AUTMN REPORT 2021 #wearebristol
Photo credit: Alan Spink
Welcome to the Autumn Performance Report 2021. I am writing this as we start a new year and, like many, hoping that 2022 shall be a return to something like normal life for us all. 2022 is looking set to be a very exciting year in Sport, with the Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, a Football World Cup, and the Women’s Euros hosted here in England. We had record numbers back in Bristol in August 2021 for training and to enjoy getting back to student athlete life. Across the month of preseason clubs engaged in sessions with our coaches and consultants in S&C, nutrition, and sport psychology, to support both individuals and teams. In September Clubs opened their doors to new members as thousands of excited first years joined the University wanting to be part of the sporting community at Bristol. BUCS competition finally returned and over 90 teams were entered from Bristol to play in the weekly inter University competition. We currently 7th in the BUCS league table. Term 2 brings the potential for promotions, cup runs and individual competition. Excellent performances across all of our clubs highlights the hard work they had put in during preseason and in recruiting new talented student athletes. We will continue to make sure students experience the joy of sport and foster the potential Olympians or professional players we have among us, by providing the best offer in Bristol Performance Sport and supporting their sport and academic dual-career goals. Thank you to all of the staff, scholars and experts who have contributed to the content and pages that are inside this Autumn report. The hard work to provide education and guidance to students athletes is what makes Bristol a unique place. Thank you to Nigel Wray and the Priory Foundation for your continued support, and all donors and friends of the University for your continued gifts, donations and words of support around the Performance programme. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2022, and look forward to seeing many of you at a game at Coombe Dingle very soon.
MATT PAINE
Performance Sport Manager University of Bristol Sport
Robbie Prosser Rowing
Phoebe Murray Rugby
This term I have taken my training to another level. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support and resources of the Performance Squad. The Head coach of University of Bristol rowing, Ed, my S&C coach Will, Nutritionist Fiona, Sport Psychologist Connor, and Physiotherapist Henry, have all enabled me to progress to this level. I have had a very successful term with personal bests and success at GB trials. This term culminated in me being invited to a GB rowing under 23 development camp. I felt well prepared for this because of all the knowledge and wisdom imparted to me by the performance squad staff. I cannot put into words how integral they have been in getting me to where I am today, I am forever grateful to them.
My season with Bristol Bears has started very successfully - we currently sit at the top of the table as league leaders having won 7 out of 9 games so far. If you had told me at the end of last season that we would be in this position I would have said you were crazy. I am also playing some of the best rugby in my career and have really made the 13 shirt my own. This progression is down to incredible new coaching staff and use of the Bristol Bears High Performance Centre as our training base, and we are more than ever aligned with the men's team. The support from the Performance Team at Bristol has also been paramount, especially through sports psychology in improving my mental agility and resilience. I am excited to see what we can do this season and what the future holds for my rugby career.
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"The Tokyo Paralympic Games was everything that I had dreamed about and more." Having never experienced a multi-sport event, let alone one of this magnitude, I went in with an open mind and ready to leave it all out on the court. We arrived a few days before the opening ceremony and about 10 days before the start of our competition. We were greeted by a fan-fair from the Japanese public and the hosts of our training camp at Keio University - we'd never received such an amazing welcome before. It was also the first time I really realised the impact the Olympics and Paralympics have on the local community and how the power of sport was uniting people in such trying times. We had an amazing training camp. Having our own private space to train and prepare was brilliant, and it almost felt like we were at home. By the time we entered the village, myself and the whole team were in the best shape possible. "Paralympics GB were amazing at creating a high-quality performance environment"
Entering the village was when it all started to feel very real. The huge accommodation blocks; the food hall (which was the size of two football pitches); the athletes from every corner of the globe - it was mind-blowing. Despite Covid, the organisation committee did an amazing job at making the event feel as special as ever, and although we weren’t allowed to go and watch other sports live, everyone in Paralympics GB house was watching on big TV screens which really added to the sense of comradery within the team. Paralympics GB were amazing at creating a high-quality performance environment and, having now experienced this myself, I’m not surprised GB has enjoyed high levels of success in the past few cycles. "I was the first British Paralympian ever to play a badminton match at a Paralympics, so that made this win extra special." I’ll never forget stepping onto court for the first time, against the home favourite for Japan. I felt great in the warm-up and wasn’t as nervous as I expected, but that all changed when the umpire said “love all, play”. I froze for the first few points, making errors on basic shots, and I went 4-0.
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I knew I should win and it was just about doing what I needed to do. I kept in consistent communication with my coach, eventually settled into the game, and came out with a comfortable win. I realised after that I was the first British Paralympian ever to play a badminton match at a Paralympics, so that made this win extra special. I kept the momentum going and reached the final where I faced the World Number 1 from India: my biggest rival. I went into the match feeling confident, however I wasn’t able to keep my momentum from the earlier rounds, losing 21-14, 21-17. I was really disappointed I came to win gold but fell way below the level that I had come to expect from myself. There were many things I could of done better but I was still proud of myself. Winning a silver medal made all the sacrifices; the early morning trainings, the injuries, and the rehab periods, worth it. While I was disappointed, the loss has given me a clear direction for the next cycle. "Overall, the Tokyo experience was the best experience of my life so far and has made me hungry for more."
Being on the high-performance squad at the University of Bristol was huge for my early development. It was the first time that I had access to an elite athlete programme and extra support services in S&C, psychology and nutrition.
This exposure was very important for when I joined the national centre in Sheffield full-time, as I went in with enhanced knowledge of what it takes to be an elite athlete and what is required of me both on and off court. "I have so much admiration for the highperformance programme at Bristol. I don't know where I would be without them"
I also noticed a big difference in my performances since I joined the programme. I was eating a lot better, I was stronger, and a lot fitter. This showed in my performances where I retained my European title twice and won multiple international titles during my time at Bristol. This helped me get accepted onto the funded programme in 2018. UK Sport have very high standards and athletes must show medal potential in order to receive funding. Having these European and International performances was crucial to showing I could get a medal at Tokyo. I have so much admiration for the highperformance programme and staff at Bristol. They provide world class facilities and coaches, help you manage your studying and training, and help to maximise your potential. I don’t know where I would be without them.
A huge thank you to Dan for his reflections on Tokyo 2020 and his medal success at the Paralympic Games. Dan, you're always one of our own and we could not be more proud of your achievements and challenges you have overcome - Matt Paine, Performance Manager Photo credit: Alan Spink
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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING PRESEASON 2021-22 Having lost a year to COVID, we returned to pre-season with a huge emphasis on getting to know one another and having fun. One way to achieve this was by providing breakfast and lunch to all clubs throughout preseason. This integrated nutritional education into our offer early, with all menus drawn up by our consultant nutritionist, Fiona, but more importantly, meal times became an opportunity to create conversation and build relationships. The offer of food encouraged students to stay on site after training, providing a relaxed and enjoyable downtime between sessions. To my knowledge, we are the only university to provide nutritional support during pre-season in this way. Whilst preseason is always a continual process of improvement, overall the fundamentals of logistics, processes, and training structures are now in place. This was demonstrated by Men’s Rugby’s start to the season: winning 6 games from 6, including two wins against Hartpury.
TERM-TIME S&C Scholar S&C The biggest benefit of smaller numbers and more time with our Scholars was gaining the capacity to integrate sprint training into our gym sessions. Last summer, we invested in five resisted sprint harnesses which we have been using to great effect with our Scholars to improve technique and speed. This has now formed an integral part of our programme for running based sports. Both myself and our Physiotherapist, Henry, are present at the Scholar gym sessions on a Friday which allows us to seamlessly integrate S&C and physio support hand-in-hand. Having trialed this approach last year, it is only getting better time goes on. This integrated approach is also true across the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) as a whole and the impact is starting to show. For example, Robbie Prosser (ViceChancellor Scholar, Boat), with support from the MDT and a lot of hard work, increased his muscle mass by 8kg from the start of pre-season - an incredible transformation in a sport such as Rowing. This definitely and significantly contributed to his personal best achieved at the U23s Trials in Term 1, where he finished 11th overall.
Club S&C Club’s returned to a Training Model, meaning S&C sessions precede technical sessions and was the first opportunity for 1st and 2nd year students to experience this model due to the COVID restrictions last year. This model, along with the £10,000 investment into new equipment in the OWL gym at Coombe Dingle Sports Complex, meant we very quickly got into the swing of things. First term was a great success, embedding and engaging two years' worth of academic cohorts into our S&C programme. The energy, progress and numbers have been great and this impact of this is being played out every Wednesday on the pitch.
S&C STAFF TEAM We recruited Tom Oglethorpe to join the S&C team ahead of the 2021-22 academic year. filling a part time role which had been vacant during the past 12-months. Coach Neil Wheeler left us to focus more of his time on his new young family, and so Aiden Sharp joined the team during the first term. Aiden is also the Head Coach for swimming. Aiden and Tom both take a people-focused approach to sport and have a great understanding of our students. They've had great impact so far and this will only continue to develop as they gain experience within our programme. Coach Toby Hodder has sadly left the team, taking on a lecturing role with Weston College. Toby has been an integral part of our growth and has given incredible energy to the programme over his five-years with us. We are in the process of recruiting for this position. We wish Toby and Neil all the best in their new ventures, whilst simultaneously looking forward to Aiden and Tom’s growth and impact in the years ahead.
GB U19 ROWING CAMP I was asked by GB Rowing to lead the S&C support on the U19s camp at Nottingham. This weekend camp was a great experience for me, but also a great opportunity to raise the profile of our Boat Club.
This term has been a fascinating one and has flown by. We have had the opportunity to restart a full programme after mothballing this last year, and implement multiple ideas and plans drawn up over the past 12-months. We have added real quality to our delivery, specifically for our scholars. I know this is already having impact but we are still early on in this journey, so I look forward to this being played out over Term 2 and beyond.
Will Ruscombe-King Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach University of Bristol Sport
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SPORT PSYCHOLOGY VICE-CHANCELLOR & MAROON SCHOLARS The August pre-season residential at Coombe Dingle and Porthcawl provided a great opportunity for the scholars to re-connect and prepare the mind and body for the busy student-athlete calendar. Pre-season allowed me to introduce mental skills and psychological periodization to the incoming cohort of students but also gave me the opportunity to check in with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year scholars after a competitive sporting summer.
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As BUCS and the various national competitions (including Allianz Premier 15s rugby, GB rowing trials, international water polo and national hockey meets) got into full swing, I was able to further stretch and support the scholars with psycho-educational programmes and techniques for managing the unique stressors and demands of studentathlete life. A welcome return to face-to-face sessions has broadened my applied contact from zoom and back into the gym and to the pitch/riverside, as well as to coffee shops near the University campus.
CLUBS & WIDER ATHLETIC COMMUNITY As well as continuing to operate within a holistic multi-disciplinary team alongside Matt (Manager), Henry (Sports Medicine), Will (S&C) and Fiona (Nutrition) I have also been able to adopt a “broader brush” approach to performance psychology by recognizing and acting on the value of the coach-psychologist relationship. As such, I have been fortunate to observe and meet with the BUCS performance coaches at Coombe, Saltford and Bristol Grammar School on several occasions outside of our weekly meetings.
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL TENNIS Working closer this year with Ali Blackett (Head Tennis Coach) and the players has been a brilliant experience and platform to educate on the mental side of the game. I am looking forward to re-commencing this aspect of ,y role in January 2022.
THANKS I would like to extend a sincere thanks and note of admiration for all the students, staff, stakeholders and wider sport & exercise community that have allowed this term to be a successful, safe and healthy one for all involved.
Connor Grant Sport & Exercise Psychology Consultant www.sportguru.me
UBRFC Performance preseason kicked off with a bang in late August as near 60 players returned to Coombe Dingle to meet old and new friends, and engage with a new coaching team. Former Wales U18s Coach, Chris Horsman, joined the group, sharing responsibility on the forward play and leading a new look defence set up throughout the Club. Chris has offered some great advice and ideas as we evolved the program through the summer, and provided the players with a real edge, setting standards on and off the field. In early September the Performance Group were joined in preseason by another 20 players from the development level, which truly shows the growth of the club over recent years. It was great to see students motivated to come out of COVID restrictions and keen to enjoy their rugby once again.
NEW YEAR, NEW CHALLENGES Off the field a new committee was taking shape for the 2021-22 academic year and preparing to welcome new and returning club members with socials, team building events and fixtures over the early weeks of term. This was well driven by Club Manager, Olly Slym, new Club Captain, Louis Butler, and a number of our volunteer coaches who were getting to grips with not only a new play book and new ideas, but also a club that has grown in numbers. The Committee have been fundraising for Movember, as well as for former club VC Freddie Adam’s charity which is supporting him through his cancer treatment.
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The latest fundraising challenge event for the team is a learning to sing in readiness for a new year concert, supported by the universities own Acapella society.
With our culture being established, early conditioning was the order of the day, alongside laying a new system of playing which prepared the students for their first fixtures. We met Nottingham and Birmingham during preseason, followed by our traditional Welcome Week match against the Royal Navy U23s. Winning 2 from 3, the coaching team were very pleased with the players effort and progress over the five weeks.
MATCH PLAY On the field the Performance 1st XV team got off to a great start against big packs and securing wins against Hartpury 2s, Cardiff Met 2s, Cardiff 2s, Bath 2s, and a big win at St.Mary’s. These wins were followed up by a brilliant first 1876 Club networking event in London. Over 20 'old boys' joined the 1st XV in a southwest London pub to enjoy a Q&A with Lawrence Dallaglio, time to reminisce about old times and look forward to the big potential of wining times ahead.
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This was followed by a fantastic 'old boys' game the following weekend in London as part of a series of 1876 Alumni events. Some 40 plus old boys putting the jersey back on for a run out at St. Mary’s before going on to watch the England vs Tonga game at Twickenham.
LOSSES AND LEARNINGS Unfortunately, energy levels and focus dipped mid-term as injuries and deadlines hit, with losses against Exeter 2s and 3s. Lessons were learned by our coaching team and changes to session plans have been implemented. For our players, it was a lesson in the fine margins of this tough sport - what is delivered on the field is first founded and built by behaviour off the field.
ONWARDS & UPWARDS We welcomes a new S&C coach to the team, Tom Oglethorpe, who joins us for training alongside his work with the Bristol Bears Women’s program. Tom's input, paired with a visit from world-class kicking guru, Dave Alred, ‘kick started’ our run into the end of the year. We saw a solid win against Hartpury at home, followed by a tough loss away to Cardiff Met. This was followed by a much-needed powerful performance winning against Cardiff 2s (42 -10) which rounded off the most challenging of terms and years for the team. We sadly had to postpone the launch of our 1876 Dinner at Twickenham in December for a second time. The Club still managed to end the year on a high by re-launching the Bristol University Reefree’s Society with the help of legendary World Cup referee Ed Morrison in support. In addition, 40 of our club members found time in amongst deadlines to volunteer and raise funds for Children’s Hospice Southwest before signing off for a well earned Christmas break. A huge thanks to all my coaching team, all our support staff in SEH, our new physio Sean, analyst Chris and of course the alumni and sponsors of UBRFC for their continued support. 2022 looks to be a big year for UBRFC!
Joe Goodman Head Coach, UBRFC
BADMINTON After a frustrating Summer our luck turned for the better this term!
PRESEASON From September we were back indoors once again and we started with our first ever preseason training camp. Alongside preseason the Club managed to hold three national tournaments ranging from U17 to adult level with a lot of the club able to compete. These tournaments are great for the club as they not only provide an income but it is also a way to promote the University to prospective students, as well as providing current Club members with another competitive opportunity. Due to the great work the committee has put in, and having the facilities available to us again, our membership has grown this year, across all levels from Social to Performance.
MAROON SCHOLAR We have also awarded our first place as part of the Maroon Scholarship programme. Our Maroon Scholarship for the 2021-22 season is awarded to Nathan Wooster. Congratulations, Nathan.
COMPETITION It was fantastic to see players back on court and preparing for a year of BUCS. As a club we have been able to field a number of teams and they have been playing almost weekly, travelling far and wide to fixtures. The efforts from the squad has been faultless but the results have not always been as kind to us. The amount of 4-4 draw is amazing but we battle on and with the few remaining matches we aim for the wins and to maintain our Premier division positions for both the Men's and Ladies' as well as aiming for promotion for our lower teams. After a well earned rest over the Christmas break we look forward to our January preseason and then on to the finish the season on a high.
Bex Pantaney Badminton Coordinator, UOBBC
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HOCKEY ON THE PITCH Men's Squad The Men’s Performance Squad have never had a first term like this one. The 1s sit top of both the England Hockey West Conference and the BUCS South Premiere league table, with the 2s top of their BUCS league and second in the West Championships. The opportunity for an unprecedented ‘quadruple’ is there. The 3s sit 3rd in both of their leagues and the 4s 2nd in BUCS and mid table on a weekend. It has been fantastic to see the 5s and 6s getting back to competitive action after having their seasons wiped out by the pandemic last year; the 6s sitting 2nd in their BUCS league with an outside chance of promotion.
Women's Squad
It has been fantastic to see a large number of our new first years come in and really be the catalyst for this; the future is bright.
Thanks to the development of the Maroon Programme we now have 16 hockey Scholars. The programme continues to go from strength to strength and The Monday and Friday afternoon skills session are certainly one of the highlights of my week! We wish Amy Salmon the best of luck at Scotland (and EDP) trials over the coming months and to Beca Evans looking to break into the Wales U21 squad.
INDOOR Our Men's Indoor squad had a fantastic run, winning the West Indoor Finals in December before being knocked out in the final game of the weekend of the National League Division 2 South competition in January. The success of this year's squad has 'lit the touchpaper' for our future Indoor programme; watch this space!
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After a relatively slow start the 2s are now flying; top in BUCS and in 3rd place on the weekend with all to play for.
MAROON SCHOLARS
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It has been a ‘tale of two teams’ within the Women’s Performance Squad. While the 1s have found the step up to National League tough, they have been very competitive, losing 6 of their 9 games by just 1 goal. We look forward to welcoming new coach Chris Marriott for the second half of the season and I am certain the girls will thoroughly enjoy working with him.
The 3s are currently mid-table in BUCS but 2nd on a weekend and gunning for promotion. The 4s are flying at the top of their league on a weekend and the 5s have won every game in BUCS and are set for promotion/ The 6s are competing superbly well in the same league as the 5s; the highlight being the 6-0 win down at Southampton Solent.
HOCKEY COORDINATOR In August we appointed Martin Hicks as Hockey Coordinator and what an addition he has been to our club. To say he has gone above and beyond for our students this term would be an understatement. His passion, enthusiasm and expertise have made him a superb appointment for the university and my hope is that we can develop his role further in the near future because there is no question Martin has so much to offer our programme. He has even fulfilling the role of ‘training ground goalkeeper’ on a number of occasions!
FLYERZ One of my major highlights this term has been seeing our students help both disabled and non-disabled players play together, with the majority being children who would otherwise be unable to access the sport we love. Thank you to all those students who have volunteered and to Martin & Hannah Hicks for taking a lead with the sessions.
MOVEMBER
Ben Dudley Head Coach, UBHC More information regarding our Supporters Club can be found on our website.
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The gentle overnight ‘stroll’ from Cardiff to Bristol (in December!) by Ben Crocker, Archie Sansome, Ollie Izzo and Robbie Jackson contributed £500 towards a club wide effort of nearly £10,000 raised for Movember. Was the quality of facial hair of show worth nearly £10,000; absolutely not! But this is certainly not the point, the money and, equally if not more important, awareness raised made all the effort worthwhile.
I heard the phrase ‘You Gotta Love The Club’ when I started and didn’t think much of it; however after 5 years I can tell you ‘You Gotta Love The Club’.
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The club never ceases to amaze me with its desire to raise money for charity and this term has been no exception.
A final thank you from me to all our students and staff that support hockey and the university, in particular our Club Captains Charlotte Ross and Dhillon Shukla.
BOAT HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA I’m happy to report The University of Bristol Boat club had its most successful HRR since 2011. Due to the regatta being delayed until late August I have been unable to bring you the exciting news till now.
CLUB DEVELOPMENT After a hugely successful Henley campaign, and with an influx of talented rowers into our Senior Squad, we are keen to keep our momentum going and build on the strong results we set last year. Training for the Senior Squad over pre-season and the first few weeks of term has gone well, with up to four Men’s and Women’s VIIIs and further athletes in small boats all training at Saltford and Coombe Dingle together. We also welcome Thomas Selby to the UBBC coaching team as ‘Novice Coordinator’. Tom has previously coached Hartpury College and will oversee the development of our Novice Squad. We are hugely grateful to The Fernside Trust for funding this project.
COMPETITION
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UBBC took four crews to qualifiers, managing to qualify three boats for the regatta. The Temple crew raced against Imperial College London ‘C’ and comfortably overcame their opposition by 4 ½ lengths. Unfortunately, their regatta came to an end the next day against Newcastle ‘A’. The Prince Albert crew comfortably beat Exeter University on the Wednesday and then Surrey University on the Friday, setting up a semi-final against Newcastle University on Saturday. Unfortunately we fell short of their goal of making it to the final, losing to Newcastle by ¾ of a length. The Britannia was made up entirely of nonstudents representing our Open Club Squad, facing London RC ‘A’ in their opening heat. London were strong favorites to win going into the race, however our crew raced exceptionally well to keep the race close. The final verdict was ¾ of a length.
The Upper Thames Autumn Head presented some early season racing for the club. The Men's 2nd and 3rd VIII’s won their respective categories but unfortunately, the 1st VIII were forced to stop after getting something stuck in their rudder. In the afternoon, the 2nd VIII won again as did the Championship 4x-. Several of the club competed at Fours Head. The Men's Championship 4+ came 5th and were the fastest coxed four that did not include Olympians or were a crew from Oxbridge! The Women's Squad also entered a 4+ and although they came last in the championship category they would have placed second had they been in the academic category - a good sign of things to come. UBBC Head Race gave us an enjoyable day of racing to wrap up the first term. Our crews secured wins in the MCh8+, MInt8+ MCh4+, WInt2x, MInt1x and MB4+, alongside a win from our alumni club, Nonesuch BC in the MInt2-. Notable mention to the men's 1st VIII who beat two visiting crews from Oxford Brookes.
Final mention to our U23 Trialists, Robbie Prosser, Hannah Lawrie, George Cowley, and coxes, Simran Gill and Iwan Rees. This was the first-time attending the November trials for a number of these athletes many of whom will come back stronger next year. Congratulations to Robbie and Iwan who were invited to the GB U23 training camp in December as a result of their performance in November.
A quick remark on Alice Davies who picked up not one, but two, Red Boxes for wins in the Town and Remenham Challenge Cups last summer! Alice first picked up an oar on UBBC's Novice Program in 2015/16. She played a lead role in the successes of UBBC's Women's Squad in subsequent seasons, stroking the 1st 8+ to a 4th place finish in BUCS Championship 8's in 2018 (Bristol being the only non GB Rowing funded program to make this final) and earning a GB U23 vest in 2019.
ALUMNI & FRIENDS
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UBBC’s growth and improvement in recent years is undeniably the product of the generosity of our Alumni and Friends. It was an honor to have them join us at Saltford for the boat naming ceremony for our new Hudson USP, purchased from the accumulation of regular donations from over 150 members of the UBBC community. The boat was named in memory of Piers Robinson, UBBC’s 1991 Henley-winning Captain, who is remembered for saying:
“If you create the right environment, people will achieve their potential” The legacy of this statement has lead to the club that we are today, and our alumni community continues to be essential in nurturing the environment that leads to our success.
Ed Bloomfield Head Coach, UBBC
TENNIS It has been great to return to a more ‘normal’ season this year with competition, training, and wider club activities kicking off in full swing.
Current League standings Men's 1sts - 3rd Western 1A Men's 2nds - 4th Western 2B (1 game in hand) Men's 3rds - 5th Western 2B (2 games in hand) Men's 4ths - 1st Western 3B Women's 1 - 1st Western 1A Women's 2 - 4th Western 2A (1 game in hand)
We had a solid squad return to a busy preseason with 20-30 players accessing on court training, plus S&C across the three weeks which marks another year-on-year growth in preseason engagement.
All six teams remain in their cup competitions with a clean sweep across the board in round one of cup competition
The new Committee and Captains have returned with increased enthusiasm and their drive to improve the club has been outstanding. We welcomed our new University Tennis Coordinator, Ollie Bendall, into post in July and he has already made a considerable impact on UBTC.
The 2021-22 NPL competition kicked off in November. We have completed two fixtures and unfortunately lost both ties due to very strong Bath and Cardiff opposition. It will be difficult to match the results of last year, but there are great upcoming opportunities for current players to gain competition experience of the highest level.
National Premier League (NPL)
The return of BUCS Coach, Connor Grant, and increased involvement with our performance players has been such a positive influence on this part of our student programme.
COMPETITION
The leadership of BUCS Team Captains Matt Whitehead, Daf James and Anna Van Der Stap has been exceptional and Connor’s increased hours with us as BUCS coach has provided much-needed improved coach input on match days.
It was incredibly exciting to increase the number of Maroon Scholars from two to five this season: Katie Kirby – 5th Year, Medicine Ella Walker – 1st Year, Psychology and Innovation
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We have also introduced bespoke guidance from external coaches in the area with monthly ‘Masterclass’ sessions. We’ve had a positive response from players and as a result benefitted from a continued building of performance culture.
MAROON SCHOLARS
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Players have been showing a fantastic attitude to both training and competition - this is one of, if not the most, unified squad of performance tennis players I have worked with at Bristol.
Chaaya Malik – 1st Year, Medicine Daf James – 4th Year, Management Matt Whitehead – (Men’s Captain) 4th Year, Management and Innovation Three of our Scholars competed in the BUCS Individuals Doubles competition in November. No wins this time but we look forward to our scholars competing in the BUCS Individuals singles competition in March, with the Western Qualifiers to be hosted at Bristol for the 3rd year.
‘Learn To Tennis’ - 6 week beginner Women only sessions Cardio Tennis B:Active ‘open to all’ session Box League Competition SW Series Development League Fast 4 Team Challenge Events Our residencies programme is due to start back up from January which will allow increased access to tennis across the university.
CLUB DEVELOPMENT The combination of phenomenal leadership from key roles within the club such as Club Captain Finlay Perry plus the hard work of Ollie as University Coordinator has resulted in fantastic growth in wider areas of the club. UBTC currently has it's largest membership in Club history, at 460 members, and is delivering an extraordinary Tennis offer to every level of the club, from beginner through to its Scholars. UBTC provided an amazing offer for people at the beginning of term with 22 hours of Give it a Go Sessions available alongside Team and Advanced trials; resulting in approximately 500 new players accessing tennis across the Welcome period.
I would like to thank all the captains and committee members for the exceptional work and determination they have put into the club and its members. Additional thanks to the staff, coaches and students that put in so much work and make the club such a great place to be. Thanks to Aiden and Tom for their hard work in S&C, Connor for his vital role with BUCS, Ollie’s incredible 1st Term as UTC and the LTA Student Tennis Ambassadors Jess, Torrin and George. My final thanks to our remarkable wider team of coaches: Dom, Ben, Katie, Finlay, Toby and Jess who all ensure every member of UBTC receives the best experience of tennis possible.
Ali Blackett Head Coach
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We have introduced or re-introduced the following sessions or competitions this year:
A NOTE OF THANKS
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This year we entered a 5th Men's team into the local league offering more opportunities for team players to experience regular match play and establishing our club as a force to be reckoned with moving into the 2nd half of the season.
SQUASH A NEW OUTLOOK The Maroon scholarship programme was introduced into the Squash Club this year and we couldn’t have started stronger with our 3 appointed Maroons - Isaac Rawcliffe, Harry Anderson, and Emma McGugan - all three players with national representation and training under their belt, and experience that can be passed down through the club ranks.
Our women’s teams have come up against tough competition locally but with lots of experience gained to build upon. BUCS Individuals were held at the David Ross Sport Centre, Nottingham, saw our Performance players take on some of best from across the country.
They have taken to their roles well, offering support throughout the club, as well as providing strong performances in BUCS and local leagues. The club have also started shaping additional support packages for our Scholars to provide opportunities to move on to the PSA World Tour and begin their professional Squash careers.
CLUB DEVELOPMENT
COMPETITION
We'll be hosting our first recruitment event on 6 March 2022 to show up-and-coming juniors what is on offer at the University of Bristol for Squash and their studies, and socially integrating them with our current students to foster an early welcoming environment for potential newcomers.
Men’s 1s finished Top 6 in the lead up to the Premier Division Cup, providing us with a strong position to retain our Premiership status for the 22-23 Season.
This year we are considering a longer committee handover period, including shadowing of positions that can allow better transfer of knowledge and best practice and result in a more effective club overall.
The Women’s 1s team were looking in strong contention to compete for premiership status unfortunately UWE had an influx of professionalstandard players this season, dampening our chances within the current Division 1 Western League. In local leagues, our Men’s 1s clinched top-of-thetable status in the first half of the season setting themselves up for a premiership championship title play-off match in the Spring.
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Mark Toseland Squash Coordinator
After what has certainly been challenging times for all we were delighted that we reached an agreement with The University of Bristol to extend the contract for a further 3 years, reflecting the service and quality Surridge has provided up until now. As part of the re-signing process we have refreshed both on and off field ranges to include new fabrics, designs and fits for all students and staff. Sport plays a huge role for students and we are proud to be a part of this and ensure we provide product the students are comfortable in. In 2022 we look forward to within with the Performance team on promotional videos, with clubs invited to participate to showcase their club and kit. A big thanks to all students and staff for their support over the years and very much look forward to continuing to grow the partnership between University and brand.
Danny Vilia Sales Director, Surridge Sport
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