All is now quiet on the BUCS front, as Cambridge's talented athletes box away their sports boots and pack up their sticks and rackets for the festive break. Looking back at last Wednesday’s (01/12) set of fixtures with some Christmas spirit, the Light Blues earned twelve wins and four draws, while also suffered twelve defeats.

CUAFC Men steal win over Northampton

Cambridge University Association Football Club’s (CUAFC) Blues grabbed a 2-1 victory over Northampton Men’s 1, scoring a last-minute winner to cement their place at the top of the Midlands Tier 2B division going into Christmas.

Captain Ben Adam’s side found themselves in a 1-1 stalemate after 45 minutes of hard graft in miserable conditions, but Matt Harris, as so often this season, struck home in the 95th minute to secure three points for the Blues. Sean Cusack provided the assist from a lovely floated cross on the left-hand side, which Harris then headed into the back of the Northampton net.

The home win sees Cambridge preserve their unbeaten streak, which now stands at seven games including two cup victories, and sit one point clear of Warwick Men’s 2 in the table.

CURUFC Women’s Tigers triumph over ARU

The Tigers, Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club’s (CURUFC) second women’s team, have gone top of the Midlands Tier 3B division after a 36-7 victory over local rivals Anglia Ruskin.

In what marked the halfway point of their first year of BUCS competition, the Light Blues featured four debutants in the match, as well as displayed strong forward running and powerful defensive work against their opponent.

Poppy Gilks (Trinity) and Polly Hipkiss (Queens’) got their names on the scoreboard in the first half with three tries between them, as the latter also kicked two conversions. Further tries from Sammie Mason (Clare), Buzz Gilks (St John’s), and Orla O’Byrne (Murray Edwards), and another conversion from Hipkiss, rounded off an impressive win for the Tigers.

Cambridge serve Oxford defeat in tennis

Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club (CULTC) enjoyed the taste of victory over the Dark Blues, as the Women’s first team won 5-1 at Gosling Sports Park.

Emily Arbuthnott and Georgie Walker got things underway in their Doubles match against Oxford pair Isabelle Marshall and Mandi Furaji, coming away with a straight-sets victory to set the winning tone for the day. Cambridge’s Kureha Yamaguchi and Juliana Ganendra followed up with a win over Alisa Musatova and Holly Russell to conclude the Doubles event.

Out of the four Singles matches played, Cambridge only suffered one defeat. Arbuthnott, Walker, and Yamaguchi all triumphed over Marshall, Furaji, and Musatova respectively, while Ganendra fell agonisingly short against Russell in a match that went to the final set.

The victory over Oxford places the Blues first in the Women’s Premier (South) division, one point ahead of Exeter Women’s 1, who they’ll play in their final fixture of the season.

Big away wins for men’s table tennis and women’s volleyball

The Blues earned two huge victories on the road over Oxford and Bath in table tennis and volleyball respectively, recording Cambridge’s only away wins of the day.

Cambridge University Table Tennis Club (CUTTC) battled for a tough 9-8 result over Oxford, in what was not only a clash of the Blues but also a matchup between first and second of the Midlands Tier 2B division. The victory puts Cambridge’s Men three points clear at the top, with five wins and just one loss on their record.

Meanwhile, Cambridge University Volleyball Club’s (CUVC) Women’s Blues travelled back to Cambridge with all three points following their 3-2 win over Bath Women’s 1. Currently sitting fourth in the Premier (South) division, CUVC will look to leapfrog third-placed Bournemouth Women’s 1 in the new year and secure a top-half finish when all is said and done.

Varsity congratulates all of Cambridge’s clubs on their recent BUCS achievements and wishes them the best of luck next term.