court and lead to further points for Keele. With 4 minutes on the clock, the starting five were brought back on, not only did we beat Staffs but we annihilated them!

The crowd were amazing throughout the game and supported us to the very end, without them, the 74-48 victory wouldn’t have tasted so sweet!

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VA R S I T Y ‘ 1 0

Men’s & Women’s Fencing

Women’s Football Keele - 2 Staffs - 1

Men: Keele - 135 Staffs - 78 Women: Keele - 122 Staffs - 135 Oliver Wakefield Both the Men and Women's Fencing teams we're eagerly anticipating their matches against Staffs, with the Women's team riding high after recent league successes and the Men's team confident in their 100% win rate this entire season.

The Men's team confidence extended as far as some pre-Varsity 'banter' with Staffs. This banter saw our Men's team posting their impressive league results for the Staffs Men to peruse at their leisure, at their sports centre at Staffs campus.

Carla Swift - Club Captain With three league game wins in a row we knew we had a team that could win at Varsity and so when the starting whistle blew KUWFC were straight to the ball. We dominated the first half hour, with the Staffs defence being kept under constant pressure. Jas and Irish up front both had several chances which they failed to put away and so it was from midfield that our first goal came. We were about half-way through the first half when Beci Jones found back of the net with a beautiful shot from the right wing, much resembling the goal she scored at Varsity last year.

The rest of the first half was much the same, with Keele working very well as a unit.

Beci Jones was awesome on the right wing, putting in crosses and creating chances. Jas and Irish continued to run rings around the Staffs defence but were unable to find the target. The half time whistle blew and KUWFC were leading 1-0.

At the matches we finally had the opportunity to accommodate spectators this year, with an inspired turn-out to watch some epic matches. The Women's team started out with a hopeful few bouts with the beginners punching well above their weight, and showing the old-timers how it's done! Successive good bouts saw the Women's team in contention until the last, but unfortunately this year, for the first time, they were just pipped to the post by their rivals Staffs Uni, in a gritty match that saw them only lose by a few points in what was a very impressive performance from a relatively new squad...Watch this space for much deserved future successes!

The Men's match was with all the arrogance the team could muster a white-wash. Even a Staffs broadcaster had predicted a heavy defeat for the Staffs away team a few days before Varsity, needless to say this prediction was very much realised. The match started very much how it ended, with the Men's Fencing team showing it's Staffs rival how to win matches. The crowd played a pivotal role in what turned out to be a crushing defeat for the Staffs Men's Team, which was readily evident in the mannerisms of a number of the away team's players!

After a healthy lead throughout the entire match news flooded through from excited spectators that a win at Men's Fencing would see a Keele victory in Varsity as a whole. This anticipation reached a climax when the Keele Men's Fencing team could claim victory at the start of the third weapon epee. I had the pleasure of claiming the required 3 points from by first epee bout to win Men's Fencing, and ultimately the Varsity Cup for Keele, in the most memorable moment of my 7 years at Keele to date. It truly was a great team performance by all, from the best friends I have (...sorry Bigsby), infront of a brilliant crowd (including by beautiful girlfriend :-P ), and I say sincerely, it truly was my greatest honour to have had the opportunity to fence for those points and bring the Varsity Cup to it's rightful home......

With all my heart, thank you all!

Love:Keele

The second half started and we were quick to pick up where we left off, putting pressure on the Staffs back four and keeper. It wasn’t long before our hard work paid off, when the Staffs centre-back brought Irish down in the penalty area, and the ref made no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Jas stepped up and coolly slotted it away to put us up 2-0.

The next 10 minutes were more pressure from Keele, and the Staffs defence struggled to cope with our two strikers. However, despite a number of chances Jas and Irish still failed to hit the target, and so the score remained 2-0.

With fatigue setting in for the home side and Staffs desperately looking for a goal, the pressure switched about 20 minutes from the end and we found ourselves under a lot of pressure. However, our back four were solid and their attempts to break through were quickly halted.

About 20 minutes from the end, a pass from the Keele midfield was intercepted by the Staffs forwards who quickly maneuvered themselves into a one-on-one with our keeper and found the back of the net, making the score 2-1. The remaining minutes of the game seemed to last forever and the play shifted from one end of the pitch to the other. Keele centre-back and Team Captain Sabrina kept us ahead on several occasions with vital tackles and centre midfielder Josefin made a great effort in defence as well.

After 8 minutes of added time, the final whistle eventually blew and Keele won 2-1!

Thanks to everyone who came down to support us.

The atmosphere was awesome and we hope you enjoyed the game!!

VA R S I T Y ‘ 1 0

The “Rock” Comes Home!

Mens Football Keith L. Harrison MSc FIIS - Football Coach

On Wednesday 10th March Newcastle Town FC again hosted the 10th annual Varsity Football Challenge Charity match. The weather was good and as ever the pitch was in good order, although a little bumpy from the game the previous night.

As the ground started to fill the players started to get a sense of the task before them, although the Varsity Sports day had been decided it placed a different pressure on each team. Staffs Footballers needed to claw back lost pride of the earlier failings, and retain the Varsity Challenge Trophy, and Keele needed to compound the overall win and snatch back the Mt Everest “rock”.

The Keele Manager, Keith Harrison had the luxury of a fully fit squad, “This squad is arguably the best squad that Keele have had in a Varsity Final during my tenure. Whoever gets left on the bench could just as easily have made the starting line up, it’s a nice problem to have.”

Prior to kick off the teams, and match officials were introduced to the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent. On returning to her seat after the introduction she did seem a little upset at all the noise being generated by the two very Partisan sets of supporters. What did she expect a chorister jamboree!?!

Once underway the game started at a furious pace, Keele had pre-empted the Staffs formation by taking the unusual step of having a 4-4-2 formation in an effort to stifle the Staffs 1-5-4 formation. When it looked like the initial wave of attacks had passed Keele reverted to their usual 3-5-2, a formation that has served them well this season both in the BUCS, and the Saturday football of the Staffs County Senior League, where Keele are having a fine first season, currently sitting third in the league.

Early exchanges were contested at a furious pace, which I knew would suit Keele as the game wore on, Keele’s hallmark is their superb fitness regime. A flowing move saw Matt Alexander sending over a powerful cross from the Keele right narrowly missing the boot of the onrushing Joe Norton. This was a precursor of things to come. Staffs were moving the ball about very well without really breaking down the well drilled Keele defence.

On 18 mins whilst attempting to orchestrate a switch of play the usually dependable Jonny Clay lost possession some 30 mtrs to Nathan Blissett who raced clear to score past a stranded Craig Patterson. Keele did not moan or groan they just got on with the game, knowing that they had time enough to reorganise and compensate the hiccup.

Keele were on the offensive almost immediately with Matt Slark having a good run checked on the left of the Staffs penalty area. On 24 mins Keele drew level with a

Keele - 2

Staffs - 1

finely crafted goal. Matt Hearn won the ball on the Keele left before transferring the ball in side with a switch to the Keele right where Matt Alexander took on and beat his full back to cross the ball evading both the covering defender and the keeper to find Sean Szabo at the back post, Szabo was well marked but he out jumped his marker to power home a class equaliser past a hapless keeper.

Keele were well on top now with Charlie Fotheringham creating a chance for himself with a shot wide of the target. Keeles tactics seemed to over run Staffs in mid field cutting of any supply to their lone forward, who became increasingly isolated as the half wore on. Clay had recovered from his earlier mishap and was now dominating all the aerial duels with some conviction, just to prove every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The back three of James Bennett, Clay and Hearn more than a match for anything that Staffs were throwing forward. The tireless efforts of both Keele Captain Dominic Randall, and Stu Lester saw them breaking up play to harass the Staffs mid-field.

On 39 min the same players who had so ably created the equaliser conjured up a similar move. Again Hearn won the ball on the Keele left deep in his own half, he ran forward moving in field to unleash a ball to the Keele right where Alexander beat his man to crash the ball across towards the near post, again Szabo was quick out of the blocks to get in front of his defender to stab home from an acute angle, another class poachers goal. The on looking club scouts must have been suitably impressed!

A third looked on the cards as Joe Norton weaved his way into the box only to be tripped, lesser players may well have taken a tumble to secure a penalty, Norton gained his balance but lost control o f the ball. The strike partnership of Norton/Szabo was creating a lot of problems for the Staffs back four.

HT 2-1 Keele made no changes at half time the idea was to pile on the pressure and step up the

pace as Keele felt confident with their fitness levels. Within a short time Staffs did make two subs as the pace took its toll, a third was made shortly after due to an injury. This was the chance for Keele to send on even more pace to maintain the pressure play mentality, a triple substitution was made in a short space with Stu Lester, Matt Alexander and Joe Norton making way for Oliver Rabie, Jordan Richardson and Caffrey. All three made an instant impact as they had all been primed to take on the Staffs back four at all times.

Keele were reduced to ten men for a short while when Slark had to get treatment to a facial injury, he quickly returned to the fray after the blood flow was stemmed. The tackles started to fly about, in true Varsity fashion, as tired minds started to make mistakes, the referee did a fine job in keeping the game moving without resorting to brandishing yellow cards. The only strange decision of the night came about as a result of a foul by the Staffs keeper on Richardson who had chased a loose ball into the Staffs penalty area only to be floored by the Staffs keeper. The linesman gave the penalty, but the referee over ruled him?

With a short time to go Keele made their final substitution, with Szabo coming off and Adam Dawson going on to tighten the midfield area. In the final minutes Staffs had one final effort to push the game into extra time.

The ball was launched into the Keele area where it bounced around for an age before it was kicked out for a corner. Staffs sent everyone plus their keeper into the box, the ball was cleared and as the Keele players ran out to chase the ball the referee blew for full time. FT 2-1 The euphoria that was in evidence was the heartache of three years of losing, this was the last opportunity for many of the Keele players to win a Varsity Challenge Trophy final, and they had done it! This was a fine game of football in the highest of Varsity standards.

The Keele Coach said: When the Varsity Challenge Trophy Charity match was first organised by Richard McPartlin and I fully understood that it had the potential to grow, and that it has. I would ask that the efforts of those prior to the new format be remembered in the stats as they challenged and fought to win as both Keele and Staffs ambassadors in the pursuit of sporting excellence, all games have been memorable and long may it be the case.

There was no luck involved in this win just lot of determination, hard work and most of all a desire to win in the framework of the rules. All Keele players know what I say about luck, there is no such thing as luck, ‘only the weak believe in luck the wise and strong in cause and effect.’

Let sport and charity be the ultimate winner.

The Mt Everest “rock” is back home in the Keele cabinet. Can you keep it there next year?

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TEAM KEELE VA R S I T Y ‘ 1 0 A message from your AU President Sonia Douz

Having been planning and organising Varsity since September, March 10th quickly arrived. It was an end to all of the sleepless nights, worrying how we would do, the constant banter between myself and the AU President of Staffs and the posting of Staffs videos on Facebook.

Varsity was here and I had one thing on my mind…WINNING!!

It was simply the most amazing day I have ever experienced at Keele! The day started with a very intense Cricket game that went into a bowl off. The lads unfortunately lost, but set the standard for the day. WE WERE NOT GOING TO LET STAFFS WALK ALL OVER US! The crowds were out in force and the chants were loud and proud. By 5pm in the evening we had won Varsity

KEELE

Est.1949

with the score being 8-5 to Keele, with two events yet to be played. By that point the Staffs President had just given up and started packing away. I however was running around with a smile bigger than the M6 on my face! I would like to say big congratulations to everyone that took part in Varsity! I couldn’t have asked or wanted for more. Everyone played with pride and passion and it was 110% effort from everyone! Thank you to everyone that came down and supported all the teams. That Trophy belongs to all of us and we more than deserved it…we OWNED STAFFS!!! Thank you to Michael Huss, Scott Little, Rachel Mobberley, Stephen Johns and the new incoming AU committee for all their hard work in making sure Varsity went smoothly. A big thank you to the Sports Centre staff as well for everything they did!

All I can say now is…IT WAS OUR TURF, AND IS OUR CUP!!

BRING ON 2011!!

10 V

STAFFS

5