Last night at the ADC, a myth was dispelled. I discovered that other universities, bar (D)Oxbridge, aren’t a complete joke. They are actually quite funny. The concept of bringing comedy troupes from some of the country’s ‘less comically-renowned’ universities together is a brilliant idea. It serves two purposes: giving both the Leeds Tealights and the Bristol Revunions an opportunity to tread the murky Cambridge waters. And, it is also a chance for the Cambridge audience to experience some of the more refined sketches these groups have to offer.

First up, brandishing a uniform of matching red cardigans, were the Leeds Tealights. Starting slowly with a skit about new approaches to film, the punch line I feel I may have missed, they quickly set the bar high with two incredibly funny sketches. The first, a parody of some ‘lads’ being ‘anti-lads’ towards one lucky lady in the front row, and the second involving national diving hero Tom Daley (“Daily”). Both were simply hilarious, well-scripted, and maintained momentum throughout. Leeds’ downfall was the length of sketch. While Bristol managed eight or nine sharp sketches, Leeds performed only five. A couple of sketches - their finale based on One Tree Hill, in particular - dragged on for too long. It was well-timed and reliably funny, which is fine if the laughs continue to crescendo, but in this instance they did not.

The Bristol Revunions were up second and provided a bombardment of somewhat surreal characters in somewhat surreal situations. Highlights included a sketch about sellotape, one about the birth of a butterfly and a reading containing the words “sarcastic epilepsy”. The final sketch was short and sweet and was hugely well received – what isn’t funny about guys playing ‘it’ while worshipping God? What was so great about Bristol is that all four members contributed equally to the sketches and to getting laughs. The range of characters was truly impressive, as was their ability to jump, move, bow, pray and play around the stage. There were enough laughs ‘on average’ in the sketches to justify the occasional absence of a punch line. They get full marks for consistency.

Cambridge ended the evening on a high note, serving up a mix of both stand up and some of the best sketches from recent months. All the stand up was well received, Dannish Babar receiving the most laughs with his self-deprecating observations. Ben Ashenden deserves the highest praise for the best performance of the evening. His portrayal of a bumbling grandson trying to sell his grandma on the Antiques Roadshow managed to crack up Phil Wang, and myself, and even bring a smile to the face of Abi Tedder (for the second week in a row!).

It was a shame to see so many sketches, a little stand up from Bristol and Leeds wouldn’t have gone a miss. Who was the best? Who was the worst? When the standard is this high and they’re all showcasing such good material it’s hard to distinguish them. In fact, the biggest let down of the evening may have been the technical team. For me, the Revunions were the highlight of the night, for a friend, the title went to the Tealights but my RAG blind date declared Cambridge the winners (not that it’s a competition). What is clear is that Bristol and Leeds can emerge from the water with their heads held high. Let’s hope Footlights remain their friends.