As the academic trimmings of Michaelmas term begin to wrap up for the year, Cambridge’s fierce involvement in BUCS competition rages on. Last Wednesday (24/11) saw a large number of the University’s teams test themselves in knockout fixtures, with the majority progressing to their respective next rounds.

Blues basketball beat local rivals ARU

Cambridge University Basketball Club (CUBC) defeated Anglia Ruskin University by a score of 78-69 to progress to Round 2 of the Men’s National Trophy. The fixture was a rematch of last week’s (17/11) league game, in which ARU won 96-77.

After a difficult start that saw the Blues 23-9 down, captain Vittorio Masina’s men found defensive cohesion and managed to tie the game by half time. Cambridge then dominated the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 23-7, to ultimately coast to victory.

The scoring load was evenly distributed amongst the Blues starters, but a noteworthy performance came from Matthew Offeh, who was unstoppable in the paint and slammed home two impressive dunks that helped build momentum for his side.

Cambridge will face Sussex Men’s 1 in the next round of the tournament, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 2nd February.

CUAFC Men and Women both through to next round

Cambridge University Association Football Club (CUAFC) enjoyed victories from their two Blues outfits, with the Men and Women beating Leicester 3-1 and Brunel 4-3 respectively.

The Men’s Blues opened the scoring in their fixture through midfielder Matt Harris, with winger Fortina Oshasha picking up the assist from a cut back. An equaliser from the visitors soon followed, but was quickly cancelled out by lone striker George Pugh’s finish from a corner. CUAFC went into the break 2-1 to the good.

Cai La Trobe-Roberts made it three for the hosts in the 72nd minute, with keeper Tim Wallace setting up his teammate for a composed finish to the Leicester goalie’s left.

Turning attention to the women’s matchup, the Blues stormed to a fabulous four goals over Brunel, with Megan Clarke, Ailie Rennie, Isobel Boothroyd, and captain Frances Steele all getting their names on the score sheet. Tatiana Kasujja put in a solid performance at the back, coming away with a cup win to bolster her 21st birthday celebrations.

The men will now take on Lincoln Men’s 1 in the quarter-final of the Midlands Conference Cup in the new year (09/02), while Steele’s side will host Nottingham Women’s 1 in Round 2 of the Women’s National Trophy on the Wednesday before (02/02).

Hoard of goals for Women’s Hockey

Both Cambridge University Hockey Club’s (CUHC) first and second women’s teams - the Blues and the Nomads - scored a total of eighteen goals between them in their matches against King’s College Women’s 1 and Oxford Brookes Women’s 4 respectively.

The Blues, captained by Ella Hordern, travelled down to London to secure a 7-0 win over King’s, giving them their third victory of the season and pushing them up to second in the ICG Women’s Premier South.

Back in Cambridge at the Wilberforce Road Sports Ground, the Nomads smashed Oxford Brookes 11-3 to reach the quarter-final of the ICG Women’s Midlands Conference Cup, where they’ll take on Nottingham Women’s 6 next February (09/02).

Friendly fire in Cambridge netball

In the Women’s Midlands Conference Cup, Cambridge University Ladies Netball Club (CULNC) witnessed an all-Blue affair, as the Blues took on the Jays in Round 3 of the tournament. The Blues won 50-32.

A very highly contested game took hold of the court, with both sides producing an intense level of netball whilst remaining extremely focused and disciplined against each other.

The Blues established an early 12-6 lead by the end of the first quarter, and maintained their dominance in the remaining three periods with scores reading 25-16, 33-25, and finally 50-32 at the end of the respective quarters.

The shooting duo of Zoë Starbuck and Clodagh Bottomley put on an impressive performance for the Blues yet the Jays fought well, managing to pull the game back to a five-point deficit in the third quarter and even closing the fifteen out with a 9-8 win.

With a swarm of supporters lining the Sports Centre terrace, Starbuck took Blues player of the match, while Anna van Velsen and Astrid Williams shared the award for the Jays.

CULNC’s first team will soon face Nottingham Women’s 2 in the tournament’s quarter-final, set to be played on Wednesday 9th February.

Cambridge Korfball kicks off BUCS campaign

Cambridge University Korfball travelled to Brighton yesterday (27/11) to compete in their first BUCS event of the season. Both the first and second teams put on some brilliant performances, with the former smashing their two pool games to confirm early qualification for Regionals and then followed up with a third-place overall finish in the tournament, while the latter placed 7th in their own knockouts.

Annalie Barker and Tarn Chamberlain James shared the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the firsts after their brilliant defensive work and multiple goal contributions, while Alex Mann’s collection of intercepts earned him the seconds’ MVP.

Varsity congratulates all of Cambridge clubs on their recent BUCS achievements, and would also like to thank CUBC’s Vittorio Masina and CULNC’s Alex Telford for their contributions to the report.