Executivesummary.
So here we are, the end of another season; I am writing these notes in a slightly quieter than normal Coombe Dingle, as the dust begins to settle on another fantastic season of sport.
The last term goes a lot quicker with exams, but has been no less packed with sporting action and success stories.
The final BUCS points table was totalled up in June, and with all the scores and summer competitions added, we finished with a total of 2920 points, which secured us our eighth consecutive season amongst the university sporting elite Top 10. A 10th place finish coming from over 90 teams entered and individual competitions attended. This is a huge achievement, with promotions to Prem, Play Off wins and many more standalone performances across all of our teams.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every student who has competed for the University in BUCS, as well as in national and international competitions. Without your commitment and work, we could not do what we do, and we know that with all the commitments students have, including a commitment to sport takes times, lots of travel and training to get the results we
continue to achieve.
To thank the students also of course means the team of staff who deliver the technical support. The coaching and multi-disciplinary team this season have been incredible and raised the levels of professionalism both on and off the field.
From starting in August at pre-season all the way to the REDS Awards ceremony in June, the commitment to provide an environment where students can develop, grow and enjoy their sport is the ‘Why’ to their days.
(L-R)PerformancePathwayManagerWill Ruscombe-King;currentstudent,Paralympic triathleteandBristolRED2024winnerMichael Taylor;andVice-ChancellorandPresidentof theUniversity,EvelynWelch FineTime Photography
All roads lead to an amazing Summer of Sport; we are in the midst of the Euros in Germany, tennis at Wimbledon, and of course the biggest events of them all in the streets of Paris, the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are so excited to have a range of current students and alumni and, for the very first time, incoming students (September ‘24 start) competing at the Games.
Please follow our Instagram coverage (@bristolunisport) in the coming weeks and months as we share all the excitement of those athletes’ stories, as they go for gold in Paris. We will all be glued to our TVs and phones..!
We take a short break, but will be ready to come back strong with pre-season from 12 August. We’re looking at our biggest and best yet, with the most students, the most clubs engaged, our best food offer, and MDT coverage for all clubs.
I would like to thank all staff in the Sport, Exercise and Health division for the last nine months; we’re a team, and it’s crucial that all parts of the structure align in order for us to keep progressing.
Thank you to Nigel Wray and the Priory foundation for your continued support; we really could not do it without you, and hope that you’re pleased on the return of your every generous investment. We have exciting new opportunities in 2024/25 and look forward to sharing all those with you in the Autumn report later in the year.
Thank you to all our friends, donors, supporters and Alumni who have Bristol at your heart - your interest is always appreciated.
I wish you all a fantastic summer. May the sun shine for long days and hazy nights, and who knows... after all these years, it may come home! If not, there's always the World Cup in 2026.
Over and out, Matt
View the REDS Awards 2024 ceremony booklet, including details of award winners and guest speakers.
1stVIII,HenleyRoyalRegatta2024
Aaron Sims
BUCS.
With student teams now taking a wellearned rest from competition, efforts turn to reflecting on the 2023/24 season.
The curtain has just closed on an unusually wet cricket season, with some teams managing only two fixtures through the whole season. Nevertheless, both the men’s and women’s 1st XIs have held their place in very competitive leagues. The women’s 1st and 2nd XIs have, for the first time, joined forces with the University of the West of England’s club, entering two Bristol-UWE teams into BUCS
This has, on all accounts, been a resounding success, and provided more opportunities for students, of both
institutions, to play competitive cricket.
We are now looking forward to introducing the newest cohort of student leaders to BUCS competition throughout pre-season, and supporting their transition into their roles of responsibility.
As ever, the excitement and anticipation for another season builds and we look forward to 2024/25.
CelebratingduringamatchvsBournemouth SmifSports Photography
Nutrition.
VC SCHOLARSHIP INTERVIEWS
We had the opportunity to meet some exceptionally talented athletes and showcase what the University of Bristol has to offer at the scholarship interviews.
Nutrition played a key role throughout, starting with the provision of freshlymade smoothies for students and staff upon arrival. A workshop introduced performance nutrition to the athletes, before they got their hands dirty making some protein energy balls. We all shared a balanced and delicious lunch, and the athletes went away with a bag of Nutrition X goodies.
Our goal was to introduce the University's nutrition support services in a fun and engaging way. Overall, the day was a success!
CLUB SUPPORT
Our nutrition provision is continuously evolving beyond the everyday framework, now supporting individual clubs and their athletes. The first workshop was part of the cricket preseason, focusing on competition nutrition. Players were surprised to learn about the significant amounts of carbohydrates and liquids needed for
optimal performance, but all left with an individualised plan to achieve these goals.
The second workshop was with the Hockey Talent Academy. Aimed at younger players, this workshop introduced performance nutrition and the importance of fuelling properly for training, through interactive games and competitions. It was key to keep the objectives manageable, and all left with the focus on consuming snacks before and after training, to support fuelling and recovery.
CONTINUING
INDIVIDUALISED SUPPORT WITH VC SCHOLARS AND MAROONS
Fridays at Coombe Dingle continue to prioritise personalised support for our VC Scholars and Maroons. Recently, a key topic of discussion has been how to manage nutrition during exam periods. This challenge has led to innovative solutions, as many athletes face greater commitments on their time and heightened stress, both of which affect their eating habits. It has underscored the connection between mood and food, emphasising the need for a holistic approach to nutrition improvement.
Furthermore, many athletes had completed their competition seasons and were now considering how best to utilise their offseason effectively. Different athletes had different objectives, but all were looking to maximise their potential. It will be great to see them all in the upcoming preseason, to measure their success.
Meanwhile, rowers have intensified their focus, requiring detailed competition plans to optimise fuelling and recovery during races and regattas. This includes considerations such as access to hotel facilities, pre-exercise meals that are easily digestible, and managing back-toback competitions and training sessions. The results have been promising, with athletes reporting increased energy levels, improved concentration, reduced cramping, and delayed onset of fatigue.
Strength& conditioning.
Term 3 brought an end to our 2023/24 season’s physical preparation programme. Wesawarecordnumberof 13,600 attendances come through the S&C suite doors this year and all have worked hard to improve themselves in every facet of sports performance.
TERM 3 REFLECTIONS
Term 3 presents students and staff a number of challenges due to the congested calendar. Exams, final games & social events must take priority to ensure students maintain a healthy lifestyle and sport balance. Therefore the S&C team’s focus turned to providing a space away from any pressure.
A reduced timetable was provided and made accessible to all teams throughout the week. This offered students some autonomy with their calendar, whilst providing a physical stimulation to increase mood, concentration and mental health. Switching our focus from performance to health and wellbeing at what is a critical time for students is a feature of the programme that has worked well for the past few years.
However, for some, term 3 does mean warm weather (or not!) necessary to play summer sport. The cricket team pushed incredibly hard on the periodised
plan all year, working on their general physical capacities and, following their Easter pre-season, they were finally able to put their hard work to the test with a number of games. Instances of strength, speed and power were regularly visible as both the men’s and women’s teams put on some brilliant displays against tough opposition.
Similarly, the rowing squads continue to push their physical capabilities around their competition schedule. Despite the busy programme, students continue to wake up early and attend their 7 am gym slot. Having spent all academic year increasing their strength, power and endurance, they can now compete and hopefully reap the rewards of a successful season. Their efforts are already having a big impact at two key regattas; Marlow and Metropolitan.
PERFORMANCE AND PARTICIPATION
While results are often the headline, we would like to also acknowledge how important the process of training is. Some students who walk through the OWL doors are yet to experience a strength and conditioning environment. As staff, we are lucky to see students who display consistency, who work hard and commit to the training process -
our training sessions, and Samara for motivation has been key in helping me see actual changes.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Pre-season presents a chance for players to work with an increased workload and prepare themselves physically for the expanded technical and tactical training they will experience with their sport. We encourage as many students as possible to make the most of these sessions and come to Coombe Dingle during August to enjoy some hard work - we do our best to also make it fun!
CALUM CONWAY
LEAD S&C COACH
Performancepathway.
OPEN DAY AND RECRUITMENT
With the academic year ending, we start the next recruitment cycle and the first full cycle with my role in post. We had a very successful two days welcoming potential students through our doors at the University’s Open Days in mid-June, coming away with a list of over 100 possible Scholars from these two days alone. We will now build relationships with the individuals and invite them to our “Day in the Life” in the October half term week. I’m looking forward to a full year of recruitment and seeing what impact we can have.
Due to the success of the Guaranteed Offers, the University have increased our quota by ten, meaning that we now have 40 Guaranteed Offers in total to give out to prospective dual career athletes. This is huge for us, and another piece to the puzzle.
GOLD SCHOLARSHIPS
We are very excited, and grateful, to announce that we have successfully secured two Gold Scholarships from very generous donations, by an alumni and Paul Dudley. These scholarships are worth £4,000 per year each, plus MDT support, creating a total package of circa £9,000 per year, with the purpose
of attracting the best of the best next year. I’m very excited about the potential dual career athletes that we can recruit and support with this scholarship offering.
PRE-SEASON CAMPS
As part of our recruitment and building our network, this pre-season we will be hosting ‘Hockey Mentors’ and Bryanston School rugby boys to support them with their pre-season preparations. It is a great start to have both these teams signed up with our first year of hosting pre-season camps, and we are looking to further build this over the years to come.
ATHLETE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - XPS
We are investing £8,000 into a new athlete management system; XPS, to replace Teambuildr. The XPS system incorporates programming, planning, analysis & cross-team communication in one package. It will facilitate and improve our collaborative working as a multi-disciplinary team. Implementing XPS will give coaches, our sports nutritionist, sports psychologist & physiotherapist the means to have clear communication and planning, with the
athletes’ needs centred in conversation. The S&C team will be hard at work making sure XPS is up and running for the start of pre-season in August.
HUMAN PERFORMANCE MSCI
We have made good progress on our sports course, or should I say; Human Performance MSci. We have now pieced together the academic timetable, which has allowed us to map resources like staff, facilities and equipment.
In the Training Science module, where athletes’ training will count towards their academic work, we will be able to support each student with four hours of practical training sessions, with any additional training in their own time (i.e. their sports training) also counting towards their research.
It’s been a great end to a great year and we’re now looking forward to a wellearned rest before we go again!
Boat.
The summer term is the business end of our season. With most sports winding down and taking well-deserved breaks. our athletes were ramping things up to get ready for regatta season; BUCS, Metropolitan, Marlow, Women’s Henley and Henley Royal regatta, were all on the horizon. Our athletes were under serious pressure to perform, all whilst also having to navigate dissertation deadlines and exams. At the time of writing, our crews are preparing for Henley Royal Regatta, with racing to commence next week.
BUCS
After three days of intense racing, UBBC wrapped up BUCS regatta for another year, with good results across the board. Highlights include our MB8+ and WB4+ both coming 3rd in their B final, our WInt8+ 4th in theirs and our MInt4+ A and B enjoying racing each other in the A final with the A boat coming away with a bronze medal.
Our men’s Championship eight narrowly missed out on the A final, however the crew’s performance against those institutions with National Governing Body funding, certainly grabbed the attention of those on the tow path.
METROPOLITAN
There was huge presence from UBBC at Metropolitan Regatta as the club enjoyed its most successful set of results at the event ever. A new UBBC 2k record of 5:42.9 was set by the men’s 1st viii on the Sunday. Results were as follows;
SATURDAY
Men’s 1VIII: Men’s 2VIII: Men’s 3VIII: 1st 14th 25th 7th 39th 72nd Academic8+ Overall
Women’s 1VIII: Women’s 2VIII: 1st 9th 12th 43rd
SUNDAY
Men’s 1VIII: Men’s 2VIII: Men’s 3VIII: 1st 13th 22nd 4th* 36th 53rd Academic8+ Overall
Women’s 1VIII: Women’s 2VIII: Women’s 1X: 1st 9th10th 40th 26th
*and fastest university crew of the day!
HENLEY WOMEN’S REGATTA
We were incredibly pleased to be sending two women’s eights to Henley Women’s Regatta, both competing for the Colgan Foundation Cup, and a double scull competing for the Rosie Mayglothling trophy this year.
After BUCS regatta several of the novice women’s group had stepped up into the senior squad, allowing us to put together the largest women’s squad we’ve had in recent years for WHR. Our senior women had been training incredibly hard and having made huge step-ups in their progress since BUCS. Congratulations to those who were able to represent Bristol at Women’s Henley this year.
IslandChallengeCup‘A’teamat HenleyWomen’sRegatta
Aaron Sims
AA 8+ ‘A’
TheColganFoundationCup
Eva Barker, Josie Swarbridge, Chloe Busigny, Emily Bernham, Maisie Barnes, Arabella Hodges, Indira Ogunbiyi, Bethany Taylor, Sam Szeto (eliminated at Quarter Finals).
AA 8+ ‘B’
Emer Tesh, Alicia Williams, Camilla Loyning, Freya Cooper, Elly Hirst, Freya Woolfenden, Megan Carrol, Katie Pambakian, Roop Chahal (eliminated Round 1).
A 2x ‘A’
TheRosieMayglothlingCup
Poppy Shipley, Tierny McArdle (eliminated Round 1).
HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
UBBC have sent three crews to Henley this year. Up first is our Temple ‘A’ entry, who have enjoyed a hugely successful summer so far. At the Marlow regatta they confirmed their place as the second-fastest UK university crew!
TheTempleChallengeCup‘A’
Ko Uchida, Thibby Verdin-Mulot, Sam Higgins, Jake Birch, Ben Giles, Joe Cunliffe, Jake Green, Lachlan Uttley, Toby Finch.
With some solid results since BUCS regatta particularly at Marlow regatta the Men’s 2nd VIII will also be competing in the Temple Challenge Cup:
TheTempleChallengeCup‘B’
Max Griffin Sadler, Freddie Woodall, Tim Everett, Milo Eustance Cole, Adam Cook, Niam Popat, Ben Searle, Kyle Sutherland, Cam Allan.
Finally, the Women’s 1st VIII, off the back of good results at HWR, where they narrowly lost to eventual winners Oxford Brookes, will be looking to make history as the first Bristol crew to qualify for the Island Challenge Cup.
TheIslandChallengeCup‘A’
Eva Barker, Josie Swarbridge, Chloe Busigny, Emily Bernham, Maisie Barnes, Efa Wilson, Indira Ogunbiyi, Bethany Taylor, Sam Szeto.
Finally, we look forward to welcoming alumni and friends to the Saturday of Henley Royal Regatta for our HRR Tea Party. Over 130 UBBC alumni and friends gathered for our annual alumni drinks event last year. Spanning over six decades of UBBC members, it is the largest and most extended gathering of Bristol rowers each year.
THANKS
A huge thanks to all of our supporters, colleagues within Sport, Exercise and Health, to The Fernside Trust, and to all of our alumni and friends. Finally, thanks especially to the coaching team.
ED BLOOMFIELD HEAD COACH, ROWING
Men’sfootball.
BUCS SUMMARY
The BUCS season for 2024 has officially ended, in what was a successful campaign for the club. Already, the 2024/25 pre-season is looming on the horizon and preparations are underway. The players are already buzzing and raring to get started.
REDS AWARDS CEREMONY
The club finished the season at the Reds Award Ceremony picking up 2 prestigious awards.
(L-R)JackBilbruck,SammyGarcia,Zachary Francis,PatGibbsatGoldneyHouseon6June.
FineTime Photography
The club picked up the Wellbeing Award for its support to the charity The Oli Leigh Trust this whole season. Sammy and Zach have been heavily involved in the events, and they both proudly accepted the award on behalf of the club.
Throughout the season, the players have been involved in various fundraising events and have raised a total of £2,000. Half of this was raised by Charlie Payne, through his London Marathon run in April.
Jack Bilbruck was awarded a Director’s Award for his outstanding year as Club Captain, taking the club to even greater success and launching the club into Saturday football in the Hellenic Division 2 League.
This has been extremely successful, enjoyable and has broadened the experience for all of the players in the club. It also saw the relaunch of Andrew Lanham’s footballing career as an outstanding individual who brought a wealth of experience to Saturday afternoons.
END-OF-SEASON AWARDS
The end-of-season awards evening was held in the Clifton Observatory and was attended by over 70 club members. The evening is both a celebration of the outstanding individuals and a chance to say goodbye to those who have played for the club for three or four years. The club are losing some stalwarts this year, and these will be difficult boots to fill. The captains from each of the six teams
made excellent speeches and each team presented their Player of the Season with an award.
OPEN DAYS
The two Open Days were a huge success, with over 30 individuals expressing an interest in football at Bristol. Some of these players will be invited to pre-season, so that we can have a really good look at their ability. Both days had a buzz about them and the incoming football Club Captain Tom Flint was around for the duration. Hopefully, these individuals will be an important addition to the intake in September 2025.
HELLENIC LEAGUE DIVISION 2
What an end to the Saturday League season!!!
Finishing 2nd in the league and playing in two Cup finals to provide a tremendous fillip for the whole of the club as we took on, and beat, Tier 6 teams in the MSCC cup. Though the league was lost by just one point - as we struggled to complete our very congested programme - we ended it with the best goal difference and plenty of valuable experience.
The MSCC Cup competition ended in defeat on penalties 4-2, after a 2-2 draw in the match. We lost to a very strong FC Stratford side, who finished 7th in Division 1 of the Hellenic League. The final was played at Slimbridge AFC’s ground and we were very well supported by sisters Ali and Jo Blackett, as well as by Matt Paine, who took time out to give a team talk.
The four Tier 6 (Division 1) teams we beat on the way to the final included Clanfield 85 who finished 3rd in the Hellenic Division 1. We played exceptionally well - this being the Monday after playing in the BSCC Cup final on the previous Saturday.
I’m delighted to report that we won the BSCC Cup by beating the very good and well-respected Letcombe FC 4-3 on Cinderford Town’s pitch. We were excellent and the win was thoroughly deserved. We had already beaten Prestwood in the semi-final, who were also fancied to beat us.
We look forward to playing again, in August.
ALAN TYERS HEAD
COACH, MEN’S FOOTBALL
Hockey.
TERM 3 REFLECTIONS
Term 3 for hockey has been very quiet with no fixtures and the focus being on exams, but we have had regular individual sessions with our hockey Scholars and the preparation for the 2024/25 season has begun.
A few standout moments from my first year of leadership are:
Men’s 1s getting their first ever point in the SuperBUCS League on a Wednesday, and then winning the National Conference West again for the second time.
Men’s 2s have also been excellent throughout the year, winning the West Division 1 and retaining status in the Tier 1 BUCS League.
On the Ladies side, it has been an extremely positive season with the ladies 1s missing out by one goal to get into the SuperBUCS promotion game, and then achieving top 4 within West Premier League.
The ladies 2s had an exciting Cup run and have performed consistently well over the BUCS and weekend hockey season.
On an individual level, Lily Roberts should be congratulated on being selected for the Welsh Senior Ladies Squad and she is hoping to play at the European Championships this summer.
And to top the season off, I was thrilled to receive the England Hockey 2023/24 Coach of the Year Award, in May.
ChrisWhitewithGraceBalsdon,TeamGB Olympicbronzemedalist(Tokyo2020) England Hockey
Read about the England Hockey Awards including a list of award winners and nominees.
CHRIS WHITE HEAD COACH, HOCKEY
Netball.
TERM 3 REFLECTIONS
The summer term is great for the club. It’s a chance for the final-year students to play their final game in the dress, and for those returning to continue training in preparation for the summer programme.
2024 SUPER LEAGUE ATHLETES
IslaMay-Pulsedebut
Isla made her debut in round 10 of the Super League season against Team Bath. Isla entered the game at WD and was incredible. In the short time she was on court, she created so much turnover for her team and individually had two pickups and two gains, helping her team to a 76-50 victory. Isla continued to training well and has made the most of opportunities throughout the season, which she has gained so much from.
This is Isla’s final year and I wish her the best with her graduation, and thank her for the amazing contribution she has given to the University. We will miss you.
PhoebeMaslen-TeamBath
Phoebe had her first full (and incredible!) season with Team Bath. She team started every game and played a vital role in the mid-court for the team. A highlight of the season for me was being
involved in Team Bath’s All-Stars event, on the same team as Phoebe. We ended up being victorious and Phoebe went on to win the Legends v Current players game, by one goal.
IfeDanso-SpiritofBath
Ife has had a fantastic season playing in Team Baths U21’s NPL squad, winning all, bar one, game. The season was capped with her winning the Spirit of Bath award at the end-of-season celebrations. The Spirit of Bath award is given to someone who represents the club both on and off the court.
training, she is so supportive of her teammates, both off and on the court, and is always leading by example. Ife has captained the first team this season and shows the same qualities for the University. Ife is also graduating this year and I wish her all the luck in the world. Ife has been massive for the university and will be hugely missed both as a player, Captain and leader.
REDS AWARDS CEREMONY
The REDS was a great evening, full of celebration and inspirational young athletes. Phoebe Maslen was among the athletes awarded with a Bristol RED. She has had an incredible season, playing a massive role in the first team retaining their Premiership position, playing in every single Team Bath fixture, and has been selected for the England Roses Futures pathway. Phoebe has an exciting future in netball, and I’m pleased to have her for one more season as she looks to enter her final year next year.
THANKS
It has been another fantastic year for the club. We have retained our Premiership position, gained promotions elsewhere,
and grown as a club. A special thankyou to Captain Niamh Hill, and Vice-Captain Grace Palles-Clark who have led from the front. A big thank you to all the team captains who have led their teams so well.
And an extra special thank you to the S&C staff, especially Samara Nche, who has done a tremendous job of keeping the players fit and healthy during the season, and for the work being put in now ahead of next year.
LOOKING AHEAD
The returning players have already started their summer training and are super excited for the pre-season programme. We have big ambitions again next year!
CHANTELLE WOPARA CLUB CO-ORDINATOR, NETBALL
Rugby.
You would almost say term 3 is the Term of the Bear in rugby, with lots of updates and news to share with you all - but first, a results update.
TERM 3 REFLECTIONS
Very little rugby is played in this term 3, with exams filling the main time in our students’ workload, but there was an end-of-season game which featured the leavers taking on their stayers. In both women’s and men’s play, the leavers came out on top, however unlike normal BUCS fixtures, this was not the main outcome, with the game of rugby well and truly being the winner. These were two great games that allowed both clubs to thank their leavers, as they now move on to the next stage of their lives. It would be appropriate to take this opportunity to thank all of the leavers who have represented both clubs, and wish them all the best moving forward.
7S
Sevens rugby did kick-off this term and both men and women travelled south to Bournemouth to take part in the BUCS7s tournament with all the big SuperBucs sides. We were immensely proud that we were the only level 2 side entered into both tournaments, with many deciding
not to take part in the event - including Newcastle, Birmingham and Brunel, to name a few.
The tournament falls at a tough time for our students, as it’s right in the middle of exam season. As a result of exams falling on match day, both sides were missing some key names, and still did the University proud.
The women had a tough draw with games versus Exeter and Hartpuryboth being powerhouses in the sportbut a resilient performance against Northumbria saw them take a respectable finish.
The men also had a tough group, though they finished in the top 2, having beaten Exeter and Bath on the way, and knocking Exeter out of the competition. The lads were drawn a tough quarterfinal versus eventual winners Cardiff Met, but the UBRFC players pushed them the whole way, making the journey back north somewhat less painful.
Sevens season doesn’t finish there for the men’s side though, with tournaments in Prague, Geneva and the not-sotropical Frome for the Maroon 7 named side. In both Prague and Geneva, the side finished in an incredible 4th place,
losing out to the national sides of Czech Republic and Poland. These were incredible performances and allowed the players to gain so much experience going forward into the final tournaments of the season including Dorset and London.
We are also thrilled to report that Gabriel Mann was spotted while representing the Maroon 7 side and has since been selected to compete in the Hamburg international 7s for Great Britain! We all wish Gabriel the best of luck.
Gabriel’s great term 3 didn’t finish there as he, Henry Smeed and Ben Murray were all selected to play for Bristol Bears in a combination friendly match which was a large win for the Bears and saw
Henry get on the score sheet. This was just the start for the Bears representation, as the women’s Premiership Final in June saw current student (and newly-elected Sport and Student Development Officer) Ella Lovibond get on the score sheet at Sandy Park. Sadly, the Bears couldn’t get the win but it really was an excellent performance from Ella and alumni Phoebe Murray and Simi Pam - all of whom have successfully juggled university and professional rugby alongside studying for a degree. We are so proud of them for all they are achieving on and off the rugby pitch.
UOB X BRISTOL BEARS
The Bristol Bears news doesn’t stop there - we are delighted to announce that we have recently formed a strategic relationship with the Bears for both the men’s and women’s sides. Our relationship with Bristol Bears Women was sealed last summer, but adding the men brings the clubs closer than ever as both strive for Super Bucs representation Bristol Bears have backed this relationship by hiring and developing the Lead Performance Coach for the men, creating a clear pathway for our students at Bristol.
Any rugby player coming to the University at the right skill level will be seen by the important people associated with Bristol Bears. It’s huge news for the club and one that will drive performance and recruitment, in turn, allowing investment into the whole club from first to seventh, and everything in between.
(L-R)GabrielMann-MaroonScholar,Alex Guest-BristolBearsHeadofAcademy,Matt Birch,PatLam-BristolBearsHeadofRugby, OllySlym,HenrySmeed-MaroonScholar
Bristol Sport
Tennis.
There was lots left to play for in Term 3 for UBTC this year, with both men’s and women’s first teams in contention for promotion to the Southern Premiership.
BUCS PLAYOFFS
The first of a three-way playoff for the women kicked off on 24 April where they faced Cambridge at home. After a nailbiting 10-point Championship tie-break, the women’s 1s pair won 11-9 to win the fixture 4-2.
It was then on to Essex on 1 May, where the team put out a phenomenal performance, but both Ella (Captain) and graduating senior player Jess lost 10point tie-breaks in singles and the fixture was lost 5-1. It was an excellent performance by Alice (Captain) – she picked up the win at the fourth singles.
After another week’s wait for the last playoff fixture, we heard that host Cambridge beat Essex 4-2 in a tie, meaning that we missed out on promotion by one rubber.
Although the team were understandably gutted to miss out so closely, we need to remember that Essex is the only side our women’s 1s have lost to this year, and we held a 100% win record in league play. We will get there next year.
The men’s 1s had a more straightforward playoff format; one home game against Essex on 8 May. The day was amazing with the largest support down at Dingle that I have ever seen for us. After regular play, the tie was drawn at 3-3 which meant we went to 10-point tiebreak shoot-outs. After the single shootouts, we were tied at 1-1, sending us to a final doubles shoot-out. From being 8-4 down, graduating senior players Theo and Josh (Captain) pulled it back to take the win!
TheoWoolhouse-Lorberand JoshWierszycki,attheBUCSplayoff
I have worked with the student club for ten years and this is the first time I have seen the men’s team in the Southern Premiership. Both men’s and women’s squads have been so focused and driven to achieve success this year and I am so proud of their achievements, as well as the wider efforts from the Tennis and Performance staff teams who put in so much to support these players.
‘PLAY YOUR WAY TO WIMBLEDON’
This year the University had four players in the Regional finals for the PYWTW doubles tournament. Torin partnered UWE player Sharif and the pair made it to the Avon finals of the event; losing out in yet another(!) 10-point tie-break.
Georgiy played in the Surrey finals with his partner, winning the event! And Lottie and Chandani represented the women, sailing through to the National finals, which will be held at Wimbledon between 11-17 August.
EVENTS
24-hour tennis marathon
The club held their 24-hour tennis marathon in late April with Josh, Lotte and Jack playing for the duration. The event was held in support of Water Aid
and attracted players from all sections of the club to play and support the cause.
REDS Awards ceremony
Term 3 saw awards season return and outgoing BUCS player Torin was presented with a Director’s Award. This is so deserved for Torin, who in his time at the club, has been Club Captain and LTA Ambassador, as well as a coach and player.
Torin Reedman and Pat Gibbs
FineTime Photography
Hobson Cup
The annual Hobson Cup Alumni event was held on June 8th and the club welcomed back graduated players to take on the current squad in tennis, netball and football. The event is held in
memory of Jack Hobson and looks to support the great work of the Healthy Minds Programme delivered by Sports Exercise and Health. The returning alumni team won the event and remain unbeaten since 2019!
Read about the Hobson Cup and what it means to the University of Bristol Tennis Club, in a blog by Andy Trott.
Wimbledon, and the Davis Cup
UBTC have trips lined up to Wimbledon and to the Davis Cup in Manchester, in September, thanks to our LTA Tier 2 GB University Tennis status. Look out on @bristolunisport instagram to see what the students got up to in their volunteering roles at Wimbledon.
The club have had such a fantastic year and a lot of success in performance (4 league wins, 3 promotions, 1 Cup winning team and 2 Cup runner up teams) and it is thoroughly deserved. We have an inspirational group of students and I cannot wait to see what they achieve next.
ALI BLACKETT HEAD COACH, TENNIS
Juniortennis.
Our Junior Performance programme recognises talented juniors from across our Development programme who are showing a real passion for the game and excelling in their age group, and offers an opportunity to join and train more frequently with us - twice a week, on a Tuesday and Friday evening.
PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENTS
In January, to continue to help create more opportunities to help maximise our juniors’ potential, we introduced several new term-time junior performance sessions on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. This presents a chance for our best players, of a County level or higher, to get their quality training in before the school day starts.
These unique morning performance sessions are accessible to local clubs around the Bristol & Bath area, to help bring more of our talent pool of juniors together, and help supplement their weekly programmes.
After a fantastic start, with over 20 juniors attending our new-look morning sessions in January, we increased these numbers to 28 players in June.
Looking further ahead, we hope to continue to grow these sessions and create even more opportunities for our juniors to train and compete with us at the University of Bristol.
From September 2024, our morning sessions will fall in line with all of our Community sessions, and move to Direct Debit. This is the first step to creating unique performance packages for our most committed juniors, which also include a personalised player report.
We have linked up with the Strength and Conditioning team, who delivered some excellent tennis-specific S&C to our juniors on the May half-term holiday camps. This partnership will continue over our four-week summer performance camp model, in July and August. To continue developing a strong offer, we are organising a parent workshop in September, with the support (and endorsement) of one of the LTA National coaches!
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES
Finally, we have had some excellent individual success from our juniors this year, including Misha (11U) winning a G5 and reaching the National finals for his County.
Additionally, Gigi, Etty, Richard, Freddie and Alan (8U) were selected to represent their County, and all played their part in helping Avon win the South West event.
Angie (10U) reached the Green ball National Finals and Zoe (our Player of the Month, pictured) who also reached the National Finals with Angie, came 10th out of the top 16 10U girls in the country, in a Grade 1 National Tour - a quite brilliant achievement.
OLLIE BENDALL
Hockey TalentAcademy.
Now into the third term of our first year as an England Hockey licensed Talent Academy, we are also a happy, thriving and successful Talent Development environment in the national hockey Talent System.
The Talent System is aimed at highpotential players who may have the ability to be part of England Age Group Squads and ultimately, the senior team in the future. As a Talent Academy (TA) our aims include:
Through a partnership network with local schools, clubs, County & (junior) leagues, to reach, support & inspire as many young people as possible. With excellent, person-focused coaching; support & develop the highest-potential young people in our network to achieve their ambitions.
To offer young people a taste of life in a university Performance Sport environment.
Through taking a lead as a TA in the hockey community; to increase the awareness of the University of Bristol as a key centre for Performance Hockey, to support the University Hockey Club in further success.
To be an organisation that represents Bristol, that participants and our community are proud of.
We have completed 80 sessions and over 190 hours of development across our squads on and off the pitch, delivering a programme covering each phase of the game and the Complete Player Qualities outlined within the Talent System framework - which are aimed at developing the whole person.
On the pitch sessions ask questions the game will ask of our young people. Off the pitch, we have held sessions on Nutrition and Sports Psychology, and we are now completing a block of Strength & Conditioning work, thanks to our excellent multi-disciplinary coaching team. The off-pitch sessions have complimented our on-pitch work, with our young participants bringing energy, intelligence and ability to both. Sessions have been enjoyed by coaches and participants alike.
Talent Academy boys J.Bower
COMPETITION
In competition, we have had significant success, particularly as a first-year squad amongst other second-year squads. After a bright opening triangular competition in February, where we won two, drew one, lost one across our boys’ and girls’ squads, we have played three further matches, with the girls winning all.
Girls’results:
Home vs Exeter (5-4)
Away vs South Coast (4-2)
Away vs Reading (3-0)
Boys’results:
Away vs Exeter (4-4)
Home vs South Coast (1-2)
Home vs Reading (1-1)
Among those fixtures, we ran a full competition day comprising a training session in the morning, opportunity for video analysis over lunch, and a match in the afternoon. Sharing training sessions with Exeter TA and South Coast TA has proven very enjoyable, developmental and beneficial for all, while matches have been competitive, close and compelling.
teams receiving praise for our team spirit, attitude and approach; winning friends and hopefully influencing a few prospective University of Bristol students along the way!
We have hosted England Hockey, on two occasions, for the purposes of audit, scouting and coach development, receiving significant positive feedback. We also recently hosted a group of 19 Talent Developers from British Sailing who came to observe and ask questions on how we run a (good) Talent Development environment within hockey; the first meeting of its kind.
Regardless of the result, each have been played in the right way, with Bristol
University of Bristol Hockey Talent Academy and England Hockey host British Sailing at Coombe Dingle M.Redman
We are extremely proud of the way the Talent Academy has come together, from the ground up; of the way the coaches have come together from within our MDT and from outside of the University, to form a team, and particularly of our young people, who consistently dedicate to both their own development, and to each other as a team.
We have one month of training and competition days to come as we now prepare for the end-of-cycle tournament in Nottingham in July, where 20 boys and 20 girls from our Talent Academy squads will join the other 22 Academies, plus Wales’ National Age Group Squad, to compete.
Talent Academy girls in a pre-game huddle
T. Holford
OUR PARTNERS & SPONSORS WITH THANKS TO
