Martina Abels Marti stole the show as Newbroke secured back-to-back Cuppers victories with a comfortable 2-0 triumph over St John’s and King’s (SJK). The forward netted both goals for her side as Newbroke ran away with proceedings at Grange Road in front of an impressive crowd.

Fielding a strong squad in the final, Newbroke’s side included seven players who featured in the recent Varsity matches against Oxford. They were looking to follow up last year’s Cuppers final success against D.E.W, in which they were 3-1 victors, securing their first Cuppers triumph since the two colleges (Newnham and Pembroke) merged in 2021.

Meanwhile, SJK were looking to rewrite the history books and secure a first Cuppers victory on record. They were eliminated at the quarter-final stage in last year’s competition, but were yet to concede this season, racking up an impressive 23 goals on their road to the final, including a resounding 17-0 victory over Sidney Sussex/Magdalene in the group stage.

Yet it was evident from minute one that the ‘Moutons’ would be penned into their own half by a relentless tsunami of Newbroke attacks. Within two minutes, Blues forward Abels Marti was driving down the left flank with terrifying pace and delivering a perfect cross to Annie Marstrand at the back post, who couldn’t quite apply the finish.

Soon after, the deadlock was broken. Abels Marti once again used her acceleration to her advantage, bursting through the SJK defensive ranks before coolly slotting home beyond Beth Erskine.

“Any SJK response was most likely to come through midfielder Sophie Taylor, who bagged a whopping nine goals in their 17-0 drumming of Sidney Sussex/Magdalene earlier in the season”

Any SJK response was most likely to come through midfielder Sophie Taylor, who bagged a whopping nine goals in their 17-0 drumming of Sidney Sussex/Magdalene earlier in the season. Confusion reigned when her threatening long ball combined with Grange Road’s misleading pitch markings caused goalkeeper Megan Bettley to handle it outside the area. Taylor stepped up to take the free kick from 20 yards out, which was still rising as it whistled just whiskers past the far post.

Left-back Grace Martin expertly patrolled her side of the pitch, contributing superbly in both defensive and attacking capacities. Her through ball picked out the run of Abels Marti, who was denied a first-half brace by the woodwork, her left-footed strike rattling against the far post.

The pace of the Newbroke attack combined with SJK’s excessively high line was causing all sorts of issues and allowed the reigning champions in behind on numerous occasions in the first half.

Newbroke were perhaps unfortunate to only be one ahead going into the half-time break, but solid defensive displays from Lucy Koder and Ella Perkins maintained SJK’s stake in the final.

Nonetheless, Newbroke picked up where they left off in the second half. Abels Marti dropped into the midfield, with Holly Hynes moving into the centre-forward position; the latter’s shot trickled tantalisingly close to the far post mere seconds after the restart.

SJK were gifted a golden opportunity when substitute keeper Sakina Dhirani gave it away to Maegan Tan in a dangerous area. Tan left it too late for a shot but managed to work it to Hannah Scothern, who was brought down on the edge of the penalty area. Taylor fired her second free kick of the afternoon straight into the four-person Newbroke wall.

“Some players have not been able to play today due to the fact that they are trans and we want to pay an ode to them as well”

Koder was back in the thick of it in the second half, recovering excellently to prevent Abels Marti from pulling the trigger on Erskine.

A piece of good fortune brought Newbroke’s second. Once again, Abels Marti was at the heart of it, gliding past two defenders and bearing down on goal once more. Erskine saved the initial shot but the backspin on the ball rapidly carried it goalward. Neither the keeper nor her defenders could clear their lines nor prevent Abels Marti from burying a simple tap-in to provide Newbroke with a two-goal cushion.

Try as they might, the Moutons could not find a way into the game. Any attack they started to build was swiftly shut down by a watertight Newbroke defence. SJK striker Cara Jackson returned to the field in one last roll of the dice, but to no avail.

The referee’s full-time whistle confirmed that the Cuppers trophy would be returning to Newbroke once more. Beaten SJK put on an impressive showing, demonstrating flashes of attacking excellence and limiting a lethal Newbroke attack to just two goals.

Speaking to Varsity after the game, Abels Marti commented on her brace: “I’m just really happy to be able to get two goals. Beth’s an incredible goalkeeper, so to be able to get two past her, I’m really proud of that, and obviously we had a really big turnout to support here, so it means a lot.”

Yet, the football itself was not the only talking point surrounding this year’s competition. The final was played against a backdrop of controversy surrounding the exclusion of transgender and non-binary players. After a Supreme Court ruling in April, which determined that “protected” single-sex spaces must be reserved for women as defined by their “biological” gender, the Cambridge University Women’s Association Football made the decision to follow the FA’s guidance and thus to exclude transgender and non-binary players from playing in ‘women’s’ football leagues, including this year’s Cuppers competition.

This decision came under intense scrutiny from team captains at the time, with Women’s Blues captain Lara Branston telling Varsity in October 2025 that “trans inclusion in these spaces is very important on a welfare level for trans people and their livelihoods […] the whole point of college leagues is that everyone has a good time and feels included.”

At Sunday’s final, the transgender flag was at the centre of Newbroke’s post-match celebrations. Newbroke full-back Emmie Bailey voiced her opinion after the game, stating that “we should acknowledge that, although we are really happy with the win, some players have not been able to play today due to the fact that they are trans and we want to pay an ode to them as well.”