University of Cambridge Sport
Annual Review 2007 - 2008
A word from the
Vice-Chancellor
Welcome to the University of Cambridge
Sports Review of 2007 – 2008
I am proud to be able to introduce this overview
of another successful sporting year for
Cambridge students.
2008 was a year when the sporting success of
Team GB lifted all our spirits. It was also a year
when the Olympics gave us all a glimpse of the
hard work and dedication it takes to be at the top
of any sport. This is certainly the case for the
excellent scholar sports men and women of
Cambridge, who so often manage to combine
success in their chosen sport with success in
academia, for which we are all immensely proud.
I wish you another successful sporting year ahead.
Professor Alison Richard
Vice-Chancellor
Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Contents
Amateur Boxing Club
10
Cambridge University Association
Football Club
12
Women’s Association Football Club
14
Athletics Club
17
Badminton Club
20
Basketball Club
22
Women’s Basketball Club
25
Boat Club
26
Women’s Boat Club
28
Bowmen
32
Canoe Club
34
Cricket Club
36
Women’s Cricket Club
39
Cruising Club
41
Cycling Club
45
Eton Fives Club
49
Fencing Club
50
Rugby Fives Club
53
Gliding Club
54
Golf Club
56
Gymnastics Club
58
Rugby Union Football Club
97
Hare and Hounds (Cross Country)
60
Women’s Rugby Union Football Club
99
Hockey Club
62
Amateur Rugby League Football Club
102
Ice Hockey Club
65
Ski & Snowboard Club
104
Women’s Ice Hockey Club
67
Small Bore Club
107
Judo Club
69
Squash Rackets Club
108
Karate Club
72
Swimming and Water Polo Club
111
Korfball Club
74
Table Tennis Club
116
Lacrosse Club
75
Trampoline Club
117
Women’s Lacrosse Club
76
Volleyball Club
119
Lawn Tennis Club
78
Talented Athletes Scholarship Scheme
122
Lightweight Rowing Club
82
Eric Evans Fund
124
Modern Pentathlon Club
83
Beijing Experience
Netball Club
85
Annie Vernon
30
Orienteering Club
87
Anna Bebington
33
Polo Club
88
Emma Pooley
48
Powerlifting Club
90
Alex O’Connell
52
Real Tennis Club
91
Tom James
115
Revolver & Pistol Club
93
Sarah Winckless
121
Riding Club
94
Rifle Association
95
1
Chairman’s Review
As Chair of the Sports Syndicate of the
University for 2007/08, I am delighted with
the level of participation and achievement in
sport by Cambridge students which this Annual
Review demonstrates.
The opportunity to participate in sport at all
levels is a significant part of the superb
portfolio of extra-curricular activities which
complement the academic tradition in
attracting excellent students to Cambridge.
Sport also has an important role to play in
establishing healthy lifestyles which, among
other things, help students to combat the stress,
depression and anxiety which sometimes
threaten to undermine academic performance
in a high-achieving and highly competitive
environment such as a University.
There is enormous strength in depth in
Cambridge sport, with a surprising level of
participation and competition at College level,
particularly in traditional team sports such as
rowing, rugby and football, and a wide range of
sports, old and new, for teams and individuals,
available at University level and in competition
through BUCS.There is also the opportunity to
achieve world-class sporting excellence, for
example by representing the University in high
profile events such as the Boat Race.
2 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
In 2008, at the Beijing Olympics, 11 current
students and alumni joined an elite group of
Cambridge Olympians, representing Team GB in
rowing, cycling, athletics and fencing. Between
them they brought home one Gold, four Silver and
one Bronze medals.This is an outstanding
achievement for a single University, which we have
every reason to hope will be matched and even
improved upon in the 2012 Olympics in London.
In the meantime, the University continues to
develop its plans for a new sports centre on the
West Cambridge site, a facility which is badly
needed to support training and competition by
numerous clubs and individuals, and to
complement the existing College and University
provision.The most pressing and universal need
is for a multi-purpose sports hall, which Phase I of
the project is designed to provide.
The Sports Syndicate looks forward to another
year of supporting student participation and
success in a wide variety of sporting activities as
part of the all-round excellence of their
experience of and achievements in Cambridge.
Debbie Lowther
Director’s editorial
There can be few moments in the history of the
Olympic movement that have been so eagerly
anticipated as the opening of the 2008 Beijing
Olympiad. For over two decades the international
sporting community has questioned the concept
of hosting a major sporting event in China.
Intrigued by China’s rapidly changing political
and economic status, their ambivalence to world
opinion and the challenges that such an event
would make on what was, until relatively recent
times, a closed society, the world waited, watched
and was amazed. For those of us who were
privileged to be in Beijing during the Games
there is little doubt that the Chinese provided a
spectacular and iconic Games. Financially beyond
all but a few wealthy or over ambitious cities,
Beijing arguably represents the last of its genre.
From the moment one landed at the new Beijing
International Airport and was driven through the
flower bedecked and flag-dressed streets of
Beijing, passing the magnificent Birds Nest
Stadium and the Aquatic Centre, along
increasingly car-free streets, one realised that this
would be the Games of all Games. For the
Chinese the event represented a magnificent
achievement. Although heavily stage-managed,
media-managed and above all people-managed,
they provided a games for the world that met
and surpassed all previous spectaculars.
The opening ceremony offered the opportunity
to witness the Chinese political leadership
showcase their achievements. Not only
demonstrating with confidence their
newly found economic power but their
leading role as one of the world’s
super-powers.
For my part it was the highlight of the
2007-08 academic year. I had the honour
of representing the Vice-Chancellor at the
televised Pre-Olympic Games Conference,
entitled ‘What makes a Champion?’ Focussing on
universities and education and the environment
necessary to achieve success in a range of
disciplines. Conference delegates included
Olympic Champions, Nobel Prize Winners, world
acclaimed classical musicians and probably the
most popular man in China, Mr. Jackie Chan.
Although not impacting on the day-to-day work
of the various University Sports Clubs it is clear
from the enclosed articles that preparation for
the Olympic Games has played a significant role
in a number of our students’ lives for several
years. We should celebrate the achievement of all
those from the University who were selected to
represent their country in Beijing and
congratulate all our medal winners.The
University is very proud of their achievements.
For many it will be the pinnacle of their sporting
careers, for others a stepping stone to other
Games and hopefully medals at the London 2012
Olympics. For Clubs and University alike the
build-up to London 2012 will bring opportunities
and challenges as British sport changes to meet
its challenges. Hopefully the success of our
students and alumni in Beijing will dispel the
idea that Cambridge no longer cherishes
excellence in sport.
For its part, the University has already been
selected as an accredited training centre for
athletics, fencing and archery and is anticipating
a number of national teams will visit the
University and Cambridge City as part of their
preparations for 2012.The University Sports Clubs
themselves have had another extremely
successful year and will all be turning their
thoughts to 2012 and to the role that they might
play in what will be a significant historic occasion
for British sport.
It is therefore very appropriate that at this time
we welcome our first sponsor and partner of
the Cambridge University Annual Sports Review
to our pages; we are very grateful for npower’s
support and we look forward to launching a
number of joint initiatives to develop sport
at Cambridge.
A.D.Lemons
Director of Physical Education
Cambridge
3
Olympic Review
Cambridge Graduates Shine at the Beijing Olympics
More than 30 countries around the world are
lagging behind the University of Cambridge on
the Olympics medal front.
Out of the ten Team GB athletes who either study
at or have graduated from Cambridge, the
University racked up a stunning tally of one Gold
medal, four Silver and one Bronze.
In fact, Cambridge's Trinity Hall alone can lay
claim to a better haul of Olympic medals than
India, Portugal and South Africa – to name just
a few – after graduates Emma Pooley and
Tom James claimed Silver and Gold respectively
in Beijing.
However, Tom James' fantastic Gold as part of
the Men's Coxless Fours was something of a
double-edged sword for Trinity Hall's senior tutor,
Nick Bampos.
The Australian had to endure the sight of Tom
and his Coxless Fours team overhauling his
countrymen's boat in a thrilling finale as they
lived up to the legendary exploits of Redgrave
and Pinsent.
4 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
As well as James' Gold and Emma Pooley's Silver
in the Cycling Time Trial, Cambridge's Tom
Stallard (Jesus College) and Josh West (Gonville
and Caius) also claimed rowing Silver as part of
the Men's Eight .
Although Annie Vernon (Downing College) and
her team mates were inconsolable after losing
out in the Women's Quad to China, her Silver
medal was earned in true Olympic fashion after
the team gave every ounce of effort before being
pipped at the post by the host nation.
Wrapping up the medal count for Cambridge is
Anna Bebington (Newnham College) who took
Bronze in the Double Sculls.
Despite not making the winners' podium, the
University was also proudly represented by
Churchill College Classics student Alex O'Connell
in the Fencing Sabre competition, Hester
Goodsell (Hughes Hall) in the Double Scull
(Lightweight), Sarah Winckless (Fitzwilliam
College) in the Women's Eight and Andy
Baddeley (Gonville and Caius) who made it to the
final of the 1500m.
Tony Lemons, Director of Physical Education, said:
"Having experienced the highly competitive
atmosphere in the city one can only marvel at the
quality of the performances being displayed by
all the competitors at the Games. Naturally we are
extremely proud of all our students, past and
present, who have represented their country so
well at these games, and our particular
congratulations must go to those who have
achieved podium positions. It makes one proud
to be a small part of the University of Cambridge!"
Further Cambridge connections in Beijing have
come via the legendary Chinese Table Tennis
player Deng Yaping. Regarded as one of the
greatest ever players, Deng won six World
Championships and four Olympic Golds. She is
currently studying for a PhD in Land Economy at
Jesus College but was in China as Vice Director of
Beijing's Olympic Village.
Elsewhere, Trinity Hall staff also had an interest in
the performance of Adam Brown. Son of senior
porter Kim Brown, he took part in the Men's 4x
100m Freestyle Relay.TASS 2012 Scholar Matt
Skelhon, who was mentored and received
Strength and Conditioning training from the
University’s Physical Education Department,
through their involvement in TASS (see page 112)
won Paralympic Gold in the Rifle Shooting,
achieving a perfect score in his heats.
Annie Vernon, Emma Pooley, Alex O’Connell, Tom
James, Anna Bebington and Sarah Winckless have
all put some of their Beijing experience in writing
for this Annual Review.
The Olympic Games: A Registrary’s Story
Will there ever be another Opening Ceremony like
that one? I had the great privilege of representing
the Vice-Chancellor with Professor Ian Leslie in
attending the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing
Olympics on the 8th August this year.We were
invited by the Minister for Education Zhou Jie, a
great friend of Cambridge, and were in the
company of a small and select group of university
presidents and vice-chancellors from around the
world. Our Chinese hosts were attentive,
hospitable to a fault and very excited about the
Games – with good reason as it turned out. From
breakfast in our hotel, hosted by Madam Liu
Yandong, one of the five State Councillors, a
superb lunch hosted by the Minister and the
extraordinary series of breathtaking tableaux at
the Opening Ceremony, the 8th of August was a
remarkable day.What do I recall? The extraordinary
Bird’s Nest Stadium; the heat and anticipation; the
rehearsal in the use of the various flags, lights and
scarves in the goody bags all spectators received;
the precision of the drummers; the ambitious scale
of the episodes celebrating 5000 years of Chinese
civilisation and the athletic and artistic brilliance of
the lighting of the Torch. Later that weekend we
had hoped to see some tennis but the heat turned
to storms and the matches were rained off by a
cloudburst. It didn’t matter.We were one small link
in a long chain of Chinese-Cambridge association
that has an extraordinary history and a future that
is based on over 130 different partnerships from
across the University. It was a privilege to
contribute to that chain on such an auspicious day
for our hosts and the world of sport. I can’t wait for
London 2012!
Dr Jonathan Nicholls
Registrary
Graduate Scheme
Information
A warm welcome to the
University of Cambridge Sport Annual Review
At RWE npower we’re very aware of the role that
sport can play in maintaining work/life balance so
we’re delighted to be supporting a publication
which celebrates sporting achievement at
Cambridge over the last academic year.
RWE npower is proud to be involved with a
number of diverse sports partnerships from high
profile team and tournament sponsorships to
community campaigns which support grass roots
development.Through these partnerships we are
working to help promote sport at every level.
We wish you a successful sporting year ahead.
Andrew Duff, Chief Executive Officer, RWE npower
8 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Company Information
• RWE npower provides gas, electricity and
related services to homes and businesses.
• Times Top 100 graduate employer 2007 and
2008.Times Top 50 where women want to work
2007 and 2008.
• UK’s brightest energy company
• We supply electricity and gas to around
6.6 million residential and business customers.
• We operate and manage flexible, low-cost coal,
oil and gas-fired power stations.
• Established the UK's first major offshore wind
farm
• Developing other innovative energy-related
technologies.
• 11,500 employees
• 60 sites across the UK
• Supply 10% of the electricity used in England
and Wales,
• UK's largest electricity supplier.
• As part of the RWE Group, we also offer
specialist services covering every aspect of
owning and operating a power plant, from
construction, commissioning, operations and
maintenance to eventual decommissioning.
RWE npower graduate schemes
Engineering / Professional Sciences
(2 years)
Bachelors degree (or higher, e.g. MEng)
in Engineering or Science
2:2 required
(predicted or achieved)
General Business Management
(2 years)
Bachelors degree in any subject
2:1 required
(predicted or achieved)
Business Analysis
(18 months)
Bachelors degree in a numerate subject
(predicted or achieved)
2:1 required
Finance
(3 years)
Bachelors degree in any subject
2:1 required
(predicted or achieved)
Quantitative Risk Programme
(18 months)
Masters degree or higher related to
maths finance (e.g. financial modelling)
Numerate first degree,
MSc or higher
Information Systems
(2 years)
Bachelors degree in an IT related
subject
2:1 required
(predicted or achieved)
Example Engineering roles
Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Control &
Instrumentation, Process, Materials/Metallurgy,
QA, Chemistry, Physics
Salary
For the 2009 intake is £25,000 + £2000 golden
hello (Up to £35K for Quantitative Risk
Programme).
Training
All graduates will be provided with an individual
development timetable with details of further
courses provided to develop your core business
skills across the graduate scheme.
All Engineering scheme/professional scientists
are assigned a mentor and encouraged to work
towards chartership with the relevant professional
body (such as IMechE, IET, IChemE, or IOP).
All Finance scheme graduates will undertake the
CIMA qualification and placements will be
allocated in support of this development.
Where appropriate we will also sponsor other
work related professional qualifications.
Recruitment Process
There is a four stage programme –
1. Online application form
2. Numerical reasoning test (online)
3. Telephone Interview
4. Assessment Centre
Recruitment Timetable
• The online application form for 2010 entrants
will open in early September 2009.
• All positions are offered as suitable applicants
apply
• The first assessment centres will be in held in
October 2009
• We are likely to close to new applications by
end of January 2010.
Further information
Please see our website for the fuller details of the
scheme, company and application process
http://www.brightergraduates.co.uk/
All spaces for our 2009 intake have now been
filled, however, should you have any further
questions please contact us using the team
graduate team email address below.
enquiry@npowergraduates.co.uk
Placement Opportunities
In 2009 we will be offering the following:
• 12 month Industrial Placements – for
penultimate year undergraduates.The graduate
website will have more details.
• 8-12 week Summer Placements – for first,
second and penultimate year undergraduates.
Vacancies will be posted from January 2009.
• Placement opportunities will be available in
broadly the same areas of recruitment as for the
graduates. Summer placements will be subject
to business needs.
9
Cambridge University
Amateur Boxing Club
Exchange. In 1912, fencing and boxing split and
the Varsity Boxing Match became a free-standing
event. Apart from suspensions from 1915-1919
and 1940-45 owing to world war, the Match has
been contested annually to sell-out crowds ever
since. In 2007, the historic 100th Match was held
at London’s York Hall – the venue to which it
returns on March 12th 2009.
Cambridge University’s association with modern boxing
began in the 1860s
Varsity Match
Oxford win, 7-2
http://cuabc.org/
Captain: David Hyman, Hughes Hall
Secretary: Taras Gout, Emmanuel
Senior Treasurer: Dr Martin Smith, Institute
of Astronomy
Blues Awarded 2007-08
James Mahan, Darwin
Luke Smith, St Edmund’s
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
James Gray, Girton
Rob Chapman, Trinity Hall
Will Rees, Jesus
Taras Gout, Emmanuel
Tom Land, Gonville & Caius
10 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University’s association with modern
boxing began in the 1860s when two
undergraduates, John Graham Chambers (Trinity)
and the Marquis of Queensberry (Magdalene),
drew up the ‘Queensberry Rules’ for gloved
contests – and laid the foundations for the sport
we know today.
Through the late 1860s and 70s, Queensberry’s
lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight
amateur challenge cups were contested annually
at the athletics ground at Lilliebridge in
Middlesex and University men were prominent
among the contestants. By the 1870s, clubs were
springing up and in 1881 the Amateur Boxing
Association was founded.
Cambridge University Boxing & Fencing Club was
founded in 1896, the result of a merger of the
King’s Boxing Club and the private Fordham
School of Arms, and in March 1897, the first
Varsity Boxing & Fencing Match between the two
universities took place at the Cambridge Corn
The 101st Varsity Boxing Match on March 6th
2008 saw Oxford take a 7-2 victory over a raw but
industrious Cambridge side at Oxford Town Hall.
Highlight for the Light Blues was Darwin
postgrad James Mahan’s spectacular 90-second
demolition of big light-heavy Neil Robertson – a
feat that earned the US Naval Academy graduate
the Hawks’ Club award for Varsity Performance of
the Year. Mahan’s speed and power were too
much for Robertson, who took two standing
counts before being floored – finally and
painfully – by a wrecking ball of a body shot.
But the night kicked off with two much closer
contests.Tall featherweight Tom Land (Gonville &
Caius) had a great start against John McCarthy,
tapping the Oxford Blue’s claret within seconds
with a series of stabbing jabs and dominating the
first. But left hooks and rights brought McCarthy
right back into it in the second round – and half a
dozen power shots in the final moments of the
third were enough to put a desperately tight
bout in the Oxford column.
Emma medic Taras Gout faced James Robertson
in the lightweight bout. Again, aggressive boxing
behind a bargepole left hand gave the
Cambridge man the first round. Gout kept the
pressure on, walking Robertson down – but the
Oxford man showed slick movement under
pressure and jolted home just enough sharp
counters through the second and third to pinch
another knife-edge verdict.
Trinity Hall welterweight Rob Chapman had his
work cut out against veteran Oxford Captain
Tom Hughes. Hughes threw aggressive
combinations to body and head from the start,
shaking Chapman with a left hook.The fast,
long-limbed Chapman was always in it, however,
and a supreme effort in an action-packed third
round had a tiring Hughes in desperate trouble,
before the final bell rang to give Oxford another
points win.
The night was regrettably marred by a bizarre
total of four disqualifications – the fixture’s first
since 1973. In the light-middleweight contest, an
ill-fitted gumshield was the culprit. Girton’s
promising James Gray made a great showing
against ABAE University Championships silver
medallist Stuart Garman, showing calm nerves
and savvy defence to ride out the Oxford
knockout artist’s explosive attacks. Garman was
forced to regroup and look for Plan B, getting
picked off with long-range shots as he did so. In
the second, Garman again went for the stoppage.
Determined boxing kept Gray in the game, but
nasal damage made it a struggle for him to keep
his mouthpiece. When it fell out a fifth time, late
in the final round, the referee had seen enough.
Two successive middleweight mauls saw Oxford’s
Ron Highet disqualified in the final round for
holding and wrestling against stocky St Edmunds
southpaw Luke Smith – and then Queens’ Alex
Travaskis similarly dismissed against Oxford Blue
Carl Walton at the end of the second for hitting
after the bell. In the heavyweight bout, Oxford’s
6’8’’ heavyweight Peter Anderson kept stocky
James Wellwood (St Edmunds) pinned on the end
of a rapier jab through the first, only for a
frustrated Wellwood to get himself thrown out for
foolish use of the head when he finally got to
close quarters.
The light-welter bout, however, showed the best
traditions of Varsity boxing. Oxford’s Ben
Shacham, lean and muscled at the 63.5kg limit,
met Will Rees (Jesus), whose father had boxed for
Cambridge in 1968. From the opening bell,
Shacham drove Rees to the ropes before opening
up with furious hooks, while Rees ducked and
weaved and launched back with hard
combination shots, before breaking free to circle
and jab. Round two continued at a murderous
pace, with the crowd on their feet as a bloodied
Shacham and gritty Rees stood toe-to-toe,
scoring freely with non-stop punches. It was all
up for grabs in the final round, but Shacham’s
sheer strength gave him a slender edge to nick a
majority decision.
A considerably more experienced Cambridge
team will contest the 102nd Varsity Match at
London’s York Hall on March 12th.
Sponsor
Glassworks Gym, Cambridge
11
Cambridge University
Association Football Club
CUAFC is the representative level of the University’s
football system, offering the opportunity for the best
players in the University to play at a higher level
www.cuafc.org
President: Dr John Little, St Catharine’s
Captain: Anthony Murphy, Sidney Sussex
Secretary: William Lalande, Queens’
Senior Treasurer: Dr John Little, St Catharine’s
Blues Awarded 2007-08
James Dean, Darwin
Chris Turnbull, Christ’s
Ali Hakimi, Darwin
Anthony Murphy, Sidney Sussex
Nick Pantelides, St John’s
Luke Pendlebury, Homerton
Alex Coleman, Queens’
David Mills, St Catharine’s
Jamie Rutt, Trinity
Michael Johnson, Jesus
Matt Stock, St Catharine’s
William Lalande, Queens’
Matt Amos, Queens’
Mark Baxter, Selwyn
12 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
CUAFC is the representative level of the
University’s football system, offering the
opportunity for the best players in the University
to play at a higher level. Throughout the year two
teams, the Blues and Falcons, compete in the
national BUSA leagues. Both sides also play a
number of ‘traditional’ fixtures against sides such
as the Army and Navy representative sides.
The high point of the season is undoubtedly the
series of Varsity Matches. At the start of March the
Falcons and Kestrels, a third team introduced in
Lent term, compete against their Oxford
counterparts.Then in mid-March the Blues match
takes place, usually at a football league ground.
Varsity Match
29/03/2008 at Craven Cottage, Fulham
Cambridge 5 – 3 Oxford
Cambridge took to the field for the 124th Varsity
Match looking for a third successive victory over
their Oxford counterparts. Both teams then
proceeded to contribute towards one of the most
entertaining Varsity Matches in recent years and a
far cry from the edgy, nervous encounter of the
previous year.
Cambridge struck early with a well planned freekick routine working perfectly. Anthony Murphy
rose well at the back post to head back across
and Matt Stock did the rest from close range.
However, Oxford quickly got a foothold in the
game and before long had equalised. For most of
the rest of the half the game was evenly balanced
until a long-ball from Anthony Murphy found
Matt Stock and, as the Oxford goalkeeper
experienced a rush of blood to the head, Stock
kept his calm, lifting the ball over him and into
the back of the net.
The start of the second half was equally frenetic.
No sooner had Oxford equalised than Matt Stock
produced a superb finish to complete his hat-trick.
The lead would only last for 20 minutes though as
Oxford pressure finally told as they equalised
through a series of deflected passes and shots.
Until the 85th minute the scores remained tied as
Cambridge pushed for victory. Good team play
led to a number of chances, Luke Pendlebury
struck the bar and William Lalande and Dave Mills
also had good chances. However the break
through could not be found and Oxford still
remained a threat with James Dean being forced
into a number of good saves.
However with only minutes to go a poor back
pass let Matt Stock in and he coolly slotted the
ball past the Oxford goalkeeper for his fourth. He
would then cap his display with a superb solo run
before crossing for Matt Amos to nod home at
the near post to complete an exhilarating
5-3 victory.
Other News
After a strong start in BUSA, including a
comprehensive 5-0 demolition at Fenners of
Loughborough 3rds, the Blues season slipped
away as injuries began to pile up. Ultimately the
BUSA season, which was largely finished by
Christmas as the weather played havoc with the
schedule, was disappointing. Early thoughts of a
possible promotion fell by the wayside as a midtable finish was achieved.
the club, between them they had collected
14 Blues. Additionally James Dean should be
thanked for his contributions, first to the Falcons
and then also the Blues as goalkeeper and
secretary. James has finished his PhD but has
taken up a teaching post at the university and is
looking to continue his involvement in the club.
Finally to William Lalande who improved year-onyear, working his way up from the Falcons and
this year earned a well deserved Blue.
Sponsors
Merrill Lynch – Kit
PricewaterhouseCoopers – College League
Much the same could be said of the Falcons BUSA
campaign with injuries in the Blues squad leaving
them occasionally over-stretched and with no
consistency in selection. Perhaps unsurprisingly
results and performances were mixed.
Following another successful tour to La Manga
before Lent Term, both teams put in impressive
performances in their Varsity build ups against
traditional opposition.The Blues’ impressive 5-2
win away at Corinthian Casuals was a particular
high point.The confidence showed in the Varsity
Match day results as both turned in impressive
performances.The Falcons won 1-0 thanks to a
Geoff King goal and the Blues recording a 5-3
victory thanks to four goals from Matt Stock.
Thus the year ended successfully with the club on
a high and looking forward to the coming season
with a strong base to build on. It is worth noting
the contribution of a number of CUAFC stalwarts
for whom this was their final season. In particular
the contributions of Anthony Murphy, Alex
Coleman, Dave Mills and Chris Turnbull should be
noted. All four had participated in the last three
Varsity Match victories and two had captained
www.sophiepickford.com
13
Cambridge University
Women’s Association Football Club
Football is one of the most popular sports for women
at Cambridge University – at present there are two
University teams and 27 college teams
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cuwafc/
President: Dr John Little, St Catharine’s
Captain: Lisa Grimes, Wolfson
Secretary: Rebecca Fisher, St John’s
Senior Treasurer: Dr John Little, St Catharine’s
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Lisa Grimes, Wolfson
Lisa O’Dea, Newnham
Clare Ross, Trinity Hall
Claire Hollingsworth, Newnham
Catherine Murphy, Robinson
Miriam Toolan, New Hall
Leesa Haydock, Selwyn
Felicity Hughes, Jesus
Ine Steenmans, Emmanuel
Nicola Hoffman, Girton
Rebecca Fisher, St John’s
14 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Lizzie Richardson , St John’s
Clare Longden, Jesus
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Claudia Comberti, Jesus
Nicola Dutton, St Catharine’s
Ellie Nalson, Jesus
Alice Barnes, Lucy Cavendish
Emma Stones, Churchill
Kristina Cammen, Churchill
Grace Parker, Robinson
Kristina Fleishmann, Fitzwilliam
Nina Goldman, Clare
Liv Hanks, Sidney Sussex
Lindsay Cameron, New Hall
Hemali Patel, Fitzwilliam
Becky Howe, Gonville & Caius
Kate Hadley-Brown, New Hall
Sophie Goodhall, Emmanuel
Kate Orf, Emmanuel
Football is one of the most popular sports for
women at Cambridge University – at present
there are two University teams and 27 college
teams. The Blues (1st XI) currently play in the
Eastern Regional Premier Division and compete
in matches, every Sunday, from the start of
September to the middle of April.The Blues also
compete in the FA Cup, League Cup and County
Cup.The 2nd team (The Eagles) currently play in
Midlands 2B BUSA league and have matches
every Wednesday during term time
Varsity Match
23rd February
Iffley Road Football Stadium (Blues),
Marston Sports Pitches (Eagles)
Blues: Cambridge 1- 1 Oxford (Cambridge win 4-2
on penalties)
Eagles: Cambridge 3- 0 Oxford
A year after the disappointment of losing to
Oxford in the Varsity Match’s first ever penalty
shoot-out, Cambridge must have feared history
was repeating itself when the whistle blew after
120 exhausting minutes of football to signal that
it would come down to spot-kicks again.This
time, however, there was to be glory after all,
goalkeeper Lisa O’Dea saving two of Oxford’s
attempts for a well-deserved Cambridge victory.
The Light Blues’ determination was evident from
the start with Nikki Hoffman out-jumping
Oxford’s goalkeeper only to head the ball over
the bar ten minutes in. Player of the match Leesa
Haydock and captain Lisa Grimes used strength
and height to control the midfield, playing a
number of decisive through balls to wingers
Miriam Toolan and Felicity Hughes, whose pace
was a constant threat to the Oxford back four.
However, it was Oxford who went ahead when
Catherine Murphy was adjudged to have fouled
the Oxford winger on the left flank. Oxford
veteran Ann Harvey’s effort was stopped by
goalkeeper Lisa O’Dea, but she was unable to
hold on to the ball and after a frantic goal
mouth scramble, the ball ended up in the back
of the net.
Cambridge created a number of chances before
the break, going excruciatingly close when
Hughes almost connected with Rebecca Fisher’s
cross, but the Dark Blues held firm and
Cambridge trailed 1-0 going into halftime.
Cambridge re-emerged with a renewed
determination and the start of the second half
saw increasing pressure on the Oxford goal. Slick
passing moves allowed Light Blue centre back
Claire Hollingsworth to send a dangerous cross
over Oxford captain Kate Roper’s head into the
path of Hughes, who this time managed to
connect but sent the ball inches wide. Everyone
felt the equaliser was certain to arrive, and when
Murphy’s skill took her round two opponents,
drilling a low shot across the goal she was denied
only by the woodwork. However, striker Fisher
arrived in the box to slot the rebound home. 1-1.
Game on.
Cambridge continued to dominate with strong
second half displays from full backs Clare Ross
and Lizzie Richardson neutralising the Oxford
wingers, and providing further attacking options
for the Light Blues, whilst Murphy continued to
be as dangerous and skilful as ever. However, the
goal did not come within the 90 minutes and the
game headed into extra time. Cambridge had a
number of chances throughout extra time and
the winning goal looked likely. Many thought the
winner would surely come when both Grimes
and Hollingsworth slid in at the far post trying to
connect with Murphy’s low cross across the goal
mouth. Nevertheless, even with the introduction
of fresher Clare Longden to the strike force, which
elicited an immediate threat on the Oxford goal,
the unwelcome sound of the final whistle meant
the game was to be decided by a penalty
shootout. Cambridge chose to take the first kick
and Haydock showed great composure, drilling
the ball into the bottom corner of the goal.
Longden scored her kick and all was going well
until Fisher’s shot straight down the middle was
saved. Cambridge keeper Lisa O’Dea then made
an important save to keep Cambridge in the
game, and Grimes scored the 4th putting the
pressure back on the Dark Blues. O’Dea stretched
to make another fantastic save, and when
Murphy sent the ball into the bottom corner the
Light Blues, and their travelling support went wild
with delight. Despite the game being decided
with penalty kicks, the better side on the day
came out victorious.
Earlier that day the Eagles retained the Varsity
Trophy as goals from Kristina Cammen, Liv Hanks,
and captain Ellie Nalson handed them an
emphatic victory over a determined Oxford side
in front of a vocal away support.
Cambridge, although dominating possession,
initially struggled with the final delivery.The best
of the early chances fell to Sophie Goodall, whose
persistence found her way through the Oxford
defence before keeper Grace Buchanan pounced
to smother the ball. Furies midfielder Emma
Dickinson was a threat throughout, as was tricky
Oxford captain Ejiro Oviri, whose skill and
possession carved out several openings , perhaps
the best of which was a shot that she herself
dragged wide.
An assured display from Cambridge keeper Alice
Barnes boosted Cambridge’s confidence, and
their breakthrough came just before half time
when Hemali Patel’s shot was tipped around the
post by Buchanan, and Lindsay Cameron’s
resulting corner found Cammen at the far post
for the defender to powerfully head home.
Cambridge survived a scare when Oviri’s shot hit
the post and rebounded agonisingly across the
six-yard box before Emma Stones was able to
clear. Minutes later, the Eagles did double their
advantage in what was a mirror image of their
opening goal; this time it was Hanks whose
header met Cameron’s beautifully-flighted corner
after good work by Nalson on the right wing.
Although they continued to threaten down the
right-hand side, Oxford found no reply, and it was
chiefly the pace of Eagles captain Nalson and
substitute Kate Orf that caught the eye in the
closing stages. Kate Hadley-Brown held off two
furies defenders to find Nalson in space in the
penalty area, and the captain coolly slotted past
the keeper to wrap up the victory.
Other News
The Eagles started the season with a new look
squad, retaining only a handful of last years
players and bringing a new coach (Ed Gascoigne)
into the team. Despite playing in a BUSA league
(midlands 3B) with many University first teams,
we felt ready to better last years third place finish.
15
Our season started in the best possible way with
an 18-0 victory over ARU 1sts, after which we
never looked back.
Our BUSA campaign saw us reach double figures
twice, topping our league with a goal difference
of 55 from 6 games.This success saw us secure a
place in the national BUSA plate competition. We
were unlucky to get knocked out in the quarter
finals by a strong Loughborough side in a close,
hard-fought game, with the final score being 2-0.
Despite our achievements in BUSA, the highlight
of our season was our varsity victory. A couple of
outstanding headers and some good defence
work saw that we walked away with a deserved
3-0 win. Oxford Furies play in the division above,
so we hope this win will be a taste of things to
come, as we look forward to being promoted and
playing in the second division next season.
The Blues had a very difficult start to the season,
losing a string of tough matches whilst struggling
to field a full strength team.The fact that the
Eastern Region Women’s Football Premier League
starts the football season in late August always
makes for a challenging start to the season with
numerous players on holiday, others having
graduated. However, once October came we were
able to recruit a number of talented new players
and our team was beginning to take shape once
regular training sessions began. New coach, Lee
McGill made an instant impact and the Blues
were becoming fitter than ever! The season soon
picked up with notable league performances
including an away 1-0 victory over high flying
Hethersett Athletic and a 3-2 victory at home to
Bedford Ladies.
16 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Our cup campaign also got off to a flying start
with a 4-0 victory over Haverhill in the first round
of the FA cup, and a 3-0 victory over the same team
in the League cup 2nd round. However, Norwich
City ended our FA and League Cup hopes beating
us 4-2 and 3-1 results respectively. However,
throughout the rest of the season we proved to
be a very strong team finishing the season in 7th
place, safely in the middle of the table.
Our County Cup campaign was also very
successful, with a number of comfortable
victories, including a 12-4 thrashing of West Lynn.
We eventually made it to the final against newly
promoted Combination League side, Cambridge
City Ladies. It was a tough match and City used
their combination league experience to good
effect, proving too strong for the university,
winning 3-1. However, we were still able to win
some silverware this season with a varsity victory
in Oxford.The team has gone from strength to
strength this year and hopefully this is indicative
of things to come next season!
Ellie Nalson and Lisa Grimes (Eagles and
Blues captains)
Sponsor
Pricewaterhouse Coopers – Kit
Cambridge University
Athletic Club
Cambridge University Athletic Club (CUAC) was the first
university-wide athletic club to be established in the UK
www.srcf.ucam.org/cuac/
President: Humphrey Waddington, St Catharine’s
Men’s Captain: Will Rice, King’s
Women’s Captain: Lucy Spray, Newnham
Secretary: Jon Cook, Jesus
Senior Treasurer: Chris Pratt, Fitzwilliam
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Charlotte Roach, Trinity
Helen Rollins, Corpus Christi
Florence Cavalli, Darwin
Sarah Williams, King’s
Emma Perkins, Newnham
Lucy Spray, Newnham
Ben Richardson, Churchill
Humpherey Waddington, St Catharine’s
Matt Haslett, Churchill
Ian Simson, St John’s
Andrew Wheble, Trinity
Andrew Lee, Jesus
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Jessica Fogarty, Gonville & Caius
Madeleine Patston, Gonville & Caius
Joanne Lister, Pembroke
Georgina Hurt, Downing
Laura McGarty, Churchill
Rebecca Welbourn, Churchill
Polly Keen, New Hall
Emma Rowley, Pembroke
Emily Craven, New Hall
Rebecca Riiser, St Catharine’s
Clare Palmer, Downing
Sarah Vigrass, Gonville & Caius
Joanna Melluish, Selwyn
Dany Gammall, Trinity
David Nefs, Churchill
Geoff Hill, Trinity
Jon Cook, Jesus
Matt Armstrong, Trinity Hall
Sam Dobin, Trinity
James Kelly, Jesus
Tim Pattison, Downing
Jan Molacek, Trinity
Jeff Wheeler, Clare
Charles Romito, Hughes Hall
Scott Knackstedt, Downing
Aidan McGowen, Girton
Richard Martin, Queens’
Alex Bates, Selwyn
Mike Collins, Trinity
Ryan Harper, Corpus Christi
Emmanuel Akinluyi, Christ’s
George Kenyon, Robinson
Dan Ekpe, Corpus Christi
Will Rice, King’s
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Members of the Alligator’s (2nd) Team
Members of the Alverstone’s (2nd) Team
Cambridge University Athletic Club (CUAC) was
the first university-wide athletics club to be
established in the UK in 1857, followed by Oxford
in 1863.This perhaps makes CUAC the oldest
university athletics club in the world.
The first Inter-Varsity Athletics match between
the two Universities took place in 1864, 32 years
before the birth of the modern Olympics.Today,
Cambridge competes with Oxford throughout
the year in various invitational competitions and
in particular in our 3 Varsity Matches, these being
the Freshman Match in Michaelmas Term, the
Field Events and Relays in Lent Term, and the
Varsity Match itself in Easter.
In 3 out of every 4 years, CUAC and OUAC will
come together as the Achilles Club to compete
against American Universities in the oldest
international athletic series in the world.The
Harvard-Yale matches date back to 1894 and
the Penn-Cornell series has roots in 1921.
17
Every 4 years, the English Universities will tour
the US over Easter to compete against all 4 of
the US institutions. CUAC athletes are currently
training in the hope of gaining selection for the
next tour in 2009.
CUAC also has an active social scene, with both
the Alverstones and Alligators Clubs holding
regular outings with other university sports clubs.
CUAC welcomes athletes of all abilities and is
keen to hear from anyone interested in joining
the club.
Varsity Match
17th May 2008, Sir Roger Bannister Track, Iffley
Road, Oxford
Men’s Blues: Oxford 116 Cambridge 96
Women’s Blues: Oxford 109 Cambridge 90
Men’s 2nd Team: Oxford Centipedes 102
Cambridge Alverstones 108
Women’s 2nd Team: Oxford Millipedes 98
Cambridge Alligators 96
The 134th Varsity Athletics Match was held on
Saturday 17th May at the recently renamed Sir
Roger Bannister Track, Oxford. The Men’s Blues
were hoping to cement their dominance over the
Dark Side after last year’s record breaking victory,
whereas the Women’s Blues were determined to
prevent Oxford claming their third consecutive
victory. Unfortunately, despite strong
performances from members of CUAC, it was
Oxford who rose to the challenge on the day
winning key events and who ultimately came
out victorious.
18 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
For the Men’s Blues, the match was always going
to be a close one. Injuries had left the Blues
deprived of some of their best athletes, but
moreover this year Cambridge had to overcome
the formidability of Oxford’s Garrett Johnson, a
man whose Shot Putt best currently ranks him
9th in the world.
Early on, strong performances and even large
personal bests by the Blues looked to build a
solid foundation for the rest of the day. However
each performance was equally matched by the
respective Oxford athletes. Freshman Ian Simson
jumped a massive 6.82m in the Long Jump,
leading throughout the competition until he was
eclipsed by Oxford’s very last jump. Similarly
Churchill’s Matt Haslett led the High Jump
competition until a final attempt Oxford
clearance at 1.95m.
The Blues bounced back during the middle of the
day. Ben Richardson (recent winner of the 110m
hurdles at the South of England Championships
and BUSA silver medallist) claimed victories in
both the 100m (11.00 seconds) and 110m
Hurdles (14.62 seconds), whilst President
Humphrey Waddington took victory in the Triple
Jump (14.05m). Narrow losses in the 800m and
Pole Vault though helped to extend Oxford’s lead,
and further losses in the 400m, 3000m
Steeplechase and the Mile meant they could start
to smell victory.
Cambridge refused to lay down though,
Richardson once again claiming victories in the
200m (22.22 seconds) and 200m Hurdles (25.58
seconds), whilst Basketball Blue Richard Martin
won the Javelin (46.71m). However a Shot Putt
victory from Garrett Johnson in a massive 19.94m
adding to his earlier victory in the Discus,
alongside the narrowest of losses in the 5000m
helped to secure Oxford’s overall victory, which
they confirmed by taking both the relays.
The end result of Oxford 116 Cambridge 96 was
harsh on Cambridge and did not reflect the talent
and effort that the entire team had put in across
the year. However this should not take away from
Oxford who rose well to the challenge and
performed on the day.
For the Women’s Blues, the match was always
going to be tough; however the team led by
Newnham’s Lucy Spray were eager to contest for
every point in every event against Oxford even if
they were not the pre-match favourites.
The match started well for Cambridge with
Darwin’s Florence Cavalli (3.00m) and King’s Sarah
Williams (2.80m) claiming a 1-2 in the Pole Vault,
and Cavalli narrowly missing out on the Varsity
Record. This was followed up by an outstanding
400m hurdles run by Spray (63.72) beating the
Oxford President in the process. Oxford
reclaimed lost ground however and moved into
the lead by taking the Hammer, Long Jump and
800m before Spray then claimed her second
victory of the day in the 100m (12.65).
Cambridge continued however to lose ground in
the field events, with the Discus, High Jump, Shot
and Triple Jump all falling to the Dark Side. Vital
victories by Becky Welbourn in the 400m (59.17),
BUSA bronze medallist Helen Rollins in the
5000m (17.34.94), a Varsity Record by GB Cross
Country International Charlotte Roach in the Mile
(4.53.60) and a third victory for Spray in the 200m
(25.53) kept Cambridge in touch.
Losses in the field would eventually be the Blues
undoing, losing the final field event the Javelin
followed by the 2000m Steeplechase left Oxford
with an unassailable lead. Cambridge pride was
restored however with victories in the two relay
races, the Blues coming from behind on both
occasions to defeat Oxford.
The end result of Oxford 109 Cambridge 90 also
seemed a little unkind and really only reflected
Oxford’s domination of a few key events. However
the great tenacity shown by the Women’s side,
combined with the young age of the team bodes
well for next year, particularly under the leadership
of Spray who claimed 5 medals for her
performances and the Susan Dennler Trophy for
the best female Varsity performance.
The end points scores for the Second Team
matches were far closer. The Cambridge
Alverstones claimed victory with 108 points to
the Oxford Centipedes 102. For the Women, a
narrow victory was achieved by the Oxford
Millipedes of 98 to the Cambridge Alligators 96,
in which Jesus’ Ellie Nalson beat her own match
record in the Pole Vault clearing 2.40m.
A. P. Bates
Other News
Despite the disappointment of losing Varsity,
there have been many outstanding achievements
by CUAC members in the past year. First and
foremost one would have to mention 2007
graduate Ben Carne. In the 2006-07 review it was
noted that Carne had achieved the 400m hurdles
qualifying standard for the Under 23 European
Championships. For this competition, he finished
5th in the final. Furthermore, Carne was selected
and competed for Great Britain in the World
Student Games in Bangkok.
Further success occurred very early in the season
in November’s Freshers’Varsity Match. An
outstanding display by the Cambridge Women,
which included two records from Charlotte Roach
and Helen Rollins in the 3000m and 1500m
Steeplechase respectively, saw them take victory
by 104 – 97. Although the men were narrowly
defeated, individual performances were very
promising particularly from Josh Mouland who
won 3 events (110m and 400m Hurdles, and the
Pole Vault), and Ian Simson who prevailed in the
Long and Triple Jumps.
CUAC success continued throughout the indoor
season, culminating in a dominant display by the
Cambridge Men winning the annual Varsity Field
Events and Relays Match at the state of the art
Lee Valley Indoor Centre by 11 events to 3.
Despite this, the outstanding performance of the
day came from the Cambridge Women’s Team
and Pole Vaulter Sarah Williams who cleared a
height of 2.90m beating the individual match
record and also assisting in taking the team
record with Alice Garrett and Theresa Hall at 6.70m.
The current season began with a highly
successful warm weather training trip to
Torremolinos, Spain. Over 40 athletes and
coaches attended the trip which generated a
huge team spirit alongside an intense two weeks
of training. For performances this season thus far,
of particular note are those of Ben Richardson
who was recently crowned South of England
110m hurdles Champion. Richardson
furthermore claimed a silver medal in BUSA and
was 4th in the England Athletics Under 23
Championships. Further success at BUSA was
achieved by Helen Rollins who picked up a
bronze medal in the 10,000m, and the men’s
4 X 100m and women’s 4 X 400m teams both
finishing 5th.
Aside from athletics though, one of the biggest
gains for CUAC this year has yet to come. In the
coming months new floodlights will be built at
Wilberforce Road and will allow CUAC as well as
CUHC and town clubs the opportunity to train at
more appropriate times, avoiding clashes with
lectures and supervisions. CUAC is very much
looking forward to training under the floodlights.
CUAC would also like to give thanks to our
sponsors PriceWaterhouseCoopers, whose
continued support has assisted the effective
running of the club for approaching 10 years.
A. P. Bates
Sponsor
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
19
Cambridge University
Badminton Club
The University Badminton Club exists to give its
members an opportunity to play at a higher level than
that offered by college badminton
www.srcf.ucam.org/cucbc
Men’s Captain: Peter Galloway, Peterhouse
Women’s Captain: Katie Scotter, Girton
Senior Treasurer: Dr John Bray
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Karen Hird, St Catharine’s
Catherine Murphy, Robinson
Katherine Young, Jesus
Frances Powell, Homerton
Sam Lees, Jesus
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Katie Scotter, Girton
Nikini Jayatunga, St John’s
Claire Rong, Churchill
Peter Galloway, Peterhouse
Rob Pace, St Catharine’s
Yi-xun Tan, Sidney Sussex
Arjun Mehta, Trinity
Abul Ali, Homerton
20 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Helen Carnaghan, Magdalene
Helen Wear, St Catharine’s
Melanie Zhang, Newnham
Sammy Jones, Christ’s
Isabel Gutteridge, Trinity
Cindy Wang, Magdalene
John Raw, Jesus
Chris White, Pembroke
Sandy Lamond, Christ’s
Spiros Adams-Florou, Trinity Hall
Tom Ellis, Trinity
Long Chung Lai, St Catharine’s
Vishal Vyas, St John’s
The University Badminton Club exists to give its
members an opportunity to play at a higher level
than that offered by college badminton, within
the squad or against other universities. Mens and
womens teams are formed to compete in BUSA
and we enter a mixed team into the Cambridge
local league.The season culminates in the BUSA
finals and mens, womens and mixed Varsity
Matches against Oxford.The club meets twice
weekly at weekends to practice, with matches
mid-week. Also, there are several social events
throughout the year.The season spans
Michaelmas and Lent Terms with trials shortly
after the Society Fair although new players can
join throughout the year. Members of the club
also run the College Open and ladies leagues and
cuppers tournaments.
Varsity Match
16th February 2008 – Iffley Road Sports Ground,
Oxford
Men’s 1st lost 1-14, Men’s 2nd lost 0-15, Women’s
1st won 14-1, Women’s 2nd won 15-0, Cambridge
won overall on total rubbers
To play all the matches for men’s and women’s
first and second team meant a long day at Iffley
Road for the Cambridge University Badminton
Squad. Despite the early start there were still
plenty of Light Blue supporters among the army
of Dark Blues to cheer on the men’s and women’s
second teams as they started proceedings. From
the beginning, a trend started to emerge which
was to continue throughout the Varsity Match,
with the Cambridge women dominating the
Oxford women and the Cambridge men
struggling against a strong Dark Blue side.
Captained by Claire Rong, the second women
cruised through their singles and doubles
matches to an impressive 15-0 victory over a
deflated Oxford side. In the other half of the hall
the Cambridge men continued to battle, taking a
number of matches to a close three sets, but
never managing to secure a win, they lost 0-15.
After lunch it was the turn of the first teams to
take on Oxford.The Cambridge women were
confident, with a strong fresher intake, four
players having already secured Full Blues by
outstanding performances at the BUSA individual
championships and coming second in the BUSA
South Premier Division, Oxford looked to be out
of their league. Like the second women before
them, the Cambridge women dominated Oxford
and secured a 14-1 victory barely breaking a
sweat. For the Cambridge men it was never going
to be straightforward, having lost their top two
players to injury and international commitments.
The Cambridge men fought valiantly, with many
games going to three sets showcasing some
spectacular play. All the Light Blues were on the
edge of their seats, watching the overall scores
draw ever closer.Thanks to some outstanding
play by Peter Galloway and Rob Pace in the
doubles the Cambridge men won their first
and only game of the tournament.This left the
overall scores tied 30-30, but thanks to the men
forcing many close games Cambridge won
overall on points.
Women
The women played in the South Premier division
of the BUSA league this season, finishing in
second place behind a strong Bath side. At the
BUSA finals, we met Bath again and unfortunately
lost against a team consisting almost entirely of
international players to finish fourth overall
behind Bath, Loughborough and Birmingham.
At the BUSA individuals, Katherine Young and
Catherine Murphy, and Fran Powell and Karen
Hird reached the last 16 and quarter finals of the
women’s doubles competition respectively. Karen,
Katherine and Catherine also competed for their
respective senior county teams.
Mixed
Cambridge have dominated the local Cambridge
mixed league for several years and this season
was no exception, with the University team
coming top of the league above rivals Ely and
St Ives.
Sponsor
mannamexico
Other News
Men
The men faced unfortunate draws at the BUSA
individuals meaning our top players came up
against the first seeds in the first round. Sam Lees
got to the last 16 in the Men’s singles
competition.The men played in the South
Premier BUSA league finishing third above
Oxford and below Bristol and Bath. In the BUSA
finals we beat Nottingham in the last 16 to be
knocked out in the Quarter Finals by Bristol.
21
Cambridge University
Basketball Club
The Cambridge University Basketball Club comprises
two teams; the men's 1st team (Cambridge Blues) and
the men's 2nd Team (Cambridge Lions)
www.cubbc.org.uk
President: Leopold Parts, Corpus Christi
Co-captain: Leopold Parts, Corpus Christi &
Christopher Bohn, Christ’s
Secretary: Sunith de Fonseka, Trinity
Senior Treasurer: Nebojsa Radic, Language
Centre
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Damjan Pfajfar, Trinity Hall – Returning Blue
Nikos Bamiedakis, Downing – Returning Blue
Leopold Parts, Corpus Christi – Returning Blue
Sunith de Fonseka, Trinity
Richard Martin, Queens'
Hugo Halferty Drochon, St John's
Atticus Honoré, Corpus Christi
Evan Hall, Downing
22 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Christopher Bohn, Christ's
Domantas Jankauskas, Downing
College Colours Awarded 2007-08
Takuma Goto, Robinson
Stuart Lee, Darwin
Robin Fletcher, Downing
Christoph Mueller, Wolfson
Andrew Northern, Churchill
Owen Weller, Pembroke
Simon Proffitt, Queens'
Olaf Schreiber, Churchill
Ernest Lau, St John's
Marco Piccolino Boniforti, Clare Hall
Sven Krippendorf, Darwin
Nick Bell, Jesus
Yichang Ng, Christ's
The Cambridge University Basketball Club
comprises two teams; the men's 1st team
(Cambridge Blues) and the men's 2nd Team
(Cambridge Lions). Both teams take part in their
respective BUSA Midlands Conference leagues. In
addition, the Club organises the CU Basketball
College League in order to accommodate the
high enthusiasm shown by students to get
involved with the sport at the college level.
Basketball has been judged to be of Full Blue
status in the University and the president of the
Club is empowered to award five Blues and five
Half Blues to members of the Blues' Varsity team,
with the option of nominating a further three for
Discretionary Blues.The members of the Lions'
Varsity team are awarded Club Colours.
Varsity Match
Oxford Blues vs Cambridge Blues
The Light Blues tipped off against Oxford with a
game plan detailed by head coach Angelo Favia:
play tough man-to-man defence and secure an
early lead. After the first quarter, however, it
became clear that this strategy would not be easy
to implement. Great defence by both teams
meant that the score was only 7–5, in Oxford’s
favour. During the second quarter, the Blues
struggled against Oxford’s zone. Atticus Honore
and Richard Martin were able to find holes and
drive to the basket to initiate the Blues scoring.
Nevertheless, Cambridge’s big men, Leo Parts and
Hugo Halferty-Drochon, and guards, Sunith de
Fonseka and Chris Bohn, struggled to find their
groove. Substitutions gave Evan Hall, Domantas
Jankauskas and Nikos Bamiedakis a chance to
reduce the points' margin. Bamiedakis finished
the game with 10 offensive rebounds and 12
points. After a late third quarter surge, the Blues
had reduced the Oxonian lead to 10. Stepping up
their defence, the Blues continued to chip away at
their opponent’s lead. With two minutes left to
play Cambridge had battled to within six points
of Oxford, and the opposing team’s fans had
assumed an eerie silence. In the final minutes,
however, Oxford managed to convert crucial free
throws.The final score was Cambridge 61 –
Oxford 73.
Oxford Twos vs Cambridge Lions
The Cambridge Lions went into the Varsity Game
on the back of a successful season, but wary of an
Oxford team from the division above that would
present a stiff challenge. Oxford had a brighter
start, moving the ball quickly, forcing fouls and
making the most of their free-throws. But the
Lions responded with sharp shooting from guard
Stuart Lee.The coach, Chris Ashwin, encouraged
the team and pointed out holes in the opposing
zone defence which the post-players Robin
Fletcher and Andrew Northern were able to
exploit to bring Cambridge level.The Lions'
defence settled down and Oxford found it
difficult to get easy shots, whilst Christoph
Mueller put his effective jump shot into use.
At half time, the Lions were 5 points ahead.
The Lions started the second half well, with the
speedy Yi Chung Ng scoring on a fast break.
Owen Weller began to run the show with an
excellent three pointer and hook shot and there
were also good scoring contributions from Simon
Proffitt and Nick Bell.The Cambridge fans were in
full voice as the final quarter approached, lifting
their team. With the captain, Takuma Goto adding
energy to the defence and Stuart Lee continuing
to work hard and score points, Cambridge
stretched their lead to 10 points. However, in the
final minutes of the game, things took a drastic
turn.The Cambridge offence ran out of steam
while an athletic Oxford team managed to
turn things around, making a flurry of shots in
quick succession.
The game started to run away from Cambridge in
the final two minutes as the referees' decisions
went against them and it ended with Oxford
winning by seven points.The final score was
70-63. Despite the loss, the Lions can be proud of
having had their best performance of the season,
leading for the majority of the game, and
competing to the end.The squad has worked
hard during the year, had lots of memorable team
moments, and improved quickly thanks to the
coaching of Chris Ashwin.
Other News
Cambridge Blues
What to the outside world can only appear as
rather incredible, the University of Cambridge
does not own a proper sports facility with a
basketball court, placing a heavy strain on the
club’s and player’s resources, both human in
organising and booking Kelsey Kerridge, and
financially in ensuring sufficient court time. Such
a situation has a rather negative impact on the
club’s performance, and this year was no different,
with pre-season training starting a mere two
weeks before the first game, as opposed to at
least a month for the other BUSA clubs.The Club
sincerely wishes that the plans to build a
Cambridge University Sports Hall go ahead
in the very near future to remedy this
intolerable situation.
Another factor of indeterminacy marked the
beginning of the new season, with the transition
from the old coach Nebojsa Radic to our new
coach Angelo ‘Gusto’ Favio. Under the guidance of
caretaker player-coach Damjan, the Blues took on
reigning champions Oxford Brooks for their
opening game, putting in a performance with
plenty of potential, and narrowly loosing the
game by three, with a shot on the buzzer to draw
the game. With Angelo now firmly in charge, the
Blues beat their next opponents Nottingham by
15 points, but suffered another set-back at the
hands of Warwick, again taking a shot on the
buzzer to win the game. Indeed the inability of
the Blues to win close games was to mar their
season, and cost them the championship. With
another two victories under their belt
(Wolverhampton, UEA), the Blues travelled to
Oxford Brookes to what promised to be the
deciding match of the tournament. However
Cambridge’s demons returned to haunt them
again, though level with one minute to play, the
Blues would lose the game by four points.This
set off a rather dark patch for the Blues, with a
23
now infamous follow-up game against UEA.
Further losses on the road meant that the Blues
would finish in the middle of their division.
It should be mentioned, at this point, that the
Blues had a rather successful ‘Italian’ season,
travelling both to Milan and Bari to participate in
local basketball tournaments.The Bari game was
the last of the season, and the Blues were finally
able to banish the demon that had been
pursuing them all season, winning in overtime by
three points. Returning Blues for this year
included Nikos Bamiedakis, President Leopold
Parts and Damjan Pfajfar. Blues for 2007/2008
were awarded to Sunith de Fonseka, Hugo
Halferty Drochon, Evan Hall, Atticus Honoré and
Richard Martin.The other members of the team
were Chris Bohn, Domantas Jankauskas, Juhan
Aru and Michal Kucewicz. Due to unforeseen
circumstances, Sunith de Fonseka, President
elect for next year, will be leaving us before the
start of the season.The Club would like to take
this opportunity to thank him for having
brought such sunshine both on and off the
court during his time in Cambridge and wish
him the best for the future.The next planned
trip for the Club is Sunith’s wedding in
December.The returning five players are
already training for the next season, with one
objective in sight: win Varsities 2009.
Sponsor
mannamexico
24 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University
Women’s Basketball Club
The Cambridge University Women’s Basketball Club;
(CUWBbC) is comprised of the University’s top
basketball players
www.srcf.ucam.org/cubbc/new/
President: Elizabeth Azzato, Sidney Sussex
Captain: Victoria Lister, Downing
Secretary: Victoria Lister, Downing
Senior Treasurer: Nebojsa Radic, Language
Centre
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Victoria Lister, Downing
Gilla Shapiro, Girton
Alexandra Zieritz, Department of Zoology
Bo Dury, Pembroke
Kim Lamza, Jesus
Stephanie Polderdijk, Trinity Hall
Jurate Karciauskaite, Downing
Sarah Lovell, St Edmund’s
Nicola Hands, Jesus
Imogen Holmgren, New Hall
The Cambridge University Women’s Basketball
Club (CUWBbC) is comprised of the University’s
top basketball players.The Light Blues has
conditional Full-Blue Status. During the year, our
fifteen athletes that make up CUWBbC’s 1st team,
participates in BUSA, the Varsity Match, as well as
exhibition games and tournaments. CUWBbC also
provides a service to the College League by
organising court time, proctoring each game, and
orchestrating different competitions and events
to make the college league enjoyable to its
participants.
Varsity Match
Ifley Road, Oxford, on February 24th.
Women’s Firsts: Cambridge 52- Oxford 53
This year, Oxford had the home advantage for the
Varsity Match, and based on the 2006-7 results,
Cambridge was the team to beat. However,
Oxford had finished first in the 2007-8 year’s
BUSA conference while Cambridge finished right
behind Oxford as second in the Conference.
The stand off did not disappoint in being a very
close match.The Light Blues were headed by their
experienced, Level 2 England Basketball coach,
Milos Buhavac.The game plan was simple, to
prevent Oxfords’sharp shooters from taking
multiple outside shots, while also ensuring they
would not get easy points through under the
basket lay-ups.This defensive plan proved to be
effective, and Cambridge had the lead for a
significant portion of the game.However, in the last
quarter the score began to shift in Oxford’s favor.
Oxford began to hit many three-point outside shots
in a row, and made the game very tight.The final
score was astonishingly close; Oxford beat
Cambridge by only 1 point, not even by 1 basket (2
points).The final score was 53-52 to Oxford.
Both teams demonstrated great sportsmanship
and talent. CUWBbC was very happy with the
level of competition, and looks forward to the
2008-9 Varsity Match.
Other News
Cambridge University Women’s Basketball Team
came second in their BUSA Conference. In BUSA
they are part of the 1A Tier, Midlands Conference.
Tier 1A is directly below the Premier League,
the top division of the Conference.There are six
such conferences.
CUWBbC had an exhibition game against Trinity
College Dublin. CUWBbC also participated in the
first ‘European Universities Basketball Challenge
Tournament’ in Milan, Italy (March 1-4), where
they were victorious and won the trophy.
Sponsor
Ospreys Citi Kit Bursary
25
Cambridge University
Boat Club
CUBC started the season with only two rowing Blues
and very little international experience
www.cubc.org.uk
President: Dan O’Shaughnessy, St Edmund’s
Secretary: Laura Sutcliffe, Clare
Senior Treasurer: Professor J Luzio, St Edmund’s
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Ryan Monaghan, St Edmund’s
Thomas Edwards, Gonville & Caius
Thomas Ransley, Hughes Hall
Peter Marsland, Clare Hall
Tobias Garnett, Trinity
Henry Pelly, St Edmund’s
Tim Perkins, Jesus
Colin Scott, Trinity Hall
Rebecca Dowbiggin, Emmanuel
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Spencer Hunsberger, Pembroke
David Billings, Gonville & Caius
Daniel O'Shaughnessy, St Edmund’s
Bartosz Szczyrba, Wolfson
John Heder, St Edmund’s
26 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Richard Stutt, Girton
Alastair Macleod, St Catharine’s
Marco Espin, Gonville & Caius
Russell Glenn, Darwin
Varsity Match
The Championship Course, River Thames
Blue Boat lost by 6 lengths, Goldie lost by
3 1/2 lengths
CUBC started the season with only two rowing
Blues and very little international experience
among the squad. Despite this, every member
of the club and the coaches worked extremely
hard to produce two crews of high calibre on
Boat Race day. Unfortunately, the result of the
Boat Race and the Goldie-Isis race does not
reflect the many, many things that the Club did
right this year.
The Blue Boat were described as underdogs early
on in the season, being less experienced, lighter
and more youthful than their Oxford
counterparts. Despite an early setback in a race
against the Canadian national team, they
performed well against a Molesey crew and had
shown very promising speed in the weeks
leading up to the race. Just three days before the
big day, however, stroke (US international Shane
O’Mara) was advised by doctors that he could not
race. Ryan Monaghan, who had until then been
stroking Goldie, stepped up to the seat.
In these circumstances the performance
displayed by Cambridge in the Boat Race was
phenomenal. Oxford had a cleaner start and
could have powered away in the first two
minutes; but the CUBC spirit prevailed and
Cambridge fought back with determination.
Although the end result was defeat, very few
crews can truly say that they went down fighting
in the manner of this year’s Blue Boat.
Unfortunately Goldie could not provide
consolation for the Blue Boat this year. Despite an
early lead, they were also defeated by a strong Isis
crew, containing two Blues from 2007.
The CUBC has been working hard over recent
years to strengthen rowing in Cambridge. Our
development squad provides coaching and
competition for the most talented college rowers,
and many of this year’s squad are involved with
the bumps through coaching or rowing with
their colleges.
Other News
Since the break following the 2008 Boat Race, the
club has trained under the direction of Rob Baker,
with the coxless IV being selected to race as the
GB 2nd crew at the World Cup in Poznan.The
same crew then went on to win the Stewards’
Challenge Cup (the top event for coxless IVs) at
Henley Royal Regatta, beating the Greek national
team in the final.The crew was composed of four
of this year’s Blue Boat: Tobi Garnett, Pete
Marsland, Tom Ransley and, incoming President,
Henry Pelly.
Rebecca Dowbiggin, this year’s blue boat cox also
medalled at Henley in a composite crew that won
the Remenham Challenge Cup (for womens VIIIs).
Sponsor
XChanging
www.sophiepickford.com
27
Cambridge University
Women’s Boat Club
The Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club (CUWBC)
represents the pinnacle of women’s rowing in Cambridge
www.cuwbc.org
President: Claire Hansell, Fitzwilliam
Vice-President: Gillian McFarland, Gonville
& Caius
Lightweight Captain: Fran Rawlins, Trinity
Secretary: Eleanor Goodfield, Fitzwilliam
Senior Treasurer: Simon Cope, Christ’s
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Steffi Warrillow, Emmanuel
Louise Connell, St John’s
Elselijn Kingma, Trinity Hall
Inka Borchers, Clare Hall
Samantha Bennett, Pembroke
Erin Weber, Newnham
Stephanie Jacquot, Trinity Hall
Chiara Ferrara, King’s
Anna Simpson, Corpus Christi
28 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Abigail Fox, Trinity
Fran Rawlins, Trinity
Chloe Swords, Fitzwilliam
Camilla McCorkell, Queens’
Jocy Williams, St John’s
Jenny Davenport, St Edmund’s
Claire Hansell, Fitzwilliam
Julia Summers, Trinity
Sarah Allen, Peterhouse
Blondie Colours Awarded 2007-08
Chris Burfiend, Churchill
Harriet Eldred, Newnham
Alice Wordley, Queens’
Laura Creek, Pembroke
Rachel Croft, Trinity
Sabrina Stewart, Gonville & Caius
Katie Wood, Girton
Evgenia Ilyinskaya, Darwin
Fionnuala Ratcliffe, Clare
The Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club
(CUWBC) represents the pinnacle of women’s
rowing in Cambridge. Our main focus is to train
three VIIIs to race Oxford in the Henley Boat Races
held annually.
In June/July, CUWBC runs a Development Squad;
four weeks of intensive training to prepare
triallists for the coming season. Around 40
athletes take part, making up four VIIIs, which
compete in various regattas, including the
National Rowing Championships.
The trialling season officially begins in
September, and over eight months, from an initial
squad of around 60 athletes, 24 oarswomen and
3 coxes are selected to race Oxford in the Henley
Boat Races. The club also competes in University
and national races across the country, Henley
Royal Regatta and International races, including
Head of the Charles, Boston, USA.
Varsity Match
23/3/08, Henley-on-Thames
Blue boat: lost (1/2 length)
Lightweights: won (1/3 length)
Blondie (heavyweight reserves): lost
The Henley Boat Races 2008 were held on March
23rd in unseasonably cold weather and high
winds, although fortunately the conditions did
not require the shortening of the course as in
2007.The organisers agreed, however, that the
weather would be likely to be better earlier in the
day, so the Women’s Blue Boat Race was swapped
with that of the heavyweight reserves.
Unfortunately, the weather did worsen
throughout the day, making it challenging for all
crews and extremely disruptive to the
Blondie/Osiris reserves race.
The first race of the day was the Women’s Blues.
Both crews got off to a good start, despite the
extremely choppy water in the first 500-meters of
the course.The CUWBC Blue Boat pulled out to a
slight lead in the first 250 but Oxford coped with
the conditions better coming into the 500,
pulling out to around a third of a length.
Cambridge continued to push the strong
Oxford crew and by the 1500, Cambridge took
up the rating and looked to be gaining on
Oxford.Yet the Dark Blues responded to our final
charge, holding CUWBC to a half length at the
finish. Nevertheless, it was a race for the Blue Boat
to be proud of, as many were predicting a
procession following the 30s defeat at WeHoRR
3 weeks previously.
The next race was the Lightweight Women, who
were fired up after great improvements in the last
few weeks of training.The race was a close one,
with Oxford taking a slight lead in the first 500m.
However, CUWBC’s better rhythm and bladework
in the choppy conditions edged them past in the
middle of the race. Cambridge held off a late
charge from the Oxford Crew to win the race
by a third of a length and prevent a Dark Blue
clean sweep.
The Blondie versus Osiris race began in very
challenging conditions, with spray flying off both
crew’s blades as they battled through the choppy
water. Coming up towards the 500 meters,
Blondie were rowing strongly and ahead of the
Osiris crew. However, disaster struck in the form of
a particularly vicious wave, which resulted in an
unavoidable boat-stopping crab, and their race
was effectively over. After recovering, they made
up significant ground on Osiris, but sadly never
enough to challenge them.
Women’s VIIIs Head of the River, March 2008:
The Blue Boat finished in 13th place in the event
– the largest competition for female rowers in the
world. Blondie and the Lightweights also did well
finishing in 33rd and 43rd place respectively.
Sponsor
Accenture
Ashurst
Deutsche Bank
Other News
European University Rowing Championships,
September 2007:
Following their Champ 8s win at the BUSA
Rowing Championships in May 2007, the Blue
Boat was selected to represent British University
Rowing at the European University Rowing
Championships, held in Banyoles, Spain.
They came third, 0.2s behind second-placed
Zurich University.
Four’s Head, November 2007:
This year four CUWBC crews were entered into
the event.The coxless four came 5th in WS2 4-.
The 3 coxed fours also did well in their respective
divisions coming 3rd in WS2 4+ and 3rd and 4th
in WS3 4+.
Head of the Trent, February 2008:
Both the Blue boat and the Lightweights won
their divisions (WS2 VIII+ and WS3 VIII+)
29
Beijing Experience
Annie Vernon
My Olympic campaign can probably be summed
up with the phrase "it was the best of times, it
was the worst of times". So much was incredible
beyond belief, yet so much was a dark, dark hole.
Coming off the back of a world title and being
named FISA's outstanding crew of the year in
2007, everything should have been good;
however competition for the quad was incredibly
close and I would best describe my winter as
solid but jittery. In 2007 I had nothing to lose and
smashed my previous best performances to win
my seat in the quad, but defending my seat and
my world title was much tougher and less
enjoyable. I also struggled with my motivation
throughout the winter and it was with relief that
the crew was named unchanged in April 2008.
The British women's sculling group has never
been particularly close knit, and when I began to
lose motivation to train and to improve, I lacked
an immediate way of turning it around. However,
we had a short break from training in May and I
was able to return to my family farm in Cornwall,
think back over my rowing, remind myself of why
I loved it and come back refreshed and ready to
hit the racing season.The first World Cup regatta
was absolutely blitzed; we won by a commanding
margin over our two biggest rivals, the Germans
and the Chinese. Hopes were high ... but just
three weeks later we got taken apart by the
Chinese in Lucerne. A number of things went
wrong, but no one massive thing and it became
clear that they had raised the bar pretty high. It
30 Sport Annual Report
Review 2007–2008
was up to us to respond, but there's nothing I like
more than a challenge, and in fact I relished the
gauntlet they'd thrown down. Our two
pre-Beijing camps went well and we headed
to Beijing confident that we were doing
everything we could to put our best race
together on the 17th August.
Beijing itself was an incredible experience start to
finish and I felt so privileged, excited, awed,
humble, to be there. Everything about it blew me
away – the Olympic Village, all the other athletes
from different sports and countries, the Olympic
rings, the rowing lake itself, and all the emotion
and the passion that was expressed every day as
others went through their own personal
campaigns. It immediately became clear to me
just what it meant to be an Olympian, and just
the level of mutual respect between us all,
unrelated to how you did or in what sport. I felt
like all my rowing had been building towards
that point and I was ready to give the
performance of my life.
Of course, even though we lived in a hotel by the
rowing lake for the duration of the regatta, we
still felt a part of the British team and we were
able to follow all the other sports as we had a BBC
feed into our team lounge. It helped to while
away the hours which at times sped by, and at
times dragged. It was a bit like waiting for an A
Level exam, crossed with waiting for Christmas
Day.The night before the final we did our last row
on the course and I must confess to a few tears as
we rowed back past the grandstands, with all our
supporters having stayed to give us a cheer.The
morning of the race felt like no other day; I wasn't
nervous but I just felt ready. I felt like all the
training had been done, all the talking had been
done, we were just ready to race. I wanted the
final to be the best performance of my life; I
wanted everything I'd ever done, all my
achievements, the highs and lows, my history, my
background, to come out in that race. I wanted
my Olympic final to be the absolute sum of my
experiences; it was less about sport and more
about character.
We missed the opening ceremony as we raced on
the first Sunday, which was a disappointment but
of course we were only there for one thing. We
drew the Germans in our heat; unbeaten in the
Olympics in this event since the 1980s, it was a
great feeling to lead them the whole way in a
solid but unspectacular row. We aimed to win
with as efficient a row as possible so it felt good
to achieve that and qualify straight to the final.
Boating for my first Olympic race I felt pretty
good; our coach, Paul Thompson, took me aside
and told me to enjoy it and be proud of myself.
Now the countdown started to the final ... seven
days to go.
The race itself went exactly to plan for 90% of the
way. We came out strongly, established a lead,
and coming through the 500m marker I
remember feeling very confident – it was exactly
the kind of lively, aggressive rhythm we'd been
working for.Through the 1000m, both the
Germans and the Chinese started to move back
on us, and coming into the 1250m we had a big
move that we'd planned which worked like a
dream as we pushed out again. I still felt really
good and in control of the race moving through
the last 500m; but then with maybe two or three
hundred metres remaining, suddenly the Chinese
started to rip through us and we had nothing to
respond with.Their burst of speed was quite
phenomenal and we had no idea they were
capable of that. We called everything we had but
suddenly the line arrived and we'd lost.
Initially you feel empty and numb; disbelief that it
was over and that we'd been beaten after having
such a good row. Of course, it's impossible to
process exactly what had happened and that it
was over; I have a few vague memories of going
through the motions of a BBC interview and then
the medal ceremony.There's a part of you that
wants to try to rationalise it and try to make it
better; but at the same time it's the Olympic
Games – there is no second chance and there's
nothing you can say to make it better.That
feeling of numbness lasted for most of the
second week of the Games when we hit the
partying hard, and it wasn't until after it was all
over and I'd left Beijing that I could really put it all
in context. Of course I'll always be gutted at the
result; but the old saying that success is a journey
not a destination I think rings true here. I would
far rather a hundred times have led the race for
90% of the way and lost, than come from
nowehere to grab a silver on the line. I would far
rather have the courage and the pride to gamble
it all on one race on one day, even if I fail, than to
never take that risk at all. And I have to celebrate
my silver.There are hundreds of amazing
sportswomen who have never stood on an
Olympic podium – Paula Radcliffe for one – and if
the Olympics is the biggest stage in sport, then
for a Cornish farming girl to have come second
on that stage isn't bad going.
This whole experience has taught me a number
of things. I used to think that it was all about the
result; it was "head or dead", it was gold or
nothing, who cared about the taking part when it
was the winning that mattered. Now, I've
changed my mind. I truly believe that the hardest
part is not coping with the result, but living with
yourself; if you can honestly say that you turned
yourself inside out and did all you could, then
that's as important as a gold medal. And as
regards my Olympic campaign, I didn't do
everything perfectly by any stretch of the
imagination, but not once did I ever settle for
second best from myself, I was truly the best I
could have been in my final, and I may not have
conquered but I fought bloody well. I have no
regrets and I'll never die wondering what might
have been.
As for London 2012, I haven't decided whether or
not to carry on.There's a lot more I want to do
with my life than row; but I truly love sport and
the draw of a home Olympics is strong. Watch
this space!
Annie Vernon (left)
31
Cambridge University
Bowmen
Cambridge University Bowmen had a successful year, both
as individuals and as a team
www.srcf.ucam.org/cub
Captain: Robert Fryers, Christ's
Secretary: Alison Richardson, Gonville and Caius
Senior Treasurer: Dr Lindsey Greer, Sidney
Sussex
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Carrie Oliver, Queens’
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Robert Fryers, Christ's
Sam Burnand, Jesus
Philip Sterne, Pembroke
Blondie Colours Awarded 2007-08
Tim Craig, Robinson
Matthew Johnson, Trinity Hall
32 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University Bowmen are the
University's archery club, and are affiliated with
GNAS. We compete throughout the year in both
indoor and outdoor competitions (depending on
the season), scoring both individually and as
teams. One of the Club's great strengths is the
development of people who have never shot
before. Labelled 'novices', the Club provides them
with training and equipment, and they also
compete at an inter-university level in the novice
league. Our main competitions during the year
are the BUTTS regional university league, and the
BUSA Indoors and Outdoors competitions, and
members often also attend regional or national
competitions in the UK.
Varsity Match
17th May 2008, St John's College Backs
Senior: Cambridge 3411, Oxford 3394
Novice: Cambridge 2654, Oxford 2411
This year saw the 59th Annual Varsity Match
contested on John's Backs. It was the most evenly
fought Varsity Match for a decade, as anticipated
by the 5 previous meetings between Cambridge
University Bowmen and Oxford University
Company Archers indoors this year.This resulted
in aggregate scores of almost ten thousand
points for each team, but the difference between
them was less than 20. Although Cambridge had
perhaps a slight edge indoors, for the outdoor
Varsity Match this advantage was removed or
possibly even reversed by Oxford's two senior
ladies, shooting the Windsor rather than the
longer Albion round shot by the gents. Added to
this was Oxford's determination to win the Rose
Bowl for the first time in 10 years.
In the event, the match lived up to the
anticipation. Oxford put in an excellent score of
3394 (Angelina Measures, Ellen Davnall, David
Longworth and Sam Johnson), but Cambridge
emerged victorious with a spectacular set of
scores.The team put in a heroic performance,
scoring over 100 points better than their
combined personal best scores, and securing
victory with a score of 3411 (Robert Fryers,
Sam Burnand, Carrie Oliver and Philip Sterne),
just 17 points ahead of Oxford's score and only
12 away from the all time Varsity record. Special
mention should go to Robert's score of 908,
which was astonishing.
The novice team continued their dominance with
a crushing victory of more than 250 points over
the Oxford novices to set a new club record of
2654 (Edmund Owen, Dave Hollingshead,
Emma Pewsey and Alex Peters). Of particular note
was Edmund's score of 747, which is the highest
score for a Cambridge novice in 10 years, and in
years gone by would have put him in contention
for a Half Blue – no mean achievement for
someone who only picked up a bow for the first
time last October.
Special mention should also be made of the
performances by Tim Craig (775) and Callum
Young (548) who doggedly chased spots on the
senior and novice teams respectively, and both
shot superbly.
Other News
Cambridge University Bowmen has had a
successful year, both as individuals and as teams.
The Novices won the BUTTS League Novice
Trophy, and the Seniors attained a respectable
3rd place. Over the course of theLeague, 15
medals were also won by members of CUB due
to their individual performances.
The two BUSA competitions this year also saw
some good performances from members of the
club – of particular note are Dave Hollingshead
and Carrie Oliver, who performed superbly at
BUSA Outdoors to come 1st and 2nd in their
respective rounds.
Beijing Experience
Anna Bebington
In the Olympic village you have almost no
contact with the outside world.You have a BBC
TV feed of 24 hour Olympic coverage. Everything
else is in Chinese. It is as if no other world exists
but the Olympics.The path to the giant food hall
was a kaleidoscope of team kit modelled by
athletes of all possible shapes and sizes.
Everybody was checking everybody else out.
The flame was lit and we could see it,on top of the
Birds Nest.We wanted one at the rowing course and
were rewarded when a generator caught fire
spectacularly.The Chinese offical line was that there
was no fire,although the several thousand spectators
might have disagreed,if disagreeing were allowed.
We raced our early rounds and made the final.
We sat in our room trying to make the time speed
up until the big race. Elise and I found knitting to
be an effective distraction.
The medals started rolling in and we all began to
work out who the big cheeses were.Michael Phelps
is top of the class, with Usain Bolt growing in legend
every day."Crikey", it was easy to think, "Even if I win
this thing, I will never be somebody here".
Four years of the Cambridge bubble and I had
learned; things change once you leave. We
weren't intimidated. My bronze was the median
result for the British rowing team, 23 athletes out
of 43 had medals.The town where I grew up
didn't see it that way!
I'm back down to earth and in training again.The
bronze is my banker, I can take a risk now for a
gold on home water.
33
Cambridge University
Canoe Club
A dynamic and fun club catering for all levels of ability
www.srcf.ucam.org/cucanoe
President: Ian Dumoles, Trinity
Captain: Rob Anderson, Emmanuel
Secretary: Jen Callender, Magdelene
Senior Treasurer: Sam Wallier, Department
of Engineering
Whether you are interested in fun kayaking trips
on the Cam, big white water in the French Alps or
just a lively social atmosphere then CU Canoe
Club has loads to offer! It's a dynamic and fun
club catering for all levels of ability. Our beginners
courses each term are an ideal way to get started.
We hold weekly sessions on the Cam and in the
pool as well as weekend trips away to find White
Water and Surf. We compete in Canoe Slalom,
Marathon, Canoe Polo, River Racing and Freestyle,
and thrash Oxford on a regular basis! We also
meet in a pub every Wednesday, and have many
formals, clubbing nights and parties every term.
So get involved! Email Phil on pc365 (@cam.ac.uk)
to find out more
34 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Varsity Match
3-4th May 2008, Cam and Parkside Pools
White Water Racing (M) – Cambridge
White Water Racing (W) – Oxford
Marathon (M,W) – Cambridge
Polo (Men's A, Men's B, Women's) – Cambridge
This year's varsity marathon was on the Cam,
running from the town club [near the Fen
Causeway road bridge] to Granchester and back
for the ladies, and twice this for the men.The
glorious sunshine was great weather for
watching but made for hot work for those
competitiors that didn't take a swim whilst trying
to avoid the droves of punts.The women's race
was comfortably won by Cambridge with Amy
Whitaker in 2nd, Louise Bell and Maxi von Eye 3rd
in a K2 and Vicky Wall in 4th counting for
Cambridge.The fight for 5th and 6th was
incredibly tight, with Audry Lee securing 5th for
Cambridge a mere 2 seconds ahead of Oxford's
Ruth Flint.
The men's event was very closely fought with
Richard Hendron in 1st, Ian Dumolo and Rob
Anderson in 3rd and Ben Hosford in 6th
snatching victory by a single point from Oxford.
Varsity polo took place in Parkside Pools.This was
the largest Varsity event the club was involved in,
with 3 teams from Oxford and another two from
Warwick attending. Some very impressive
performances resulted in Cambridge winning
the Men's A, Men's B and Women's Varsity
Matches, in front of a considerable number of
enthusiastic spectators.
The Varsity White Water Race took place on the
river Washburn, alongside the BUSA WWR event
in October. While we were unable to field a
women's team, our men's team beat Oxford, to
take 3rd place overall.
Other News
The BUSA White Water Race took place upon the
murky waters of the river Washburn. While we
were not able to field a women's team, our men's
team, consisting of Ian Dumolo, Hugh Simon and
Alex Hellawell, performed very well bagging the
team bronze, no mean feat considering none of
them specialise in white water racing.
We had a massive turn out for this year's BUSA
slalom event at Teeside, mainly due to James
Dixon and Amy Whitaker's massive enthusiasm in
getting people keen. As such the majority of our
team had never taken part in slalom competition
before.This and our somewhat ancient boats'
tendencies to sink if you were in them for more
than a few minutes made for an exciting
weekend. Some very impressive individual
runs backed up by solid team runs led to
Cambridge achieving the highest overall score
of any university that does not own any C1 or
C2 type boats.
The club also had another successful year at
BUSA polo, with the Men's A team unlucky not to
finish higher than 7th, the Men's B team coming
an impressive 5th, and the women's team
finishing in 14th.
Outside of BUSA events, Richard Hendron was
part of the winning K2 team in the 125 mile
Devizes-Westminster marathon race, James Dixon
raced in the K1 Men Slalom Premier Division.
Photo: Charlotte Richardson
35
Cambridge University
Cricket Club
Cambridge University cricket maintains much of its
historical fixture programme
http://www.cucc.net/
President: Professor Buckingham
Captain: Fred Owen, Corpus Christi
Secretary: Ben Jacklin, Magdalene
Senior Treasurer: Professor Ken Siddle, Churchill
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Akbar Ansari, Trinity Hall
Scott McLennon, St John’s
Nick Whittington, Trinity Hall
Michael James, Sidney Sussex
Cambridge University cricket maintains much of
its historical fixture programme including fixtures
such as the MCC, Free Forresters, Duke of Norfolk
and the Quidnuncs which it has been playing for
over 100 years.These fixtures culminate in a 1 and
4 day Varsity Match v Oxford, the 1 day match
being held at Lords. A Twenty20 fixture, taking
place at alternate venues, was added to the
varsity programme in 2008.The club also
competes in the BUSA cricket leagues.
36 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
In 2000 the University of Cambridge has joined in
partnership with Anglia Ruskin University in
creating the Cambridge MCC Centre of Cricketing
Excellence. In 2008 the UCCE team was a 50/50
split between players from the 2 institutions, this
team fulfils 3 annual first class fixtures v county
sides. CUCC also run a second team known as the
Crusaders who have a complete fixture
programme including a varsity 1 and 4 day match.
Varsity Match
Lords 1 day, 4 day Varsity at the Parks Oxford
1 day match was a win for Cambridge, 4 day
match was drawn.
June 17th 2008
1 day match at Lords
Cambridge 286-8 from 50 overs; ( Ansari 73,
Timms 55)
Oxford 239a/o from 46.4 overs (Baker 4-66)
Cambridge won by 47 runs
July 1st-4th 2008
4 day varsity match at the Parks
Cambridge 386 a/o from 135.1 overs ( Ansari 193,
Whittington 83)
Oxford 264 a/o from 96.1 overs ( Ansari 4-50
Cambridge 255-4 dec from 67 overs ( Ansari 80no,
Timms 55)
Oxford 353-7 from 101.4 overs
Match Drawn
4-Day Varsity
Varsity Draw despite thrilling finish
Despite long periods of slow and unadventurous
play by both teams, The University Parks played
host to the most exciting Varsity Match for a long
time.The target of 368 set by Cambridge seemed
likely to be an insurmountable challenge for
Oxford, particularly after the poor showing in the
first innings. After keeping wickets in hand for the
last hour, essentially turning the game into a
Twenty20 finish, Oxford took runs at a
comfortable rate, whilst Cambridge’s fielding
went to shreds in the face of the possibility of
losing a game they thought only they could win.
If Neil Kruger had not been dismissed for 172,
Oxford surely would have won, a fine catch by
Robin Kemp off the bowling of Ansari essentially
ended any hope of Oxford getting home.That
Cambridge were in this position can be largely
put down to the efforts of Akbar Ansari, posting
his first of what will hopefully be many first class
hundreds, making 193. Along with Nick
Whittington (80) he helped post a record
Cambridge 6th wicket partnership in Varsity
Matches of 216, and in doing so, ensured
Cambridge could take the spoils in the first
innings, despite being a miserable 85-5. Ed Morse
provided the incisive quality for the home side,
eventually finishing with figures of 6-102 off
30 overs. Cambridge then bowled marvellously to
dismiss Oxford for 259 especially after being
168-2. Hemingway and Ansari proved the main
threats, Ansari claiming 4 wickets in addition to
his hundred. It was the seamers however that
provided the impetus, Jacklin first removing
Kruger with an excellent Yorker, and O’Driscoll
claiming the wicket of the entrenched Sadler to
make the breakthrough. Wickets then fell
regularly to the spinners, Hemingway’s delivery to
dismiss Spencer Crawley showing the potential
difficulties to come for the side batting last, the
batsman only able fend off an absolute brute that
turned and bounced from a crack. More runs from
Ansari, (80*) plus contributions from all of the top
order barring keeper Heywood, gave Cambridge
the lead and plenty of time to dismiss Oxford
again. Hemingway bowled terrifically with
absolutely no luck, several thick edges off
both halves of the bat fell out of the reaches
of the close-in fielders. Kruger however should
take credit for a very good innings indeed,
Cambridge will need to ensure he is dismissed
early in future fixtures to ensure this year’s good
run can be continued.
The game also marked the end of the CUCC
playing careers of 8 of the players, Heywood,
Jacklin and Kemp amassing 14 Blues between
them, Heywood having the record for Cambridge
Cricket Blues with 6, and equalling the record for
both Universities.The year was a thoroughly
enjoyable one, aided by success against Oxford
for the first time in a number of years.Tom
Hemingway will captain the side, provided
reports from tutors of the guarantee of his return
to read an MPhil materialise, and with Akbar
Ansari, Scott MacLennan and Fergus Baker
returning, Cambridge will look to go one game
further than this year’s crop.
One Day Varsity Report
Blues win Lord's Varsity
The Blues won the one day Varsity Match last
Tuesday, only the second time of doing so since
the game was moved to MCC hq.The fixture was
again a thrilling one, though in contrast to the
last 4 years, runs were much easier to come by as
the sun shone and the wicket was flat. Were it not
for a very unflattering spell of spin bowling by
the Cambridge bowlers in the middle of the
Oxford innings, the match could have been
considerably less interesting, Oxford having to
chase over 8 an over for long periods.The initial
pressure was set up by new ball bowlers Jacklin
(1-15) and James (1-37), both of whom bowled
very tight and disciplined lines and lengths, a
sharp contrast to their Oxford counterparts, who
once again let themselves down in a similar
fashion to that of the Twenty20 match two weeks
prior, this time giving away 42 wides. Neil Kruger
batted extremely well for his 81, and was ably
supported by other members of the middle order,
especially debutant keeper Haslam (43).
Cambridge were lucky to keep picking up wickets
at crucial times, and in the end The Light Blues
won comfortably, bowling Oxford out with 3.2
overs to spare and 47 runs short of Cambridge's
286-8.That Oxford were under such pressure so
early was due to a very solid batting display from
Cambridge, not least by the two openers Timms
(55) and new man Ansari (73). Cambridge were
able to keep wickets in hand for the last 10 overs,
not least because of the contribution of extras,
and whilst wickets fell a little too frequently, 2868 was always going to be tough to achieve
chasing under pressure. Cambridge now most
certainly have the upper hand going into the 4
day match in July, with two wins in two against
the Dark Blues.
20/20 Varsity Match Report
Blues win inaugural Twenty20 Varsity Match
The Blues won their first Varsity Match since 2005
as they triumphed, eventually rather comfortably,
with one and a half overs to spare. Oxford won
the toss and elected to bowl, no doubt hoping to
put early pressure on the visitors with the new,
swinging pink ball. Indeed, with Cambridge at
72 for 5 off 7 overs, including three run outs, the
decision by Oli Sadler looked a good one. Sadly
for Oxford, a total of 50 extras took the pressure
off the visitors, as they worked towards a
competitive total of 155, with useful lower runs
from Heywood (26) and Hemingway (20). In
response and in front of an ever building crowd,
Cambridge bowled a much tighter line, but
Oxford were still moving along nicely at over
10 an over.The game changed suddenly after a
37
Hemingway double wicket maiden, and with able
support by fellow spinner Fergus Baker, the Dark
Blues started struggling against the lack of pace.
Oxford lost wickets regularly, including crucially
McKerchar, run out for 50.Thereafter, more
successful overs of leg spin from Akbar Ansari
meant that Oxford were always behind the rate.
38 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University
Women’s Cricket Club
The Women’s Cricket Club exists in order both to provide an
opportunity for beginners to try cricket, and also to provide
top-class coaching to a squad of more experienced players
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cuwcc/
Captain: Laura Gardiner, Selwyn
Secretary: Amy Perkins, Selwyn
Senior Treasurer: Professor Ken Siddle, Churchill
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Laura Gardiner, Selwyn
Charlotte Hornsby, Selwyn
Sophia Davis, Darwin
Clare Ross, Trinity Hall
Helen Bellfield, Homerton
Rachel Thompson, New Hall
Danielle Lavender, Newnham
Alys Donnelly, Emmanuel
Sarah Walker, Girton
Ellie Wright, Gonville and Caius
Rebecca Brown, Downing
Tiffany Bogich, St Catharine's
The Women's Cricket Club exists in order both to
provide an opportunity for beginners to try
cricket, and also to provide top-class coaching to
a squad of more experienced players.To this end,
we offer weekly beginner sessions in Michaelmas
term and occasionally in other Terms, while our
BUSA squad trains throughout the winter, and
also competes in indoor tournaments. Our main
focus, however, is the BUSA outdoor competition
during Easter Term, in which we currently
compete in the Midlands league. We finish the
season with the annual Varsity Match against
Oxford which is played at Lord's Cricket Ground.
Varsity Match
Tuesday 17th June 2008, Lord's Cricket Ground
(Nursery ground).
Having lost the previous five Varsity Matches,
Cambridge came to Lord's hopeful that this
would finally be their year. Oxford won the toss
and put Cambridge in to bat on a good track.
Openers C Hornsby and S Davis got off to a
fantastic start and looked unbeatable, however
Oxford found an opening with the run-out of
Davis for 40, the total standing at 94. C Ross
joined Hornsby at the crease and the pair
continued Cambridge's consummate batting
performance, rotating the strike and producing
some impressive shots. The 113-run partnership
ended when Ross fell for 45, and was replaced by
H Bellfield, who scored a quick-fire 51 off only
42 balls. However the mainstay of the Cambridge
innings was undoubtedly Hornsby whose brilliant
119 not out guided Cambridge to an impressive
total of 281 for 3.
Coming out after the break, Cambridge were
eager to improve upon Oxford's wayward fielding
performance. This they did, saving important
runs on a fast outfield and a short boundary.
Every Cambridge bowler maintained a good line
and length, quickly pushing Oxford behind the
required run rate, at which point the wickets
began to fall. Medium-pacer R Thompson (2/31)
bowled an unplayable length, while spinners
H Bellfield (3/20) and D Lavender (4/20) proved
too much for the Oxford batters to cope with.
Cambridge secured victory with a run-out in the
36th over, Oxford finishing all out for 127. Having
finally tasted victory, Cambridge will return next
year eager to repeat this excellent performance.
Cambridge: 281 for 3, Oxford: 127 all out.
Cambridge win by 154 runs.
39
Other News
Cambridge had a successful outdoor season in
2007-08. After two friendlies against local club
teams, the side entered the BUSA competition
with confidence, pushing for promotion into the
premier divisions. Cambridge dominated in the
Midlands league, winning every match by a
significant margin, and progressing comfortably
to the knock-out stages. In the first knock-out
match they faced Northumbria, and again were
by far the better side, winning by a margin of
119 runs. One more victory would mean
promotion for Cambridge, however unfortunately
this was not to be. Drawn away to Durham, who
are always strong competition, the side lacked
many important players due to exams, and
despite fighting valiantly, lost by 86 runs. This
means that next season Cambridge will compete
in the Midlands league, once again pushing for
promotion into the highest levels of the BUSA
competition.
During the season Cambridge also played two
friendly matches, one against the Army and one
against the MCC. These teams always provide
incredibly strong competition and a fantastic
learning experience for Cambridge, and the side
looks forward to facing them again next season.
40 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University
Cruising Club
Cambridge University Cruising Club is subdivided into four
sections, team racing, casual sailing, windsurfing and yachting
www.cucrc.org
President: Edwina Glennie (Commodore CUCrC),
Gonville & Caius
Captain: Peter Bunch (Team racing), Pembroke
Emma Foster (Ladies team racing), Magdalene
Paul Dickenson (Casual Sailing), Churchill
Secretary: Sarah Crossman (Team Racing),Queens’
Sarah McGarrity (Casual Sailing), Churchill
Senior Treasurer: Tom Ridgman, Department
of Engineering
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Sophia Parkinson, Gonville & Caius
Jules Toynton, Gonville & Caius
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Greg Hall, Gonville & Caius
Anya de Iongh, Corpus Christi
Lissie Lockwood, St John’s
Peter Dannatt, St John’s
Cambridge University Cruising Club is subdivided
into four sections, team racing, casual sailing,
windsurfing and yachting.
The dinghy sailing section of the CU Cruising
Club has facilities both for team racing and casual
sailing.The successful CU team competes
regularly at events around the country on both
the university and national circuits.Training and
casual sailing take place at Grafham Water, a short
hop up the A14 from Cambridge.The club owns
six matched Firefly dinghies for team racing, as
well as a selection of laser 2s, catamarans and
single handers for casual sailing.
Varsity Match
8th-9th July 2008
Island Sailing Club, Cowes.
Mixed: Oxford 3 – Cambridge 1
Ladies: Cambridge 1 – Oxford 0
travelled across the Solent to take on Oxford in
the annual Varsity Match. Unfortunately Oxford,
who organised this year’s event, did not put in an
order for the weather.The driving rain and
incredibly strong winds made the tactical and
fast pace racing incredibly challenging and, at
times, impossible. The Island Sailing Club, who
the sonars belong to, have an insurance policy
stating that the boats cannot be sailed in greater
than 25 knots of wind, so the racing was
cancelled by 2pm on both days meaning that the
traditional best of seven races could not be
completed by the mixed or ladies teams.
Cambridge arrived confident and in competitive
spirits, but the smiles were soon wiped off their
faces by being defeated by Oxford in the first two
races through unforced errors both on the start
line and around the course. The now demur
mixed Varsity Teams then swapped out of the
boats so that the freezing, drenched ladies crews
could tackle the Oxford ladies. Cambridge Ladies
flew up to the first mark and had winning
combinations in both races. Downwind there
was a slight change in positions so that Oxford
were winning by mark three. The ladies rose to
the challenge and successfully locked Oxford up
the final beat, winning both races with a 2,3
combination. However, the kicking strap broke
on an Oxford boat so the umpires allowed a
redress, leaving Cambridge Ladies only 1-0 in the
lead. By the time that the mixed teams had
swapped back into their boats, the wind had
exceeded the 25 knots limit, gusting as high as
32 knots so racing was cancelled!
Having had a few weeks to recover from the
thrills of Mayweek, the Cambridge Varsity Teams
41
Day two dawned very wet but with a reasonable
15 knots of breeze. The teams set off for the
boats, fully dressed in waterproofs, hats, neck
warmers and thermals, determination written
over everyone! The race committee spent an
hour and a half trying to lay a course to suit the
constantly right bearing winds before starting
the race. Unfortunately by this time the winds
had climbed to just below the maximum limit.
With grim faces the Cambridge team set about
destroying Oxford, but unsuccessfully.
Cambridge had the lead at the first mark with a
1,4,5 combination. Oxford broke this formation
by their boat in sixth engaging one of ours in a
gybing battle and sailing through, leaving
Cambridge with a losing combination by the
bottom mark, not helped by a foul from Oxford
unnoticed by the umpires putting one of their
boats in first. The helms then swapped over
according to the Varsity tradition of not having
the same set of helms steering in consecutive
races. This race was the decider as if Oxford won,
they would automatically win as the competition
is traditionally best of seven. Cambridge rose to
the challenge, and finally defeated Oxford in a
close battle with a gust of over 30 knots causing
boats to heel dangerously. However, it was too
little too late as all further racing was abandoned
due to high winds leaving Cambridge mixed
defeated 3-1 and the ladies victorious 1-0.
42 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Other News
First Mixed Team;
Peter Bunch (captain), Pembroke
Edwina Glennie, Gonville & Caius
Jamie Dove, Robinson
Lissie Lockwood, St John’s
Greg Hall, Gonville & Caius
Anya de Iongh, Corpus Christi
Cambridge 1sts had a successful year, both on the
university and national circuits. Highlights
included – 5th overall at BUSA after high winds
unfortunately caused the quarter finals to be
cancelled despite being 1-1 with Southampton,
the eventual champions. 12th at the Wilson
Trophy (British Open) against worldwide teams.
Second Mixed Team:
David Marlow (captain), Jesus
Alice Darling, Girton
Peter Dannatt, St John’s
Simon Wood, Jesus/Alice Tyler, St John’s
Andrew Lewis, St Catharine’s
Barney Dykes, Queens’
The second team had a successful year travelling
round the northern university circuit that
included winning the Nottingham Snakebite and
coming second at Sheffield.The team also
qualified for BUSA finals
Cambridge Ladies Team
Emma Foster (captain), Magdalene
Sophia Parkinson, Gonville & Caius
Sarah Crossman, Queens’
Francesca Lofts, New Hall
Kat Ward, New Hall
Jules Toynton, Gonville & Caius
Cambridge Ladies were formed with the aim of
competing in the ladies nationals and BUSA
ladies league. They were first university at the
ladies nationals and BUSA national champions
2008 gaining them a place at the notorious
British Open, the Wilson Trophy, competing
as the BUSA ladies team representing all
British Universities.
Over the course of the academic year, Cambridge
had a third mixed team competing on the
university circuits comprising of Emma Foster,
Sophia Parkinson Kat Ward, Jules Toynton, Henry
Maxfield and Frances Wensley who gained some
very respectable results from the northern
university circuit.
Cambridge University Windsurfing Club
President: Pete Winslow, Trinity Hall/
Rici Marshall, Sidney Sussex
Senior Treasurer: Tom Ridgman, Department
of Engineering
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Geoff Wright, Corpus Christi
CUW aims to increase the accessibility of the
fantastically diverse sport of Windsurfing for all
Cambridge students from novice level to
advanced freestyle and racing level. Regular
involvement at nationwide events hosted by the
Student Windsurfing Association complement
weekly student run trips to Grafham Water
reservoir and locations of the east coast. The
highlight of this year was the trip to Club Dahab
in Egypt where 40 students enjoyed top quality
coaching and predictably fantastic conditions.
Off the water, CUW has a strong social spirit, with
weekly pub meets, bar crawls and formal swaps.
Varsity Match
19th April. Farmoor Reservoir, Oxford
Cambridge Victory
A team of seven windsurfers travelled to Oxford
at Easter to represent Cambridge University in
the annual Varsity Competition. The team of four
male and three females raced in a close run
competition against an all male team of eight
Oxford windsurfers, resulting in another
Cambridge victory.
The force four wind and flat water was sufficient
to give the competitors the right conditions for a
series of four heated races. The kit used was
IMCO raceboards and 7.5 metre race sails.
Although overall first place was taken by Oxford,
Michael Crisp of Downing College put in a
consistently solid performance in second place,
with Tim Staley of Emmanuel College and Geoff
Wright of St Johns College close behind in most
of the races.
The competition was held with a suitable
abundance of team work within the team and
sportsmanship between the two sides. We look
forward to a rematch next year and hope that this
can be enhanced with increased undergraduate
representation.
Congratulations to Cambridge Uni Windsurfing
Team
Other News
3rd place in BUSA
Attended Student Windsurfing Association
events.
Sponsor
Riks Watersports
Cambridge University Yacht Club
www.cucrc.org
President: Chris Hawkesford, Sidney Sussex
Captain: Johann Jakob Napp, Pembroke
Secretary: Andrew Jackson, Gonville & Caius
Senior Treasurer: Tom Ridgman, Department
of Engineering
Cambridge University Yacht Club goes from
strength to strength. In the last year the club has
bought a Sigma 38 yacht, which is going on a
circular route of the North Sea over the summer
vacation.The club runs many theory training
courses, and can now start running practical
courses on the club yacht as well.The club offers
a wide range of activities for beginners as well as
for experienced sailors.
In addition to casual sailing and sail training, CUY
is actively involved in racing through its Yacht
Racing Squad which was founded in 2003.The
Squad participates in a broad program of racing,
comprising both training events and races.
Annual highlights in the racing calendar are the
BUSA Yachting Nationals and the Varsity Yacht
Race in spring as well as the Boys vs Girls race in
early summer.Training and racing mainly takes
place in the Solent on chartered racing cruisers
such as J109s, Cork 1720, X332 or Sunfast 37.
Varsity Match
Saturday 15th March – Sunday 16th March
Solent
Cambridge I + II both beat Oxford I + II
Now in its fifth year, the Varsity Yacht Race took
place on the weekend 15th-16th of March in the
43
Solent just outside Portsmouth.Two mixed teams
from Cambridge and two mixed teams from
Oxford, each comprising eight sailors, entered the
Sunsail Spring Racing Series on Sunfast 37s.The
Varsity Match winner was determined as the best
boat within the fleet of 27 boats after four races
(with one discard) on two days.
After two short inshore races on Saturday
(Cambridge I: 17 pts + 10 pts, Cambridge II: 12 pts
+ 5 pts, Oxford I: 13pts + 14 pts, Oxford II: 21 pts +
23 pts), both Cambridge teams were already wellpositioned for the following two races. By
Saturday night, the boats were moored at the
Gunwharf Quays just below the Spinnaker Tower
in Portsmouth, just in time for the Varsity Dinner,
where Oxford and Cambridge transferred the
challenge from the open sea to pint glasses.
(Oxford may or may not have dominated that
part of the challenge...). Continuing the more
serious competition on Sunday, two more
inshore-races were sailed by the four teams. After
having changed a troubling main sail in the
previous night, Cambridge I managed to lead
through these races (4 pts + 10 pts), finishing
before Cambridge II (7 pts + 14 pts), Oxford I (17
pts + 12 pts) and Oxford II (19 pts + 17 pts).
“After two days of racing, taking the discard into
account, both Cambridge 1 (skippered by Tom
Smedley) and Cambridge II (skippered by Tim
Houghton) finished 24 points in front of Oxford I
(39 pts) and Oxford II (57 pts), winning the Varsity
Yacht Race 2008 and bringing the Varsity Trophy
back to Cambridge.
44 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Other News
Following the Varsity Yacht Race, the two
Cambridge teams stayed on in the Solent to
participate in the BUSA Student Yachting
Nationals 2008 from 17th- 20th March 2008.
Hosted by the Portsmouth Harbour Yacht Club,
32 mixed teams with more than 250 sailors
entered this championship, competing on
identical Sunfast 37s.
The 32 teams of eight crew competed within
eight races on tight Solent courses, including one
long inshore race. Fierce starts, close racing and
hugely competitive mark roundings summarize
the character of the event, not forgetting to add
cold north-westerly winds and the strongly tidal
waters of the Solent. For an increasing learning
curve as well as for amusement, each racing day
was closed by a video-debrief of the legendary
UK Olympic coach, Jim Saltonstall MBE.
After four days of intense racing, Cambridge I
(skippered by Tom Smedley) finished at an
excellent 6th overall place (47 points), just being
restrained from an even better position by a
breaking halyard in the last race. Cambridge II
finished 17th (113 points), still having room on
Oxford I (21st, 130 points) and 14 other teams.
Cambridge University
Cycling Club
Varsity Match
Men's road 3rd May, Womens's road 3rd May,
Men's MTB 17th Feb, Women's MTB 17th Feb.
Won, Lost, Won, Drawn
Varsity Road – BUSA 25 mile TT
This year has been an outstanding success for CUCC
– crowned BUSA Cycling Champions 2008
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cycling/
President: Mark Holt, Department of Chemistry
Captain: Tom Robinson, Clare (men's) and
Lindsey Friedman, Department of Archaeology
Secretary: Alistair Bell, Jesus
Senior Treasurer: Dr Ken Platts, Fitzwilliam
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Rachel Fenton, Darwin
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Tom Morris, Corpus Christi
James Hawkins, Downing
Mark Curling, St John's
Claire Hansell, Fitzwilliam
This year has been an outstanding success for
CUCC – crowned BUSA Cycling Champions 2008,
gaining more BUSA points than any other sports
team in Cambridge and winning the men’s road
Varsity Match following a five year hiatus.The
club is one of the oldest in the region, founded in
1874, and has maintained a tradition of
promoting cycling at all levels, from complete
beginners through to national calibre level and
beyond – indeed, a recent ex-rider from
Cambridge gained a silver this year at the
Olympics! All types of riding are catered for too –
road, cyclocross and mountain bike. Full Blues
and Half Blues can be awarded to outstanding
men and women.Training is flexible, and takes
place in some form every day, from individual and
group sessions to race simulation and time trials
in conjunction with the town cycling club.
This is the most important race of the year for
CUCC and we had high hopes of getting our
hands on the Varsity Trophy for the first time in
6 years. The results in the BUSA 10 mile TT (match
report in second section) suggested it would be
easy but we had lost James Third due to BUSA Tri
and the Oxford team were back to full strength.
The results were very close in both the men's and
women's races.
In the men’s event Oxford beat Cambridge in the
BUSA competition, taking the silver medal with
Cambridge in bronze. However, after a few nail
biting minutes it was revealed that one of the
Oxford riders (Dave McGaw) could not count for
the Varsity Match as he was no longer resident in
Oxford.This resulted in a Varsity win for
Cambridge.The team of Tom Morris, James
Hawkins, Mark Curling put in excellent
performances and have each gained a Half Blue.
Cambridge also put in a very strong performance
to win the second team Varsity Match easily. The
strength and depth of the Cambridge team was
amazing with 8 riders going sub 58 minutes for
the 25 mile TT (Making 8 Cambridge riders in the
top 10 in Varsity and top 20 in BUSA).
45
In the women's event Rachael Fenton showed
she is good on the road as well as on the
mountains, with a storming ride to take the
individual gold medal and helping the
Cambridge women take their third BUSA team
gold in as many races (Rachel Fenton, Claire
Hansell). Unfortunately in the Varsity Match
three riders count, rather than the two needed
for BUSA.This meant it was won by Oxford as
our other riders had problems with injuries
and a puncture.
Varsity MTB
Women's event: After last years controversy, the
pre-race tension was high prior to the predicted
battle for supremacy between Oxford expert
woman Marcie Reinhart and Cambridge’s Rachel
Fenton.The field, to face 3 laps of a twisting but
fast course, was small; two Oxford women
(Reinhart and Harris) against Cambridge's team
Rachel (Fenton and Berkowitz). From the gun
Marcie Reinhart tried to take control, leading
Harris off the start. Rachel Fenton remained
composed, and taking an alternative line up the
first hill, drew level with the Oxford pair before
pushing on over-the-top to take the lead.This
was a lead Fenty never relinquished. By the end of
the lap Fenton had 20 seconds over Reinhart and
Harris, who were riding together, with Rachel
Berkowitz, in only her second off-road race, not
that far behind.The situation remained largely
unchanged for the rest of the race, with Rachel
Fenton continuing to assert her dominance and
increase her lead. By the end of the third final lap
Fenty had amassed a lead of 3 minutes over the
Oxford pair.The final result: 1. Fenton (CUCC) 2.
Reinhart (OUCC) 3. Harris (OUCC) 4. Berkowitz
(CUCC). As a result the match was a draw, but it
46 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
was very encouraging to see Rachel Fenton in
such impressive form this early in the season.
Men's event: In contrast to the Women's event the
positions in the Men's event were constantly
changing over the first two of the four laps.
Thankfully this was largely a battle between
Cambridge's team for the honour of who would
take the win (and the glory), with only one Oxford
rider ever in contention this was another white
wash on the same scale as the previous years.
Tomas Cervenka blasted off the line to lead into
the first section of single track with Henry
Gomersall (CUCC), Tom Morris (CUCC) and
Richard Callow (OUCC) for company, Tomas kept a
high pace for most of the first lap but begun to
pay the price for it toward the back end of the lap.
Henry Gomersall came charging through to lead
at the end of the first lap and through most of the
second, until he cramped and "couldn't go on."
Having kept his powder dry for the first two laps,
Tom Morris now took control of the race in
dominant fashion. Initially only Richard Callow
(Oxford) could stay with Morris, but refused to
contribute anything to the pace setting despite
the fact there were another two CUCC riders just
behind. A technical error by Callow allowed
Morris to open up a gap and without the
sanctuary of Morris's wheel Callow slip gradually
out of contention. Morris continued on alone to
win by 2:36 from Callow, who continued to ride
strongly after he had been dropped. Next in was
Cervenka (CUCC) followed 19 sec later by
Gomersall who had recovered from his cramp
problem, only another 9 sec down was Mark
Curling who rode a very well judged race and
may have challenged for a top 3 spot had his bike
not been on the point of self-destructing.
Other News
BUSA Team Time Trial (50km)
For many this was the first race of the season and
a chance to put into practice the hard work
everyone had put in over the winter.
In Women's BUSA TTT the gold medal went to
Cambridge (Claire Hansell, Sonia Bracegirdle and
Kat Lange).The team rode well together to take a
narrow victory (from Oxford) in a very close race
where all the women’s teams finished within a
minute of each other.
In the Men's BUSA TTT the silver medal went to
Cambridge (Mark Holt, James Hawkins and Mark
Curling). Again showing the importance of not
only individual fitness but also the importance of
riding well together as a team.
BUSA 10 mile TT
On our home course CUCC dominated, taking
both the men's and women's team gold and two
individual silver medals. The strength and depth
of the teams also showed with the men's and
women's second team both narrowly missing out
on the medals.
The men's race saw an amazing perfomance by
Tom Morris with a time of 21.16 in his second
ever time trial, taking the BUSA individual silver
medal and leading Cambridge to the team gold
(Tom Morris, James Third, James Hawkins).
The performance by the women was also great
with Angharad Porteous taking the individual
silver and along with Claire Hansell taking the
team gold for Cambridge.
BUSA Cyclocross
With much apprehension about what the
weather would throw at us, seven CUCC riders
drove over to Swansea this weekend for the BUSA
cyclocross. Since Gareth Hayman's parents live a
3 minute drive away from the course we all
camped out there on Saturday night and then
rolled down the hill to the venue on Sunday
morning, feeling relatively refreshed and certainly
very well looked after. After arriving very early, we
had to wait for the course to be finished before
we could try it out and even longer before we
could sign on! However when we did finally see
the course it turned out to be pretty untechnical
(suiting some and not others) and involving some
nasty grass and mud uphill slogs. 1pm: The men's
race began with Chris Pedder taking his place in
the first row along with a world championship
cross racer and various elite mountain bikers. His
support crew of Tom Morris, Mark Holt, Gareth
Hayman and Sunil Shah lined up behind. Pedder
got a good start staying easily in the top ten with
the others not far behind.The top three positions
seemed pretty clear from the outset, Mark
Twaites of Leeds Met, Mark Cotton of
Leicestershire and Hamish Batchelor from
Durham. However, the Swansea race organiser
Euan Adams had a mid-race surge, shedding his
team-mate and eventually taking third place.
Pedder also had a surge, into 6th place not far
behind the second Swansea team member. He
stayed here for the rest of the race finishing
ahead of elite riders, in what was an impressive
ride.The rest of the Cambridge team also fared
well, Morris finished not far behind in 10th place,
our esteemed president and roadie Holt was a
little further back in 17th (not bad for his 3rd
offroad race!) with Hayman and Shah 36th and
40th respectively. With our top three finishers all
in the top 20 we took the silver medal (Swansea
took gold rather convincingly with 3rd, 4th and
7th!). 1pm and 30 seconds: The women's race
started rather unsurely due to some rather
confusing organisation! However stutteringly it
began and the defending champion Abbie
Thorrington stormed into the lead. Cambridge's
Rachel Fenton was hot on her tail and feeling
pretty strong with team-mate Sonia Bracegirdle
not too far back. About half way round the first
lap, Thorrington cleverly got the back of the
men's field between her and Fenton and a little
further on Loughborough rider Jessica Roberts
flew past at what seemed like light speed on the
horrid grassy climb. Undeterred Fenton
continued to ride hard and was soon joined by
Bracegirdle who stayed hot on her wheels for the
rest of the race. With no other women in sight
they maintained position until the last lap when
the fresher feeling Bracegirdle came past to take
3rd place closely followed by Fenton. Such a
closely matched team is unheard of in women's
cross riding so CUCC rather convincingly took the
women's team gold!
brother, whose help in providing drinks and
staying close to us with the car in case of
punctures was invaluable!
A Few Other Highlights
1st Victoria CC 10.2 Mile 3-up
1st Hillingdon Criterium
1st in over 10 local time trials
Consistent top 5 individual positions in open
time trials
Spring training camp in Andalusia, and Summer
training camp in the French Alps (thanks to the
Bonneville family for their incredible hospitality)
National 100 Mile Time Trial
In order to meet part of the Blues criteria, it is
necessary to place in the top 50 in a National
competition.To this end, Tom Morris and James
Hawkins ended up doing the National 100 since
the earlier national competitions fell the day
before Hawkins’ exams, whilst Morris meanwhile
was hospitalised due to gastroenteritis.The pair
therefore spent the weekend in Wales to
compete on a rather hilly course, with Hawkins
and Morris coming 19th and 24th respectively
both in just over 4 hours.Thanks to Gerald, James’
47
Beijing Experience
Road race and time trial
Emma Pooley
The morning of the Olympic time trial dawned
clear and sunny.That was a relief; I’d been half
expecting the weather to bowl another fast one
as it had three days earlier for the road race (124 km
in torrential, monsoonal rain and temperatures that
felt cold after all our heat acclimatisation training).
The course was on a 24 km loop in the hills north of
the city, around the picturesque Badaling section of
the Great Wall. Stunning scenery, although I didn’t
pay much attention to it while racing…
In a time trial you ride against the clock, starting
on your own separated by two minutes from the
riders in front and behind. I was one of the
earliest starters in a seeded field, so there wasn’t
much point getting feedback down the race
radio on time splits from the riders ahead of me.
Instead there was a stream of encouragement
and cajolement in my ear the whole way from the
team manager in the car following behind.The
first half of the course was essentially a long
climb – my speciality – on a narrow road winding
up the hillside: steep in places, but with a few
short descents. Even if I do like big hills, it was
painful- you can’t let yourself rest for a second
and when you’re hurting all over it’s easy to think
you’re having a shocking day. I felt like I was
crawling pathetically slowly up the road, breath
rasping and sweat dripping off my nose. By the
time I got to the top I’d overtaken the rider who
started 2 minutes in front of me, which meant she
was having an even worse day than me! The
course then looped round to descend on a dual
carriageway, a wide road with fast sweeping
48 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
bends and a few tunnels. I stuck the chain in its
biggest gear and tucked down as small as I could
to hide from the wind. It seemed to go on for
ever… Finally there was the 1km marker and I
rounded one last tight bend for the short steep
climb back up to the finish line.
I was almost sick from the effort when I slowed
down to stop.Thankful it was over, and pleased
with how I’d raced- I had the fastest time up to
then. I knew it wouldn’t stick, that I wouldn’t even
be in the medals, but nonetheless I felt I’d given it
everything and couldn’t have ridden even a second
faster – you can’t ask for more than that. I was
ushered over to the“hot seat”– where the fastest
rider waits, watched by everyone, until someone
else finishes with a better time and displaces them.
I wasn’t nervous – just interested to see how much
faster the favourites would go. It got tense though,
as more and more finished.The GB team manager
was jumping up and down, getting excited:“Top
ten, you’re definitely top ten!”Nine, eight, seven…
I was beginning to get jumpy myself.When Kristin
Armstrong came in 24 seconds up it was almost a
relief to have my expectations confirmed.
She was the only one though, to my
astonishment. I couldn’t be sure of having a
medal until the penultimate rider had finishedwhen it was certain I had the silver I broke out
into a daft grin that didn’t disappear for several
hours! Then everything went a bit crazy with
press, dope control, photos, phone calls, and more
press...The only brief moment of calm was the
podium ceremony, waiting on my step for the
medal with that music playing and the backdrop
of the hills and the Wall stretching out behind.
It was surprisingly heavy, the ribbon too long so
that it looked slightly ridiculous. It didn’t spoil the
moment though.
Cambridge University
Eton Fives Club
The Eton Fives Club is one of the older
sports clubs at the University
President: Rodney Knight, Jesus
Captain: Mike Birkett, Emmanuel
Secretary: Julian Black, Christ’s
Senior Treasurer: Dr P Reynolds, Magdalene
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
James O’Callaghan, St Edmund’s
Jamie Potts, Emmanuel
Mike Birkett, Emmanuel
Robert Desmond, Corpus Christi
James Womersley, Magdalene
William Illingworth, Queens’
The Eton Fives Club is one of the older sports
clubs at the University, established in the 1920's
with the first Varsity Match in 1927.The club
meets three times a week at the court at
Magdalene and is hoping to expand, with the
promise of two new courts on the West
Cambridge Site.There are three to five matches a
term for both the Blues and the 2nd team, the
Penguins, the highlight being the Varsity Match in
late February. Players also compete at all the
major national championships for which travel
and accommodation is organised.The sport has
Half-Blue status.
Varsity Match
24th February 2008, Eton
Blues won 3-0, Penguins (2nd VI) lost 1-2,
Ladies lost 0-1
In the 80th Varsity Match, the Blues defeated
Oxford for the fourth consecutive year. It was also
the first time since 2001 that a 3-0 score line was
recorded. Unfortunately the Seconds were not
able to match Oxford’s considerable strength in
depth and went down 2-1.
There was a strong Highgate presence on the first
court where the Cambridge pair, James
O’Callaghan and Robert Desmond, both
Cholmeleians, proved too strong for Oxford and
won comfortably in three sets 12-3, 14-13, 12-5.
On the second court, illness caused a late call to
Jamie Potts, another Cholmeleian, to partner the
Cambridge captain, Michael Birkett. In spite of
Potts’s lack of practice, Cambridge came through
powerfully to win the fifth set. 13-12, 5-12, 4-12,
12-6, 12-7.
In an even more closely fought third pair match,
in which three games were ‘set’, James Womersley
and William Illingworth emerged as victors, thus
giving Cambridge a clean sweep. 12-6, 12-15,
12-15, 14-12, 12-7.
This year we had three women practising
regularly, one of whom was a novice, and
managed to hold a Ladies Varsity Match for the
second year running. Although our pair were
defeated by Oxford’s First Pair, they beat Oxford’s
Second Pair and we hope that we can field more
ladies pairs in upcoming years.
Following the match, a reception and dinner,
generously sponsored by Pol Roger Champagne,
was held at Eton.
Other News
The Club played a great deal of Fives in the
Michaelmas Term. We played a match against
Ipswich and the Old Cholemians, and entered
teams in the Universities Championship, the
London Tournament, and the County
Championships. Cambridge’s first pair of Mike
Birkett and James O’Callaghan won the
Universities Championship and encouragingly
the Cambridge Second Pair of James Womersley
and Will Illingworth defeated Oxford’s First.
In the Lent Term we entered the EFA Trophy
where we produced a fine team display to
narrowly miss out on qualification for the semifinals. We also organised a large fixture against a
very strong Highgate side that gave many players
their first competitive match of the season.
Sponsor
Pol Roger
49
Cambridge University
Fencing Club
CUFC strives to support fencing at all levels
throughout the University
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cufence/
President: Ailsa Keating, Clare
Captain: Alex O’Connell, Churchill
Mary Cohen, Fitzwilliam
Secretary: Anya Jones, Fitzwilliam
Senior Treasurer: Geoffrey Grimmet,
Churchill/Department of Mathematics
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Anthony Crutchett, Downing
Chris Greensides, Clare
Alex O’Connell, Churchill
Danny Ryan, Gonville & Caius
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Mary Cohen, Fitzwilliam
Ailsa Keating, Clare
Heide Niesalla, Fitzwilliam
Anya Jones, Fitzwilliam
Agnes Foglein, Gonville & Caius
Alina Sartogo, Homerton
Isabel Winney, Girton
50 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Zach Eaton-Rosen, Clare
Jan-Oliver Frohlich, Robinson
Tom Most, Jesus
Daniel Summerbell, Gonville & Caius
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
India Martin, Queens’
Lucy Greenwood, Newhall
Sarah Scholtz, Homerton
Vicky Rennie, Pembroke
Vicky Bradley, Gonville & Caius
Zoe De Beer, Girton
Laura Sutcliffe, Clare
Ewan Galloway,King’s
Jack Shotton, Trinity
Tom Williams, Clare
Giles Strachan, Trinity Hall
Spencer Bullent, Jesus
Daniel Hagon, Hughes Hall
Richard Booth, St Catharine’s
CUFC strives to support fencing at all levels
throughout the University, first and foremost to
equip teams to compete in the BUSA
championships and the Varsity Match to
the highest possible standard, but also to
develop fencing from a beginners level for the
whole University.
Varsity Match
Oxford University, Exam Schools, February 23rd
2008
Men’s 1sts: Oxford 108-102 Cambridge
Men’s 2nds: Oxford 124 – 119 Cambridge
Women’s 1sts: Oxford 123-105 Cambridge
Women’s 2nds: Oxford 65- 89 Cambridge
The Men’s Blues Varsity Match saw fencing of an
incredibly high standard with both sides littered
with internationals.The sabre started
proceedings and although captain Alex
O’Connell showed signs of nerves, Anthony
Crutchett and Danny Ryan showed their
undoubted class throughout and with O’Connell
raising his game in the last two fights, the trio
scored a convincing 45-18 victory to provide an
excellent base for the match.
Next up was foil, traditionally Oxford’s strongest
discipline, but strong performances from Zach
Eaton-Rosen and Dan Summerbell, eagerly
assisted by Ryan and O’Connell pegged Oxford
back.The Dark Blues eventually pulled away to win
45-26, so still Cambridge retained the advantage.
Lastly to the epee, which was one of the tightest
affairs in living memory. Cambridge began well
through debutants Tom Most and J-O Frohlich
and with veteran Chris Greensides pegging back
the Oxford captain the omens were good for
Cambridge. However, Oxford’s trio of
internationals showed their undoubted ability,
accelerating away from Cambridge to give
Greensides too much to do in the last bout. After
26 out of 27 fights, Cambridge were only one
point behind overall, but as Greensides was
forced to chase the match, things became harder
and eventually Oxford ran out victors.The match
may not have ended well for the Cambridge
team, but the performance was courageous and
gutsy from an inexperienced team; things look
promising for 2009.
The Men’s Seconds (Cutthroats) match was
extremely close for the second year running.
Opening the Bill was epee – a last minute change
of order since transport issues meant the rest of
the team had to arrive later. Despite good
performances from Giles Strachan and Zoltan
Solstesz and a promising 5 -1 start to the
Cutthroats, the Oxford Assassins were leading
heavily into the last bout 40-21. After a heroic
come back attempt by Tom Williams, defeating
his opposite number 14-4, the score was pulled
back to 35-44, which left the Cutthroats with it all
to do.
Sabre came next, and again the Assassins looked
the stronger. However, after Spencer Bullent put
in an impressive 13-3 to bring the Cutthroats into
the lead it was pretty much plain sailing for
Spencer, Tom and Dan Hagon.The score finished
at 45-35 to the Cutthroats with the total scores
level at 79 a piece, putting all the pressure on foil.
Needing to win the weapon made for a last
minute change of tactics, which left the
Cutthroats more to do than they had hoped for.
After substituting Spencer for the Captain,
Richard Booth, who had failed to find form on the
day, and a strong performance from Jack Shotton,
the Cutthroats went into the final bout only
40-38 up leaving a tough job for Ewan Galloway.
His opponent, Matthew Shearman proved too
strong eventually winning the match for the
Oxford Assassins.
The women’s firsts started nervously with sabre,
losing 45-39 to a surprisingly strong Oxford side,
but Anya Jones, with some decisive repostes,
made up a lot of lost ground. Cambridge’s
strongest suit, epee, then followed, in which
Cambridge needed to win by a large margin so
that Oxford could not catch up in the last – and
their strongest – weapon, foil. Oxford’s captain
Sophie Troiano, usually a foilist, turned out to be a
stronger epeeist than predicted and Cambridge
captain Mary Cohen could not build the lead she
needed. Ailsa Keating and Heide Neisalla fenced
well and Cohen found better form in the closing
fight to finish 44-33 but overall the Light Blues
were only 5 hits ahead entering the foil. Oxford’s
foil team of Troiano, a former world class under 20,
and her athletic companions were too great a
force and we lost 45-22, having put up a brave fight.
Oxford women’s seconds were an unknown
quantity, but with two former first team fencers
and three experienced pentathletes Cambridge
were fairly confident. Foil came first, with an
aggressive fight from Zoe de Beer, followed by a
10-2 win from Vicky Bradley, which put
Cambridge firmly in the lead.This was held easily,
and Light Blues won with a clear 20 point margin,
despite valiant attempts by Oxford to regain the
match in the last fight. In epee Cambridge
dominated Oxford, with notable performances
from pentathlete captain Lucy Greenwood and
sabreur Sarah Scholtz. Despite it being their only
match, Cambridge’s 2nd team spirit and skill left
Oxford far behind, winning 89 – 65.
Other News
Men’s 1sts:
The Men’s Blues won the BUSA Southerm
Premiership, winning 7 matches and losing just
one. At the BUSA finals weekend in Sheffield, the
team comfortably beat Oxford in the semi-finals
before losing a tight match against Northern
Champions Northumbria University, who boasted
5 fencers in their ranks, all on scholarships. Overall,
although the team never strives for anything other
than winning, 2nd place was a creditable return on
a difficult season by all accounts.
Alex O’Connell represented Great Britain at the
2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, finishing 39th. He
qualified by finishing 2nd at the European Zonal
Tournament in Istanbul and was the only Briton
to qualify for the Games by right.
Anthony Crutchett and Alex O’Connell
represented Great Britain at Under 20 level at the
European Championships in Prague, 2007) and
the World Championships in Sicily (2008).
Men’s 2nds
After losing the first match in the BUSA League
this year the seconds performed well, losing only
one other match to finish 3rd in the League and
qualify for the Trophy Competition.
51
Unlucky seeding drew them against eventual
finalists Kings College London, who knocked
them out in the first round despite the strongest
performance of the year, with everyone fencing
well, and coming together as a team for the first
time in the year.
Beijing Experience
My view
Alex O'Connell
Foilist Jason Yuen made it to the last 8 in the
BUSA individual competition, doing better than
any other foilist in the club this year.
I arrived at the Olympic Village on August 7th
and was lucky enough to attend the Opening
Ceremony. One thing sticks in my mind from
that evening, not my first view of the
breathtaking Bird’s Nest Stadium, not hearing
90,000 people cheer every time a country
went in, not the deafening roars when China
arrived last of all, but the feeling and the view
looking down the tunnel going into the
stadium and seeing the light at the end – the
inside of the stadium, where my Olympic
career would begin. I was not prepared for the
feeling I had walking into the stadium, one of
excitement, intense pride, and also of
gratitude, to everyone who had got me this
far. I found it difficult at times preparing for an
individual event in the build up to the Games,
and without an amazing team of friends
around me I would never have made it onto
the piste, so to them I am eternally grateful.
Women’s 1sts
The women’s team did disappointingly in the
BUSA championships, losing to a strong
Edinburgh side in the quarter finals, who we drew
based on faulty seeding and then had to fence
with an incomplete team. However, there was
some individual success from the epeeists, with
Heide Neisalla winning silver medals in the
Norfolk and Cambridge Opens and Mary Cohen,
as reigning national champion, representing
Great Britain at Under 23 level at the European
Championships in Monza, in May 2008 and
England at the Senior 5 nations in March 2008.
Based on the enthusiasm and high standard of
fencing of the women’s second team at the
Varsity Match, we have entered a second team
into the BUSALeague for next season.
Sponsor
Allstar Uhlmann UK
52 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
The actual day of my event is rather a blur, but
my clearest memory and one that will stay
with me forever is walking out to the piste
where I would compete, seeing my family and
friends in the stands and knowing that this
was it, the biggest moment of my career so far.
I remember enjoying it for a split second – just
long enough to savour – before getting back
to the job in hand. In many ways I had been
trying to tell myself that this would be just
another competition and in some ways it was,
but just for a second here, I really felt the
magic, what sets the Olympics apart from
anything else on the planet.
I fenced well, and although I may have lost,
I am proud of my performance; I gave it
everything I had, never gave up and finally lost
to someone who is a great fencer in his own
right. One of my goals was to come back with
no regrets, and although I obviously regret
losing, I know there was nothing else I could
have done in the build up to the event, and
that is the thing that helped me to pick myself
up after the Games.
The rest of my time in Beijing was something
of a blur, but all I remember thinking the day
after my event was that four years is a very
long time, and I have a great chance to do
something special in that period; I am now
more determined than ever to take that
opportunity, and have a much better chance
in London.
Cambridge University
Rugby Fives Club
CURFC exists to facilitate the continuation of a long
and successful history of fives in Cambridge
www.cu-sparrows.org.uk
President: Bob Dolby Esq.
Captain: Richard Lebon, Trinity
Secretary: Chris Jones, Emmanuel
Senior Treasurer: Dr P Reynolds, Magdalene
Cambridge & Oxford
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Alan Beverly, Girton
Richard Lebon, Trinity
Chris Jones, Emmanuel
Alqahir Ladak, Christ's
Malcolm Reid, St John's
Paul Simister, Trinity
Rupert Walter, St John's
Charles Compton, St John's
CURFC exists to facilitate the continuation of a
long and successful history of fives in Cambridge.
We both train and play matches on a weekly
basis, as well as entering the BUSA and national
U25s tournaments, working each year towards
the culmination of the season at the Varsity
Match. Currently, with a lamentable lack of courts
in Cambridge, which have been promised with
the construction of the new West Cambridge
sports complex, we train at Oundle school.
Varsity Match
Saturday 16th February, 2008; St Paul's School,
Hammersmith
Lost 260-193
Cambridge got off to a good start in the singles,
with U25s title-holder Alan Beverly inflicting a
strong defeat on BUSA champion Dan Tristao, and
Richard Lebon claiming a victory over the Oxford
captain. Moving into the doubles with a slight
lead, Oxford's strength in the 2nd IV began to
show, reflecting a common story in recent years
with the lack of home courts in Cambridge.
Beverly and Lebon inflicted further defeats in the
doubles, and there was a determined resistance
and spirited fight from all three further pairs, but
sadly Oxford's lower seeds once held on to claim
the match. In a similar vein, the Sparrows lost to
the Oxford Beavers, but it was satisfying to be
able to field a stronger Sparrows four than has
recently been possible.
Other News
Alan Beverly: Runner-up in BUSA Tournament,
Christ's Hospital School, 25th November 2007
Alan Beverly: National U25s Champion, Merchant
Taylor's School, 9th February 2008
53
Cambridge University
Gliding Club
The CU Gliding Club offers piloting instruction
for all levels of glider pilots
www.cugc.org.uk
President: Kate Woods, Lucy Cavendish
Captain: Martin Hughes, St Catharine’s
Secretary: Nick Laux, Trinity Hall
Senior Treasurer: Dr Peter O’Donald, Emmanuel
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Martin Hughes, St Catharine’s
Peter Buchlovsky, Fitzwilliam
Nick Laux, Trinity Hall
Adam Spikings, Magdalene
Rebecca Ward, Girton
54 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
The CU Gliding Club offers piloting instruction for
all levels of glider pilots from Beginner to
National Standard through our links to the larger
Cambridge Gliding Centre.
height gains. In the end though, a trio of strong
performances from Nick Laux, Adam Spikings and
Peter Buchlovsky sealed the day, with us
eventually winning by 112 points to 85.
Other News
Many of our members join the club with no
previous gliding experience and for them their
most important achievement is flying solo for the
first time. It takes many months of hard work to
get to this stage so we would like to recognise
this achievement. Well done!
Three of our members have flown solo for the
first time this year:
- Max Bautin
- Graham Bell
- Julia Robson
Varsity Match
July 2007, RAF Bicester (Oxford home)
Cambridge won
Since the early days of gliding in the 1920s,
individual progress has been recognised by the
award of badges. A bronze badge is awarded for
demonstrating successful soaring flight, precision
landings and passing flying and written exams.
Further levels of achievement are recognised by
Silver and Gold badges and up to three
Diamonds which are awarded by the World
Airsports Federation.
After a defeat at home in 2006, Cambridge
arrived at RAF Bicester eager to take back the
Varsity Trophy. As was the case for much of the
season, the weather was proving to be rather
uncooperative. However, by early afternoon the
sky cleared enough that the match could begin.
Soaring conditions remained very difficult and
both teams found it hard to make significant
This year the bronze badge was awarded to Peter
Buchlovsky, Max Bautin and Graham Bell. In
addition, Rebecca Ward gained her cross-country
endorsement and Adam Spikings his 100km
Diploma. Peter was also awarded a silver badge
and Rebecca represented the club at the 2007
Inter-University Gliding Task Week and came in a
respectable 8th place.
We have a long history dating back to 1935, an
era when gliding was still in its infancy, but we
have kept up to date with progress and we
regularly send members to compete at regional
and national level.
For experienced pilots the most intense and
rewarding aspect of the sport is competitive
glider racing.This involves up to fifty gliders
racing hundreds of kilometres across the country
to see who can fly fastest around a set of
checkpoints. It takes months to prepare both the
pilot and the machine and competitions last up
to nine days. Succeeding is considered to be the
pinnacle of achievement in the sport.
This year Kate Woods and Peter Buchlovsky
represented Cambridge in the Inter-Club League
round held at Husbands Bosworth with Rebecca
Ward as crew. Both did well, winning a day each.
Kate also finished 10th on the British Junior
National Ladder. Congratulations also to
Nick Laux who came third when defending his
2006 title of German Junior National
Decentralised Champion.
Club alumni also continue to impress on the
national and international stage. Emily Todd (a
2006 graduate) was crowned as the 2007 British
Gliding Aerobatics Champion (Sports Class) and
another ex-member has made it onto the Senior
British Team for the next World Championship.
55
Cambridge University
Golf Club
The Golf Club caters for low-handicap and social golfers,
with a rapidly developing ladies section
http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/cugc
President: (Senior) Sir Roger Tomkys, Pembroke
Captain: Benoit Ramsay, Girton (Blues),
Leanne Mullen, Corpus Christi (Ladies)
Secretary: James Whittington, St John’s (Club)
Senior Treasurer: Dennis Murphy, Magdalene
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Thomas Woolsey, Queens’
Benoit Ramsay, Girton
Ruaraidh Stewart, Peterhouse
Chris Robinson, Robinson
Jack Hickmore, Queens’
James Whittington, St John’s
Amir Habibi, Queens’
David Chapman, Trinity
John Valley, Gonville and Caius
David Normoyle, Gonville and Caius
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Ben Tolley, Jesus
James Binning, Selwyn
Paddy Croft, Trinity
Stephen Barnett, St Catharine’s
56 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
David Duncan, Jesus
Will Woolsey, Magdalene
Adam Sivner, St John’s
Jon Sharples, Fitzwilliam
Iain McNamara, Robinson
Mark Whitman, Pembroke
Jamie McFarlane, Peterhouse
Oli Southall, St John’s
The University Golf Club caters for low handicap
golfers (Blues Team and 2nd Team) as well as for
social (higher handicap) golfers via its ‘In-Laws’
arm.The Ladies Section is also rapidly developing.
Both Mens teams play a full fixture list against
clubs in the south of England, with the climax of
the season the Varsity Match against Oxford,
hosted at a different venue every year.
Varsity Match
Royal Liverpool, Hoylake. Blues: 27th – 29th March/
Ladies: 26th March
Blues Lost 8 – 7, Mens 2nd Lost 8.5-6.5,
Ladies Won 5.5 – 3.5
Men (Blues):
After good performances from James Binning
and Ben Tolley in the Dinner (Reserve) Match the
previous day still fresh in their minds, the Blues
strode confidently into battle in the strong winds
and driving rain of the Wirral on the first morning
of the 119th University Golf Match.
Friday’s foursomes were well-contested,
Cambridge running out 3-2 down after strong
performances from four of the new blues.
Needing only a 6-4 win in Saturday’s singles,
spirits remained high. Alas, this was to prove a
little too much. Cambridge won the top three
matches to give hope to the gathering Light
Blues, but Oxford’s strong middle order held on
for five points. In the only singles game to head to
the last hole, David Normoyle, playing the golf of
his life, just missed out against former German
and Italian Amateur Champion Claudio Consul.
Men (2nd / Stymies):
The Stymies battled valiantly at Formby, losing by
a narrow margin against a strong OUGC Divots
team. In the morning foursomes, Oxford were
quicker out of the blocks, emerging victorious in
the top two games. However, heavy 5&4 wins
from the pairings of Duncan & McNamara and
Southall & Whitman in the middle order leveled
the scores. However, Cambridge headed into
lunch 3-2 behind after a strong performance
from the bottom Oxford pair. In the afternoon,
Captain Paddy Croft raised Cambridge spirits by
beating his Oxford counterpart off top in the
singles. However, the Oxford middle order now
proved stronger, and despite wins from Sivner
and Duncan at the bottom of the order, Oxford
edged the singles 5.5-4.5 for an 8.5-6.5 victory.
Ladies:
This year saw the 11th Ladies Varsity match at
Royal Liverpool golf club with both sides fielding
very strong teams. Oxford were clear favourites
with 6 returning players, whilst Cambridge had less
varsity experience with only 2 returning players.
The overall result was 5.5-3.5 to Cambridge –
only the third time that Cambridge have won
the trophy.
Morning conditions were good as the foursomes
matches headed out.The first Cambridge pairing
of Leanne Mullen and Louisa Tarn started well
and were looking comfortable for a win, however
an Oxford fight back left the match heading
down the last. However, the determination and
quality play by the Cambridge pair meant they
held on for a 1 up victory.The remaining two
matches were also to go down the 18th. A win by
second pairing Jenny Heathcote and Michalea
Bacon and half from third pairing Rebecka Ahl
and Katie Taylor left the Cambridge team in a
strong position heading in to the afternoon.
Blues:
The singles match draw took place at lunch time
and found Oxford loading their strength at the
top of the field whilst Cambridge chose to spread
it through out.This resulted in large Oxford
victories in the first two matches and the
momentum swinging towards the Dark Blues.
Fresher Louisa Tarn was to boost the Cambridge
team with a strong performance outclassing her
opponent and securing the first point for
Cambridge in the afternoon. An early 6&5 victory
by captain Jenny Heathcote in the 6th match left
the Cambridge team in need of only a half from
one of the remaining two matches. Both matches
were tense and it was Leanne who went on to
hole the winning putt in front of a crowd of
excited fans and teammates.
Other News
Club Matches:
Won 7
Drew 3
Lost 21
This included beating a very strong Yale
Univeristy team on tour in the UK.
Other:
Two members: participation in the Boyd Quaich
at St Andrews GC (R&A).
Several members: participation in the President’s
Putter at Rye GC.
57
Cambridge University
Olympic Gymnastics Club
The Club is able to cater for gymnasts of all levels
from beginners to international competitors
http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/gymclub/
President: Josefin Larsson, Corpus Christi/
James Watson, Selwyn
Captain: Alex Hedges, Fizwilliam/
Lucy Osborne, Newnham
Secretary: Emma Budge, Trinity Hall
Senior Treasurer: Professor R Weber, Queens’
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Sophie Skillen, St Catharine’s
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Emma Budge, Trinity Hall
Harriet Clough, Robinson
Sophie Durham, Emmanuel
Theresa Hall, Sidney Sussex
The club is able to cater for gymnasts of all levels
from beginners to international competitors. We
have coaches of different levels at all sessions and
take part in numerous university competitions
58 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Varsity Match
Saturday 16th February, Huntingdon Olympic
Gymnastics Club
Men’s team – second place
Men’s individual – first place
Women’s A – second place
Women’s B – first place
This year’s Varsity Gymnastics Match was packed
with the highest level of competition yet seen at
the event.This year it took place in the elite
surroundings of Huntingdon Olympic Gymnastics
Club (HOGC), home of the top gymnasts Britain
has to offer and some of our best medal hopes
for Beijing. It is this club which has helped Alex
Hedges, the Cambridge Men’s Captain and Coach,
reach the international level he has enjoyed since
the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and
before. Over the last 3 years plenty of this
experience has made its way through to the
other Cambridge team members and thanks to
some tireless efforts from the gymnasts involved
the team has become deeper and stronger than
ever before.Two other members of the
Cambridge team; Jeff Wheeler, and James Watson,
had some experience of the Varsity Match, this
being Jeff’s second and James’s third.The rookie
members of the team this year were, Michael
Andrew, Maxim Daniline and Luke Dalby.
Mathew Bullimore, the Oxford captain and
previously a member of HOGC, was one of the
top competitors in Britain not long ago and has
also claimed the gold medal at the BUSA
championships for Oxford. Since arriving at
Oxford he has used his individual skill and his
knowledge of the sport to boost the Oxford team
to new and successful heights.This year he was
aided by the efforts of Simon Haenni; recently a
member of the Swiss national squad.
The Cambridge team showed superb consistency
from all team members over all 6 events, and
despite being a relatively inexperienced team
compared to the Oxford contingent they were
able to hold their ground on most apparatus,
even pulling out a large winning margin on the
vault.The very impressive Oxford squad however
managed some great consistency too and their
two star performers packed in the difficulty.
Despite a shaky time for the Oxford team on
vault, the scores were very tight over floor, rings
and high bar.The strong Oxford team took full
advantage of their strength on pommels and
parallel bars however, and it was this which
enabled them to re-take the team title from
Cambridge this year, Cambridge having won it
last year for the first time in 4 years.
In the individual competition, despite a typical
clean and solid performance from Bullimore and
some spectacular skills shown by Haenni, Alex’s
experience at competitions around the world
and his stylish, exciting work proved unbeatable
and he was crowned the Individual Champion
for the 3rd year running. His exceptional score
of 85.1 over the 6 pieces of apparatus was well
clear of second place and once again well into
the Blue standard.
Jeff Wheeler put last years shocking high bar fall
behind him to produce a stunning set of very
advanced routines. He just missed a medal in
4th place but did hit the Half Blue standard for
the second year running. Only an unusually low
pommels score stopped James Watson in 6th
from hitting it a second time as well. James’s
clean and impressive work, especially in some of
the team’s weaker areas, was a massive boost to
the team throughout the event and also its build
up. A big hope for the future, Luke Dalby,
managed some very impressive scores on the
3 apparatus he worked for Cambridge as a
specialist, getting close to the Half Blue standard
despite restricted preparation and an injured
hamstring. Michael Andrew and Maxim Daniline
both showed massive improvement over the
selection months leading up to the event as they
locked in their positions on the squad.They used
some very advanced skills to great effect.Their
proven ability to nail their routines every time
was critical and on every apparatus it was these
two who formed the solid foundation that the
team was able to build on. All members of the
team performed exceptionally, earning
themselves University Colours and showing great
potential for the next few years.
The women’s competition was closely fought
with impressive performances from both teams.
In the end it was Oxford who narrowly claimed
the Women’s A Team Title. Only one of the five
members of the Women’s A Team had previously
competed in Varsity so there are good
foundations for a strong team next year. Harriet
Clough put in a notable performance winning
the women’s vault competition and Sophie
Skillen stuck to the beam to take the highest
beam score of the day. Sophie was narrowly
pipped to the women’s all round title and will be
back with a vengeance to claim it next year.
Sophie Skillen put in a very impressive
performance at BUSA securing fourth place and a
Full Blue with her high level tumbling skills.
In the B Team Competition Lucy Osborne took
the overall title and the Cambridge women
comfortably won the team event. Cali Taylor, a
last minute addition to the team took 3rd place in
the Individual Competition with Nicola Pocock
coming a close 4th.
All of the Women’s A Team reached Half Blue
standard indicating the high level of competition
this year and Sophie Skillen went on to secure a
Full Blue, coming 4th in the all round competition
at BUSA.
Other News
Maxim Daniline, Luke Dalby and Michael Andrew
all earned University Colours for their
performances in the Varsity Match.The men’s
captain Alex Hedges overcame some niggling
injuries over the course of the year to win the
Isle of Man national title and represent the Island
at the Northern European Championships. Alex
also took a record breaking 11 gold, 2 silver and
2 bronze medals at the Natwest International
Island Games.
59
Cambridge University
Hare and Hounds (Cross Country)
Varsity Match
1st December, Wimbledon Common
Men: Cambridge 32 Oxford 47 (Cambridge Win)
Women: Cambridge 29 Oxford 13 (Oxford Win)
The Hare and Hounds is the University’s
Running Club dating back to pre-1870
As alarm clocks sounded across Cambridge at
dawn on Saturday, December 1st, 14 students
arose with the same thought: that triumph over
Oxford in the 117th Varsity Match would be a
thrilling way to finish the Michaelmas term and to
avenge Oxford's 4-1 victory in the IInds-IVths
Match. When they arrived at Wimbledon
Common and prepared for the customary team
photographs, they shared a second thought: that
the swirling winds and the heavily-waterlogged
Varsity course would ensure that the race was a
true cross-country effort, a test of courage,
determination and resilience as much as a test of
training and preparation.
www.srcf.ucam.org/cuhh/
President: Dr Joan Lasenby, Department
of Engineering
Captain: Andrew Duncan, Girton (Club Captain),
Harriet Owles, Selwyn (Womens Captain)
Secretary: John Redshaw, Trinity Hall
Senior Treasurer: Dr Neil Mathur, Churchill
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Paolo Natali, Christ’s
James Kelly, Jesus
Owain Bristow, Queens’
Matt Armstrong, Trinity Hall
Matt Grant, Queens’
Matt Clark, Homerton
Anna Anderson, Girton
Charlotte Roach, Trinity
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Scott Knackstedt, Downing
David Yu, Trinity
Laura Spence, Wolfson
Angharad Porteous, Jesus
60 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Polly Keen, New Hall
Harriet Owles, Selwyn
Stella Deakin, Girton
The Hare and Hounds is the University's Running
Club. Dating back to pre-1870, CUH&H is one of
the oldest running clubs in the world. It is also
one of only 12 Full-Blue sports clubs in the
University and yet in no way is it elitist: it gives all
of its members the opportunity to compete for
the University throughout the year. From
committed, serious athletes to beginners and
fun-runners, everyone is welcome and a valued
member of the team.
Though primarily a cross-country running club
(especially in the winter months), we cater for all
aspects of running. In the spring and summer,
many of our athletes focus on the track and
compete for Cambridge University Athletic Club
(CUAC), in middle and long distance track events.
Our members also take part in many other
disciplines such as road running (including the
London Marathon), fell running, orienteering,
and triathlon.
Cambridge Men take victory but Oxford outrace
the women at the Varsity Cross Country 2007
By James Kelly
The athletes were joined by injured Club Captain
Andy Duncan and a horde of loyal supporters who
travelled from across Europe to bear witness to the
event. Duncan threw his considerable energies
into boosting the confidence of his charges while
the brilliant supporters – including a Womble –
showed stamina worthy of the Blues themselves as
many completed the 4-mile Supporters Race
before lining the course and appearing at every
twist and turn to spur on the Light Blues.
Alas, the Supporters Race was won by Oxford, and
the result unfortunately foretold the result of the
32nd running of the 4-mile women's race.The
resilience of the women was tested from the
outset, from even before former CUH&H Captain
and current GB International Andy Baddeley
started the race. Depleted by two injuries and an
international call-up, the women were forced to
draft in three reserves for the race. When one,
Girton fresher Stella Deakin, arrived shortly
before the race was to start due to navigation
and traffic problems, the sense of concern
understandably increased. Given the course
conditions and the superb strength of the Oxford
opposition, it was clear that the women were
facing a steep uphill task.
But they refused to let circumstances dictate
performance. As the starting gun fired, the
Cambridge women stormed to the front of the
pack, determined to run Oxford as competitively
as possible. Last year's champion Polly Keen (New
Hall) led as the racers reached the water jump,
but her challenge was effectively scuppered by a
tumble in the stream that brought about
considerable knee pain.
Gradually the strength and experience of the
Oxford ladies showed, and the six Oxonians
stretched away from all but one of their
Cantabrigian counterparts. Anna Anderson
(Girton) was determined to prevent a Dark Blue
whitewash, and it was to great acclaim that she
emerged from The Butts in second place,
eventually crossing the line in 24:34 and trailing
only Oxford's Courtney Birch. Anderson's run was
a remarkable effort for her first encounter with
the Common, and more than merited the Full
Blue that she was awarded by Women's Captain
Harriet Owles.
Owles, a late replacement herself, formed part of
the Cambridge pack that battled gamely against
the course. Laura Spence (Wolfson) paced herself
well and led home the quintet of Half Blues in
25:39, followed home by Queen Cheetah.and the
first reserve to be called in – Angharad Porteous
(Jesus, 26:16), Keen (26:52), Owles (Selwyn, 27:18)
and Deakin (27:50), who also suffered a bath in
the water jump. Oxford won the match by a score
of 13-29 to avenge last year's Light Blue victory,
but the youth of the Cambridge team and the
strength that can be drafted back in suggests
that future encounters may not go the way of the
Dark Blues.
It therefore befell the men to restore Cantab
pride. With the all-time series tied 58-58, the race
had added historical importance. Armed with one
of its stronger teams in recent years, Cambridge
was confident that it could complete the 7.5
miles faster than its Oxford counterparts.
The field set off and Paolo Natali (Christ's), James
Kelly (Jesus) and Owain Bristow (Queens')
immediately hit the front. Natali apparently
decided that the conditions were a bit too warm
for his liking, however, and went swimming in the
water jump as well! Fortunately he emerged wet
but unscathed in his quest to defend his title.
As the athletes left the water behind, the race
split into three packs.The Cambridge trio were
joined at the front by Ian Kimpton, Richard
Franzese and David Bruce, while Matts Armstrong
(Trinity Hall), Grant (Queens') and Clark
(Homerton) battled Nick Howarth and Joe Mercer.
David Yu (Trinity) and Scott Knackstedt
(Downing) headed the third pack, which
contained Oxford's final scorers.
The pace was relentless in spite of the slippery
conditions, but a decisive break from Natali after
20 minutes saw the Italian win classily in 39:06. He
was followed home by Kimpton, who put in an
inspired run to keep Oxford in contention.However,
when Kelly (39:25) and Bristow (39:29) crossed the
line in 3rd and 4th positions, Cantab hopes were
raised.And when Armstrong (40:01), Grant (40:46)
and Clark (40:54) finished 7th, 8th and 9th after
thoroughly breaking Mercer and Howarth, the day
was Light Blue in colour.Yu (41:40) arrived in 12th
position and bumped Oxford's final scorer to ensure
that Cambridge's margin of victory was even
greater, while a commendable effort from
Knackstedt (43:03) in the longest cross-country race
of his career brought him home in 15th place.
Champagne corks popped as Cambridge's 32-47
victory was announced, and Captain Duncan
responded by awarding Full Blues to Natali, Kelly,
Bristow, Armstrong, Grant and Clark, and Half
Blues to Yu and Knackstedt.The result restored
Cambridge's lead in the all-time series and set up
an enticing rematch with the long-time rivals at
the BUSA Championships in February.
Other News
Special mention should go to Charlotte Roach who
was prevented from running for Cambridge in the
Varsity Match in December as she had been selected
to run for the Great Britian junior women in the
European Cross Country Championships in Toro,
Spain,there she excelled finishing fourth and helping
the British junior women to first team in the process.
Tim Pattison was also selected to run for England
in the Home Countries International on March
30th in Edinburgh.
61
Cambridge University
Hockey Club
The Cambridge University Hockey Club is the largest
sports club at Cambridge with over 100 members
www.cuhc.org
President: Matthew Richardson, St John’s
Captain: Stuart Penman, Gonville & Caius (Mens)
Natasha Fowlie, New Hall (Womens)
Secretary: Dave Saunders, Emmanuel (Mens)
Lucy Stapleton, St Catharine’s (Womens)
Senior Treasurer: Dr Dick McConnell, St John’s
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Simon Ashton, Gonville and Caius
Elliot Bishton, Fitzwilliam
Ben Crooks, Gonville and Caius
Craig Armstrong, Downing
Chris Ellis, Queens’
James Goldsmith, St John’s
Jez Hansell, Girton
Stuart Jackson, Girton
Christopher Kirwie, Jesus
Dave Madden, Jesus
Nick Mclaren, St Catharine’s
Stuart Penman, Gonville and Caius
Dave Saunders, Emmanuel
Lucy Stapleton, St Catharine’s
Rosie Evans, Selwyn
62 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Natasha Close, Downing
Felicity Hughes, Jesus
Natasha Fowlie, Newhall
Alex Workman, Churchill
Hannah Rickman, Pembroke
Emma Goater, Jesus
Lisa Noble, St John’s
Anna Stanley, St John’s
Jenny Stevens, Downing
Jenny Hall, Selwyn
Natasha Barnes, Newhall
The Cambridge University Hockey Club is the
largest sports club at Cambridge with over 100
members, and is one of the high profile 'Full Blue'
sports. It is also one of the only fully integrated
male and female clubs.
The club runs three men's and three women's
teams comprising of the best of a pool of 800
players in the college leagues.The teams all play
weekly in the East Leagues, although in recent
years the men's 1st team has also played in the
prestigious EHL.The women's 1st and 2nd teams
also played in BUSA competitions.
Varsity Match
4th March 2008 – Southgate Hockey Club, London
Men: Cambridge 3 – 1 Oxford
Women: Cambridge 1 – 2 Oxford
In the 109th Varsity hockey match the Cambridge
Blue teams travelled to London to compete in the
highlight of their sporting season and take on dark
blue Oxford.Watched by hundreds of spectators
the hockey at Southgate pitches reached a new
level with an exhilarating exhibition of all that is
best in the game, amazing pace, logic defying flair
and a nail biting score line which kept the
spectators guessing until the final whistle.
The Men’s Blues were first to take to the pitch and
were impressive from the start. Although the
opening minutes were characterised by nervous
play as both sides tried to take measure of their
opponents, it was ultimately Cambridge who
were able to assert their authority, Simon Ashton
left the Oxford defence for dust with silky skills in
and around the circle and sending a lightening
strike at the goal was thwarted only by a luck pick
off the line.In reply Oxford were shoddy on the first
touch, passes slipped off the sidelines and there was
little that could threaten the strong defensive
partnership of David Saunders and Jez Hansell.
It was the Light Blues who inevitably capitalised
on their opportunities and on the twelfth minute
Nick McLaren was the one to convert when
Ashton’s pulled back pass from the back line
struck the keeper and clipped the ground, the
midfielder definitive in his strike, the team
ecstatic in taking the lead. Cambridge, with
confidence growing were happy to send their
opponents chasing long balls around the defence
63
and through the midfield, teasing the Dark Blues
with almost total possession and continued
pressure on the opposition goal.
The second half started with Cambridge
continuing to press their opposition, Man of the
Match Dave Saunders surged through the
midfield to play nifty balls into the opposition
corners and it seemed only a matter of waiting
until Cambridge were able to consolidate on their
lead. Unexpectedly however it was Oxford who
took the next goal, a sacrificial foul by James
Goldsmith sent him to the sin bin and the
resulting penalty corner gave Oxford Captain
David Cresswell the chance to level the score with
a drag flick sent flying into the top left hand
corner of the goal.
Cambridge were not to be defeated however and
Christopher Kurwie, tactically taking the ball off
the back line and onto a defender’s foot won a
Light Blue penalty corner. Slipped left to Jez
Hansell, the defender scored a stunner in his last
ever Varsity Match and demonstrated
resoundingly how much the team will miss his
presence in games to come. With Cambridge
back on top it was only a matter of time until
victory could be claimed and this was made all
the sweeter with a stroke awarded ten minutes
from time. Captain Stuart Penman converted
from the penalty spot, sending a confused keeper
the wrong way and the ball into the net.
Cambridge were majestic and deserved victory in
retaining the Varsity Cup and demonstrating
superiority in every aspect of the game.
64 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Following this performance the pressure was on
for the women, and having been resoundingly
beaten in the previous week, the girls were
determined to demonstrate their capability of
competing with the strong Oxford side. Both
teams came out strong with Cambridge making a
positive start, Alexandra Workman left Oxford
frustrated at the top of the circle but Cambridge
were unfortunate to go down 1-0 in the first half
when a great save by keeper Lucy Stapleton was
followed by a quick pick at the post with Captain
Beth Wild placing Oxford firmly on the score
board. Oxford had asked questions of the
Cambridge defence but the Light Blues bounced
back, determined to make their mark on the
game. Lisa Noble, terrific in midfield sent a
perfectly placed pass to Hall who weaving
between a desperate Dark Blue defence, placed a
neatly lifted shot past the keeper from an
impossible angle levelling the scores at half time.
The second half continued to see great
Cambridge possession, Rosie Evans was resilient
at every turn, impressive in grit and resolve, and
with the midfield controlling the pace and play
Oxford were forced to play the long game. It was
against the tide that the Dark Blue midfielder
Alice Cook touched in a loose ball at the far post
to put Oxford back into the lead and ultimately
win them the game. Cambridge were unfortunate
not to have stolen the game early on, but were
commendable in their resolve and were
unquestionably equal to Oxford in almost every
area of the game.
Other News
Mens:
• Blues competed in the National League which
is the highest level ever achieved by the club
• Although they were relegated they got the
largest number of points they’ve ever achieved
at that level
• The 2nd Team came in the top half of the table
in the First Division of the East Men’s Hockey
League
• The 3rd Team was promoted into the Second
Division
• All three Varsity trophies were retained with
the blues winning 3-1, the seconds drawing 2-2
and the thirds drawing 1-1
Womens:
• All three teams finished in the top four of the
East Hockey Leagues that they played in with
the Blues playing in the Premier Division and
the seconds only one place off promotion into
the First Division.
• In BUSA the Blues were promoted to the
Premier Division and had a good cup run
losing to Oxford in the quarter finals
• The Blues lost their Varsity Match 2-1, the
seconds lost their Varsity Match 5-1 and the
thirds won their Varsity Match 2-0
• Jenny Hall was selected to play for England
under 21s
Sponsors
ABN Amro
Oliver Wyman
Addleshaw Goddard
Cambridge University
Ice Hockey Club
Ice Hockey at Cambridge is a tradition that stretches
as far back as 1885
http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/cuihc/
President: Chris Hurn, Pembroke
Captain: Chris Hurn, Pembroke
Secretary: Ben Lees, St Catharine’s
Senior Treasurer: Chris Hurn, Pembroke
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Gareth Barry, Emmanuel
Alan Douglass, Jesus
Sidney Elbaz, Queen’s
Henry Jenks, King’s
Peter Morelli, King’s
Kevin Musselman, Peterhouse
Jonas Rooze, Girton
Luc St-Pierre, St Catharine’s
Richard Trueman, St Catharine’s
Ice hockey at Cambridge is a tradition that
stretches as far back as 1885 when the first Varsity
Match was played at St Moritz in Switzerland.The
annual Cambridge-Oxford match has now been
recognised by the Hockey Hall of Fame as the
oldest ongoing hockey rivalry in the world.
In addition to participating in the Varsity Match,
the Blues also play a ten-game season against
other British universities.The team trains
weekly and also travels to Switzerland for a
week long training camp on an outdoor ice rink
surrounded by the alps. Players of all skill levels
are welcomed on the team.The only requirement
is a very high motivation for the fastest game on
earth, ice hockey.
win the 89th Annual Varsity Match hosted by
Oxford, and were bolstered by the return of
captain Chris Hurn, who had been sidelined with
a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.The Blues
took an early lead with a power play goal, but it
was short-lived as Oxford replied on the
following shift. Oxford continued to press
throughout the first two periods, but Barry was
solid between the pipes, keeping the Blues within
striking distance. Rookie forward Henry Jenks
(UK) was unlucky to have a goal disallowed, as the
referee had lost sight of the puck.Trailing 3-1 in
the final period, the Blues pushed offensively in
an effort to tie the game, but were stymied by
good goaltending in the Oxford net and paid the
price as Oxford netted several tallies on counterattacks.The game ended 8-2 in favour of Oxford,
with Musselman scoring his second goal of the
game for the Blues. Peter Morelli, the “pec-less
wonder”, deservedly received the Cawthra Trophy
as the most valuable Cambridge player of the
Varsity Match, having worked tirelessly and setup
both Cambridge tallies.
Varsity Match
Saturday March 1st 2008 in Oxford
Cambridge 2 : Oxford 8
Despite a few close defeats during the season,
the Blues remained convinced of their ability to
65
Other News
Following a tough ‘06-’07 campaign, only five
Blues remained in Cambridge to start the ’07-’08
season. Led by captain Chris Hurn (UK), the
returning Blues tackled the challenge of
rebuilding the squad with much gusto.
Aggressive recruiting filled out the roster to a
healthy 15, and the returning Blues imparted on
the rookies a fine appreciation for early morning
dryland training, late-night socials, and even later
game nights.
The annual trip to Lyceum Alpinum School in
Zuoz, Switzerland, was a spectacular success as
usual. Facilitated by team alumnus Curt Schmitt,
we spent a week training on the school’s pictureperfect outdoor rink, fine-tuning team strategy
and improving individual skills.The hard work
paid off, as our performance improved
considerably this season. Goal output, in
particular, increased dramatically, as the rookie
forward line of Peter Morelli (Vancouver), Kevin
Musselman (Ottawa), and Luc St-Pierre (Acton
Vale, QC) combined for 20 goals in 7 regular
season contests. Barry provided fearless backstopping, voluntarily placing his head in front of
sure-goals on several occasions.
66 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
The team was unlucky throughout the season
with close 5-7, 2-4, and 5-7 defeats to Warwick,
Birmingham, and Southampton respectively.
Nevertheless, the Blues ended the ’07-’08
campaign on a positive note, with a 4-3 win over
Birmingham.This victory was bittersweet for
Blues Chris Hurn, Gareth Barry, Sean & Sid JeffriesElbaz, Shane Woods, and Ben Lees as it marked
their last game with the club. We plan to carry this
success over to the ’08-’09 season.The newest
version of the Blues will feature a strong
contingent of returning players (Trueman, Rooze,
Jenks, Douglass, Morelli, Musselman, St-Pierre)
and sights will be set on the Varsity Match trophy,
which will be awarded for the 90th time. Please
refer to our website for details about the team
and the Varsity Match.
Sponsor
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University
Women’s Ice Hockey Club
As well as our Sunday evening training sessions
on ice, we also enjoy roller-hockey and indoor
floor hockey. Across all these activities, the club
fosters a great sense of fun, teamwork and
encouragement. So whether you're a hockey
player, ice skater, or rollerblader, or new to all of it
and just looking for something a little different,
we'd love to hear from you.
Women’s Ice Hockey at Cambridge is
a unique and rewarding experience
Varsity Match
Oxford Ice Rink, 02/03/08
Cambridge 8 – 3 Oxford
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~cuwihc/
President: Elena Marshall, Newnham
Captain: Sarah Cartwright, Jesus
Secretary: Jen Rutter, New Hall
Senior Treasurer: Professor A M Campbell, Christ’s
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Elena Marshall, Newnham
Barbara Richter, Peterhouse
Sarah Creber, Jesus
Siok Ong, Downing
Mabel Ang, New Hall
Jennifer Rutter, New Hall
Stacey Hickson, Trinity Hall
Sarah Cartwright, Jesus
Sarah Johnson, Emmanuel
Nienke Patel, Selwyn
Clare Watkinson, Wolfson
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Nicola Darling, Jesus
Judith Rawlings, Girton
Christina Yek, Selwyn
Lauren Babcock, Newnham
Aphra Dowell, Christ’s
Melisa Trujillo, Pembroke
Take advantage of the challenge, excitement, fun,
laughter, inspiration and friendship that women's
ice hockey offers! We are always keen to attract
new members, and are able to provide you with
kit, instruction, and plenty of support. All levels of
experience are welcome, from seasoned players
to complete beginners – you don't need to bring
anything except enthusiasm, good humour, and
an open mind!
Whether it's playing against Oxford in the Varsity
Match as part of the oldest hockey rivalry in the
world, joining our training camp in Finland each
winter, or taking part in the social events
throughout the year, womens ice hockey at
Cambridge is a unique and rewarding experience.
The tension was high inside the Oxford Ice Rink
on March 2nd as the Oxford Dark Blues played
host to the Cambridge Light Blues in the Varsity
Women's Ice Hockey Match. Oxford, the 11-year
reigning champions came into the game ready to
defend their title. Conversely, Cambridge had
come to prove themselves and to bring the
trophy home.
A steady first period saw Cambridge off to a
strong start with Sarah Cartwright and Nienke
Patel working well behind the net to clear the
puck. Nerves were wound tight as 18 goal-less
minutes ticked by. Finally, debut centre, Sarah
Creber lifted the puck over the goaltender
sending the puck bouncing tantalisingly off the
goaltender's helmet, shoulder, and pads, finally
crossing the goal line. For most of the team, this
was their first experience of a Varsity lead.The
end of first period saw a high-spirited Cambridge
leave the ice.
67
A seesaw of goals in the second period shook the
game into high gear as both teams returned to
the ice determined for the Cup. 37 seconds in saw
Creber living up to her 'creeper' status with a shot
from behind the net that rebounded off the back
of the goaltender into the net. Cambridge's
celebration was short-lived however, with
Oxford's Meaghan O'Reilly making successive
rushes at the Cambridge net, scoring twice in
25 seconds, bringing the score to 2 apiece.This
just seemed to fuel Cambridge's fight though,
with veteran winger Barbara Richter scoring two
goals in response, with a nifty wrap-around and a
flick over the keeper. Richter and Creber both
completed their hat-tricks before the end of the
period with a back-handed goal and another
wrap-around. Cambridge were only slightly
troubled with Oxford's O'Reilly tallying three by
the end of the period as well. End of period score
6-3 for Cambridge.
shouted down the final seconds before bursting
onto the rink to celebrate their hard-earned and
well-deserved Varsity win.
Cambridge pulled together a calm and focussed
start to the third period with defenders Sarah
Johnson and Jennifer Rutter skating hard to
shutdown breakouts. Offensively, Cambridge did
not ease up either with hard rushes on goal by
Johnson and rookie centre Stacey Hickson.
Richter, on a mission to redeem four years losing
in a row started the scoring in the third, putting
away a superb, top right-hand shot.With ten
minutes remaining, Richter scored her final goal
for Cambridge and the match to put Cambridge
on top at 8-3.The best near-goal of the game
however was provided by a Wakinson/Creber
partnership, with Clare Watkinson connecting on
Creber's flick from behind the net into the slot
late in the third.The exuberant Cambridge bench
Sponsor
Cambridge University Press
68 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Other news
This was the first time that the Cambridge team
have won the varsity match in 12 years and only
the 2nd time ever.This strong squad then went
on to perform brilliantly in the BUIHA Nationals
weekend in Sheffield (there is no University
women's league, so Cambridge were entered as
the only women's team in the “mixed” Division 3)
coming 7th overall – a great achievement with a
very short bench on the day.
We are unable to play in a nationwide league due
to lack of a “home rink” in Cambridge, but will be
taking part in the small Universities Division 3
league next year with the hope of aiding in
expanding this to be more competitive.
Cambridge University
Judo Club
CUJC is one of the biggest, oldest, friendliest and
most successful martials arts clubs at Cambridge
www.judo.soc.ucam.org
President: Tom Deacon, King’s
Captain: Men’s Captain – Janek Kolodynski,
St John’s
Women’s Captain – Catharina Casper,
Corpus Christi
Secretary: Seb Nadal, Trinity
Senior Treasurer: Mark Thompson, Sidney Sussex
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Megan Jones, Newnham
Balan Anthonysamy, King's
Giovanni da Col, Queens’
Gabriel Mecklenburg, Girton
Andrew Campell, Robinson
Gregory Schmitt, ARU
Wilfred Hughes, Churchill
Rob Blackburn, Emmanuel
Simon Calcutt, Emmanuel
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Catharina Casper, Corpus Christi
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Yueyang Li, Trinity
Scott Bolingbroke, Robinson
Ed Marffy, Robinson
Gary Chandler, Emmanuel
Janek Kolodynski, St John’s
Philipp Oberhumer, Queen’s
Seb Nadal, Trinity
Tom Deacon, King's
Alexie Frize-Williams, St John’s
Sinead Rothwell, St Catharine’s
Lisa Kleiminger, Churchill
CUJC is one of the biggest, oldest, friendliest and
most successful martial arts clubs at Cambridge –
if not at any British University.
The club includes everyone from complete
beginners to highly competitive Black belts, all
coached by experienced and BJA-qualified Black
belt coaches. It is also a fantastic bunch of diverse
people from across the world and from all walks
of life, as although the club is run by Cambridge
students, we have many members from Cambridge
faculty, staff, ARU students and from the local
community, as well as visitors from further afield.
Varsity Match
1/3/08, Oxford
Men’s A: Lost 3-4 (1 Draw), Women’s: Lost 2-3,
Men’s B: Lost 1-7, City: Lost 2-5
Cambridge Judo were disappointed to be left
empty-handed after an exciting Varsity Match
against a strong Oxford team.The event was
packed with massive throws and punishing
ground-fighting with 28 fights between Men's
and Women's blues teams, a Men's B Team and a
'City' team of non-students crammed into a
single afternoon, and Cambridge can be proud of
a truly great effort and many close and exciting
contests despite the end result.
Cambridge City got off to a great start, with two
crushing wins whipping the travelling Cambridge
supporters into a frenzy, but despite a great
effort, it was all downhill from there as Cambridge
City were outweighed and outclassed by a great
display of fighting from the strong Oxford team.
Conceding two further matches through absence
and injury, Oxford took the City Team match for
the first time in the history of this friendly
addition to the University Varsity Match, 5-2.
The Cambridge Men's B Team were next on the
mat with the weight of expectation after four
successive victories. Balan Anthonysamy (King's),
Giovanni da Col (Queens’) and Gabriel
Mecklenburg (Girton) put great efforts into their
fights, but were beaten by powerful opponents,
and B Team Captain Andrew Campell (Robinson)
was unlucky to lose a great contest – despite
appearing to twist out of the winning throw in
mid-air. ARU Frenchman Gregory Schmitt
reminded Oxford that the match wasn't over,
69
slamming his opponent into the mat with a
massive counter after a nail-biting match. Wilfred
Hughes (Churchill) and Emmanuel duo Rob
Blackburn and Simon Calcutt fought bravely in
their first Varsity Match, but could not reverse the
deficit, and Oxford claimed the B Team shield
they had hardly seen this decade, the 7-1
scoreline a harsh reflection of the courage and
determination shown by the Cambridge fighters.
Oxford have dominated the women’s
competition in recent times, but despite losing 4
of last year’s team of 5, Cambridge’s strong new
team promised that this year’s Women’s Varsity
would be just as close as the two agonising 3-2
losses in the past two years. Megan Jones
(Newnham) was caught by a powerful shoulderthrow for ippon, but Alexie Frize-Williams (last
year’s Women’s Captain from St John’s) fought
through the pain barrier from various injuries to
pin her opponent down. Next up was a titanic
clash between the Oxford Captain (a BUSA
medallist) and Cambridge Women’s Captain
Catharina Casper (Corpus Christi). Catharina was
eventually defeated after a tight and very highstandard match, but former GB International
Sinead Rothwell (St Catharine’s) quickly pulled
the match back to two apiece, totally dominating
her opponent.This left the intense pressure of a
deciding fight on Lisa Kleiminger (Churchill), with
the crowd on the edge of their seats. Lisa gave
the fight everything, but late into the fight the
Oxford judoka produced the seoinage throw of a
lifetime to cruelly dash the dreams of
Cambridge’s Women and leave them just 3-2
down again.
70 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Finally, Cambridge’s Men’s Blues stepped up to try
and reclaim the trophy they lost last year.This,
however, was no easy task, with a new era of
Cambridge judoka facing a much heavier Oxford
team of veteran black belts.Yueyang Li (Trinity)
and Robinson freshers Scott Bolingbroke and Ed
Marffy all faced huge and powerful (and BUSA
medal-winning) Dan-grade opponents that beat
them with ippon scores, leaving former Men’s
Captain and President Gary Chandler (Emmanuel)
with a crucial match against an old adversary that
ended in a frustrating stalemate. Men’s Captain
Janek Kolodynski (St John’s) was then floored by a
powerful throw from an experienced Oxford
fighter, but Austrian sensation Philipp Oberhumer
(Queen’s) finished a high-quality match with a
delightful uchi-mata throw for ippon. Seb Nadal
(Trinity) pulverized the Oxford President on the
ground and Cambridge President Tom Deacon
(King's) forced his opponent to submit with a
quick and brutal armlock. But these victories were
too late, the Cambridge Men were left the wrong
side of an incredibly tight 4.5/3.5 scoreline.That
the score was so close is a credit to the hard work
of a relatively new team facing an incredibly
strong Oxford line-up, but this was little
consolation to Cambridge as Oxford lifted the
Matsudaira Cup.
Other News
At the BUSA 2008 Judo championships Catharina
Casper (CUJC Women's Captain) led from the
front, beating some strong opposition to earn a
fantastic Silver medal in the Dan Grade -63kg
category. In the Kyu grade competition, Alexie
Frize-Williams battled through persistent injury to
take silver at -63kg. Lisa Kleiminger made
Cambridge's women an all-silver team, taking
2nd place in the Kyu grade competition at -57kg
Tom Deacon – CUJC President
Cambridge men came back set on revenge in the
Team competition the next day, but faced a
tough pool of 4 with a very light team.
Cambridge rose to the challenge and fought
fantastically to pull off an impressive 4-1 victory
against a formidable London side, and racked up
the same score against Edinburgh. Despite
narrowly losing to Sheffield, Cambridge's earlier
The Men could only add one more medal to the
women's haul,Yueyang Li taking advantage of a
small field of 3 other competitors and
overcoming one of them with a lovely, clean
ippon throw to earn him a Bronze medal in the
Men's Kyu Grade -100kg category. Austrian
sensation Philipp Oberhumer fought with
tenacity, and pulled an ippon out of the bag in a
nail-biting 'Golden Score' extra time to become
the only Cambridge Dan Grade man to make it
out of the pools. However, he was undone in the
Quarter Finals to a talented and experienced
judoka and was out of the competiton – any
chance of fighting back through the repecharge
to win Cambridge Men a Dan Grade medal was
ruined when his opponent lost to the eventual
winner in the next round.
triumphs still put them top of their pool.
Cambridge then met a Imperial College in the
Quarter-Finals and, despite putting up a great
fight, could not claw their way to the right side of
a 2-3 scoreline, and so were forced into a
respectable exit from the competition.
Cambridge's Gary, Philipp, Seb and Yueyang then
continued to fight on in the regional competition
(10 judoka from mixed Universities in broad
regions) alongside judoka from Southampton,
Sussex and Oxford, and took Silver medals in the
competition. Wins against the British judoka at
this point-scoring competition earned Tom
another 10 points towards his 1st Dan and
Philipp another 20 towards his rapidly
approaching 2nd Dan. But the afternoon
belonged to Gary Chandler – whose final win
against a 2nd Dan in the regional competition
earned him his 2nd Dan!
For the Cambridge University Judo Club, the
Varsity match and BUSA championships are only
the tip of the iceberg.Throughout the year the
club organises exchanges with clubs in Marburg,
Germany; Helsinki, Finland and St Denis, Belgium
and attends numerous competitions including
the Sheffield International Student Teams
Competition. It’s all these events that makes our
club such a great place to learn and meet new
and interesting people.
71
Cambridge University
Karate Club
Cambridge University Karate Club was formed in 1976
by Charles Levitt and Simon Giszterm
www.cukc.org
President: Steph McTighe, Department of
Psychology
Captain: Tom Johnson, Trinity/ Madeleine Wood,
Emmanuel
Secretary: Adam Tun, Jesus
Senior Treasurer: Dr W J Fitzgerald, Department
of Engineering
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Ian MacLeod, St John’s
Roman Sztyler, King’s
Madeleine Wood, Emmanuel
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Tom Johnson, Trinity
Paul Smith, Trinity
Simon Picot, Pembroke
Nick Worth, Darwin
Nicholas Edwards, Corpus Christi
Charlie Gray, Trinity Hall
Irena Kraicheva, Sidney Sussex
Gemma Coughlin, Darwin
72 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University Karate Club was formed in
1976 by Charles Levitt and Simon Giszterm, who
had got in touch with Bob Poynton of the Karate
Union of Great Britain (KUGB). Over the years the
club evolved and grew into the large and
successful club that it is today, and is now
fortunate to count Sensei Richard Poole (6th dan
black belt, former Welsh champion and coach of
the Welsh national team) as its Chief Instructor.
CUKC has a long and distinguished record at
regional, national and international competitions.
In the last year alone the club won bronze in male
team kata at EUSA, beat ancient rivals Keio
University on tour to Japan (for the first time
ever), had three members selected for the
England kumite squad, won individual kata at the
Nationals, AND won Varsity. Although there is a
strong emphasis on competitions, it is by no
means mandatory to compete and for novices
the focus is squarely on development and
progression through the grades. And with eight
training sessions a week for most of the year the
club is one of the most active around.
Varsity Match
23 Feb 2008 – Iffley Road, Oxford
Cambridge (Men’s A: Cam, Men’s B: Cam,
Women’s: Draw)
The 2008 Karate Varsity Match took place on
Saturday 23 February and Cambridge has once
again come out victorious! Following up on last
year's big win over the Dark Blues, the CUKC
Squad traveled to Iffley Road Sports Centre in
Oxford to defend our titles.The incredible hard
work, dedication, and spirit that each of the
squad members exhibited over the past months
has paid off as we retained the Enoeda Cup.
The day started off with the Individual Kata
competition. Roman Sztyler and Simon Picot
both gave outstanding performances of Unsu
and Gankaku, which earned first and second
place overall within the Men's A division
respectively, thereby giving Cambridge the
early edge. Madeleine Wood and Charlie Gray were
the top CUKC Women's Kata competitors,
performing Nijushiho and Gojushiho Sho.Nicholas
Edwards topped the Men's B team overall with
Gojushiho Sho.
The Team Kata event followed, and demonstrated
a true strength for CUKC as we won in each
division.The Men's A team consisting of Paul
Smith, Ian MacLeod, and Tom Johnson performed
Kanku Sho to overtake Oxford's Bassai Dai.The
Women's team which included Madeleine Wood,
Charlie Gray, and Irina Kraicheva performed a very
strong Gojushiho Sho which won out over
Oxford's Kanku Sho. Finally, the Men's B Team of
Roman Sztyler, Nick Worth, and Nicholas Edwards
performed an excellent Jion to win over Oxford's
Heian Godan.
The final event of the day was Kumite.The Men's
A team performed exceptionally well, winning
7 matches, drawing 1, and losing only 2. Special
commendation goes to Paul Smith, who despite
receiving a nasty shot to left eye about 20
seconds into his second match, skillfully took
control over his opponent and won the round,
making it two wins on the day.The Women's
team exhibited extremely strong spirit, perfectly
splitting Oxford with 3 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws.
The Men's B team also fought very strongly,
splitting Oxford perfectly with 2 wins, 2 losses,
and 1 draw.
Three members of CUKC (Paul Smith, Madeleine
Wood and Katerina Pateraki) were selected in
January for the KUGB England kumite squad and
now train regularly with the national squad.
CUKC’s competition successes grew again this
year, having had one of the strongest squads the
club has ever seen.The men’s team won team
kumite (sparring) at KUGB Student Nationals and
KUGB Central Regions championships (the latter
for the third year in a row), and 20-year-old
Roman Sztyler won gold in kata (set forms) at
the KUGB National championships – a
phenomenal achievement.
After the competition was over, the points were
added up and the winners of each division were
announced. We are very happy and proud to
report that Cambridge came out on top:
Men's A: Cambridge 100 – 52 Oxford
Women's: Cambridge 75 – 75 Oxford
Men's B: Cambridge 79 – 57 Oxford
Other News
In September 10 members of the squad toured to
Japan and were hosted by Keio University, with
whom the club has strong historical links.
Cambridge won the nail-biting match against Keio
by the smallest of margins, 4-3, with one draw (and
two people out due to injury), taking revenge for
Keio’s 10-0 victory in the early 90s. Full report on
our website: http://www.cukc.org/japan.php.
European Universities Sports Association (EUSA)
Karate Championships 2007:
Cambridge came =3 in Male Team Kata (report
http://www.cukc.org/comps/20072008/eusa.php).
www.sophiepickford.com
73
Cambridge University
Korfball Club
Korfball is a mixed sport with four girls and
four boys on the team
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/korfball/
President: Elgon Corner, Pembroke
Captain: George Marshall, Jesus
Secretary: Angus Davidson, King’s
Senior Treasurer: Howard Laftling
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Sophie Cuene-Grandidier, Jesus
Sian Mawditt, Homerton
Laura Soul, New Hall
Katie Chesover, New Hall
George Marshall, Jesus
Elgon Corner, Pembroke
Angus Davidson, King’s
Will Buttinger, Emmanuel
74 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
We are the university’s Korfball Club. Korfball is a
mixed sport, with 4 boys and 4 girls on the team.
We compete in Varsity and BUSA as well as
entering other tournaments across the country.
We also have two teams competing in the local
Cambridgeshire league. As most people have
never played Korfball before coming to
University, we also teach new players how to play
the game.
Varsity Match
16th February 2008, Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre,
Oxford
Oxford 9 – 10 Cambridge
This year saw the closest match in recent years,
with the match going right down to the wire, and
only one point separating the teams. Until
Cambridge went 10-8 up with about 5 minutes to
go, there had never been more than a point in it
either way, with the lead swinging from team to
team. Going in at half time, the score was 5-5, and
in the second half, despite a couple of crucial
penalty misses, the younger Cambridge team
managed to take the lead, going 10-8 up. Oxford
quickly scored again though, leading to a very
tense finish to the match, which lead to
Cambridge regaining the Varsity Trophy.
Other News
At the BUSA Nationals tournament Cambridge
started well, losing their first game by only 1
point to the favourites and eventual winners,
Sheffield Hallam. After finishing second in the
Group, we faced a rematch against Oxford in the
quarter finals, which unfortunately we lost,
ending up finishing 8th overall.
The first team finished 6th in the local
Cambridgeshire league, a record high for recent
years, with the 2nd team finishing 4th in the
Development league.
Cambridge University
Lacrosse Club
The Lacrosse club is the oldest university lacrosse club in
the country
culacrosse.org
President: Lara Moffat, Magdalene
(president of men's, women's and mixed clubs)
Captain: Chris Jones, Jesus
Secretary: Meng Wang, Selwyn
Senior Treasurer: Revd I M Thompson, Selwyn
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Chris Jones, Jesus
Chris Smith, St John's
Meng Wang, Selwyn
Phil Hall, Trinity
Andrew Muir Wood, Jesus
Kipp Weiskopf, Churchill
Stuart McGregor Dallas, Hughes Hall
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Dave Beckett, Pembroke
Dan Pennington, Wolfson
Jack Gillett, Trinity
Alex Walker, Selwyn
Dave Haines, Queens'
Ian Ralby, St John's
The Lacrosse club is the oldest university lacrosse
club in the country and is also the oldest halfblue sport in Cambridge. Since the inception of
the annual Varsity Match against Oxford
University in 1903, the match has only been
cancelled as a result of the outbreak of the two
World Wars.
The team also compete in the SEMLA East 1
Division and the Southern Intermediate Flags
knock-out competition.
Varsity Match
1st March 2008
University Parks, Oxford
1st team lost 12 – 4
2nd team lost 17 – 0
Coming off a 30-0 routing of the University of
London, the Cambridge Blues went into the 92nd
Varsity Match with cautious hopes. Having faced
off against the Dark Blues twice before in league
matches, Cambridge knew it had an intense
challenge ahead.
On 1 March 2008 at 2pm on the University Parks
in Oxford, the Light Blues started off their match
with a great deal of intensity. Midfielder fresher
Phil Hall scored first, giving Cambridge the early
lead. Unfortunately, that advantage was lost a
few minutes later and never regained. The first
quarter ended with Oxford up 2-1, but the second
quarter proved to be Cambridge’s downfall.
A flurry of unanswered scores left the Light Blues
suffering at the half with an 8-1 deficit.
Cambridge and Oxford tied in the third quarter.
Attackman Kipp Weiskopf scored early in the
quarter and longtime standout midfielder Meng
Wang added Cambridge’s third goal off an assist
from attackman Ian Ralby. The fourth quarter
split much like the first with Oxford outscoring
Cambridge 2-1. The final goal came again from
Kipp Weiskopf.
Perhaps the deciding factor in the match was
Oxford’s near perfect record on face-offs. By
winning possession of the ball on virtually every
restart, the Dark Blues were able to control the
match. While Captain Chris Jones lead an
impressive effort on defense, the Oxford shooters
managed to get 12 goals past embattled
Cambridge goalie Stuart McGregor-Dallas,
playing with a concussion. While the final score
was firmly in Oxford’s favour, the match was hard
fought by both teams.
75
Cambridge University
Women’s Lacrosse Club
The perfect year
There is a squad size of around 40 players with new
members joining the squad as freshers, moving
from mixed lacrosse or deciding to re-start
lacrosse after leaving school. Most players have
played lacrosse at school, to county or territorial
level and there are a number of international
players within the squad. A Varsity Match is held
each year with Oxford and both the Blues and
Kingfishers (2nds) hold the title from 2007.
Varsity Match
The Parks, Oxford
Blues W 8-4, 2nds W 7-0
www.srcf.ucam.org/~culc or
www.societies.cam.ac.uk/lacrosse
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Lara Moffat, Magdelene
President: Lara Moffat, Magdalene
(president of men's, women's and mixed clubs)
Captain: Alex Carnegie-Brown, Jesus
Senior Treasurer: Revd I M Thompson, Selwyn
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Laura Belcher, St Catharine’s
Samantha Mandel-Dallal, New Hall
Katie Eccles, Robinson
Castilla-Jane East, Christ’s
Katie Salter, Emmanuel
Stephanie Newman, Emmanuel
Lorna Moore, Wolfson
Adeline Francis-Drabble, Gonville & Caius
Gemma Else, Girton
Edwina Hayward, Girton
Victoria Foster, Girton
Hannah Whittaker, Clare
Charlotte Yonge, Trinity Hall
Rebecca Hilbert, Newnam
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Alex Carnegie-Brown, Jesus
Rosie Garvey, Churchill
Gen Gotla, Christ’s
Helen Leppard, Girton
Georgina Hurt, Downing
Clare Jefferys, Queens’
Rosalind Llyod, Lucy Cavendish
Lea Michaels, Emmanuel
Ellie Walshe, Robinson
Emily Knight, Trinity Hall
Josie Baum, Pembroke
Jackie Vullinghs, Magdelene
Kate Morland, Jesus
Adele Fauvet, Magdelene
Georgina Rose, Emmanuel
76 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
The women's club was founded in 1912.The first
team currently plays in the BUSA Premier division
(South) and are the current BUSA Lacrosse
Champions.The second team plays in the
Midlands Conference (Women's 1A) division.
The Cambridge Blues travelled to Oxford for this
year's Varsity Match with a strange mixture of
nervousness and confidence. Having defeated
their Dark Blue rivals twice this year already, the
team were keen to continue their run. However,
the Oxford Blues, or the 'Gladiators' as they
colloquially like to be known, were eager to
remove Cambridge from their unbeaten pedestal
and restore some belief to their ranks.This
'nothing to lose' attitude was clear from the
starting whistle as Oxford fought hard for the
ground balls and made fierce drives to the goal.
The opening few minutes were frantic and the
Cambridge defence had to react early to some
Oxford pressure. But the storm turned out to be a
minor squall and Cambridge's superior skill
began to shine through, as goals from Ros Lloyd,
George Hurt and Ellie Walshe put them in a
comfortable lead.
The team spirit of Cambridge broke through the
Dark Blue clouds most strongly in this period,
with some great midfield work by Emily Knight,
Kate Morland, Jackie Vullinghs and Rosie Garvey
providing smooth attacking purpose and support
for the defence. Gen Gotla and Clare Jeffreys
demonstrated the strength in all areas of this
team, stopping the Oxford attacking runs and
closing off dangerous passes. Lea Michaels, Helen
Leppard and Adele Fauvet, all playing in their last
Varsity Match, put every last breath and even
some blood into the team's cause.
Match, one is forcibly reminded that, 'there is no
form going into the Varsity match. What has gone
before doesn't matter.The team that wants it
more wins.' Although these wise words must be
attributed to a Dark Blue, the 2007 Oxford rugby
captain, they have real significance to this
exceptional squad. No result is deserved until the
game is played, and on March 1st, the Cambridge
Blues earned every inch of the Varsity Trophy.
The score stood at 6-1 at half time, but the Blues
knew their job was far from complete. As the
crowd of Oxford supporters grew, Oxford
intensified pressure on the ball, disrupting
Cambridge's attacking plays. Oxford's core of key
players began to raise their game, notably Ollie
Valner, the Oxford MVP.The pressure on the Light
Blues (or mint greens to be totally truthful)
eventually paid off. A series of rapid turnovers
created a panicked midfield, and Cambridge's
transitional play was thwarted by Oxford's
successful double teams.The eruption of support
from the Oxford sideline spurred on the Oxford
attack who successfully brought the scoreline up
to 7-4. However, under the commanding voice of
George Hurt in defence and the direction of
captain, Alex Carnegie-Brown, Cambridge stayed
focused and resilient, and a well placed shot by
Josie Baum decided the final score of 8-4.
Other News
The Blues team had an outstanding season.They
were unbeaten through their 15 matches.The
won the southern premier league and the BUSA
Championships, beating Birmingham 11-7 in the
Final.They finished with season stats of Played 15,
Won 15, Goal difference +154.
It is a scoreline of which this whole team should
be extremely proud. Victory is perhaps only fully
deserved when the opposition throws everything
at you, and by that reckoning, this result was no
foregone conclusion. It was a hard-fought and
hard-earned win. At the end of every Varsity
Ros Lloyd and Ellie Walshe were selected to
represent Wales at the home internationals, and
for the European Championships and Prague Cup
this coming summer.
Lara Moffat was selected to represent Scotland
at the home internationals and for the
European Championships and Prague Cup this
coming summer.
Georgie Hurt was selected to represent England
at the home internationals and the Prague Cup
this coming summer. She has also made the first
selection cut for the World Championships 2009.
Georgie Hurt, Ellie Walshe and Ros Lloyd
represented the East of England at the territorial
tournament, while Alex Carnegie-Brown
represented the South.
77
Cambridge University
Lawn Tennis Club
Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club is one of the
most ancient lawn tennis clubs in the world
http://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/lawntennis/Team
-Info.htm
Captain: Jonathan Tassell, Girton (men),
Victoria Mackay, Newnham (women)
Secretary: John Western, Selwyn (men),
Beth Ashbridge, Clare (women)
Senior Treasurer: James Berry
Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club is one of
the most ancient lawn tennis clubs in the world.
It was founded in 1881, seven years before the
Lawn Tennis Association of Great Britain was
founded. Although it is called a 'club' it is actually
the lawn tennis association of the whole of the
University of Cambridge, representing the
University as a whole, the thirty-one Colleges,
and the other institutions which are part of
the University.
This year, the Club boasted three men’s and two
women’s teams, both with more depth and
strength than previous years. Jonathan Tassell
and Victoria Mackay captained the sides for
2007/08, John Western and Beth Ashbridge
respective secretaries for the men and women.
Varsity Match
1. Jonny Tassell (Captain)
2. Robert Blythe
3. John Western (Secretary)
4. Ben Cole
5.Tim Murray
6. R-J Lange
7. Kirill Zavodov
1.Tassell and Zavodov
2. Western and Cole
3. Blythe and Murray
The Light Blues entered the 2008 Varsity Match
with high hopes on the back of wins in 2006 and
2007 by the narrowest of margins.
78 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Promotion to the BUSA Premier League
enhanced confidence and belief in a very mixed
team of freshers, finalists and graduates. Being a
‘Prentice Cup’ year, tensions ran high to perform
and ensure selection for the four-yearly trip of a
lifetime to the USA to play Harvard and Yale in
Seabright, New Jersey. Only three Cambridge and
three Oxford men would travel on this allexpenses-paid, six week tour.
Retaining the services of John Western (Selwyn),
Ben Cole (Robinson), Tim Murray (Pembroke),
R-J Lange (King’s), Jonny Tassell (Girton) and Kirill
Zavodov (St Edmund’s), Cambridge welcomed
the arrival of Robert Blythe (Emmanuel) and Nick
Jenkins (St John’s) into the squad. Nick Brown,
former top 100 doubles player and current Polish
Davis Cup Coach, put the players through their
paces throughout the off-season, building
effective doubles teams and improving the
team’s sharpness.
And so the stage was set for another high-class
Varsity Match at the National Tennis Centre in
Roehampton.The NTC had proved a welcome
change of venue this year, allowing the players to
stay in on-site accommodation and have use of
world-class facilities. A big thanks goes to the
Lawn Tennis Association for this privilege. Oxford
were rumoured to be very strong, adding depth
to their squad and relying on the strong singles
play of Middlesex County star Marc Baghdadi at
number 1 and two talented Scottish brothers, Tim
and Greg Weir.
Cambridge came out strong and determined on
Day 1. With numbers 1, 3 and 5 opening
proceedings, Tassell made light work of the
Oxford number 2 in straight sets. Western
became locked in a fierce slugging match against
the Dark Blue’s number 4, whilst Murray looked to
be struggling against his Oxford counterpart on
court 3. Western’s perseverance paid off as Greg
Weir started to cramp in the third set of their
encounter, running into three hours on court.
Murray meanwhile could not find his form, going
down to the Oxford captain on the two-hour
mark. Blythe, Cole and Lange then took to the
courts, Cambridge leading 2-1. Blythe looked out
of sorts against Baghdadi and fell to a straight
sets defeat. Cole and Lange had other ideas,
engaging their opponents in two titanic battles.
Lange, long known for his animalistic fighting
qualities, came back from a second set deficit in a
charge to victory, whilst Cole outlasted the
Oxford number 3 winning comfortably in the
third set.
With a 4-2 lead, the Light Blues were confident
going into the doubles, knowing that last year
had seen Cambridge win all but one doubles
rubber over the two days of competition.Tassell
and Zavodov met a canny Oxford second pair but
served impeccably to thwart their opponent’s
solid return games. Zavodov, who has been
regularly serving over 125mph in competitive
matches, aptly closed out the match with a huge
ace to give his team a 5-2 lead.Things looked
good on the adjoining courts, where Cole and
Western found their form against a weak Oxford
third pair.This victory was followed up by a hard
fought three set win for Blythe and Murray, who
had little practice before Varsity, Murray
sustaining a wrist injury in October last year.The
pair worked well though, Murray rock-solid at the
net and Blythe serving and returning well.
The team wishes to thank Next Generation, the
LTA, Nick Brown, the CULTC Committee for their
support and all those who continue to give to
Cambridge tennis. Long may it continue.
7-2 to the good, many teams would start to relax
but the mentality of the Cambridge team this
year has been to keep working hard in every
situation.Their superior fitness and mental
toughness began to shine through in the last
round of matches, late into the evening. Cole and
Western played arguably the best doubles of the
competition in defeating Baghdadi and Tim Weir
in quick time. Blythe and Murray carried on where
they left off previously against Greg Weir and
Wrisdale, securing a ninth rubber for the Light
Blues.Tassell and Zavodov could not find their
best tennis in the fading light, losing in a tight
three-set thriller but credit to the Oxford third
pair in showing character to secure the Dark
Blue’s third victory of the day.
Jonathan Tassell, Captain 07/08
Cambridge had been 9-3 up in 2007 after day 1,
only to lose four straight singles matches the next
morning. In a late-night team meeting, the boys
decided to come out fresh and strong on Day 2,
hoping to extinguish any hope of an early Oxford
comeback. And that they did.The 2008 Varsity
Match was sealed mid-morning, as Cole, Lange
and Blythe eased to consecutive victories putting
the fixture beyond doubt, ensuring the Doherty
Cup returned to Cambridge for a third successive
year.The final score stood at 15-6, a convincing
win for the Cambridge men, who had worked
hard all year for this success.
Other News
Prentice and Seabright Cups
Six Oxbridge blues travelled to America this
summer, and earned a 16-5 triumph over the
team from Yale and Harvard in The Prentice Cup.
Led by Girtonian Jonny Tassell, they dominated
proceedings from start to finish at the
Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club on
the New Jersey coast.
Held every two years, and alternating between
Seabright and the All England Club at
Wimbledon, The Prentice Cup is the oldest
amateur tennis competition in the world,
founded in 1921.The competition has evolved
but now consists of three days of tennis, with
three players from each of the four universities. In
the run-up to the competition, the team travel
extensively along the east and west coasts of the
USA, to locations such as Long Island, Boston,
Nantucket, San Francisco, Louisville, New York City
and Washington D.C.This year’s highlights
included VIP tickets to a Red Sox baseball game,
Grand Prix racing at Mount Kisco, a chauffeurdriven 20-seater Hummer Limousine ride around
San Francisco by night and President’s Box tickets
to the US Open tennis championships.This was
literally the trip of a lifetime.
79
The men’s tour to the USA was not the only
such visit by a combined Oxford and Cambridge
team.Their female counterparts also crossed
the pond to play in the women’s tournament,
The Seabright Cup.
Two girls from Cambridge, Jesuan Victoria Watson
and team Captain Beth Asbridge of Clare College
joined their two Oxfordian counter-parts to play
the Americans.They were however outclassed by
the students from Yale and Harvard.
The Seabright Cup is in its infancy, with this being
only the third time that the tournament has been
played.The women’s team will be looking for
their revenge when the Americans visit these
shores in 2010, and are hopeful of victory.
Cambridge player Victoria Watson has only just
finished her first year and should be a strong
prospect for the rematch in two years time.
The male Oxbridge players got the best start
possible on the opening day of their competition,
with all three British doubles pairings chalking up
victories over their American rivals.The Oxbridge
third pair, of Greg Weir and Rob Blythe, achieved a
particularly impressive victory over their favoured
American opponents.
The run of good form was continued into the
singles matches on day two.The three Oxford
blues, Marc Baghdadi (Pembroke), Timothy Weir
(St Catharine’s) and Greg Weir (Keble), managed
an important two out of three wins in the
morning, a feat that was soon matched by the
three Cambridge players, Jonny Tassell, Rob
Blythe (Emmanuel) and John Western (Selwyn).
80 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Doubles followed, with the Brits 7-2 up and
looking to stamp their authority to put the tie out
of the Americans’ reach. An inspired Baghdadi
and Timothy Weir closed out an emphatic
straight sets win, whilst Western and Greg Weir
kept their solid, error-free games going to force
another win for Oxbridge.Tassell and Blythe,
having lost the first set, worked their way back
into the tie to level at a set all, Blythe with some
big serving on critical break points and Tassell
with razor-sharp returns to the feet of the closing
net players.
Tassell took to court 1 against an experienced
Yale number one. Despite a bad fall in the second
set, the Oxbridge captain closed out a 7-6, 6-2 win
to see the Prentice Cup return to British soil.
Despite defeat, the Americans continued to play
with professionalism, losing 16-5 overall.
The victory was the first for the British team in
6 years, and only the fourth since 1974. It can also
serve as an excellent rejoinder, at least in the
minds of Cambridge and Oxford students, to
defeat in that other biennial inter-collegiate
trophy, the Ryder cup.
With over 200 spectators now making a lot of
noise, the drama continued seeing the Oxbridge
pair break their opponents serve, Blythe looking
to close out victory on his serve. Saving more
break points, Blythe came up with a remarkable
pick-up half-volley, whilst Tassell’s fast-hands saw
a last minute reaction-lob land on the baseline to
give the visitors match point. Another huge serve
out wide on the ad court was enough to seal
victory and put Oxbridge 10-2 ahead, much to
the delight of supporting friends and family from
the sidelines.
The Women’s Tennis Varsity Match 2008
By Victoria Watson
If the tension of the Men’s Wimbledon Final
between Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal was
enough to distract you somewhat from your
strawberries and cream, it is likely that the
32nd Women’s Tennis Varsity Match would have
caused you to abandon them altogether in
favour of devoting your full attention to the
unfolding drama.
Needing one final rubber for a famous awayfrom-home win, Oxbridge wasted little time the
next morning. John Western suffered his second
singles defeat at the hands of an experienced
Harvard opponent, whilst Blythe was again
locked in a fierce three-setter against his Yale
counterpart. For a while it seemed as though the
British players might bottle it, but those fears
were soon dispelled.
History is a word most commonly used in
connection with the long-standing Men’s Varsity
Match, the 117th of which has just been played,
but this year it was the ladies who made history.
Oxford claimed victory by eleven matches to ten
in the closest score-line ever recorded in the new
format of the competition and, whilst losing by
such a tight margin was disappointing for
Cambridge, there was a sense in which both
teams appreciated that they had been involved in
an epic fixture and there were no real losers.
The scores remained level throughout the twoday contest and, after two rounds of singles and
doubles respectively, the teams were tied on nine
matches each with all to be decided in the final
round of three doubles matches. In this final
round, each of the three Cambridge doubles pairs
played their opposite numbered pair on the
Oxford team and, pepped up by a rousing teamtalk by Captain Victoria Mackay, Cambridge were
determined to take it to their arch rivals. Despite
the aid of vocal local support, the Cambridge
second and third pairs were both narrowly
defeated, with victory from the first pair of Alice
Barnes and Victoria Watson to maintain their
unbeaten record serving as mere consolation.
The Cambridge team looks set to retain
predominantly the same personnel next year and,
with added experience, and memory of the
disappointment of being so closely denied a
substantially larger bottle of champagne, they
will hopefully be physically and mentally
prepared to turn the tables next year.
Team: Alice Barnes (Lucy Cavendish), Victoria
Watson (Jesus), Beth Ashbridge (Clare)
[Secretary], Marsali Grant (Trinity Hall), Cilia Roell
(Jesus), Claire Bush (St John’s), Victoria Mackay
(Newnham) [Captain].
The player of the Varsity match was undoubtedly
ex Stanford-star, and Cambridge Number One,
Alice Barnes who won all five matches in
convincing fashion and inspired the team with
her professionalism and expert advice. Other
notable performances came on Day One in the
form of Dutch graduate Cilia Roell’s fist-punching
singles victory and Marsali Grant’s marking her
third blue by annihilating Oxford’s Number three,
and on Day Two in the form of Cambridge
Number two Victoria Watson defeating her
opposite number and PhD student Beth
Ashbridge winning a crucial three-set marathon
which saw her embraced in an impromptu teamhug on the luscious Fenner’s grass courts.
81
Cambridge University
Lightweight Rowing Club
Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club aims to
produce a crew of eight oarsmen and a coxswain to beat a
crew from Oxford
www.culrc.org
President: George Blessley, Downing
Secretary: Mark Jacobs, Peterhouse
Senior Treasurer: Dr Bill Nolan, Robinson
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Edward Randolph, Peterhouse
Christopher Kerr, St Catharine’s
Mark Aldred, Downing
George Blessley, Downing
Alex Markham, Fitzwilliam
Peter Herrick, Fitzwilliam
Ben Thomas, Emmanuel
James Fulcher, Clare
John Kyffin, Magdalene
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Wojciech Szlachta, Girton
Joshua Wedlake, Magdalene
Donald Evans, Fitzwilliam
Alistair Chappelle, Pembroke
82 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club
aims to produce a crew of eight oarsmen and a
coxswain to beat a crew from Oxford University
Lightweight Rowing Club in the Henley Boat
Races, held annually in March or April.
Lightweight rowing is an Olympic sport and
allows people of average build to compete at an
elite level.The training is intense but rewarding,
and in recent years several CULRC squad
members have gone on to represent their
country at the World Rowing Championships. If
you want to go beyond college-level rowing but
are too small for CUBC, CULRC is the club for you.
Varsity Match
23/3/08 Henley on Thames
Loss by 2 1/2 lengths
The 2008 Lightweight Boat Race began in
atrocious conditions, with sleet, snow, high winds
and white horses on the Henley stretch. At the
start both crews got off reasonably quickly, and
500m down the track we emerged from the
melee of spray and noise ahead, our more punchy
style slightly more effective than Oxford’s more
continental rhythm in the poor conditions, giving
us a lead of 2/3 of a length. Coming past
Remenham Club however the conditions began
to improve, particularly on Oxford’s more
sheltered Buckinghamshire station, and they
began to find their rhythm and close down
Cambridge, now struggling to find a race rhythm
in the waves. By Fawley the crews were level, by
Remenham Farm Oxford had taken a slight lead
and by the island Oxford had managed to open
up a comfortable and unassailable lead, which
they maintained to the line.
This was a disappointing end to an otherwise
great season for the CULRC – up until the boat
race we had won at every event where we
entered an VIII. Some highlights of the season
had included third placing in a coxed four
category at the Fours Head of the River – a large
national event; as well as a very successful
January training camp in Seville which saw our
crews sharing a good stretch of water with the GB
lwt and women’s squads.
Looking forward to next year, we have multiple
returning triallists, as well as an established
coaching setup, giving us the best chance in
recent years of turning around a run of losses at
the Henley Boat Races.
Other News
CULRC Dev squad, Kingston Amateur Regatta,
won Novice VIII and IV events
Cambridge Autumn Head – win in IV and VIII events
Cambridge Winter Head – win in VIII event
Fairbairn Cup Race – 3rd and 5th overall
Bedford Head – S3 winners, top 5 ranking
Cambridge University
Modern Pentathlon Club
The club has been in existence for the last 50 years and is not
only competitive and successful but very sociable and friendly
http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/cumpc/
President: Emma Kenney-Herbert, Emmanuel
Captain: Lucy Greenwood, New Hall and Noel
Cochrane, St Catharine’s
Secretary: Helen Randell, Pembroke
Senior Treasurer: Professor D M Broom,
St Catharine’s
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Nicky Brooks, St Catharine's
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Noel Cochrane, St Catharine's
Nick England, St Catharine's
Daniel Housley, Pembroke
Daniel James, St Edmund’s
Edward Moffett, Churchill
James Pelly, Trinity
Lucy Greenwood, New Hall
Emma Kenney-Herbert, Emmanuel
Sabrina Verjee, St Edmund’s
Cat Wilson, Girton
The club has been in existence for the last 50
years and is not only competitive and successful
but very sociable and friendly. The sport consists
of running, swimming, shooting, fencing and
horse riding.
We have a variety of members who come from a
background of pentathlon to those who have
never done any of it before, making it an exciting
and diverse club where there is a lot of emphasis
on having fun as well as teaching and learning
from each other.
The Varsity Match at Easter is the highlight of the
year but there are also many other competitions
held by us and throughout the country where
everyone is welcome to compete whatever their
level of experience.
Varsity Match
3-5th April 2008, Tonbridge School, Kent
Ladies’ team won, Gentlemens’ team lost
The 51st Modern Pentathlon Varsity Match began
in unusual style this year at St Pauls School,
London. The five events were run over three days
and with the competition kindly organised by
Oxford Old Blues this year and generously
sponsored by Accenture. The first event was the
200 metre swim. Cambridge performed
outstandingly in this event, starting as they
meant to continue with the majority of our
athletes achieving impressive PB’s. The Ladies
team took the lead with the Gentlemen’s team
put up a strong performance but unfortunately
were up against a hugely talented Oxford team
including a British Pentathlete Richard HilldickSmith, who set a new Gentlemen’s Varsity
swimming record.
The competition moved to Tonbridge School,
Kent where all the competitors were
accommodated and fed. Friday morning brought
an opportunity for the Cambridge Gentlemen to
dominate in the shooting phase with an
exceptional PB by Nick England with a score of
185/200 to win him the best shoot and put the
team back into the running. The Ladies team did
well in the phase extending their lead over their
Oxford counterparts. The next event was the
fence, the one event where it is possible to take
points away from the opposing side putting a
huge amount of pressure on each member of the
team. With an incredible number of fencing
coaches present, the Cambridge team were in
good hands with some very skilful hits being
made. Both teams did well only just letting the
Oxford teams beat them in this event.
83
Duckhurst Farm hosted the riding phase (show
jumping) on Saturday morning. After the
demonstration of horses and course walk, the first
riders were up.To make it fair, a random horse is
chosen which is ridden by a member of each
opposing team. This is usually a strong phase for
the Cambridge athletes but with unpredictable
horses anything can happen. Both teams rode
well, mostly managing to perform better than
their Oxford opposites on their respective horses.
Emma Kenney-Herbert, club president, rode a
stunning round to complete the course clear, one
second inside the time earning her maximum
points and the trophy for the best ride.
The final event held back at Tonbridge was the
3000m run. The Cambridge ladies had a
substantial margin going into this phase while
the Gentlemen had their work cut out if they
were going to overcome the Oxford team.
A storming run was achieved by all and although
the Oxford Ladies put up a good fight the
Cambridge Ladies team were victorious. The
Gentlemen all performed admirably but
unfortunately could not do enough to take the
title from the strong Oxford Gentlemen’s team.
All of the Cambridge Gentlemen were awarded
Half Blues for good solid performances and a
special mention should go to Nick England who
achieved his Half Blue after several years of trying.
A stunning performance across the board led
Nicky Brooks to a well deserved Full Blue (4600
pentathlon points) after several year of coming
very close to it. She not only won the individual
title but also the skills trophy for the best in the
shoot, ride and fence.
84 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge’s reserve teams not only performed
exceptionally well but were exceedingly helpful
in every event holding the whole of the
Cambridge squad together. Both the Ladies and
the Gentlemen’s reserve teams won proving the
strength and depth of the Cambridge side and
bringing out some exciting talent for the future.
The whole squad upheld a strong team spirit and
everyone helped each other through every step
of the way to a successful year for the club.
Other News
Overall the 07-08 season was successful for the
Modern Pentathlon Club. We had a good intake
of new recruits who performed well at Novice
Varsity held half way through Michaelmas Term in
Cambridge. Unfortunately we did not have an
individual Cambridge winner but overall the
Cambridge side beat that from Oxford. Sealions
competition held at Whitgift school was attended
by some of the more experienced pentathletes
but was unfortunately plagued by injury
although Edd Moffett won the trophy for the best
ride and Nick England won his section. Old Blues
was very competitive and won by Nicky Brooks
and Dab James. BUSA went very well; Lucy
Greenwood almost managed to get the BUSA
record for the shooting phase and Sabrina Verjee
came 8th and managed to score over 4600
points, a Full Blue score if achieved at varsity.
The gentlemen did well but were up against
strong competition.
Cambridge University
Netball Club
Cambridge University Ladies Netball Club is one of the most
important women’s sports clubs in Cambridge
www.culnc.org
President: Kerry Bloxham, New Hall
Captain: Sarah Warren, Homerton
Secretary: Harriet McGrath, Jesus
Senior Treasurer: Jo Nicholson, Newnham
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Sarah Warren , Homerton
Harriet McGrath, Jesus
Sophie Hebblethwaite Sharpe, St Catharine’s
Emma Rowley, Pembroke
Heather Emmerson, St Catharine’s
Jo Nicholson, Newnham
Rachel Rose Smith, Magdalene
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Kerry Bloxham, New Hall
Rebecca Crawshaw, Jesus
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Ania Dean, St Catharine’s
Joanna Keppe, Girton
Amy Till, Emmanuel
Claire Brunner, Jesus
Rachel McGinnety, Queens’
Anya Saso, King’s
Kate Womersley, Gonville & Caius
Laura Mullarkey, Robinson
Sarina Williams, Downing
Victoria Smith, Newnham
Steph Jones, Jesus
Elizabeth Bill, Robinson
Ashley Wilson, Robinson
Cambridge University Ladies Netball Club is one
of the most important women’s sports clubs in
Cambridge with a good reputation for fielding
teams of a high standard.The club provides top
class coaching to its members who play in the
BUSA league every Wednesday.
Varsity Match
Sunday 17th February 2008: Iffley Road Sports
Centre, Oxford
Oxford 30 – Cambridge 25
Despite energetic and clearly well-rehearsed
warm-ups, both sides appeared nervous; Oxford
missed their first three shots, whilst Cambridge
appeared slightly off the pace in the middle of
the court, their slow movement allowing Oxford
interceptions and preventing them from getting
shots on goal. Cambridge’s first goal eventually
came after Oxford domination had already put
them two ahead. Oxford’s ability to pressurise
Cambridge on the ball gave them the wealth of
possession, and consequently more chances for
their shooters to put away, despite the efforts of
Warren and Rowley in defence.The Blues trailed
by five at the first break.
The second quarter continued to see Oxford
control the midfield, the Wing Attack particularly
proving as much a menace as Japanese tourists
are for cyclists on Trinity Street. But Rowley and
Warren were now really coming to the fore, a
good interception by Warren leading to a goal for
Nicholson. But Cambridge’s inability to keep
possession was hurting them more and more,
particularly as they began to miss the few chances
that came their way. Oxford’s ascendancy soon
began to show on the scoreboard as Cambridge
were left trailing 17-8 at the halfway point.
Cambridge really needed to up their game and
confidence, which seemed to be wilting in the
face of Oxford supremacy.To this end Bloxham,
Darke and Crawshaw, recently returned from
injury, subbed on.Two goals in the opening
minute from Crawshaw seemed to have the
85
desired effect and Cambridge were suddenly
much more competitive in midfield.The
Cambridge support even seemed to notice the
difference, their cheering drowning out any
Oxford retaliation. Oxford seemed to become
more sloppy, often giving away the ball easily in
the last third, although considerable credit again
has to go to the Cambridge defence, Rowley in
particular throwing herself about with little
regard for life or limb.The momentum was now
with Cambridge, and they took the quarter 10-7,
largely thanks to Crawshaw’s shooting, but also a
step up in the team’s energy generally.
All lay on the potentially tight last quarter, with
Cambridge still six points behind, but beginning
to look the stronger team. Much depended on
their ability to keep the momentum they had
developed in the face of certain Oxford defiance.
A great interception from McGrath from the
restart, which led to Crawshaw slotting home
from the top of the D seemed to promise this.
Both crowds sensed the tension, sending noise
resonating around the hall as Oxford clawed one
back.The Oxford midfield, so superior until the
third quarter, upped its game again, and
possession interchanged frantically, with
interceptions and dropped balls from both teams
as they tired. However, three Oxford goals on the
trot effectively put the match beyond the range
of Cambridge’s final surge, which nonetheless did
see them win the final quarter 7-6.The second
half demonstrated just how closely matched the
two teams were, and Cambridge may be
disappointed that they allowed Oxford to set the
tempo of the early part of the match so easily,
notwithstanding the committed performances
from captain Warren and Cambridge’s player of
the match, Rowley, in defence.
www.sophiepickford.com
86 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Other News
The 2007 – 2008 season saw CULNC continue
its role as a key club for women’s sport in
Cambridge whilst growing and developing with
the help of two new professional coaches and a
new training schedule.
The club entered two teams in the BUSA
tournament, both of which faced tough
competition in their respective divisions.The
1st team had some very exciting and tense
matches, in particular against Birmingham 2nds,
when they managed to turn over Birmingham’s
7 goal lead in the last five minutes of the match
to win 35 – 33.The seconds have gone from
strength to strength throughout the season
benefiting from increased time spent together on
court and the contribution of some outstanding
individual performances.
The club had 25 members this year all of whom
demonstrated exceptional standards of
commitment, enthusiasm and skill throughout
the season.The club was lucky to gain weekly
coaching from ex- England Captain Jo Moxham
who contributed a great deal to raising the
overall standard of individuals and training the
team with new tactics.
The success of this year’s club would not have
been possible without the dedication of the
committee who have done a fantastic job in
organising the running of the club, the
enthusiasm of our coaches Jo, Mel and Patrick
and of course the commitment of the girls that
took part.
Sponsor
KPMG
Cambridge University
Orienteering Club
Varsity Match
Upsaala, Sweden 28th March 2008
Men's team: Oxford
Women's team: Oxford
Orienteering is a sport that combines map reading and route
choice with running in some beautiful places
http://www.cuoc.org.uk/
President: Anya Crocker, Jesus
Captain: Women's: Anya Crocker, Jesus
Men's: Chris Williamson, Churchill
Secretary: Clare Sutherland, Clare
Senior Treasurer: Mike Blade, King’s
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Ben Stevens, Trinity Hall
Chris Williamson, Churchill
Graeme Ambler, Wolfson
Adam Bennet, St John’s
Victoria Stevens, Jesus
Anya Crocker, Jesus
Clare Sutherland, Clare
Orienteering is a sport that combines map
reading and route choice with running in some
beautiful places. Membership of CUOC is open
to the whole University, we travel to around 4
public events a term, sometimes going away
for the whole weekend. Our members range
from complete beginners to British and
International athletes with most people
somewhere in between.
One of the highlights of the year is the training
camp in early December. We use some excellent
areas in the Lake District for technique training –
it’s a must for everyone keen to develop their
orienteering outside of East Anglia.
We also organise our own events, the Cambridge
SprintO for University clubs, and Cuppers, an
intercollegiate competition in Cambridge.
The Varsity match with Oxford is held in Lent
term each year, there are teams for eveyone who
wants to come along.
87
Cambridge University
Polo Club
Cambridge University Polo Club (CUPC) is a rapidly growing
club with over 40 student members
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cupolo/
President: HRH Prince of Wales, Trinity
Captain: Liam Gamble, Robinson
Secretary: Sam Outtridge, Churchill
Senior Treasurer: Dr Mark Johnson, Selwyn
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Liam Gamble, Robinson
Maximilian Kirchhoff, Downing
Harriet Pepper, Magdalene
Tobi Edun, Corpus Christi
The club is fortunate enough to own six
Argentine polo ponies, located within cycling
distance of the town centre. We organise lessons
and chukkas on most days for all standards of
Player, combining a mix of Arena Polo during the
Winter months with outdoor Polo and a
professional coach during the Summer.
The Club teams also compete against local and
other University Polo Clubs, including the Varsity
Match against Oxford, and the Atlantic Cup
against the Ivy League Universities.
Needless to say we don’t just play Polo but also
organise regular social events throughout the year.
88 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Varsity Match
A Team: Guards Polo Club, Windsor, Saturday
7th June
B Team: Haggis Farm Polo Club, Cambridge,
Sunday 8th June
A Team: 0 Cambridge – 4 Oxford
B Team 16 Cambridge – 0 Oxford
A team – In front of a 10,000 strong crowd at the
prestigious Guards polo club, the CUPC 1st four
took to the field, against an Oxford side that on
paper were much stronger. A very strong
performance from Cambridge, kept the score at
0-0 after the first chukka, with tough marking
frustrating the Oxford team. Unfortunately,
despite continued pressure, Oxford broke
through in the second and scored right before
the bell.
Both teams knew the third was to be a decisive
chukka. Cambridge attacked early with
numerous breaks from Max Kirchhoff, clever
tactical play from Tobi Edun and Harriet Pepper
and strong support from Liam Gamble. However,
the ball repeatedly sailed wide, and a Cambridge
goal was to remain elusive. Oxford, on the other
hand, despite having fewer chances, managed to
snatch two more goals in quick succession, and
Cambridge knew they had to find something
special. The team put everything into the final
7 minutes, and managed excellently to close
down an aggressive and experienced Oxford side.
The game ended with the score at 0-4. However,
Cambridge held their heads high, knowing they
had surprised a highly skilled Oxford team.
Special mention goes to Tobi Edun who received
the Most Valuable Player trophy.
B team – The B team match was once again
played at CUPCs home club, just outside the city
centre. For yet another year, the Cambridge team
dominated throughout the match. CUPCs
superior infrastructure, and training scheme
meant an excellently prepared team, made up
entirely of players trained exclusively by
Cambridge, took to the field, and established a
9-0 lead after 2 chukkas. From here the team
relaxed and excellent runs from James Colgate
and Emily Lunn, continued the deluge of goals,
whilst superb marking from Sam Outtridge and
Becca Martin continually denied a frustrated
Oxford team from scoring. The game ended with
Cambridge celebrating a 16-0 win.
Polo is a fast paced, exhilarating, and highly
entertaining sport, don’t forget to come and
watch next year! Visit www.varsitypolo.co.uk for
more info.
Sponsors
Jack Wills
La Martina
www.sophiepickford.com
89
Cambridge University
Powerlifting Club
Cambridge University Powerlifting Club exists to facilitate
strength training within the University
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cuplc/index.php
President: Andrew Lee, Jesus
Captain: Andrew Lee, Jesus
Secretary: Adam Scrivner, Department of Earth
Science & Gavin Jones
Senior Treasurer: Dave Chapman, Trinity
Cambridge University Powerlifting Club (CUPLC)
exists to facilitate strength training within the
University and particularly to supply a
powerlifting team to compete in the annual
Varsity powerlifting match. As well as dedicated
powerlifters, our membership includes sporting
people from various other disciplines (athletics,
martial arts, sailing, rugby, rowing), as well as a
number of people who train simply as part of a
healthy lifestyle, without sporting ambitions.
90 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Varsity Match
15th of June 2008, Powerlifting Room Fenners
Cambridge 1103 beat Oxford 1060
The top lifter was Luke Pike from Oxford, with a
massive final deadlift of 282.5kg, edging just one
point ahead of Dave Chapman from Cambridge.
Dave put in good lifts in all three events, fighting
back from an early squat wobble and making a
bench of 155kg look like a warm-up.Third ranked
Cambridge man Ethan Eade wowed the Oxford
onlookers with his exceptional bench press – he
took 165kg (at bdw 78kg) and just missed 170kg.
The Committee is looking into ways to persuade
him to squat and deadlift more often. Fourth was
Daniele Selmi of Oxford, with an especially
impressive deadlift of 250kg at bdw 78.5kg. Fifth
was the Cambridge captain Andrew Lee, with a
devastating squat of 205kg and a serious pull of
235kg. Matt Llewellyn Jones of Oxford was sixth,
and looked solid in all the lifts, only failing his
opening squat due to some over-enthusiastic
spotting from a generally excellent crew of
spotters and loaders. Cambridge's Tom James
also put in a sound all-round performance,
including a notable deadlift of 210kg. Oxford's
Evren Cubukgil put in some gutsy lifts to
complete the Oxford team.
There were also three non-scoring lifters from
Oxford. Chris Adler would have ranked 6th overall,
with a particularly respectable bench of 125kg at
72kg bdw. Alex Forte was notable in the squat,
and coming in just behind Chris Adler. Dan Adler
had suffered a groin injury and therefore his
squat and deadlift were nominal, but his bench of
135kg at 72kg bdw was an impressive outcome.
Other News
Eathan Eade won the National Unequipped
Bench Press Championships, setting a new
national record in the 82.5kg class, with a
massive lift of 165kg
Steve Martin came 2nd in the 110kg class of
the National 3-lift Championships, while
Andrew Lee came 4th in the 82.5kg class.
Cambridge University
Real Tennis Club
Real tennis is the original racquet sport; it is a fast-paced game
that requires strength and speed but also finesse
www.curtc.net
Captain: Jamie Douglas, St John’s
Julia Clarke, St John’s
Senior Treasurer: Dr Jeremy Fairbrother, Trinity
Blues Awarded 2007-08
David Woodman, Trinity
Jamie Douglas, St John’s
Karen Hird, St Catharine’s
Sarah Vigrass, Gonville & Caius
Clare Watson, Corpus Christi
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Burak Salgin, Gonville & Caius
Edward Pearson, Robinson
Marsali Grant, Trinity Hall
Real tennis is the original racquet sport; it is a
fast-paced game that requires strength and
speed but also finesse. Cambridge University is
one of only three clubs in the country to have
two Real Tennis courts. The club has a large
student community and new members and
players are always welcome.
Varsity Match
22-23 February 2008, MCC
Men won 5-1, Women won 6-0
The Men’s and Women’s Varsity matches were
again hosted at the prestigious MCC where the
players and guests from both universities were
entertained by some superb tennis with the
generous support of Pol Roger, the renowned
producer of excellent champagne.
On the Friday the Women’s Blues took to the
court for their singles matches. Marsali Grant
played a very controlled match, intercepting the
ball early throughout; she won against Emily
Johnson 6-0, 6-2. In the next match it would have
been understandable for there to have been
some confusion in the crowd as the players had
represented opposing universities in the previous
year. Clare Watson, now studying a PGCE at
Corpus Christi, was much too strong for Charlotte
Barker, now doing her clinical years at Oxford –
Watson winning 6-1, 6-0. At this point Oxford was
still in the match but was unable to win a further
game in the remaining four matches of the event.
Although the Oxford women gave it their all they
were up against players ranked in the top ten in
the world. Sarah Vigrass defeated Victoria
Ormerod and Karen Hird defeated Emma
Ormerod. On the Saturday, Karen partnered
Marsali to defeat Victoria and Charlotte and Sarah
partnered Clare to defeat Emma and Emily.
Cambridge won 6-0.
The reverse of the format used by the women
was employed for the men. Jamie Douglas and
Burak Salgin started slowly in the second-string
doubles but were able to withstand the Oxford
pair, winning 6-5, 6-1, 6-0. In the first-string
doubles, the Varsity veteran David Woodman was
supported by the promising Edward Pearson.
Their opponents tested the Cambridge pair and
won the second set by a convincing margin to
indicate to the crowd that there was more to
come. Cambridge countered, winning the third
set 6-0 and were just able to fight off Oxford’s
final attack to win 6-4, 2-6, 6-0, 6-5. On the
Saturday, Ed Pearson was the underdog against
the more experienced Sam Halliday. Ed knew he
needed to start well, and he did, but at 4-2 up he
was unable to withstand his opponent’s more
penetrating shots. At 5-5 Halliday took command
of the match, only dropping one further game to
win 6-5, 6-1.
The Oxford no.3 was of a similar standard to their
nos. 4 and 2, so Burak Salgin was expected to win.
Although his opponent, Horatio Cary, showed
excellent racket control, the formidable
91
Cambridge player was always a step ahead,
winning 6-3, 6-3.The Cambridge Captain, known
for his ruthlessness, was next. Jamie Douglas, still
on a high from his recent Premier League match
when he defeated Mark Hobbs, a scratch player,
was matched with another Oxford fresher, Tom
Dance.Tom was athletic and focused but Jamie
gave away nothing, literally, as the score was 6-0,
6-0. Cambridge had now reached an unassailable
lead and as the proceedings were ahead of
schedule there was an opportunity for the
reserves to play an exhibition mixed doubles.This
was also an excellent opportunity for Ali Hakimi
and Julia Clarke (Ladies’ Captain) to accumulate
some valuable Varsity experience; it is hoped that
they might both play in the first team in the
future. After a slow start the Cambridge pair
found their form, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. A huge
crowd was in attendance for the premier match
between David Woodman (+3 ) and the Oxford
no.1 Will Fortune. Although Fortune is considered
a future star he was unable to cope with
Woodman’s mastery. Woodman won 6-2, 6-2.
An excellent dinner in the Long Room was
preceded by a Champagne Reception in the
Museum.The players and the guests of the MCC
were treated to an excellent evening of fine food,
wine and good company.
92 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Other News
David Woodman
Amateur Singles Winner 2008
David Woodman & Jamie Douglas
Amateur Doubles Winner 2008
Winning members of UK Bathurst Cup (top
amateur men’s) team
Jamie Douglas
Winning member of National League Premier
Division team
Karen Hird
British Open Singles Semi-Finalist 2008
Billy Ross Skinner National Mixed Doubles Winner
2008
Sarah Vigrass
British Open Singles Quarter-Finalist 2008
Cambridge University
Revolver & Pistol Club
CURPC is a club that enables members to shoot pistols and
gallery rifles regularly
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/curpc/
President: James Mallows
Captain: Cheng Liu, Gonville & Caius
Secretary: Xiao Han, St John’s
Senior Treasurer: John Williams, Hughes Hall
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Cheng Liu, Gonville & Caius
Juan Tian, Newnham
Christopher Bamford, Queens’
Xueni Zhu, Darwin
Daniel Kumbang, Queens’
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Imran Yusuff, Corpus Christi
Wenjun Qu, Downing
Xiao Han, St John’s
CURPC is a club that enables members to shoot
pistols and gallery rifles regularly and gives them
opportunity to enter competitions at varsity,
county and international level.
Varsity Match
17 February 2008
Oxford win
This year’s Cambridge team was pitted against a very
strong Oxford team that included three internationallevel pistol shooters,whereas the Cambridge team
comprised of relatively new shooters that were
trained from the ground up since they had only
started pistol shooting at University.
Shooting is a mixed sport and the first team
comprised of Cheng Liu (Captain), Chris Bamford,
Juan Tian (Female) and Daniel Kumbang.The
score achieved was 2084 against Oxford’s 2166.
Full scores can be viewed here:
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~pistol/results/sbvarsity2008
.shtml
All of the first team scored above 500/600 and
hence qualify for Half Blue status, which Cheng
Liu and Chris Bamford will be re-awarded
whereas Juan Tian and Daniel Kumbang will
receive for the first time.
Other News
CURPC participated in the Annual Past and
Present Match held at Bisley and shot Rapid Fire
Air Pistol, .22 cal semi-automatic rifles and .357
cal lever-action carbines.There were 10
participants in this event.The course of fire was
set by the past members who organised the
event. Daniel Kumbang scored the highest in the
.22 cal semi-automatic rifle event.
This year, two members, Juan Tian and Daniel
Kumbang managed to qualify for Intershoot, an
International Competition held in The Hague, and
is a competition that fields the best shots in the
world, many of whom shoot in the Olympics for
their respective countries. However, due to
unforeseen circumstances, both were unable to
be present for the competition.
Imran Yusuff took part in every event of the
Cambridge 177 competition, which comprised of
precision (single shot) pistol, rapid fire pistol, air
rifle and duelling pistol events. He achieved the
wooden spoon in all events, and considering this
was his first time competing in the competition, it
was not such a bad thing.
Imran Yusuff also won the Handicap Match Cup,
which was reinstated this year to even the
playing field among the more experienced
shooters with the new shooters. It was arranged
in such a way that the shooter who improved the
most over the month that the competition was
held would win the cup.
93
Cambridge University
Riding Club
Varsity Match
20/04/08, Morton Morrell College, Warks
Cambridge victory
Other News
The Cambridge team won all 3 BUSA league
matches, impressively also taking the top 3
individual places in each match.They therefore
qualified for the Regional Championships where
they were narrowly beaten by Birmingham. Sam
Cutts won the competition overall individually
but was unable to attend the BUSA
Championships due to time commitments to
Worlds Selection trials (see below).
The Cambridge Riding team of Sam Cutts (Capt),
Emma Kenney-Herbert, Jenny Morgan and Edd
Moffett pulled out all the stops to take a record
6th consecutive Varsity Riding title, despite a
broken finger for the Captain and other sickness
in the ranks.
Natalie McGoldrick (Churchill College), in her sixth
year studying Veterinary Medicine, and Sam Cutts
(Emmanuel College), in her fourth year of the
same course, have both been shortlisted for the
Great Britain Team for the Student Riding
Championships, to be held in Algeria in 2008/2009.
The 2008 Varsity Riding Match was held at
Moreton Morrell College, Warks and was hosted
by Oxford, who this year were a somewhat
unknown quantity as the teams had not met in
any other competitions. The Cambridge team
took a narrow lead after the dressage rounds but
the competition was still very open heading in to
the jumping rounds. Here the Cambridge team
rose magnificently to the pressure, each rider
returning two zero-penalty scores to give
Cambridge the win by over 20 penalties.
6th year Vet Student Dilly Nock has also kept the
Light Blue flag flying, winning the 2nd ever
International Students Flat Race at Longchamps,
Paris this Easter and making it 2/2 victories for
Cambridge; following Cutts’ victory last year.
We seek to include those interested in riding at any level from
complete beginners up to top level international competitors
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/curiding/
President: Ali Hepburn, Christ’s
Captain: Sam Cutts, Emmanuel
Secretary: Laura Gowing, Sidney Sussex /
Fi Mawer, Queens’
Senior Treasurer: Dr Frances Henson
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Sam Cutts, Emmanuel
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Jenny Morgan, St John’s
Emma Kenney-Herbert, Emmanuel
Edd Moffett, Churchill
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Anne Lo, Fitzwilliam
We seek to include those interested in riding at
any level; from complete beginners up to top
level international competitors. We have a
thriving social, training and competition network.
New members always welcome!
94 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Kenney-Herbert and Cutts also took 2nd and 3rd
individual placings respectively. Cutts said:“I am
absolutely delighted with how the team has
performed today. We didn’t have an ideal
preparation for Varsity but skill and
determination have shone through.”
Cambridge University
Rifle Association
CURA is the University’s rifle shooting club, firing full-bore rifles
at targets up to 1200 yards away
www.cam.ac.uk/societies/cura/
President: Lt. Col. Simon Gray (CO of CUOTC)
Captain: Robert Bogie, Christ’s College
Secretary: Benjamin Yates, Trinity College
Senior Treasurer: Dr Diana Henderson, Queens’
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Lara Bogie, Christ’s
Henry Day, St Catharine’s
Edward Dickson, Trinity Hall
Holly Foster, Churchill
George Wright, Magdalene
Gareth Morris, Robinson
John Lindsay III, Downing
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Adam Mayers, Churchill
Suhrid Joshi, Queens’
James Diviney, Gonville & Caius
Angus Logan, Trinity
CURA is the University’s rifle shooting club, firing
full-bore rifles at targets up to 1200 yards away.
Active during the Easter vacation, the subsequent
term and the summer vacation, CURA shoots
against universities, other rifle clubs and even
national sides. It holds the record for the longest
succession of Varsity victories – 24. Above all, rifle
shooting is a relaxed, enjoyable open-air pursuit
where skill and camaraderie play the largest parts.
Varsity Match
National Shooting Centre, Bisley.
TR – Fri 25th July 2008 ~ MR – Thu 17th July 2008
TR – Cambridge win 1141.99 vs. Oxford 1127.96
MR – Cambridge win 836.74 vs. Oxford 835.70
The first Varsity match of the summer was that of
the Match Rifle – The Humphry. With a large
number of potential team candidates, a team of
great strength was able to be selected by ViceCaptain Adam Mayers (Chu). Rosanne Furniss (TH),
Gaz Morris (R) and Suhrid Joshi (Q) joined him
to shoot the match, under an elite team of
national coaches.
The standard was very high both from our own
team and the opposition, Rosanne opening with
a near perfect score and placing Cambridge with
a healthy 6 point advantage after the first range
(1000 yds). At the second range (1100 yds),
however, Oxford pulled back to close this deficit
to only 2 points.
The final range (1200 yds) showed inevitable
lower scores with more effect from the wind, and
mental pressure from the occasion. While it
seemed that Oxford were shooting straighter and
scoring higher, their organisation let them down.
One rifle that was being used did not have the
rear-sight aligned correctly, causing a pair of
misses to count for the team.This provided just
enough of a penalty to grant Cambridge the
victory by a single point – certainly one of the
tightest matches in recent history.
The following week saw what many regard as the
biggest target rifle match for the University team
– The Chancellors. With an exceptional squad to
choose from both in terms of size and ability,
captain Robert Bogie (Chr) chose those who had
performed the best throughout the Imperial
week, a team of 8 of which he was not a member.
Andy Nowacki (R) was the only previous Half-Blue
in a surprisingly young team.Young in years,
though certainly not experience. Holly Foster
(Chu), Ed Dickson (TH), Henry Day (StC) and Lara
Bogie (Chr) all shot for Cambridge in this, their
first year at the University, but brought with them
experience from both national and international
matches of various levels. A famous name around
Bisley Camp, Gaz Morris also shot for the team,
bringing all the experience that comes with a
95
Commonwealth medallist to the side. John
Lindsay (D) and George Wright (Mag) filled the
remaining positions.
The team were predicted a good victory, and
there were hopes of a record score as a very calm
morning saw the start of the match. At the
shortest distance there was virtually no wind,
however, the team did not perform as well as
expected under such conditions. Possible signs of
nerves from a team with so many novices firing in
a varsity match.The first range (300yds) finished
with Cambridge a mere 3 points in the lead.
Oxford continued to apply pressure and shoot
well at the second range (500 yds) pulling level
with the Cambridge team, and ahead by a single
V-bull. It was this stage at which the experience of
the youngsters showed through, as the pressure
of the match rose to its peak.
Many teams struggle most at 600 yds, the wind
having more effect and the mental pressure
rising to a climax for the firers.This was certainly
evident from the Kolapore match in which Great
Britain were firing, which took place alongside
the Universities. Scores often drop at this point
creating a very tight finish to the matches. Not for
this years Chancellor’s team however.
The firers, many eager to know the standing as
they thrived on the pressure, set out with a steely
determination to make up for firing below their
own personal expectations in the first two ranges.
Having come out with the intention of not
dropping the range score they actually managed
to improve by a full 8 points on the previous
range.This outstanding effort was led by Henry
96 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Day, who scored a 147.15 which roughly equalled
the average of the Great Britain team, and was a
point higher than the expected Full Blue
standard. Sadly he had not qualified to be in the
running for a Full-Blue having not shot in the
winter small-bore varsity. Gaz Morris who had
been on for a Full-Blue sadly missed the required
score of 146 by a single point.
This concludes what has been a very successful
year for CURA in incredible style, and the captain
would like to thank both his committee for
making it possible and the team for achieving so
much. With such a young team, it also spells great
things for the future of the club, and many more
great achievements will inevitably follow down
the line.
The final result was a well-earned victory for
Cambridge, winning by 14 points. But this was
not the end of the summer for the team.
Robert Bogie
All individuals and 2 teams of 4 were entered to
the BUSA Championships. Short range scores
were taken from the Chancellors and from the
Musketeers match. Cambridge’s 3rd IV entered the
Musketeers competition against other Universities’
1st IVs.They performed exceptionally to finish in
3rd place, ahead of 4 other universities and in front
of big names such as London and Southampton.
The team included Adam Mayers, Suhrid Joshi,
Angus Logan (T) and James Diviney (G&C).
These firers joined the Chancellors team in the
Universities Long Range final, and the final stage
of the BUSA team championships. Reserve Ben
Yates (T) replaced Gaz Morris.The first of two
ranges were led by Cambridge Anjou team, and
closely followed by Cambridge Burgundy, less
than a point away. However, after a strong finish
from Oxford they stole 2nd place, but allowed
Cambridge not only a victory in the Long Range
match, but also to be to be BUSA Champions, and
to hold 3rd place with the ‘B’ team. Special
mention must also go to Holly Foster, who won
the women’s individual event, and Ed Dickson
who came 3rd in the men’s.
Cambridge University
Rugby Union Football Club
CURUFC is a wholly amateur student rugby club aiming to offer
an atmosphere as professional as it can be
www.curufc.com
President: Prof B F G Johnson, Fitzwilliam
Captain: J J R Dawson, St Edmund’s
Secretary: P Crossley, Homerton
Senior Treasurer: John Bamford
Blues Awarded 2007-08
H W W Murray, St Edmund’s
A J Stevenson, St Catharine’s
C C Lewis, St Catharine’s
A W Reid, St John’s
J S Wellwood, St Edmund’s
R P Broadfoot, Hughes Hall
R A Blake, Hughes Hall
A W P Fitzpatrick, Gonville and Caius
J J Clark, St Edmund’s
J J R Dawson, St Edmund’s
T P Boynton, Hughes Hall
J W K Blaikie, Hughes Hall
R J Bartholomew, Jesus
J J Wheeler, St Edmund’s
J M Lumby, Hughes Hall
T W Malaney, St Edmund’s
J E M Fiori, Jesus
J M Greenwood, Hughes Hall
CURUFC is a wholly amateur student rugby club
aiming to offer an atmosphere as professional as
it can be.There are three regular teams, the Blues,
the LX Club and the U21 XV together with
occasional fixtures for the U21A and Colleges XV.
Teams are selected on merit and all receive high
quality coaching and support from well qualified,
experienced personnel.
On midweek afternoons 20 college teams also
compete in the Colleges Leagues and Cuppers
tournament.There are a number of other rugby
realated events annually including overseas tours
and sevens tournaments.
Varsity Match
Varsity Match Twickenham Stadium
Oxford 16 – 22 Cambridge
Cambridge made it three wins in a row in the
Lehman Brothers 126th Varsity match at
Twickenham.The later start meant an
atmospheric floodlit match and a vociferous
crowd of 34,000 witnessed a tremendous game.
Both teams had good periods of dominance but
ultimately Cambridge’s fantastic defence in the
last ten minutes as ‘The other place’ laid siege to
their line was the telling factor.
Cambridge were also marginally more clinical in
their finishing and had a brilliant start scoring in
the second minute following a probing kick by
Ross Blake, an effective chase and a well organised
driving maul from the lineout. A Broadfoot
penalty increased the lead to 8-0 but after
20 minutes the Dark Blues settled and began
to accumulate points through a drop goal by
McMahon and then a converted try by Mahoney.
After the half time break another penalty
increased the lead to 13-8 and Cambridge were
looking wobbly and as influential fly half Ross
Broadfoot limped off, the momentum was with the
Dark Blues. McMahon duly added another drop
goal after sustained pressure. However, the strong
Cambridge bench made an impact as first flanker
Tom Malaney scored from another catch and drive
with Juliano Fiori, the other replacement back
rower, kicking the conversion to reduce the score
to 16-15 and the game was back in the balance.
Cambridge seized the initiative and with ten
minutes remaining No. 8 James Lumby powered
his way through three tackles to score near the
97
posts.Fiori was ice cool in converting.‘The other
place’now needed a converted try and literally
threw everything at the Cambridge line for the last
ten minutes.A potential catch and drive
opportunity was lost, ferocious defence on the‘pick
and go’tactics at rucks and fantastic discipline not
to give away penalties massively contributed to the
jubilation shown at the final whistle.The last ditch
action took place at the north end appropriately
jammed with students and the level of support for
the Light Blues was awe inspiring.
Other News
JJ Clark, TW Malaney and J M Lumby were
selected for the England Universities XV
Blues team played 17 matches 9 wins 8 losses
apart from Varsity Match
Blues went on tour to Japan
LX Club and U21 team played in pre-World Cup
tournament in Languedoc-Roussillon
Player of the year was Ross Blake
Former Blue Joe Ansbro was awarded a
professional contract at Northampton Saints and
played for them in the EDF Cup Final.
Ed Kalman played professionally for Glasgow and
is currently in the Scotland A team playing in the
Churchill Cup
Sponsors
Samurai
Lehman Brothers
Eden Park
Gilbert and Co
98 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University
Women’s Rugby Union
Football Club
More young women playing, with greater enthusiasm and
commitment than ever before
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cuwrfc/index.php
President: Meg Gardiner, Homerton
Captain: Laura Britton, Jesus
Secretary: Jennie Popham, Newnham
Senior Treasurer: Ian Mills, Wolfson
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Louise Anning, Girton
Joanna Bradley, Trinity
Laura Britton, Jesus
Ellie Coen, Newnham
Claire Dawkins, Trinity Hall
Carol Evans, St John’s
Meg Gardiner, Homerton
Lucy Hartwell, Downing
Zoe Leake, St Catharine’s
Krishnaa Mahbubani, Pembroke
Hannah Martin, Homerton
Emily Matthews, Jesus
Jennie Popham, Newnham
Claudia Reitamier, St John’s
Kate Robson, Girton
Rachel Thompson, New Hall
Sarah Walker, Girton
Jessica Withey, New Hall
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Francesca Bailey, Gonville & Caius
Illona Bayliss, St Catharine’s
Tiffany Bogich, St Catharine’s
Vanessa Buchan, Queens’
Fiona Davies, Trinity
Carol Evans, St John’s
Joanna Harris, Magdalene
Sammie Hurrell, Fitzwilliam
Lauren Iredale, Girton
Erica Marshell, Sidney Sussex
Rebeca McLaughlin, Churchill
Emma Murphy, Trinity
Rachel Nixon, Girton
Jessica Phillips, Newnham
Rhianna Pugh, St John’s
Kate Robson, Girton
Kim Roper, Emmanuel
Amanda Scott, St John’s
Andrea Turner, Queens’
Becca Vaughan, St Catharine’s
Erni Visser, Queens’
Katie Wooller, Jesus
Women’s Rugby is an up and coming sport
throughout Britain and many other countries
worldwide – this is reflected in the University
where each year there are more young women
playing, with greater enthusiasm and
commitment than the year before.
Varsity Match
1st March 2008. Iffley Road, Oxford.
Cambridge Blues 13-Oxford Blues 12
Cambridge Tigers 8-Oxford Panthers 5
On the 1st March, the 21st women's Varsity Match
kicked off in bright sunshine at Oxford's Iffley
Road pitch. Cambridge had not enjoyed victory
since 2003 but went into the match with great
ambition, in contrast to an Oxford side who
seemed convinced that a fifth successive victory
was only 80 minutes away.
Oxford had first kick-off and immediately put
pressure on Cambridge, forcing them onto the
back-foot.This pressure was the story of the first
half; Oxford played the ball in the backs and
Cambridge's defence was stretched to its limits.
The frustration showed and Cambridge gave
away a number of careless penalties but Oxford
failed to capitalise and Cambridge refused to relent.
Captain and fly-half Laura Britton and centres
Hannah Martin and Rachel Thompson defended
99
www.sophiepickford.com
100 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
exceptionally well, putting in tackle after tackle.
Oxford's back three were venomous in attack and
despite a try-saving tackle by full-back Ellie Coen,
Oxford's right wing eventually broke through to
score between the posts. Oxford converted and
went ahead 7-0 and soon put another try past
Cambridge after a lucky offload to their number
15.The score was 12-0 and it looked like
Cambridge might be in for another drubbing.
But shortly before half-time Oxford gave away a
penalty in front of the posts after Cambridge
broke in to Oxford's 22. Claudia Reitmaier
converted to take the score at half-time to 12-3.
Despite being behind Cambridge never lost
belief and re-emerged after half-time stronger,
more focussed and twice as determined. Oxford's
complacency and inability to raise their game in
the face of a punishing Cambridge pack showed.
Cambridge muffled their creativity time and
again, with replacement full-back Kate Robson
making some lung-crunching tackles, eventually
being sidelined for her trouble. Carol Evans
stepped in at 15, out of position, and the masses
of Cambridge supporters were on tenterhooks.
With just 18 minutes to go and 9 points down,
Cambridge had a formidable task. In the end it
was the Cambridge pack who took the game by
the scruff of the neck and forced the ball
forwards, rucking and rolling towards Oxford's
line. Cambridge veteran Joanna Bradley stretched
the ball across for a try and put Cambridge within
five points of victory. After the restart and in
almost identical fashion, the Light Blues were
soon in Oxford's 22 again, mauling and heaving
their way up and across the pitch, not quite
running out of room before a tap and go penalty
led to Jennie Popham touching down to put
Cambridge one point ahead.The far out
conversion proved too challenging and the
match restarted with three minutes to go and the
score at 13-12 in Cambridge's favour.
These were the scrappiest minutes of the match,
with another Oxford player sin-binned as they
forced the ball back into the light-blues' half. In a
heart stopping moment, Cambridge conceded a
penalty not far wide of the posts and Oxford
chose to kick. One miss-kick later and Cambridge
were the deserving victors. It was a real team
effort; the light-blue backs kept Cambridge in the
match with exceptional defence in the first half
and the forwards won it in the second, holding
their own in every scrum and driving in two
crucial match-winning tries.
Tigers’ Match Report
CUWRFC should be proud of their achievements
this year.The second team also won their Varsity
Match in similar heart stopping style, hosted by
Oxford at Christ Church College pitches on the
morning of March 1st. It was a close affair, with
Cambridge going 5-0 down early on in the first
half. Frustrated with the referee and knowing
they could play so much better, Cambridge
returned in the second half with determination.
Vanessa Buchan came off the bench to score a
forward's try although the conversion went
begging. With the score level at 5-5 there was
everything to play for.Then, in the seventy-eighth
minute Oxford conceded a penalty and
Cambridge's Katie Wooller bravely took the kick
and grabbed the three points and victory for
Cambridge. In the end it was 8-5 to the
Cambridge Tigers and a well-deserved win.
Other News
We finished second in the BUSA Midlands
Division 1, losing only 1 match to Nottingham
Trent University.This second place saw us entered
into the National BUSA Trophy Competition
where we made it through to the final, narrowly
losing to Glamorgan University 5-7.
In our local RFUW league we finished sixth after a
season of hard,physical matches and demonstrating
how we deserve to be in this division.
We achieved a double victory on Varsity day with
our Tigers’ team winning 8-5 and the Blues 13-12
in two closely-fought matches.This is the only
time in the club’s history that a double victory has
been achieved by the Cambridge teams and only
the fourth time that the Cambridge Blues have
won altogether against Oxford.
Three of our players were selected for the East
regional squad this year; Louise Anning, Joanna
Bradley and Laura Britton.
A new link with the University of Lille was created
this season, with a match being played against
their women’s team at the London Wasps Ground.
A Varsity warm-up match was also played here
against the Wasps Ladies, which saw a
determined Cambridge side score two tries
against these more experienced players.
Sponsors
Lehman Brothers
Samurai
101
Cambridge University
Amateur Rugby League
Football Club
The season is focussed on our annual Varsity Match, which is
held at Twickenham Stoop
www.cuarlfc.com
President: Matt Bray, Gonville & Caius
Captain: James Shearman, Sidney Sussex
Secretary: Paddy Hunt, Sidney Sussex
Senior Treasurer: Dr R McConnel, St John’s
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
James Shearman, Sidney Sussex
Matt Bray, Gonville & Caius
Paul Dower, Girton
Ali Glass, Selwyn
Freddie Humphreys, Fitzwilliam
Patrick Hunt, Sidney Sussex
Ignacio Quintana, Magdalene
Josh Randell, Fitzwilliam
Carl Schroeder, Selwyn
Max Stechman, Sidney Sussex
James Shaw-Stewart, Pembroke
Mark Sweeney, Magdalene
George Sykes, Sidney Sussex
Luke Tyson, Magdalene
102 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Alfy Weston, Girton
Ian Whiskerd, Clare
Rupert Wingate-Saul, Sidney Sussex
The season is focussed on our annual Varsity
Match, which is held at Twickenham Stoop
towards the end of the Lent Term and broadcast
live on Sky Sports. During Michaelmas and Lent
we also play in the BUSA league and cup
competitions.
Varsity Match
6th March, Twickenham Stoop
Oxford 38 – Cambridge 12
Oxford powered away with the 2008 Varsity
rugby league match.The Dark Blues produced
some breath-taking rugby to run in seven tries to
two at the Twickenham Stoop.
Cambridge dominated the early stages, but had
no answer to Oxford's clinical finishing led by
winger James Batstone. Batstone flew in for two
long-range tries, both largely against the run of
play, inside the opening 20 minutes. A 50-metre
try from centre Tom Waterfield extended Oxford's
advantage just before half time to make it 16-0.
Three further tries in the first 12 minutes of the
second half saw Oxford power out of sight of a
shell-shocked Cambridge who were given a real
lesson. Going into the final quarter the score
stood at 32-0.The Light Blues were able to
salvage some pride by finally converting their
good field position and continued pressure into
points, with tries from substitutes Alfy Weston
and Ian Whiskerd and a goal from George Sykes.
Oxford finished in control with substitute Hugh
McCormick scoring a seventh try in the last
minute. Oxford’s win cuts Cambridge’s overall
lead in the event to 15-12 with one match drawn.
Other News
The 2007/8 season was the usual mixed bag of
results for CUARLFC. John Evans was employed as
full-time Head Coach, and as a result the players
were worked harder than ever before and
provided with an organisation and schooling
base normally only available to those in the
professional arena.The training regime included
skills and fitness sessions as well as game preps,
the 6.30am ‘killer’ circuit training, followed by icebaths, and video analysis of games via newly
acquired Sports Performer software.The aim, as
ever, is to ensure that October’s new arrivals, most
of whom have never played RL before, are
transformed into hard-hitting, well drilled,
motivated individuals, working as a gelled unit.
In 5 months!
Highlights of this season include the Battle of
Carcassonne while touring France in January,
playing against St Helens, Harlequins RL and
Warrington Wolves U-21's in the month leading
up to the Varsity Match, and of course the tour
down the east coast of Australia over summer.
These are memories that will stay with players for
the rest of their lives, but also provide invaluable
Rugby League experience and battle hardening
for the players and coaches to build on.
In a round-up after the unsuccessful Varsity
Match in March, John reflected that although we
were in control of the football for large passages
of play during the game, as well as exerting good
defensive pressure at the ruck, we did not play
enough football at the front of the field. As a
team we are now working on opening up this
part of the field – but in order to make this
successful we need to improve our core skills –
catching, passing, kicking and decision making.
It's a big responsibility for the players because the
shots are called on the field and can’t be rehearsed
to the finest detail – and you need to have a
recovery plan in place in case it doesn't work.
members back next year. If we can transfer the
hard work put in during the tour we will hit the
BUSA season running and build up a momentum
that will be hard to stop.
Off the field, this year has also seen the rise of
Sport Sunday at Vodka Revolution, a weekly night
put on by the Rugby League boys, headed by
Paddy Hunt, where ticket sales have massively
helped fund this summer’s three-week tour to
Australia. The continued backing of Club
Chairman Martin Woodcock, himself a four-time
Varsity player and Captain back in the 80’s, as well
as some other old boys piping up has also hugely
helped this tour take off.Thanks to everyone
involved in helping make the tour literally the
opportunity of a lifetime.
Matthew Bray, CUARLFC President
Sponsors
Barclays Global Investors
Baker & McKenzie
Maximuscle
Steeden
The trip to Australia was the biggest advantage
imaginable for the players who are returning this
year.Two and a half weeks and three games
against tenacious, relentless opposition, plus
training. Experiencing an environment where
Rugby League is the biggest sport and attracts all
the media attention means that we have
returned better players, tougher and with more
games under our belt than our student
opponents before the season starts.That may
prove to be the difference – especially given that
we will have around 15 out of this year’s 20 squad
103
Cambridge University
Ski & Snowboard Club
An active social program supports our busy
calendar with the Varsity Reunion Dinner and aprèsski sessions being some of the highlights.
The aim of the Cambridge University Ski & Snowboard Club is to
promote skiing and snowboarding throughout the University
In what must have been the closest competition
in a long time, the Cambridge Blues race teams
narrowly missed taking away the overall team
titles despite excellent individual performances
and team success in several events.
www.cussc.org.uk
President: Jamie Gilbert, Trinity
Captain: Pete Calvert, Trinity
Secretary: Ros Wallduck, Jesus
Senior Treasurer: Patrac Welche, Newnham
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Laura Abram, Newnham
Rachael Nordby, Pembroke
Camilla Barnes, Churchill
Stephanie Sgoda, Magdalene
George Rose, Emmanuel
Emma Coten, St Catharine’s
Pete Calvert, Trinity
Andy Wheble, Trinity
Evan Scouros, Trinity
James Pockson, Magdalene
The aim of the Cambridge University Ski &
Snowboard Club is to promote skiing and
snowboarding throughout the University. Our
primary focus for the academic year is
undoubtedly the Varsity Trip, which operates
104 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
every Christmas and is fast becoming one of the
sporting and social highlights of the Oxbridge
calendar. Our second alpine trip of the year is the
British Universities Ski Trip (aka BUSC) and takes
place over the Easter Vacation. Here we join 2000
students for two weeks on the largest student
trip of its kind in the world! Both trips are open to
beginners and world professionals alike.
We normally field 3 mens and 2 ladies teams for
the Varsity Match and enter several teams for the
BUSC (British Universities Ski Council)
Championships.Training takes place once a week
on the dry slope and here we also compete at the
BUDS (British Universities Dryslope Chamionships)
National Finals and in the King's Series.
Snowboarding competitions take place on the
Varsity Trip, and training/social trips are arranged
to the Milton Keynes Snow Dome throughout
term time.These often combine with the
Freestyle and Beginner sessions.
Varsity Match
Val Thorens, France
December 2007
Narrow win For Oxford’s Men and Women
As Selwyn hosted its snow ball and others
enjoyed Christmas bops and formals, the
University racers set out for Val Thorens for a
week of gruelling training, in preparation for the
86th Varsity Races. In the hope of qualifying for
one of the two women’s or three men’s race
teams, hopefuls from Cambridge joined their
Oxford rivals and committed to 18 hours of
training.The final teams were decided after time
trials on Monday of Main Week, the Varsity races
taking place the following day and additional
races throughout the rest of the week.
In the individual Varsity competitions Cambridge
triumphed. Rachael Nordby, from Pembroke,
taking the individual ladies’ title in both the
slalom, with a combined time of 1:29.32 and in
the Giant Slalom, with a combined time of
1:44.09, thus winning the overall individual ladies’
prize.The CUSSC committee were very pleased to
welcome Mr Patrick Keeley, a former president to
present Rachael with her prizes, in particular
The Keeley Cup, generously donated by
Mr Keeley for the winner of the ladies’ Giant
Slalom. In the men’s individual races Pete Calvert,
from Trinity, took the overall men’s prizes for the
Slalom and Giant Slalom combined, finishing
second in the Slalom, with a combined time of
1:18.93 and third in the Giant Slalom with a
combined time of 1:38.38. Evan Scouros, also
from Trinity, had great individual success in the
Giant Slalom, finishing in second place, with a
combined time of 1:37.84.
It was the Giant Slalom also, in which both
Cambridge Blues teams performed strongest: the
men leading with a time difference of 0.41
seconds and the ladies with a difference of 1.49
seconds following this event.The competition
was very close and the advantage slight. As
crowds gathered and the racers made their way
to the top of the piste, for the floodlit Slalom,
neither University could be sure to take away the
overall title. Having won the slalom last Varsity,
Cambridge were quietly confident, but a year of
training and a summer camp paid off for Oxford
as they finished first overall this year in the slalom
and went on to take the overall team prize,
winning by fifteen seconds over a total of sixteen
minutes of racing. Laura Abram, Cambridge Race
Captain commented,‘ There was a great
competitive spirit throughout the day, I was very
proud of the team’s effort and to win the first
event of the day was fantastic. However, my
congratulations to Oxford on their overall win.’
Even closer, however, was the overall men’s result.
So close in fact that Varsity officials found it
difficult to award the overall title to the actual
winning team. First Oxford, then minutes later
Cambridge were awarded the title, winning by
106 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
0.3 seconds. However, after a mere two hours of
celebration the title was withdrawn and reawarded to Oxford, who actually won by 0.92
seconds. Rachael Nordby, performing so well, her
time was taken by mistake for one of the men’s,
causing this error. Nonetheless, all the men raced
extremely well and to lose by such a narrow
margin demonstrates the competitiveness of
both the Oxford and Cambridge teams and the
high standard of competition.
The Men’s Second and Third teams should also be
congratulated on their efforts and the Ladies’
Second team congratulated for beating the Oxford
seconds in both the Slalom and Giant Slalom.
In addition to the Varsity races, a Super G was
held for the first time this year. Open to all those
who competed in the Blues teams, Cambridge
once again produced some fantastic results. In
the men’s Super G, Pete Calvert came second
overall, with a combined time of 2:11.17 and Evan
Scouros finished in third place, with a combined
time of 2:13.18.The fastest single run was had by
Pete Calvert, with a time of 1:05.30. In the ladies’
Super G, Laura Abram, of Newnham, was in
second place after the first speed run, with a time
of 1:23.03 but was disqualified after missing a
gate in the second run.
Varsity 2007 was once again a fantastic trip with
some excellent racing and Cambridge, both
teams and individuals, should be extremely
proud of their performances. Camilla Barnes,
president of CUSSC said,‘ This is one of the most
successful year’s CUSSC have had in a long while
and the training the racers have put in
throughout the year has really paid off. CUSSC is
continuing to go from strength to strength and
next year we hope for even more success but well
done to all the 2007 competitors. Also, I would
like to thank the Varsity committee and the ESF
for all the work that went in to organising the
races and Salomon for sponsoring the
competitions.’ Could 2008 be the year for
Cambridge to take away the titles?
Other News
Throughout the year, CUSSC competes in the
Kings Ski Club race series, against other
universities; the British Universities Dry Skiing
Championships (the largest dry slope race in the
world), and the British Universities Indoor Skiing
Champioships (held at the snowdomes).
In the Kings races we qualified for the National
Finals against the top universities in the UK, and
Pete Calvert and Jamie Gilbert finished in the
top 30 men, while Ros Wallduck finished in the
top 20 women.
At the British Universities Dry Skiing
Championships, held at Hillend in Edinburgh,
Pete Calvert came 7th in the UK.
At the British Universities Indoor Skiing
Championships Pete Calvert and Jamie Gilbert
both qualified through the Southern Universities
qualifier held at Milton Keynes, for the Finals at
Castleford. Pete finished in 8th.
Sponsor
Elan
Cambridge University
Small Bore Club
Cambridge University Small Bore Club is amongst the oldest
clubs at the University
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cura/cusbc/index.php
Captain: Rosanne Furniss, Trinity Hall
Secretary: John Lindsay, Downing
Senior Treasurer: Dr Diana Henderson, Queens’
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Robert Bogie, Christ’s
Peter Brett, Girton
Edward Dickson, Trinity Hall
James Diviney, Gonville & Caius
Holly Foster, Churchill
Rosanne Furniss, Trinity Hall
Gareth Morris, Robinson
Andy Nowacki, Robinson
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Gus Logan, Trinity
Cambridge University Small Bore Club, and its
sister club, The Cambridge University Rifle
Association, are amongst the oldest clubs at the
University. CUSBC is an official sports club of the
University of Cambridge and we are affiliated to
the National Small-Bore Rifle Association of Great
Britain.
Varsity Match
1st mixed team 16th February 2007 at the Lord
Nuffield Centre, Oxford
2nd team (mixed), Ladies and 3 Position team
23rd February 2007 at Queen Elizabeth Way
Range, Cambridge
1st mixed, The Heslop – Won 1547-1505 (ex 1600)
Ladies, The Bentata – Won 748-582 (ex 800)
2nd mixed,The Kensington –Won 1512-1439 (ex 1600)
3P mixed, The Lerman – Lost 866-886 (ex 1200)
This year the Varsity matches were held in Oxford
and Cambridge on two consecutive weekends.
The Cambridge teams had a very successful year
leading up to the match, and hopes were high.
The first team shot extremely well, obtaining the
highest match score of the year, and also the
highest score found on record for a Varsity match
in recent years (1547 ex 1600).
The depth of the Cambridge squad showed
through the following week when the Mixed B
team shot well to beat not only Oxford´s B team,
but also their A team score from the previous
match.The ladies also shot well, winning the
match by over 100 points, The only
disappointment was in the 3 Position match,
where Oxford came out victorious, a situation
that will be worked on for next year!
Special mention must go to Gaz Morris, for top
scoring in the Heslop with 198 ex 200 to Suhrid
Joshi for his 193 ex 200 in the Kensington, and to
Peter Brett for 247 ex 300 in the Lerman.
Other News
In BUSA, Cambridge won the first ever BUSA
Short Range Championships. After qualifying
through the postal leagues, the A team beat
Edinburgh in the quarter finals, Cardiff in the semi
finals, and finally Southampton in the final to be
crowned victorious.
The A team also came 2nd in the BUSA Knockout
competition, and retained our place in the
premier division of the postal league. Unluckily
for our B team they were placed against our A
team, and so were knocked out early on.
Four members were placed in the top twenty of
the BUSA individual competition.This involves
shooting cards all through the year, and so to
score well you need to be shooting at a
consistently high level.The positions were as
follows: R Furniss 7th, G Morris 16th, J Diviney
19th, E Dickson 20th.
107
Cambridge University
Squash Rackets Club
both players took some time to adjust to the
different bounce. Laura, a former South African
provincial junior, used her abundant court smarts
to take each game close but eventually lost 3-0.
Yvonne was slow to get going in the first two sets
before finding her rhythm in the third, frustrating
her opponent with cracking backhands and
persistent running, before losing that set 10-9.
The 77th Varsity Match produces opposite results
for the Men and Women
Next up were Alex Bryant at 4 and Kate Mason
at 3. Alex, our lone fresher, rushed to an early 8-2
lead, confounding her opponent with her rocket
serves and accurate volley-drops. However, the
more experienced Oxford player made a strong
comeback, taking that set and the match 3-0.
Kate also came up against experience in Oxford’s
captain, and after displaying her finesse in a
valiant fight, went down 3-0.
President: Jamie Douglas, St John’s
Yvonne Ang, Clare
Captain: Men’s Captain: Jamie Douglas, St John’s
Women’s Captain:Yvonne Ang, Clare
Secretary: Secretary: Michael Mackay, St John’s
Treasurer: Sally Pei, Trinity Hall
Senior Treasurer: Geoff Moggridge, King’s
CUSRC is one of the oldest sporting clubs in
Cambridge- this is the 77th year that the Varsity
Match has been played.The men play numerous
one-off matches throughout the year, including
ties against the Army, Old Boys and Jesters,
while the women play in the Cambridgeshire
County Leagues.
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Ann Babtie, Gonville & Caius
Mhairi Dougal, Homerton
Kate Mason, Peterhouse
Alexandra Bryant, Christ’s
Yvonne Ang, Clare
Harry Leitch, Fitzwilliam
Jamie Douglas, St John’s
Nick Sutcliffe, St John’s
Christopher Lion,Downing
Michael Mackay, St John’s
Varsity Match
16th February 2008
Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London
Men won 5-0
Women lost 1-4
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Laura Alfers, Magdalene
Renwick Russell, Queens’
The women’s Match was kicked off by Laura
Alfers at reserve and captain Yvonne Ang at 5.
The warm courts at the RAC provide a unique
challenge unlike anywhere in Cambridge, and
108 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
After months of training (and much-dreaded
fitness sessions), the 12 Light Blues travelled to
the RAC in London, former home of the British
Open and setting of many an epic squash match,
for the big showdown.
By this time, the crowds had grown, and despite
Match victory being beyond our grasp, our
supporters continued to bay for Dark Blue blood.
At 2, Mhairi Dougal took the first set with her
powerful low drives. Her opponent, a senior
county player, fought back, and eventually took
the match 3-1, but not before Mhairi had shown
everyone present the combination of tenacity
and composure that makes her so hard to beat.
After that encouraging match, hopes ran high
that our number 1, Ann Babtie, would prevent
this from being an Oxford sweep, and she did not
disappoint. Despite being sidelined from training
up to a week before the Match by a bad ankle, the
5-time Blue showed no signs of it against her
Welsh International junior opponent, in a repeat
of the match-up she lost last year.The match was
fiercely contested, with both players repeatedly
drawing exclamations from the crowd, but Ann’s
consistency and pinpoint accuracy won the day,
3-1. She was awarded the Neil Raine Lady of the
Match Trophy.
Last year’s Varsity defeat was Cambridge’s first
Varsity loss in ten years and was seen as a great
upset. Therefore, although the Cambridge team
were expected to be triumphant this year, the
team trained very maturely and were more
focused going into the match. This focus paid
dividends as Cambridge won 5-0, with all
members of the team producing excellent
performances.
Cambridge recorded comfortable wins at 2
(Jamie Douglas), 3 (Nick Sutcliff ) and 4 (Chris
Lion) with the numbers 1 (Harry Leitch) and 5
(Michael Mackay) winning in closer contests.
Mhairi Dougal won the plate in the County
Individual Championships.
Harry Leitch represented Scotland men’s team,
whilst both Harry Leitch and Jamie Douglas
represented Royston aiding them to victory in
the Hertfordshire League.
The Second and third teams visited Oxford for
their Varsity Match on 3rd March, the women led
by Andrea Kuesters, Sally Pei and Hazel Gilkes,
and the men by Michael Mackay. After a day of
hard fought matches, the Women’s Seconds lost
narrowly 3-2, while the Thirds emerged with a
hard earned 3-2 victory. On the men’s side, the
Seconds won 5-0 while the Thirds lost 5-0.
Sponsors
EMB
Schroeders
Michael Mackay was awarded man of the match
for tremendous determination in winning a very
long and hard-fought match.
We would like to extend our deepest
appreciation to our coach, Richard Loke, for his
invaluable support and advice throughout the
year. We would also like to thank our team
sponsors, EMB, for their generous backing, and
Schroeder’s, for their kind contributions to the
Varsity Match.
Other News
The Women’s team finished as runners-up in the
Cambridgeshire League, our best result in many
years.They also reached the final of the County
Cup, losing narrowly to Comberton 3-2.
109
www.sophiepickford.com
110 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Cambridge University
Swimming and Waterpolo Club
10 Years after the incorporation of Waterpolo into the
Swimming Club, the Varsity competition entered it’s 107th year
www.cuswpc.org
President: Henry Gomersall, Trinity
Captain: Men's swimming: Tom Edwards, Corpus
Christi
Ladies' swimming: Kat Hedley, New Hall
Men's Waterpolo: Steve Cook, Trinity
Ladies' Waterpolo: Rachel Mell, Newnham
Secretary: Evan Spence, Trinity Hall
Senior Treasurer: Dr D J Burgoyne, Department
of Engineering
Cambridge University Swimming & Waterpolo
Club (CUSWPC) consists of two teams which
represent Cambridge University in swimming
and water polo.The water polo team is further
split into men's and ladies’ teams who train
separately.The swimmers are split into the first
and second teams, who train separately but are
all entitled to swim in competitions and trial for
the Varsity Match.
Blues Awarded (Swimming)
Katherine Hedley, New Hall
Sonia White, Hughes Hall
Teresa Thurston, Robinson
Heather Moore, Fitzwilliam
Half Blues Awarded
Natalie Moores, Downing
Emma Gorton, Selwyn
Natasha Brierley, New Hall
Isabelle Kaufeler, St. John’s
Jessica Trevellick, Trinity
Kate Weber, Corpus Christi
Half Blues Awarded (Waterpolo)
Sebastian Reddemann, Hughes Hall
Albert Riera, Girton
Stephen Smith, Hughes Hall
Andrea Cantone, Churchill
Stephen Cooke, Trinity
Zern Chu Tay, Churchill
Henry Gomersall, Trinity
Peter Kreuzaler, Trinity Hall
Julius Lim, Christ’s
Nick McLoughlin, Christ’s
David Stell, Churchill
Rachael Mell, Newnham
Line Zu-Ermgassen, St Catharine’s
Sarah Hopkins, Emmanuel
Jenny MacLeod, Downing
Janet Scott, Trinity Hall
Josie Faulkner, Clare
Katie Mathis, Darwin
Rebecca Voorhees, Clare
Katie Weber, Corpus Christi
Varsity Match
23rd February 2008
Rosenblatt Pool, Oxford
Men’s Swimming: Oxford 52, Cambridge 38
Ladies’ Swimming: Oxford 40, Cambridge 40
Men’s Waterpolo: Oxford 10, Cambridge 10
Ladies’Waterpolo: Oxford 8, Cambridge 4
Ladies’ and Men’s Swimming
This year, the Light Blues travelled to Oxford to
defend the Varsity Swimming trophies against
the strongest Oxford team seen in recent years.
Each University is represented by two swimmers
over only 6 individual events for the girls, 7 for the
boys, and just one team in the two relays. Every
swim is critical so, with Oxford fielding two
international swimmers, it was always going to be
a tough match.
Prominent swims amongst the men came from
team stalwart Dan O’Dea in the 100m Butterfly
and Man of the Match, Matt Webb, in the Butterfly
and Freestyle, with both swimming some of the
fastest times ever seen in their events. Captain
Tom Edwards held the team together out of the
pool and supported it in the pool with swims in
the Freestyle events.
111
For the ladies, Freestyle specialist, Sonia White,
smashed 5 seconds off her PB in the 200m
Freestyle and swam to a ranking in the All Time Top
5 Cambridge times in both her races. Heather
Moore’s superb performance in the 100m
Backstroke was also memorable, fighting to win
first place in an incredibly close race, finishing in the
second fastest Cambridge time in this event ever.
The Varsity programme left the spectators
expecting much from ‘the old guard’Teresa
Thurston and the ‘swimmers expected to excite,’
Brett Mclean and Ladies’ Captain, Katherine
Hedley. They were not disappointed, with all
three producing wins. Mclean provided a lesson
in dedication, showing how exceptional training
pays off in Varsity. Woman of the Match, Thurston,
won the 100m Butterfly by a large margin, Hedley
doing the same for the Breaststroke – both
supported by second places from Isabelle
Kaufeler and Kate Weber.
Both the Ladies’ and Men’s matches remained
undecided until the relays, when Oxford’s depth
of team shone through. Still, the Ladies’ team of
Natalie Moores, Hedley, Thurston and White
gained a convincing victory in the 4x50m Medley,
securing a draw overall and retaining the trophy
thanks to last year’s win.
There were great expectations after the
cleansweep victory last year but despite only
returning with one trophy, the Light Blues cannot
be disappointed: this was one of the fastest
Varsity Matches ever and there were many great
swims to be proud of. Against a team who has a
dedicated coach and over twice the training time,
thanks to owning their own pool, the Cambridge
team acquitted themselves with dignity.
112 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Men’s Waterpolo
After a slow start that saw them go 2-0 down,
Cambridge picked up their game and began to
counter-attack effectively to pull back level. More
good counters in the second quarter allowed
Cambridge to take the lead and stretch to a 7-3
half-time lead. Cambridge began to relax and
play more effectively, but failed to put away their
chances during the third quarter when they
could have closed out the match. Leading 10-7
going into the last period, Cambridge did not
create any chances to score and allowed Oxford
to pull their way back into the game. Oxford
equalised as the buzzer sounded to end the
game, while Cambridge retained the trophy.
Ladies’Waterpolo
With a largely new pack, the Light Blue women
knew they would have to step up to take the
match. Oxford scored a goal almost off the swimoff; after a second Oxford goal, the Light Blues
countered and new squad member Rebecca
Voorhees scored a decisive goal from centre
forward. The Dark Blues maintained a one point
lead in the second quarter, with captain Rachael
Mell and Line zu Ermgassen keeping Oxford’s
counters in check.
As Oxford pulled further ahead in the final two
quarters, it became apparent that the Cambridge
man-ups (6-on-5 plays when a player is sent off )
and arc formation were not being maximised.
At least 6 Cambridge shots on goal went wide or
short, with some valiant plays by centre forward
Jenny Macleod. This was in part due to
Cambridge players being thrown off by the
unfamiliar dimensions of the Oxford pool,
regulation size, but wider than the pool the
women practice in.
Women’s captain Rachael Mell said "The team
played really well, it was a good match, luck just
wasn't on our side. I don't think the score really
reflected our performance, it's just a shame we
didn't convert all our chances."
Other News
Ladies’ and Men’s Swimming
Relays Gala, October 2007:
Cambridge University A 66
Otter Masters Swimming Club 65
Cambridge University B 37
Nottingham University 31
Saturday 20th October saw the Cambridge
swimming teams out in force at Parkside Pools for
the Annual Cambridge Relays Gala – the debut
event for this year’s intake.
In recent years, the gala has been a closely fought
battle between Cambridge and London Otter
and this year, it proved to be no different. The
first half showcased the team’s established talent,
with a plethora of first places and consistently
high quality performances from Brett McLean in
the Individual Medley and Butterfly and Dan
O’Dea in the Backstroke for the Men as well as
from Katherine Hedley and Sonia White in the
Breaststroke and Freestyle for the Ladies. The
winning streak gave Cambridge A an early lead
over their rivals.
The team’s depth was tested in the second half
over a series of relays and this is where the team
freshers really came into their own. New addition
Izzie Kaufeler showed unparalleled improvement,
picking up three season’s bests. This, however,
was not enough to prevent Otter steadily closing
down on Cambridge’s lead.
www.sophiepickford.com
113
The gala came down to the final event.
Everything could have changed but Cambridge A
just managed to hold onto their lead, beating
London Otter 66 points to 65. Cambridge B, with
37 points easily outperformed the other
attendees, Nottingham University who left with
only 31 points.
Beating London Otter, who fielded several
Cambridge alumni, is an important result for the
swimmers. Whilst the Men retained many of last
year’s Blues, the Ladies’ team is younger and less
experienced. This was a crucial victory, showing
that, under pressure they can compare to
previous years and the dream of a ninth
consecutive Varsity win is still alive.
BUSA Shortcourse, 17/18 November 2007:
Highlights:
Freestyle Relay Team: 19th – 9th in the B final
Katherine Hedley: 2 SBs, 13th in the 50m
Breaststroke in a Blues Time and 10th in the 100m
Breaststroke final
Sonia White: 17th place in the 200m Free, Blues
Time in the 50m Free, 3 Season’s Bests
Heather Moore: Four Season’s Bests/PBs, 15th in
the 100m Back, 16th in the 50m Back
Natalie Moores: 3 SB/PBs, 18th in the 100m Back
Natasha: 2 SB/PBs
Chloe: 2 SBs, including a 9 second PB in the 200m
Freestyle
Isabelle Kaufeler: 1 SB and a time in a new event:
200m IM
Emma Gorton: 1 SB
Gemma Sharp: 1 SB
Emma Inkester: 1 SB
114 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Overall, we got 4 points (3 won by the girls!) and
came 39th out of 62 universities.
and 8th Nationally (results overall for Ladies and
Men). Highlights are as follows:
City of Cambridge Open Meet, 18/19/20 January
2008:
Results (in 16+ age group):
Sonia White: 4th in 200m Freestyle, 2nd in 50m
Free, 2nd in 50m Free Skins Final, 1st in 100m Free
Teresa Thurston: 1st in 100m Fly, 5th in 50m Free,
6th in Skins Final, 3rd in 100m Free
Isabelle Kaufeler: 4th in 100m Fly, 6th in 200m IM,
5th in 100m IM
Natasha Brierley: 6th in 100m Fly, 14th in 50m
Free, 14th in 100m Free
Katherine Hedley: 2nd in 100m Breaststroke,
6th in 50m Free, 7th in Skins Final
Kate Weber: 5th in 100m Breaststroke
Jessica Trevellick: 5th in 200m IM, 13th in
50m Free
Natalie Moores: 5th in 100m Backstroke, 10th in
50m Free, 10th in 100m Free
Chloe Grover: 3rd in 200m Freestyle, 19th in
50m Free
Heather Moore: 6th in 100m Backstroke, 8th in
50m Free, 4th in 100m Free
Emma Gorton: 18th in 100m Free
Emma Inkester: 20th in 100m Free
Katherine Hedley – 2 SBs in the 50 and 100 Breast,
1st in the South in 50m Breast, 2nd in the 100m
Breast and 2nd in the national final in100m Breast
Teresa Thurston – 1 SB, getting the Blues Time in
the 50 Fly for the first time this year, 2nd in the
South in 50m and 100m Fly
Sonia White – 1 SB and a sub-28 50 Free, 2nd in
the South in 50m and 100m Free
Heather Moore – 2 SB and a string of PBs in the
50 Back
Isabelle Kaufeler – 1 SB and PB in the 50 Fly
Emma Gorton – 1 SB and PB in the 50 Free
Emma Inkester – 1 SB in the 50 Free
Gemma Sharp – 1 SB in the 50 Free
Jessica Trevellick – 2 SBs and PBs in the 100 Free
and 200 Free
BUSA Team, 14/15 March 2008:
The team entered on both days was weakened by
the loss of international students who had to fly
home as the competition was after the end of
term. With it being on consecutive days, it was
also not possible for PhD students to spend two
days away from their labs, so the results in the
national final on the 15th were affected by this.
However, the performance was still good, with
the team coming 2nd in the Southern Division
Men’s Waterpolo
The Blues reached the final of BUSA division 2,
losing to Birmingham. They were hampered by a
lack of training in the build-up to the match due
to a fire at the Leys Pool. However, promotion to
the first division was secured where the Blues will
face a better standard of Water Polo during the
next season.
Ladies’Waterpolo
Unfortunately we lost all our BUSA games.
Rachael Mell’s home team Harrogate Shortwalkers
retained their place in National League Division
One, finishing 6th. Mell scored 2 goals this season.
Beijing Experience
Tom James
There can be no doubt that these games were
by far the largest sporting spectacle that this
world has experienced.The most exhilarating
opening ceremony ever seen, Phelps and Usain,
and of course the sheer scale and cost of the
stadiums and events. For me the daily heart
stopping moments of sporting genius such as the
final of the Mens 15m diving competition, to
name but one, really characterized what the
Olympics is about.
the streets was often stifled and had that air of
city centres full of busy people, which of course
the Chinese were.They were so involved in
making sure nothing went wrong that I think
they really forgot to enjoy it. Every corner of a
street had some armed guard solemnly patrolling
for pro Tibet supports and the constant policing
by volunteers wherever you went became a daily
chore and frustration.
From my perspective I’ve had the best experience
of my life. I’ve been in a race that tested me fully
and has left me with a profound sense of
accomplishment at the end. If anything though
I found I had something in common with the
Chinese; I also wanted nothing to go wrong and
found it pretty hard to enjoy what I was doing.
If I go all the way through to London that’s one
thing I know I’ll be able to do better.
Tom James (second left)
After China having already won 7 out of the 8
Mens Diving events, it came down to the last
event and the last dive for each competitor. China
already had it in the bag to win a clean sweep in
all 8 events with two divers clearly ahead of the
field. But a young Australian, Matthew Mitcham,
stunned everyone including the two Chinese
with an unearthly perfect dive in every sense of
the word to put himself so far in front that it
became impossible for either of them to
challenge. China didn’t get their full house.The
Olympics for me is about seeing man at his
physical and mental best and producing
performances that make you feel in awe of what
the human body can achieve.
However, after all the hype and glory of the
games in what has truly been a breath taking
experience the one disappointing factor that
Beijing lacked was character. The atmosphere in
115
Cambridge University
Table Tennis Club
Convincing wins for men and women as the club
continues Varsity domination
www.srcf.ucam.org/cuttc
President: Simon Maddrell, Gonville & Caius
Captain: Hamish Yeung, St Catharine’s
Trang To, Newnham
Secretary: Doug Speed, St Catharine’s
Senior Treasurer: Simon Maddrell,Gonville & Caius
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Doug Speed, St Catharines
Hamish Yeung, St Catharine’s
Devesh Shete, St Catharine’s
Raphael Assier, Sidney Sussex
Richard Siau, Downing
Ben Roberts, Emmanuel
Kai Ting Wong, Homerton
Matthew Jarvis, Corpus Christi
Hang Li, Newnham
Xiaoxiao Du, Darwin
Trang To, Newnham
Helen Pooley, Trinity
CUTTC provides players of all standards the
chance to play table tennis in Cambridge. For
116 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Oxford clinched a 5-4 lead, a service fault at
advantage by the Oxford number 4 gifted
Cambridge the draw.
Both first teams started poorly by going 1-0
down, but thereafter it was one way traffic for
Cambridge who had greater depth of quality in
both the men's and women's events.Three wins
apiece from Hang Li, Xiaoxiao Du, Devesh Shete
and Doug Speed secured 8-2 victories as
Cambridge claimed 4.5 points out of a possible
five in the Varsity Table Tennis Event. Regrettably
it marks the first time Cambridge have secured a
lead (31-30) in the Men's Event for 32 years.
beginners we have two general sessions at
Fenner’s at which free coaching is available. In
Michaelmas Term we run a College League with
four divisions and in Lent Term, a Knockout
Competition. For those looking to represent the
University, we have Men’s and Women’s teams in
BUSA and the Local League and offer the chance
to earn a Half Blue in the annual Varsity Match.
Other News
This has been a very successful year for CUTTC.
The Men’s team won the Premier League of BUSA
before being knocked out in the quarter finals.
Varsity produced the fourth successive victory
with both the Men’s and Women’s First teams
winning, while the Men’s Seconds snatched a draw.
Varsity Match
Sunday 24th February
Men’s First: 8-2, Women’s First: 8-2,
Men’s Second: 5-5
Cambridge players fared very well in the BUSA
Individual Championships. The weekend was
capped when Devesh Shete and Doug Speed
faced each other in the final of the Trophy,
ensuring a Cambridge victory.
The day kicked off with the Men's Seconds.
Cambridge opened up a 4-2 lead after the first
four singles and two doubles. However Oxford
launched a comeback with wins from their
numbers one and two against their Cambridge
counterparts, leaving the match balanced at four
games each. With the final two singles played
simultaneously it was down to Kai Ting Wong and
Matthew Jarvis to decide the result. Both matches
went to a deciding leg, and a few moments after
The College Leagues were the largest so far, with
32 college teams entered in four divisions while
24 teams took part in the knockout competition.
The League title was claimed by Trinity First Team,
who remained unbeaten in the first division,
while St Catharine’s won the Knockout. In total,
over 150 players took part in the college
competitions.
Cambridge University
Trampoline Club
CUTC is a large, high profile club, catering for complete
beginners and elite competitors alike
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cutc/
President: Ellen Turnbull, Corpus Christi
Captain: Carol Evans, St John’s
Secretary: Sarah Turner, St John’s
Senior Treasurer: Professor J Woodhouse,
Department of Engineering
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Carol Evans, St John’s
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Charlotte Pocock, Homerton
Club Colours Awarded 2007-08
Sarah Turner, St John’s
Lizzie Schofield, Homerton
Robert McNeil, Sidney Sussex
Bryony Gee, Jesus
Chloe Purcell, Selwyn
Julie Macdonald, Jesus
Janet Scott, Trinity Hall
Suzanne Tobin, Girton
Katharina Kohler, Lucy Cavendish
Emma Hunter, Newnham
CUTC is a large, high-profile club. We cater for all
levels, from complete beginners to elite
competitors, whether you want to compete or
just turn up for some exercise and fun. We take
teams to competitions throughout the year,
including BUSA and Varsity, as well as Student
Open tournaments, and host competitions of our
own including the annual Cambridge Trampoline
Open. We hold sessions three times a week, with a
total of 8 hours bouncing time a week. CUTC is
also a very social club and we have regular pub
trips as well as formal swaps, punting trips,
garden party and meals out.
Varsity Match
23/02/08, Oxford
Overall Cambridge victory
Cambridge enjoyed a clear victory at the Varsity
games in Oxford with a total score of 431 to
Oxford’s 381. Cambridge won each of the three
team categories, as well as individual victories in
each category.
The A team were first to compete and gave
fantastic performances, especially some beautiful
high tariff voluntary (vol) routines which helped
give a huge margin between the vol scores:
Cambridge 80.4, Oxford 48.6. Unfortunately one
of Oxford’s strong performers in this category
was injured during the warm up period and was
unable to compete her vol routine. Cambridge
also had an exciting moment when Rob McNeil
nearly left the trampoline during his set and
unfortunately the routine was terminated part
way through. Despite this he delivered a lovely
vol and along with scores from Carol Evans (who
had the highest individual score), Sarah Turner
and Lottie Pocock, Cambridge achieved an overall
victory of 147.7 to 113.6 in this category.
Secondly, the B team Cambridge competitors
Lizzie Scholfield, Bryony Gee, Chloe Purcell and
Suzanne Tobin each put in strong set routines
and high tariff voluntary routines resulting in a
win of Cambridge 144.1 to Oxford 132.4. Bryony
had the individual highest score of all
the competitors in the B teams with two
beautiful routines.
Lastly, the C team also had an overall win of 139.2
to Oxford’s 135.1.The vol routines had some very
impressive tariffs, and the standard was very high,
all competitors would have easily been capable
of competing at B team standard. Competitors
were Emma Hunter, Julie MacDonald, Janet Scott
and Katharina Kohler. Emma had the overall
highest score of the C teams.
This year the Varsity Cup was replaced with a
shiny new cup, as space for engraving had run
out on the old one.
117
Other News
CUTC’s 23rd year has been a very prosperous one.
We have had a good level of membership
reflected in sessions almost always being busy
and lots of keen new members attending
sessions regularly, as well as some extremely
impressive competition results.
Cambridge was extremely well represented at
BUSA on the 9th of March this year with 13 CUTC
members competing, one of these at elite level,
three at advanced, seven at intermediate and two
in the novice category.
Carol Evans came sixth in the Elite national
category, with a very impressive score sufficient
to earn her a Cambridge Full Blue.
Charlotte Pocock came 16th out of 42 in the
advanced category with a strong performance
earning her a Half Blue.
Bryony Gee won not only the regional (74
entries), but also the national intermediate
category (top ten competitors from each region),
an extremely impressive achievement.
We have also hosted some of our own
competitions. Cuppers was held in Michaelmas
Term and was well attended, with competitiors
from complete beginners to elite level, and
Homerton College providing the winning team.
This year Cambridge hosted the York-Cambridge
friendly match in Lent Term where Cambridge
enjoyed an overall victory.
118 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
In Easter Term, CUTC hosted the annual
Cambridge Trampoline Open. Although entries
were lower than expected, due to the date
coinciding with another university competition,
the competition was certainly a great success and
again Cambridge were the overall winners.
This has been the first whole year of use for our
newest trampoline after it’s purchase just before
last summer.This year has also seen the purchase
of a much-needed set of club leotards.
This year both Barry Bryce and Sarah Turner
completed British Gymnastics coaching courses.
Barry is now a level three club coach and Sarah a
level two coach.
Cambridge University
Volleyball Club
CUVC continues its run of successful seasons
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cuvc/index.php
President: Dr Jon Clarke, Wolfson
Captain: Stephen Sarkozy, St John’s
Yvonne Beyer, New Hall
Secretary: Sven Meeder, Sidney Sussex
Bethan Shaffery, Homerton
Senior Treasurer: Dr J McElwaine, St Catharine’s
Blues Awarded 2007-08
Stephen Sarkozy, St John’s
Sven Meeder, Trinity
Martin Niederste-Ostholt, Gonville & Caius
Tobias Nyumba, Downing
Jonas Neher, Darwin
Pavel Zubko, King’s
Tjonnie Li, Peterhouse
Marek Chalupnik, Churchill
Mike Finley, Homerton
Josh Beyer, King’s
Half Blues Awarded 2007-08
Yvonne Beyer, New Hall
Bethan Shaffery, Homerton
Anna Protasio, Christ’s
Ingeborg Kuijlaars, Downing
Maria Haal, Girton
Henna Niutanen, Girton
Alexandra Rinnert, St John’s
Claire Nichols, Girton
Cambridge University Volleyball Club aims to
provide all levels of volleyball for members of the
university, with emphasis both on sporting and
social success .This is manifested through both
indoor and outdoor collegiate competitions, a
beginners program, regional men’s and women’s
teams, and the elite Blues. In addition to
competing in tense Varsity matches, both the
men’s and women’s Blues teams are nationally
respected, frequently in National semi-finals and
on several occasions representing Great Britain in
the European University Championships.
Varsity Match
09/02/2008 – Iffley Road, Oxford
Men – (W) 3-0 Women – (L) 2-3
Men:
The Cambridge men, surprisingly up before the
women this year, were keen to defend their
Varsity title. Coach Jacquet started with Sarkozy
(captain) and Meeder on the left, NiedersteOstholt swinging opposite, Neher and Zubko
patrolling the net, and Finley at libero. Li would
quarterback from the setter spot. Immediately
Oxford were outclassed. Ex-Cambridge star Zuev
was absent for the Dark Side, who while putting
up a valiant effort, fell behind early. Li was
distributing well, the Cambridge pass was solid,
and all options were open. A double digit lead
was opened, and Nyumba was given a chance to
impress in the opposite spot. He did not let it
wither, immediately scoring as Cambridge closed
out to 14.
The second set was similar, although Beyer
contributed some attacks through the middle.
The same story held, Cambridge again taking the
set 25-14. In the final set, Chalupnik (torn
meniscus) limped onto the court for a point, and
Cambridge again jumped out to a lead. Oxford
rallied behind some great support from their
home crowd, forcing Jacquet to use both his
timeouts. With no available substitutes, the
Cambridge coach could simply watch as the lead
was whittled to nothing, with Cambridge being
down a set point at 24-25. However the Light Blue
discipline held, and a few side outs were followed
by a thundering Meeder kill to seal the victory.
119
Women:
Having seen the Cambridge men comfortably
dispatch Oxford, it was up to the Women to
follow suit. Cambridge started as underdogs,
having been beaten twice by Oxford in the BUSA
league season.The starting team was Yvonne
Beyer (capt), Bethan Shaffery, Alex Rinnert,
Ingeborg Kuijlaars, Maria Haal, Henna Niutanen,
and Phoebe Lau. Substitutes were Anna Protasio,
Claire Nichols, Jane Han and Katie Scotter.The
team was coached by Jon Clarke.
In the opening set the Cambridge women
demonstrated why they were coming into this
match as second favourites, with poor servereceive passing and defense cover in the backcourt. Occasional moments of good play resulted
in attacks that Oxford were comfortably picking
up, and the serving errors from the Cambridge
team sealed the set against their favour.
Replacement of the two outside hitters and main
passers (Yvonne and Ingeborg) with Anna and
Jane in the second set, improved the ball delivery
to Bethan, who was able to set up some good
attack options through Maria in the middle and
Alex on the reverse. Cambridge started to claw
their way back into the game, and after some
impressive back-court defence from Jane and
strong left-side attack from Anna, Oxford
crumbled at the finale of the set to allow
Cambridge to even the scores.
After a disaster serve substitution in the second
set, Katie replaced Henna for serve again in the
third set, this time getting a run of four points to
put Cambridge ahead. With Jane replacing Alex
on reverse, allowing the team to still utilise her
much needed defence and receive abilities,
120 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
captain Yvonne took the outside position again.
Bethan was still battling hard to distribute to her
point-winning attackers, notably Anna and Maria.
The Light Blues took a comfortable third set and
were poised for the match as they started the
fourth unchanged. However, the Oxford team
sensed their demise and took a timely step up in
game quality, pushing two serve runs at the start
of the set that were costly for the Cambridge
team. A late push with excellent serving from
Maria and Bethan, and calmly calculated second
ball attacks from the Cambridge setter put the
Light Blues back in contention at the end of the
set but not soon enough to close out the match.
With the lottery of a 15 point fifth set, the
Cambridge team knew the importance of staying
within two points of the opponents. Collapsing in
a spectacular fashion, the Cambridge team
slumped to a 4-13 deficit, normally reliable libero
Phoebe having problems in serve-receive and
none of the first three Cambridge servers able to
avoid errors. Supersub Claire was used to replace
Jane and Cambridge won the ball on an Oxford
error. Claire then proceeded to serve the next 10
points, two of which were aces, to the mounting
excitement of the Cambridge supporters and
disbelief of the home fans. A consistent serve was
required and Cambridge won point after point,with
a lot of nervous Oxford errors.At match point the run
finished and an uncharacteristic communication
error on the Cambridge side handed Oxford the
game.It was an entertaining and well-fought match,
which saw Oxford extend their winning run in
Varsity competition to 4 matches.
MVP was Anna Protasio.
Other News
Cambridge University Volleyball continues its run
of successful seasons.The beginners team placed
respectably in the local league, as did the
Women’s second team in the Cambridgeshire
Women’s League.The men’s second team
successfully defended the regional county cup.
The club ran several successful and enjoyable
collegiate competitions, with Trinity winning the
indoor competition and Churchill winning the
outdoor league.
The Women’s Blues team had a tough season
after several key players departed, although they
did contribute to the Cambridgeshire Women’s
League MVP en route to a second place finish.
Former Cambridge captain Helen MacIntyre
helped lead London to a BUSA gold medal and
National Cup Championship.
The Men’s Blues again had an extremely
successful season, winning the Midlands
Conference in BUSA and finishing third in the
National Student Cup. At the BUSA Finals the men
took Silver Medals, and by virtue of this qualified
to play in the European Student Championships
in Italy in July.
Sponsors
Kitlocker
Adam’s Kids/Jane Shilton Purses/Car Audio and
Security/Mountain Warehouse
Rucksacks/MiniMode children’s clothes/Racing
Green Linen Suits
Beijing Experience
Sarah Winckless
My first rowing experiences were in eights on
the Cam, many students can empathise with
the hours spent queuing to get under the
bridge, trying to row ‘all eight’. Having spent
much of my rowing career sculling in doubles
and quads, there was a strange symmetry
racing my third Olympics back in the big boat.
We approached the Olympics with an air of
massive anticipation; we had some world class
times under our belt, had medalled in the third
World Cup Regatta and knew that we had a
chance of being on the podium. I loved the
weeks coming up to the Games, all my crew
were first time Olympians and their excitement
at the team announcement and kit issue made
me see it with fresh eyes. I felt at home at the
Olympic rowing course and was itching to get
racing. We were made to wait however, our
race was delayed for 24 hours when thunder
and lightening stopped racing when we were
literally on the start line. I wasn’t worried how
the crew would respond, I knew this was a boat
of racers and was confident that we could
handle anything that was thrown at us. Our
second place in the heat behind the World
Champions, the Americans, was a really
promising start and definitely confirmed our
medal potential.The boat felt good, but there
were improvements to be made, so we kept
our heads level and concentrated outing by
outing, stroke by stroke.
However, when we raced the repechage the
boat felt different from the one that had raced
in the heats.Technically it felt fine, but we
weren’t getting the same boat speed for our
effort and it was with absolute silence that we
crossed the finish line having qualified for the
final in third place. I didn’t know what to think,
nothing had gone wrong, but we just hadn’t been
quick.Things began to make sense that evening
when illness hit our crew. It was an absolute
nightmare as it spread amongst us, touching us
all to a greater or lesser degree. By the final we
had two subs on board and a few others under
par. It is not what you dream of for your Olympics.
However, we raced with spirit and determination
and with the odds stacked against us, beat the
Australians, coming fifth but falling outside the
medal zone.
To train for four years and be robbed of your
chance by a simple illness leaves me with a bucket
full of emotions. I am so proud of the work we did
as that eight, I enjoyed every minute of racing and
training with them; also we held our heads and
kept the illness within our group, allowing the rest
of the British Squad their medal chances. However
I’m frustrated, disappointed and angry – here is an
athlete with unfinished business!
121
Talented Athlete
Scholarship Scheme
The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme is a unique partnership
between National Governing Bodies of Sport and Higher Education
TASS Athlete
Akbar Ansari
Joseph Clark
Mary Cohen
Anthony Crutchett
Henry Day
Edward Dickson
Marco Espin
Holly Foster
Jenny Hall
Eleanor Hind
Tom Malaney
Peter Marsland
Tom Ransley
Victoria Stevens
Louisa Tarn
Joseph Wheeler
College
Trinity Hall
St Edmund’s
Fitzwilliam
Downing
St Catharine’s
Trinity Hall
Gonville and Caius
Churchill
Selwyn
Sidney Sussex
St Edmund’s
Clare Hall
Hughes Hall
Jesus
Jesus
St Edmund’s
122 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
Sport
Cricket
Rugby Union
Fencing
Fencing
Shooting
Shooting
Rowing
Shooting
Hockey
Wheelchair Tennis
Rugby Union
Rowing
Rowing
Orienteering
Golf
Rugby Union
PE Department Mentor
Helen Boyle
Simon Cornish
Tristan Coles
Helen Boyle
Tristan Coles
Simon Cornish
Simon Cornish
Helen Boyle
Helen Boyle
Helen Boyle
Tristan Coles
Tristan Coles
Helen Boyle
Tristan Coles
Helen Boyle
Simon Cornish
The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, or TASS
as it is better known, is a unique partnership
between National Governing Bodies of Sport and
Higher Education, which provides financial and
professional support to elite young athletes who
are committed to continuing their education.
All athletes are nominated by their relevant
National Governing Body to receive a scholarship
worth £3000, funded through UK Sport. Every
scholarship includes key services, such as
Strength and Conditioning and Performance
Lifestyle Management with trained mentors.
Direct financial support towards competition,
training and equipment expenses is another
major part of the scheme. Many of the athletes
have already competed on the national or
international stage and will be aiming to be
among Great Britain’s medal hopefuls at
London 2012.
2007/2008 saw Cambridge’s largest contingent of
supported athletes since the scheme’s inception
in 2002, with the Physical Education Department
supporting 16 University students together with
a further 16 from further and higher education
institutions in the eastern region. Simon Cornish,
the Physical Education Officer who manages TASS
at Cambridge, emphasised the importance of
TASS to Cambridge athletes. "Balancing a degree
course with elite-level athletic training requires
incredible amounts of determination, focus and
talent and nowhere is that more true than at
Cambridge.These athletes mix exceptional
academic and sporting talent and TASS support is
integral in helping with the constant balancing
act that they have to perform. Make a note of
their names, there is every chance that some of
these young people will be the sporting
headline-makers of the future."
Success was not restricted to the Cambridge
University athletes, with Rifle shooter Matt
Skelhon (pictured), who studies in Peterborough
with the Home Learning Network achieving a
perfect score in his Paralympic Gold Medal
campaign in Beijing.
Among the 2007/2008 TASS group was Anthony
Crutchett (Downing), a Fencer who travelled as a
training partner with fellow University student
and former TASS athlete Alex O’Connell to Team
GB’s pre-Olympic Training camp in Macau.
Akbar Ansari (Trinity Hall), a cricketer with high
hopes of playing top-level cricket after
graduation, showed some of his burgeoning
talent by scoring 193 and an unbeaten 83 in the
cricket Varsity match in July to go with his 73 in
the one-day victory over the Dark Blues. Rowers
Peter Marsland (Clare Hall) and Tom Ransley
(Hughes Hall) recovered from the Boat Race
defeat to finish 4th in the World Cup "B Final" in
Poznan in June 2008.
123
Eric Evans Fund
Awards are made either to improve a student’s personal
sporting performance beyond University level or to enable
them to undertake courses in connection with officiating,
coaching or the administration of Sport
The Managers of the Fund are:
In 2007/2008, the Managers made awards totalling in excess of £2500 to the following students:
Mr A.D. Lemons (Hughes Hall)
Director of Physical Education
Ian McGonigle
Samantha Cutts
Jamie Douglas
Natalie McGoldrick
Andy Nowacki
Tom Ransley
Joseph Wheeler
Rachel Fenton
Chris Pedder
Humphrey Waddington
Matthew Webb
Harry Leitch
Ben Richardson
Joel Taylor
Ellen Turnball
Robert Bogie
Dr J Lasenby (Trinity)
Senior Treasurer, Women’s Blues Committee
Dr J Little (St Catharine’s)
Senior Treasurer, Men’s Blues Committee
124 Annual Review of Sport
2007–2008
King’s
Emmanuel
St John’s
Churchill
Robinson
Hughes Hall
St Edmund’s
Darwin
Trinity
St Catharine’s
Trinity Hall
Fitzwilliam
Churchill
Peterhouse
Corpus Christi
Christ’s
Sailing
Riding (Eventing)
Squash and Real Tennis
Equestrian
Target Rifle Shooting
Rowing
Rugby Union
Mountain Biking
Mountain Biking
Athletics
Swimming
Squash
Athletics
Trampolining
Trampolining
Target Rifle Shooting
Produced by the Department of Physical Education in association with
Communications Services, University of Cambridge
Design by Cameron Design
Photographs by Sophie Pickford
© University of Cambridge
www.sport.cam.ac.uk
www.cam.ac.uk