Adam Shergold’s Wednesday Round-up: 21 January
The world of sport at the University of York reawakened yesterday on a fiddly afternoon of rearrangements and matches pencilled in at short notice. For some of our sports team, the advent of 2009 brings a golden dawn of possibility as BUCS silverware looms large but for others, old problems lingered like the dark winter mornings. Join Nouse and YSTV for your magical mystery tour through the best of the action.
There’s something about the BUCS Cup that brings out the best in York’s teams. Maybe it’s the clichéd role of being the underdog that enflames the sinews, or maybe it’s merely the opportunity of shaking off the monotony of underachieving league campaigns. Not that York’s women rugby players are by any means underachievers, but they certainly produced their best for the cup clash with Leeds Trinity and All Saints, brushing them off 34-0.
With their berth in the quarter-finals of the knock-out competition to smugly combine with sitting top of their division, things are looking particularly bright for this gutsy and spirited team. Yesterday, two tries by Lizzie Prance, plus further contributions from Sarah McGloughlin, Chrissie Leahy, Kirsty Wheeler and Emma Cooper did the business here. They do, however, now face an unglamorous trip to face Sunderland in the next stage.
York’s netballers raised their game another notch as well yesterday, when beating Teesside 33-29 in a keenly-contested BUCS Cup encounter. Having expended their energies in establishing a second quarter advantage against a physical opposition, it required the steady hands of attackers Sarah Pycroft and Sarah Fisher, plus the backing of a partisan crowd, to cross the finishing line in this match. They must maintain such levels of performance when they welcome Durham seconds, who compete two leagues higher, next week.
Next week sees further competition in the BUCS Cup, with the squash, badminton, tennis, football and volleyball sides hoping to muster the magic of the cup as they fly the flag for York.
Moving on to BUCS League action and a stunning 31-3 victory away at Newcastle preserved York rugby firsts’ proud winning record and moved within three points of leaders Northumbria, with two crucial matches in hand. In contrast, the seconds grabbed their first league win of the season, thrashing Newcastle fourths 39-0 to alleviate their relegation concerns.
Two football fixtures yesterday, with the men’s seconds involved in an exciting 3-3 draw away to Huddersfield firsts, while the fourths lost 2-0 against Bradford seconds. Over at Fulford golf club, York defeated Leeds Met 3.5-2.5 to record their first league win of the season and take on Sunderland next in the cup competition. Travelling to Teesside, there was an excellent win for Tom Gatenby’s badminton seconds by a 7-1 scoreline in a critical bottom-of-the-table clash.
Finally, further disappointing news from the Astroturf as the men’s hockey team still seek that first league win of the season, crashing 5-2 against Leeds seconds yesterday. Captain Billy Walsh appeared visibly frustrated by this latest setback, despite two goals from Niko Bode, and they remain rock bottom of their unforgiving league.
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