Sports Review 2008

Page 1

@MMT@K RONQSR QDUHDV 1//7 ©John Gaisford

www.sport.ox.ac.uk ¥ Supported by VincentÔs Club Qtfax Tmhnm The Club enjoyed a successful season overall, winning three out of the five Varsity matches in November/December 2007. Unfortunately, the Blues failed to win the showpiece game at Twickenham, despite winning 13 out of 16 matches throughout the season. The Greyhounds had a successful season in BUSA Premier South B, and although starting the campaign with minus 6 points, still managed to finish third and go on to win the Shield Competition. The under-20s failed to reach the quarter-finals of the national under-20s competition after their success two years ago, winning one out of their three matches. Former Leicester Tigers Academy captain and Loughborough graduate, Peter Clarke (St Cross), was elected captain in February 2008. He and the players have been working hard on their strength and conditioning since April, in their quest to win the Varsity match at Twickenham on Thursday 11 December; kickoff will be at 2.00 pm. Qtfax Î VnldmÓr OUWRFC enjoyed a successful season despite both teams suffering losses in this year’s Varsity matches. The start of the season was particularly tough for the Club, with just five returning Blues players. Lack of experience and match practice led to a disappointing defeat in the first BUSA match against Chichester, and although a draw was secured with Marjohns, two more losses followed. A mid-season tour to Malta proved to be highly beneficial, with immediate success on return to the BUSA league in Hilary term. The massive improvement in results was testament to the hard work of the coaches and players over the Christmas break and led to a strong finish to the season – third in the Women’s Premier South League, eventually losing to Edinburgh in the BUSA knock-out stages. The Varsity sides were very strong indeed. The Panthers played their best rugby of the season and held a lead throughout most of their match. However, despite their great efforts, the Cambridge Tigers came back powerfully in the second half and the result was a 5–8 loss. The Blues also put in an impressive first-half performance, securing a 12–3 lead. However, after three players had been yellow-carded, the team’s 12 on 15 defence conceded tries, and a

last-minute missed penalty kick resulted in a 13–12 loss. It was a gut-wrenching experience, but despite the great disappointment, both teams played phenomenally well and grew as players as a result. Bqhbjds Î LdmÓr The Oxford UCCE season could have been very different if it had not been for a poor six hours against Loughborough on the final day of the season. However, rain saw the two-day fixture reduced to a one-day match in which Entq sd`lr bntkc g`ud vnm sgd TBBD bg`lohnmrgho nm sgd k`rs c`x+ vhsg Nwenqc mddchmf sn ad`s Kntfganqntfg sn vhm sgdhq rdbnmc shskd hm sgqdd xd`qr- Oxford was bowled out cheaply, thus handing Loughborough the title. Indeed, rain certainly played its part throughout the season, with the Cardiff and Leeds fixtures being abandoned, and also affecting the Middlesex first-class match. The first-class matches were a good experience for Oxford, having a full-strength

Warwickshire side nine wickets down and holding on for a draw and achieving a close finish with Nottinghamshire. Oxford reached the semi-final of the BUSA 50-over competition where they lost a close game against Cardiff, with Robin Lett scoring a fine 120. There were several further excellent individual performances throughout the season: Ed Morse took five wickets against Glamorgan, while Duncan Bradshaw scored an unbeaten 100 against a Nottinghamshire attack which included Stuart Broad. Paul McMahon took seven wickets against Durham and Harry Hooper scored 100 against Cambridge. In 2008, OUCC played host to the inaugural Varsity Twenty20 match. While the season was not without its notable individual and team performances for the Blues, there is no doubt that it will be remembered predominantly as the year in which the Varsity tradition embraced the modern form of the game. The success of the Twenty20 match as an event was not, sadly, matched with a successful result for the Dark Blues; indeed, Oxford failed to fulfil their promise throughout the Varsity campaign. The Blues side handed Cambridge the advantage with some lacklustre and


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