“And the world record has gone, he’s knocked a second off it and done it all by himself. This must surely be the greatest front runner of all time. Astonishing.” It’s Oslo, 1981, and Sebastian Newbold Coe, aged 25, has just broken his own 1000m world record. Lasting for the next 18 years, this moment was considered to be one of the greatest achievements in modern athletics.

Fast-forward 27 years, and Lord Coe is no longer chasing his own records; instead he is charged with overseeing a new generation of British athletes, as the Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympics.

I join him at York College, where he is hosting a presentation on the role of higher education institutions in developing sporting talent.

“Organising London 2012 is a huge project; but I’m enjoying it. It’s a fabulous job, and one of the nicer manifestations of it is going out into communities seeing what’s happening at a local level,” he states as we stride through the vast corridors of the college; his entourage in tow. “My work is very broad. It’s about putting a transport system together that allows 10,500 athletes to travel around the city and between venues. We need the right kind of venues that are cutting edge; that crucially are able to produce a return to local communities.”

Although York is unlikely to feature as a host of any major sporting events during the games, Coe is confident the city has a major role to play in the lead up to 2012. “We have all of the training venues now in place; a few are locally based [in York] and now it’s up to colleges and such venues to go out and work together with our organisations to attract sports, individuals and coaches. We want the games venues and training camps to provide proper preperation facilities, and for our local communities to engage with those teams not just coming to London to compete, but to all our parts of the country in order to prepare for the games.”

Coe, dressed in a trim black suit, white shirt and red tie, cuts an impressive figure with a towering and charismatic presence. Speaking to him, it is apparent that he is a man of great confidence and self-belief, which is understandable given his outstandingly successful career.

Born on September 29, 1956 in Chiswick, London, Coe is the eldest of four children. The family was known for its athleticism: Peter Coe was a cyclist, and Coe’s grandfather had been a sprinter. He started running at a young age, from which point it was clear he had great potential. That potential saw him become one of Britain’s greatest middle-distance runners, winning two Olympic gold medals at 1500m, and famously setting three world records in less than six weeks in 1979 for the 800m, 1 mile and 1500m.

After retiring, in 1992 he began a five year spell as a Conservative MP for Falmouth and Calborne before being ousted in the 1997 general election. When asked about rumours that he is looking to run for London mayor in the future Coe gives a wry laugh. “My future is set for the next four years; I don’t even think beyond that.”

In the meantime Coe is an assiduous ambassador for the London Olympics. Since the Olympic bid victory of 2005 in Singapore, Coe has been constantly under the media spotlight. His aim now is to distinguish London 2012 as an outstanding games.

“One of the things we said in Singapore was that we wanted the games to be athlete focused”. He tells me of his vision of a games where overseas athletes and local communities across the country work together to provide “proper preparation camps”.

It is apparent that his biggest challenge may be convincing a sceptical media that British athletes are capable of meeting the nation’s expectations.

When I ask him about a recent report which suggests British athletes are not receiving adequate support to meet the targets set for 2012 he begins to look uncomfortable. “The report is four and a half years out; some sports are driving ahead. Most of the sporting federations are doing pretty well given that we’re four and a half years out and focusing on something that is important for them to get right. It’s not just about funding; it’s about presenting their sport which is an attractive sport for the next generation of youngsters to come through.”

Coe is highly diplomatic throughout most of the interview; choosing his words carefully as to avoid controversy. His thoughts on British hopes for the Beijing Olympics were equally restrained. “It’s not for me to be confident or not confident – that’s actually for the British Olympic Association and UK sport, my responsibility is to make sure that we have a games in London which is operationally effective and that leaves a legacy behind. I’d rather let the medals tables and the forms of the athletes to the organisations that are better positioned to do that. It’s up to the British Olympic Association to meet the target it has set; it has set a very ambitious target which they will be judged on.”

As we continue walking he looks around uneasily for an excuse to end the interview. I push on for one final question. So what is your opinion of Dwayne Chambers attempt to repeal his lifetime Olympics ban? I receive perhaps the most forthright answer of the afternoon. “My opinion has never changed in the 30 years I’ve been talking about it; I’ve always been in favour of a lifetime ban. That isn’t what we have; we have a two-year ban in most sports. In my own sport, of which I am Vice-President, we are trying to move the ban to four years.

“I think it’s the responsibility of all governing bodies to make sure if anyone steps outside the rules particualrly as serious as drug abuse in sport, that they’re either kicked out of the sport or given a very serious penalty that acts as a deterrent to other people.” At this point he thanks me for my company and as with so many others before, leaves me trailing behind.

The recent disclosure that the University’s alumni funding for the previous academic year was only £82,000 should be met with little surprise. York’s alumni fund only began two years ago, so it can be expected that only a small number of willing graduate donors are currently onboard. The questions which must really be asked are: why has it taken so long for the University to think of this, and what can be done to make it more successful?

Currently, York lags behind most of its rival institutions. Universities in the same bracket of academic standards such as Edinbrugh, Bristol and Leeds make between three and eight times more. However, with the exception of Oxbridge, it remains that British universities are impoverished when compared to their American counterparts. Britain currently lies 50 years behind America. Ivy League schools such as Princeton, Harvard and Yale all have alumni participation rates between 25% and 50%. Compare that to York’s paltry participation rate of 1.3%. The average American alumni fund is 14 times more than that of the average British university. Consequently, American universities have long dominated in their capabilities of pulling off campaigns to raise $1 billion or more. Given the increasingly inadequate funding from the British government, it is clear there is a considerable chasm that desperately needs to be closed.

So what is it that stops Britain from having similar success? Perhaps it’s our attitude towards philanthropy. Since the mid-90′s charities have talked about the ‘British philanthropic deficit’, which sees the richest 20% of Britons donate a measly 0.7% of their household expenditure to non-profit organisations. Furthermore British people are very suspicious of rich donors; they are often seen as egotistical self-publicists. This is to such an extent that courses have been run by American experts to help British educators learn how to extract money from their alumni. Oxford, who after announcing their plan to raise $25 billion, have recruited American fundraisers in planning and running its campaign.

The solution should be to introduce more innovation into the fundraising process. Simply expecting handouts is insufficient. While York’s plan to introduce reunions as a means of encouraging donations is laudable, it isn’t enough. American universities run competitions between alumni classes to give more than each other. York should use its collegiate system in a similar way; each college running fundraising events which galvanise ex-students to participate.

Using existing philanthropic research may also prove useful. A recent report in May by the Chronicle of Philanthropy claims that people who are asked to participate in volunteer projects for an institution are much more likely to pledge large gifts than others. By encouraging successful alumni to speak or get involved in alternative projects, University officials can avoid too many rejections from uninvolved alumni.

Even with the introduction of such methods, it is undoubted that much work must be done in convincing the British public that charity is a worthwhile cause inspite of the welfare system. Especially when the future of British higher education may depend on it.

Statistics released to Nouse show the University has suffered below average growth in applications for five consecutive years, of which the number of applications has fallen for the last three. Between 2005/06 and 2008/09 the number of applications to York fell from 21,441 to 19,385 – a drop of 2,056.

Despite falling numbers of applications, the number of students accepted has risen steadily in the last three years, going from 2,376 in 2005/06 to 2,745 in 2007/08. Acceptance figures for the 2008/09 academic year are not yet available.

Applications for 2008/09 were 15% lower than the previous year across all departments excluding Law and Film, Theatre and Television, which were both created in 2007. Of the 24 departments in existence during 2007/08, 21 saw a decrease in applications. The departments of Educational Studies and Electronics were the worst affected, with both seeing drops of 44%.

A UCAS spokesperson said that applications across the country fell by 7% in 2008/09, largely due to the decision to reduce the number of choices an applicant can make from six to five. The 15% drop seen at York is 8% higher than the national average.

University Press Officer David Garner admitted that the increase in number of applications accepted was linked to the Heslington East expansion. He said: “The University is committed to growth, and with the establishment of new departments, we expect to see a rise in applications and a rise in enrolled students.”

Garner denied that the combination of falling applications and increased acceptances meant less qualified students were being accepted, saying: “Applicants to this University continue to be of a very high standard.”

When asked whether the University was concerned by the size of the fall for 2008/09, Garner said: “We are concerned about any dip in applications and the University is working hard on specific subject areas that have seen a downturn in applications. We are looking at the provision of courses and how we market those courses within those subject areas.”

Professor John Robinson, head of the Department of Electronics, said the 44% drop since 2007/08 was being investigated by senior department officials. He said: “The fall in applications this year is a big question for us, and we’re being very careful not to jump to conclusions. Despite falling applications we know that York offers some of the best programmes in the country.”

Since the University was granted permission to proceed with the Heslington East expansion in May 2007 student concerns have grown about the value of a degree from York. One second year English student, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I don’t think it’s a good time to be a York student. So much time and money is being spent on Heslington East and as the University increases in size it’s hard to see how the quality of students accepted won’t drop and the value of a degree from York with it.”

YUSU President Anne-Marie Canning dismissed concerns over the rising rate of acceptance and falling rate of applications. She said “Heslington East is going to make York a more attractive choice. If people are worried about this they need to get a life.”

Vice-Chancellor Brian Cantor has previously denied that the campus expansion is having a negative impact on current students. Speaking at a public briefing on in March he said: “I don’t think the quality of the University has deteriorated in any sense at all in that period, in fact on the world tables we’ve gone up. I don’t really accept the premise so I can’t honestly say that the Heslington East expansion has had any bad impact on us.”

SUMMARY

YORK 55 – 16 YORK ST JOHN

19:07

YORK WIN VARSITY (55-16)
So a confirmed 39 point victory is how I conclude. I’d like to than everyone who’s tuned in during the day, for your comments. The day saw high sporting drama in the Men’s 1sts Badminton and Women’s Netball 2nds, while York claimed impressive wins in the rugby and football. You can view match reports of all of our nine featured games on the homepage. Thanks again, over and out.

18:45

Tennis Results: YORK WIN (10-0, 10-0, 10-0)
Lost in the chaos of this afternoon were the Men’s and Women’s 1sts who both gained superb victories winning their matches 10-0 and 10-0, taking a full white wash overall.

18:39

So the ceremony ends, with the York masses joining in the celebrations. Unfortunately St John only managed to scrape together 3 people, were they the only people playing today? Jo Carter expressed her great joy at victory blah blah blah. Well done York!!!

18:28

No news from the ceremony yet, expect tears and gushing thank-you’s to family, friends, and pets from Carter.

18:15

Men’s Cricket: YORK WIN (81-2, 79-4, York win by 4 wickets)
York take the final three points of the day with an audacious shot from the York batsman sealing victory with 5 balls left to spare. Relatively comfortable in the end, and now all we have left is the ceremony.

18:03

Match reports are starting to come in thick and fast now. You can view our reports from the earlier volleyball and rugby fixtures now.

18:00

The closing ceremony is due to being within the next few minutes, as Jo Carter will proudly lead York to picking up their fourth Varsity trophy.

17:58

Cricket: York 40-0 after 5 overs
York begin well in their chase for 80, failing to lose a wicket. You’d have to say that they are favourites now.

17:50

Netball 1sts: YORK WIN (35-30)
Its all over at the netball court as York polish of St John amid loud and joyous scenes. Captain Amy Smith says the win was “bloody fantastic and such a relief”. Amen.

17:43

Cricket: York St John 79-4
St John hold out for a steady 10 over score of 79. Can York overcome them in today’s final encounter?

17:34

Cricket: York St John 49-4 after 6 overs
St John score a solid 49 off the first 6 overs in the 10 over per side game in the main hall. However, they’ll be worried by the loss of 4 early wickets.

17:28

Netball 1sts: York 26-23 St John
York ahead by three at the end of the third quarter but St John continue to dig deep in the latter stages of this competition. Personally I think St John have surprised a few people today with the battling qualities they’ve shown, it’s not been easy for York and the scoreline may be flattering.

17:15

Anxious in York by comment
“Is there somewhere you could have a big ‘current score’ like with Roses?Is there somewhere you could have a big ‘current score’ like with Roses?”


Anxious you may be less anxious if you visit our homepage. The current score is on the grey banner at the top.

17:11

Netball 1sts: York 18-16 St John
A close first half in the fourth and final netball game of the day, with York taking a two point lead into the third quarter.

17:02

Stay tuned to Nouse for upcoming match reports of today’s big games and the ceremony which starts at 6pm.

16:55

Men’s Volleyball: YORK WIN (3-0)
York score a comfortable victory to make it a clean sweep in the volleyball women’s and men’s.

16:53

Hockey Men’s 1sts: DRAW (2-2)
St John score in the final minute in an end-to-end dramatic finish. Great second half and the visitors probably deserved the draw in the end.

16:48

Sport Editor, Criss Noice has had a bit of a crap day. First he has to wait an hour for the Rowing to start, then he got fined £30 for not wearing a seat-belt and now he’s watching what he says is a dreadfully dull game of dodgeball.

16:44

York are hanging on in the Hockey Mens 1sts. St John have another chance which goes just wide. 3 minutes left.

16:39

Hang on a second…out come a pack of St John reinforcements heading to Vanbrugh dining hall, I’ve heard the baguettes are much better.

16:37

The team bus has just arrived to pick up the defeated, it’s going to be a long drive home. Hang on…no it really isn’t.

16:32

The tension is mounting at the JSD Astroturf as St John fire in another couple of short corners. Is this one last stand from York’s rivals?

16:32

Mens Hockey 1sts: York 2-1 St John
Ooops spoke too soon, goal for St John from a short corner sets up a pulsating end to what has been a rather one-sided encounter.

16:28

Still no change in the Hockey Mens 1sts at 2-0 to York. St John don’t look like they’ll be scoring anytime soon.

16:23

Dodgeball: York 1-0 St John
In one of the more light-hearted encounters today, York take the first game at the dodgeball.

16:19

Netball 2nds – ST JOHN WIN (26-25)
St John take a consulatory victory in the netball as they storm to a full-time 26-25 victory after a pulsating encounter.

16:17

Hockey Men’s 1sts: York 2-0 St John
To run salt into the wound York go in 2-0 at half-time in the hockey. Apparently the score could have been a lot more.

16:14

YORK WINS VARSITY
Early reports suggest that we Nouse can confirm that York have now won Varsity for the fourth year running, maintaining their unbeaten record in the competition. Congratulations to the University of York.

16:10

All is quite here at the moment. Just to remind anyone who has just tuned in, York have scored massive victories in the Men’s Basketball 1sts, Football Men’s 3rds and 4ths, Hockey and Tennis. St John took a thrilling victory in the Men’s Badminton 1sts winning 27-25 in the lat match on the last end.

16:02

Netball 2nds: York 19-21 St John
St John lead by a narrow margin in the third quarter, but surely it’s too late for a comeback?

15:59

Hockey Men’s 1sts: York 1-0 St John
York take the lead with an exceptionally cheeky shot from Billy Walsh. The hockey is where all the cools are. Canning, Burton and Bayley are checking out the action as YUSU take a break from their heavy schedule.

15:55

Quite the afternoon we’ve seen so far, York certainly had a scare about an hour ago as York St John took big scalps in the Badminton and Hockey. We still have athletics, indoor cricket, hockey and staff football as York close in on retaining their unbeaten record.

15:52

Foy here, signing off. That was a laugh, wasn’t it? Ok, well I laughed at myself then. Lots more sporting action on the way, but I’ve got a newspaper to write. Coming up it’s Dan ‘Grandad’ Whitehead. Thanks for watching.

15:50

Football Mens 3rds: YORK WIN (3-1)
A good performance from the Mens 3rds has held off a late St John surge to take the win. Fingers crossed for the 1sts and a football clean-sweep. I won’t cross mine. It might make these updates even harder to type.

15:48

Hockey Mens 1sts: York 0-0 St John
Some early sparring on the JLD, but no goals as yet. Confusion, however, reigns after the Lacrosse team – training nearby – are using their whistles and stopping the hockey. I tell you, it’s getting pretty hectic down there.

15:45

Basketball Mens 1sts: YORK WIN (65-50)
After a good game, York have held on to take the spoils. Nothing to worry about, see.

15:44

Rugby Mens 1sts: YORK WIN (16-8)
It’s all over on the rugby field with some tasty action in the last few minutes. St John crossed the tryline and failed to convert, but York hit back through a drop-goal. “Good game. York more able, but failed to kill off the game.” Words of wisdom there from our Nouse correspondent.

15:41

Football Mens 4ths: YORK WIN (4-0)
York’s dominance lasted the match, running out 4-0 winners. I can just see the St John players trudging off after a tough 90 minutes. Ok, I can’t actually see them, but anyway – 3 more overall points!

15:38

Football Update
More great news from 22 acres as the 1sts move to a 3-1 lead over Stirling after a header from Gouland. That result should be safe now. In the 3rds Varsity match, York are 2-1 up.

15:34

Preposterone Noice has just arrived back from the Ouse, having picked up a £30 police fine for driving without his seat-belt. That’s passion for sport. Driving without your seatbelt is unsafe, kids.

15:31

Hockey Men’s 2nds: YORK WIN (5-1)
Three more points in the bag for York after the Mens 2nds comfortably secure a win. Nouse’s correspondent overheard the York ‘keeper remark: “I wish I could have taken off my pads and switched sides.” Now that is confidence. Or stupidity.

15:25

Basketball Men’s 1sts: York 61-48 St John
After a third quarter blip it looks like York may have got away with this one, as they lead by a 13-point margin towards the end of the 4th quarter.

15:21

Mens Rugby 1sts: York 13-3 St John
York score a try ater very good running on the right. What was a very tight game might just have swung into York’s hands.

15:20

Mens Hockey 2nds: York 5-1 St John
Mid-way through the second period, York are looking comfortable with a four-goal cushion.

15:18

Mens Basketball 1sts: York 53-38 St John
Just as we were thinking York were high and dry, a massive St John resurgence has closed the gap to 15 points with a quarter to go.
Quick message from Mr Sam Bayley, York’s biggest fan:
“Quite enjoying this coverage after all. Good bit o’ banter, and I’m glad no-ones stooped to chants like “HND, no degree” and “You’re a f***ing college” yet”

With great sportsmen like that, who can stop us?

15:14

Mens Tennis 3rds: YORK WIN (10-0)
Make that six more points for York. The Mens Tennis 3rds have wiped the floor with St Johns.

15:12

Skiing: YORK WIN (7-0)
Victory for York’s skiiers over in Davos. Or Castleford. A strong performance has blown the St John competitors off the piste. Or the man-made slope of snow. Who cares, three points for York.

15:10

CORRECTIONS
Sorry folks, a couple of errors to fix here. The Womens Hockey 2nds won 3-1, not 2-1 as reported, and the Netball 3rds won 31-25, not 31-27.

15:07

Football Mens 1sts: York 2-1 Stirling
Just after conceding, the Mens 1sts have bounced back through an Ed Murrils header. Well done that man. York back in front.

15:06

Football Mens 4ths: York 4-0 St John
Two goals in three minutes from the on-fire York strikers. Surely this one is in the bag?

15:04

Football Mens 1sts: York 1-1 Stirling
Against the run of play, Stirling have equalised in the BUSA match with 30 minutes left of the match. It’s got rather tense all of a sudden.

15:02

Scores are pretty close overall, so this is not shaping out to be the easy ride that AU President Jo Carter invisaged. Watch this space.

15:00

Football Mens 3rds: York 1-1 St John
St John grab one back in the 3rds game, an in-swinging corner defeating the York defenders. Scores in the 1sts and 4ths game still as they were.

14:58

Basketball Mens 1sts: York 38-18 St John
Half-time in the basketball, and York dominating in defence and offence. Can the Basketball-ing Men stop the overall St John comeback? Its 18-12 to York overall at the moment.

14:55

Badminton Mens 1sts: ST JOHN WIN (5-4)
Bad news, and a big upset. St John have won the final match 27-25, taking the overall victory on the last end of the match. Has the tide turned?

14:54

Rowing: ST JOHN WIN (6-3)
Noicey News from the River Ouse. That’s poetry kids.
Right, Senior Men won three points for York, but the Novice Men and Women won through for St John. So that’s a win for St John overall.

14:52

Rugby 1sts: York 8-3 St John
St Johns have missed a penalty and have been punished by a drop-goal from York. Still lots of St John pressure, however.

14:50

Netball 3rds: YORK WIN (31-27)
The Netball 3rds have held on to reach the final whistle with a four-goal lead. Three more points for York, despite a strong St Johns fightback

14:48

Football Update
Half-time down at 22 acres, and it’s all York. The 1sts are still one-up, the 4ths have doubled their lead, and the 3rds have just scored a penalty to take a one-nill lead. Get those oranges out boys!

14:45

Rowing Mens Seniors: YORK WIN
Another win for York, this time in the Senior rowing. Apparently York won “by a canvas”. It’s a rowing term, I hear. And I thought it was just something that you paint on. Still, ambiguous terminology aside, three more points for the York!

14:43

Basketball Mens 1sts: York 25-8 St John
St John have pulled some points back, but York are still comfortably ahead with half-time approaching. Let’s Go Defence, Let’s Go!

14:40

Football Mens 4ths: York 1-0 St John
More controversy down at the Football pitches, with York taking the lead in the 4ths game after a dodgy-looking goal. According to our correspondent, the York scorer was “miles” offside.

14:38

Netball 3rds: York 25-20 St John
Midway through the final quarter, York are solidly defending their 5 point lead under continued pressure from the visitors. Can they hold on? More to the point, can I keep up?
Got something to say? Leave us a comment at the bottom of the page.

14:36

Rugby Mens 1sts: York 5-3 St John
St Johns pull 3 points back through a penalty, but its a pretty open game that could still swing either way.

14:34

Football Update
Mens 1sts are still one-up against Stirling in the BUSA match, back at 22 acres its 0-0 in both the 3rds and 4ths Varsity games

14:33

Mens Basketball 1sts: York 21-4 St John
York totally in control after the first quarter of the basketball. Can’t see St Johns finding a way back in from here.

14:32

Rowing Mens Novice: ST JOHN WIN
St John’s take the spoils in the Mens Novice race by half a boat length. Bugger.

14:30

Womens Badminton 1sts: York 2-1 St John
Womens Badminton faring a little better, however. Still, there’s 6 games left to play.

14:28

Mens Badminton 1sts: York 3-4 St John
Not looking good for York in the Mens Badminton. A game down with two to play, York are heading for defeat in the current game. Win that, and St John have their first points of the day.

14:25

Mens Basketball 1sts: York 8-0 St John
Midway through the first quarter, York are 8 points clear. Everyone loves a bit of basketball. Slam dunk da funk.

14:24

Rugby: York 5-0 St John
After some pressure from St John, York have turned the tide and scored a try through number 14. Well done him. The try was, unfortunately, unconverted.

14:21

Football Mens 3rds: York 0-0 St John
Scrap the previous post football-fans, the goal was ruled out for offside. So its all square again. Someone get that linesman some glasses.

14:19

Rowing Mens Novice
News from Noice: the Mens Novice Rowing race has been restarted after the York crew crashed into the St Johns boat. I had a sneaky suspicion that Novice Rowing was a bad idea…

14:18

Football Mens 3rds: York 1-0 St John
Will the good times ever come to an end? York 3rds take the lead early in the opening fifteen minutes of the game.

14:13

Football Mens 1sts: York 1-0 Stirling
It isn’t Varsity, but more great news for York – our Mens 1sts are one-nil up against Stirling in their BUSA Plate game.

14:08

HURRAH! News just in that the Womens Rowing event has totally collapsed after those St Johnners forgot to bring a team. Who’d have thought? Crazy. Lots of points for York then. That’s pretty good news for our Womens Novice Team, who had been forced to retire following an injury. Novice rowing? Who knew.

14:06

Team-sports fans, its all about to go crazy down at 22 acres as the Mens 3rds and 4ths and the Womens 2nds are about to kick off. The Mens 1st Rugby match is also getting started – can York repeat their pre-Varsity victory today?

14:00

Down on the River Ouse, the Senior Mens and Womens 8s and 4s are all set to begin racing. Sports Generalissimo Criss ‘Preposterone’ Noice, of “let’s have a bloody Mans Committee then” fame, is at the water’s edge for Nouse.

13:56

Netball 3rds: York 10-4 St John
End of the first quarter down at the netball courts, York have a commanding lead in the 3rd team game. Woop woop, I just love netball.

13:53

Well that’s 6 more precious points for York then, and Varsity is well on its way.

13:51

Hockey Women’s 2nds: YORK WIN (2-1)
Having lost an early goal, York’s 2nd Women’s Hockey Team have fought back to take all three points against St. John’s. That’s another win in the bag for York.

13:50

Tennis Men’s 2nds: YORK WIN (5-0)
With a game to play, York have taken the spoils in the Men’s Second Tennis

13:50

Hey avid Varsity-watchers, Henry James Foy here taking over from Dan The Man Whitehead. Pretty crazy results coming in…

13:43

Badminton Men’s 1sts: York 2-3 St John
It’s neck and neck in the Men’s Badminton with 4 games left to play.

13:39

Netball Women’s 4ths: YORK WIN 45-3
An easy win for York sees them pick up…0 points. Damn.

13:34

Delay at the River Ouse as the rowers plan to head out at 2pm instead of the original time of 1.

13:28

AU President, Jo Carter says the Volleyball team could have won their game “with their hands tied behind their backs”, let the banter wars begin.

13:26

Badminton Men’s 1sts: York 1-2 St John
York pull a game back in the best of 9 matches against St John.

13:22

Volleyball Women’s 1sts: YORK WIN 3-0 (25-8, 25-10, 25-6)
The first result is through! York wrap up a comfortable straight set victory to take the first 3 points of the day and go 6-3 ahead overall.

13:18

Hockey Women’s 2nds: York 1-1 St John
York come back with a quick-fire equaliser to set up an interesting second half.

13:15

Hockey Women’s 2nds: York 0-1 St John
Despite missing an open net earlier and controlling possession St John take the lead.

13:09

Badminton Men’s 1sts: York 0-2 St John
St John finally take the lead in a match, winning the first two games. Progress has been slow so far though as the AU allowed James college to book out half of the courts this lunchtime. Good to see Jo Carter on top of her game.

13:05

Volleyball Women’s 1sts (Second Set): York 25-10 St John
York overcome initial resistance from St John to take the second set.

12:55

Netball 4ths: York 21-1 St John
The latest update from the netball shows York taking a comfortable lead. York St John are failing to provide any upsets at the moment.

12:51

Volleyball Women’s 1sts (First Set): York 25-8 St John
Domination at the Volleyball court as York Women’s 1sts take the first set by an utterly convincing 17 point margin.

12:51

Volleyball Women’s 1sts (First Set): York 25-8 St John
Utter domination at the Volleyball court as York Women’s 1sts take the first set by an utterly convincing 17 point margin.

12:47

It remains 0-0 at the Hockey Women’s 2nds, but York have just missed an open goal. The pace of games should start to pick up at 1pm as we see the rowing team’s in action, Badminton Women’s 1sts, Women’s Tennis and the Netball 3rds.

12:44

Tennis Doubles: Match 1 – 8-1, Match 2 – 8-0
Both Men’s 2nds doubles have won their matches comfortably, and the singles matches are about to begin.

12:33

At the tennis courts, York Men’s 2nds are currently beating St John in both games, while at the JSD Astroturf the Hockey Women’s 2nds has just started.

12:25

Netball 4ths: York 6-0 St John
End of the first quarter at the netball and York are running rings around the opposition at the moment.

12:18

Late starts in the Badminton and Volleyball games means very little is happening at the moment.

12:10

Netball 4ths: York 2-0 St John
Our own brother Noice has phoned in to inform me that the University of York Netball 4ths are 2-0 after less than 10 minutes played. I’m afraid the game is worth nothing though.

12:04

Robin by comment
“At least your mum won’t need to worry about you getting sunburn this time.
PS go York.”


That’s very true Robin, I’m going to stay in the cosy habitat of the Nouse office this time.

12:00

And Varsity 2008 has begun.

11:49

Jo Carter seemed confident of victory yesterday when our cut-throat sports journalist Matthew Jeynes interviewed her. Not as confident as he is though – I quote “we will thrash them”, will he be made to eat his words?

11:42

First up today are the Badminton Men’s 1sts, Tennis Men’s 2nds, Netball 4ths and Volleyball Women’s 1sts. For a full list of today’s fixtures see our order of play

11:38

Jack Organ our reporter just phoned in asking why they’ve already played. I apologise Jack it was indeed the Women’s Hockey 1sts which played earlier in the week.

11:25

The York St John team coach just pulled up outside our office, they’re looking determined and ready for revenge.

11:20

The Women’s Basketball 1sts and Women’s Hockey 1sts have played earlier in the week, with a win and a loss respectively. This leaves the score perfectly poised at 3-3 going into today’s 27 fixtures.

11:00

Good morning. I’d like to welcome you all to the Nouse coverage of Varsity 2008. Whether you’re stuck in the library, nursing a hangover in bed or doing some rather extreme Ziggy’s pre-drinking we’ll be here providing you minute-by-minute coverage as the drama unfolds until 7:00pm this evening. I’d like to have your opinions of who is going to win today, and any banter is also welcome. Email editor@nouse.co.uk or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

1924
All university colleges within England and Wales were in membership, however the NUS failed to be taken seriously by the public or by students.

Late 1930′s
Teacher colleges and technical colleges were allowed membership. At this point the NUS began focus more on issues which affected students.

1942
During the Second World War the NUS took an active role in mobilising students against Nazi rule, tasking themselves with finding the world an alternative to fascism.

Late 1940′s
The NUS called on the widening of access to higher education and other progressive education policies.

1950′s
The NUS became more focused on international issues, with a series of campaigns.

1961
The union gave evidence to the Robbins Committee (which later produced the Robbins Report calling for the expansion of higher education).

1967
The leadership of NUS was challenged by more radical students. A series of events occured including the LSE sit-in of March 1967, the government’s decision to increase overseas students’ fees by 270%, and growing opposition to the Vietnam War, leading the NUS to become a leader and an organiser for the political aspirations of the student movement.

Early 1970′s
The NUS Legal Fund was introduced to encourage students to participate in more local and national demonstrations.

1976
The NUS succeeds in getting student fees abolished and foils attempts to charge overseas student more.

1980′s
The Conservative Party attempted to split up students’ union services between those that could be publicly funded and those that could only be funded by voluntary contribution. The attempts were held up until after the 1992 general election under the Education Act 1994.

1995
In 1995 the NUS succeeded in tabling important amendments to the Education (Student Loans) Bill, designed to privatise the Student Loans Company, in both Houses of Parliament.

Late 1990′s
The work of NUS at the end of the 1990’s became dominated by top up fees. 40,000 students march in 14 cities up and down the country against plans to introduce tuition fees in 1997. The protests failed with the government announcing the introduction of top up fees in the Higher Education Bill.

2000
The NUS persuaded over 100 MPs to sign up to an early day motion against top-up-fees. This resulted in the abolition of up-front tuition fees in Scotland.

2002
An increasingly large number of students and instiutions began to question the NUS’s purpose. Sen Ganesh, then president of Imperial College Union, said : “NUS’s claim to be representative of students is not borne out by their work”.

2003
The ‘Stop Fees Now’ campaign brought 31,000 students from around the country to the centre of London in the largest student demonstration the NUS have ever organised. Despite the scale of the protest the NUS is unable to stop the introduction of top-up fees, which are passed with a government majority of 5.

2006
In recent years, the NUS has faced a prolonged financial crisis. In the 2006 NUS Conference a motion was passed to allow the NUS to introduce a student paid-for NUS card called NUS Extra.

The charity, which launched in October 2000, specialise in providing a rapid response service for medical emergencies in the Yorkshire region, and is responsible for carrying out in excess of 6,000 missions since its inception.

In order to continue running, the charity requires £2.5 million a year to meet its operational costs, which is a massive £6,900 per day. Last year, the AU contributed £4,500 to their Charity of the Year, which was split between the NSPCC and Sport Relief. The Squash club alone made over £1000 through their highly successful 24-hour squash marathon and quadracket tournament.

In an attempt to raise funds for their new charity, the AU, in conjunction with charityadventure.org.uk, is organising a sponsored bike ride from York to Lancaster in March.

Commenting on the announcement, Carter said: “I’m delighted with the decision. In previous years, the AU has chosen large national, or even international, charities. I was really keen to choose a local charity, where we could get more involved with the work that they do and see the effects.”

See www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk for more info.

The table placed York 50th in terms of tackling environmental issues, coming behind local institutions such as Sheffield Hallam and Leeds Metropolitan, which came first. Criteria included the percentage of total energy derived from renewable source and the percentage of waste recycled.

Langley said there were many problems with the survey, including an over-reliance on quantitative rather than qualitative data and the omission of York’s performance in the categories of renewable energy sources and percentage of waste recycled. He added it was unfair to compare the very different energy needs of campus and city universities.

“The report doesn’t give any sense of the progress the University is making environmentally or the direction it is taking,” he said. “I do feel that York has been seriously slighted here and that we deserve to be much higher. While I applaud what People & Planet are trying to do, more care needs to be taken in compiling the data and presenting the report. I think that students in particular should be proud of what they’ve achieved.”

A spokesman for People & Planet rejected claims that the survey was poorly constructed. He said the league table was created using “information universities have submitted to the Higher Education Funding Council for England. York failed to do this. If they are not submitting information to such bodies, then they are not paying enough attention to measuring impacts.”

In a recent interview, Moore spoke of the need for an academic department dealing primarily with sport to attract the best sportsmen and women to York. Such a move would follow in the footsteps of successful sporting universities such as Loughborough and Liverpool John Moores, who currently have numerous international competitors studying at their respective institutions.

“York don’t concentrate on sport as much as other universities; the students who come here don’t come for sport,” Moore said. “The University staff have been helpful this year, but there isn’t enough money.

“More money would mean better equipment and coaches, but when you start asking for it, [the University] start getting funny. Ideally, to improve we would have a department for sport, but York is a very academic university and Sports Science is not a very academic degree, so I don’t see it happening.”

The comments come in the final weeks of Moore’s sabbatical year as AU President, a year in which he has presided over many changes to the internal running of the AU.
“There were a lot of problems with the way things worked behind the scenes when I came in, but I think the Athletics Union as a whole should now be much more efficient,” he said.

Discussing the past year, he said, “I’ve loved every minute – it’s a lot of work and there are a lot of problems, but I think I’ve coped well and only had a few minor complaints from clubs. There have been times when I’ve been sitting in the office at 2 o’clock in the morning and wondering why am I doing this. When the work gets on top of you, it can be quite stressful.”

Moore picked out York’s Roses victory as the highlight of his year, and praised the performances of all the competing BUSA league teams throughout the year, with special mentions given to the Men’s Hockey, Tennis and Football teams and the Snooker and Pool clubs.

“A lot of high-risk non-BUSA clubs such as the canoeing and pot-holing teams have been very impressive,” he said, “and don’t get the same amount of recognition as the football, hockey and rugby teams.”

One of the main criticisms of the current AU has been its poor communication with its members. Moore denied this, saying, “I send all AU members at least five emails a week. I think if communication does need to be improved, then it’s between the committees and their respective teams. We want to spread AU news around and much of this – such as the AU Dinner – people don’t know so much about”.

He will now hand over control of the Athletics Union to President-elect Jo Carter later this year. He had this message for her: “The great thing about being AU President is you’re dealing with sport all the time, and you’ve got a lot of authority in the way sport runs.
“I’m now very knowledgeable about 56 sets of sporting rules and I’ve met so many people; running the AU has been a joy. My advice for Jo is to just enjoy it and not let the stress get to her. She’s going to be an absolutely fantastic president.”

Next season promises to be an interesting one, as York attempts to retain the Carter-James trophy in the Roses tournament against Lancaster.

The club have suffered from several disappointing results since the start of the year, many caused by a lack of rowers and organisation. “The problem is often hanging on to rowers and trying to keep crew consistency,” Edmonds said. “Because rowing involves such a lot of time commitment, you often find people with demanding degrees who have more contact time having to give up or take time off when it comes to the summer term and exams.”

Overall, she admitted that performances from the women’s team have been more consistent than the men’s, who have found it difficult to live up to expectations.
“The men’s senior crew have suffered a lot of knocks and yet remained mentally very tough,” she said. “Lots of their rowers from last year gave up this year to ‘focus on degrees’, which left a senior men’s squad of five rowers.”

The best result of the season came in the South Yorkshire Head Race, in which the Senior Women were the fastest crew overall. The Senior Men were also successful, coming in second.

In May at the annual Roses tournament, a domineering performance from the women crews were victorious in all their races, while the men suffered defeats in all of theirs.
Edmonds explained the problems faced throughout the season, saying: “This year, our President Rob Rayner has been very much absent from the club.

“Although Rob is himself a great rower and extremely dedicated, he has been in the final year of a History degree and training with the Molsey Boat Club 1st VIII in London at weekends.

“This has meant running the club, organising fixtures and negotiating a tricky sponsorship deal with Deloitte has been left to Captains, the Treasurer and the Secretary.”

An example of the problems this has caused became apparent in May this year at the Met Regatta in Eton. A lack of organisation meant the men’s team had to pull out of their race due to not having a boat available. The women’s team had suffered from similar problems, but managed to borrow a boat in the final minutes before the race began.

Despite the problematic season, Edmonds remains upbeat about the general state of the club. “York Boat Club remains a massive club, with a great spirit and a very fun social side.

“By the end of this year, we will have competed in about a dozen major events – winter Head races and summer regattas – and all of them have been thoroughly enjoyable.”
“The club is quite a small with hardly any funding compared to many University boat houses, so we’re hoping to up intake next year and get some more equipment and funds for coaches.”

After convincing victories against both Liverpool John Moores and Teeside University in the early rounds of the BUSA competition, York lost in the final against an excellent London St. Mary’s side.

2006-07 Women’s Captain Nicki Gaskill said, “This year, we have really pulled together as a team and everyone has worked really hard. Even in games where it looked like we didn’t have much chance of victory, we didn’t lose focus.”

Meanwhile, the Men’s team had a “disappointing season”, said President Ronan Joyce struggling to reproduce the form of the past two seasons. In the BUSA division, they did not win a single game and were relegated.

Incoming Men’s Captain Conor Douglas said, “What we have to keep in mind is that we were the Team of the Year in both 2004/5 and 2005/6. We desperately want to be back in the 1st Division. Next year is about doing everything in our power to make that a reality.”

Impressive performances came in the yearly BUSA indoor cricketing competition, in which they claimed victories over both Nottingham and Sheffield universities at the Dunnington Regional Tournament.

This was followed by a historic first-time appearance at Lord’s Cricket Ground for the BUSA Final, in which they failed to win any of their three games.

Successful appearances in both the Warwick University Indoor Tournament and mini-tournament hosted by York followed, in which they claimed victories against both Warwick and Nottingham universities.

However, the club struggled to follow this up in the outdoor cricket season as they failed to qualify through their BUSA regional group, picking up only one victory and losing to both Newcastle and Northumbria by large margins.

Women’s Cricket Club President Chloe Schroeter said many of the outdoor cricketing problems were due to a large proportion of the team being new this year and a lack of time to prepare before the summer season began.

“The new team have worked together really well,” she said. “I’m happy with our performances this year. We have come a long way.”

After relegation in the 2005/06 season, Dan Brown’s team produced some excellent performances, with their most impressive victory against Leeds University in the semi-final of the NUL cup. York were 2-0 down with only 20 minutes to go when Player of the Season Dominic O’Shea scored a hat-trick to send York through to the final 3-2.

Football Club President Simon Oatridge called it “the performance of the season”, adding: “The semi-final was massive; after we won, things were much easier. We played Bradford in the final, who are a weaker team, and we won 5-2. The two early goals meant it was fairly relaxed.”

Further success came in the Varsity tournament, as the firsts beat BUSA’s number-one Northern team York St. John comfortably. However, defeat to Lancaster in the Roses game provided the greatest disappointment.

The club, which is the oldest in the country, beat competition from several teams for the league title, finishing the season 15 points ahead of other teams on the table. However, it was not until the later stages of the competition that York’s superiority shone through, as they fought out a tight race with local rivals Selby United . A late run of form, which ended with a brilliant 14-goal victory over Tang Hall, clinched them their first league title, ending the season with only one defeat in 12 games.

Several players shone throughout the season, including team captain Jonny McWilliams, whose inspirational performances and 12 goals in 10 games led to him picking up the York League Player of the Year award. Credit must also be given to Saul Hubbard who was named Players’ Player of the Year for 2007.

Dernie’s remarks come a fortnight after students called for a new track to be built at the sports centre.

“A new track would attract more people to apply to the University. A lot of people would be encouraged by better sports facilities. It would boost students fitness levels, self-esteem and increase performance. At the moment, we are a bit of a joke when it comes to sports”, said Dernie.

AU President Tom Moore has also voiced concerns about the investment in sport at the University.

However, efforts are beginning to improve turnout through the introduction of a new Varsity tournament. The tournament, which is still in its planning stages, will first involve York’s athletes competing against an unconfirmed Irish university. The event is to include a series of road run events, with the possibility for other races.

HIGHER EDUCATION’S two main sporting bodies, BUSA and UCS, are expected to confirm their merger into a single new organisation next month in an attempt to improve Britain’s chances in the 2012 London Olympics.

The British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) is the governing body for University sport in the UK and as such provides the most popular inter-university championships across 49 sports from Athletics to Windsurfing. University and College Sport (UCS) provides support for elite athletes within higher education and is in a strong financial position.

The merger, which has been discussed for three years, was finally approved by both BUSA and UCS members in January this year and will await the vote of the jointly-held Annual General Meeting on June 14 at Greenwich University.

Although the proposal has been rejected by both BUSA and UCS memberships in the past, the possibility of having one united body provides both financial and operational incentives that neither could achieve individually. Bristol University AU chair Tom Noble is part of the consultation committee that has been formed to oversee the merger.

“A merger would provide higher dducation sport with a single voice, allowing it to reach a new level of competition, which would benefit the elite level of sport as a whole,” he said. “It may even mean we progress in the tables and win more medals in the 2012 Olympics in London.”

Vince Mayne, chair of UCS, contributed to the positive comments, saying: “Our hope is that this [merger] will enable us to take a major step in the quality of sports delivery to student sport and put higher education at the heart of the UK sporting landscape”.

BUSA chair Phil Atwell was similarly upbeat. “We are delighted with the almost unanimous level of support from the Options Appraisal Group and this is no doubt the result of hard work from our student directors,”?he said.

However, although the January vote saw only eight members from either body against the proposal, concerns have been raised by other stakeholders regarding how the new organisation will effect Athletic Unions nationwide.

Currently, students have the majority voice in how operations are carried out within university sport, but new plans will see staff and students having an equal say. University of York Athletic Union President Tom Moore voiced similar concerns, adding: “The staff of the new body need to realise the importance of students. Students have a great say in BUSA at the moment, but UCS is much more elite.” Such sentiment was backed up by Noble, who suggested that students may be overruled by staff and may face the prospect of having no say in how sport is managed.

Incoming AU President Jo Carter has promised an expansive series of changes to the Union as part of the ongoing challenge to further the University of York’s position as a sporting institution.

Carter was the outsider in the race to be AU President in the Spring Term Students’ Union elections, but beat favourite and current AU Vice-President Nick Hassey to the prestigious role after winning over the electorate.

Her experience in the Athletic Union is extensive. Currently, she holds the positions of AU Press & Publicity Officer and Hockey Club President. Past involvement included Indoor Hockey captain, Women’s Hockey 1sts Vice-Captain and sitting on the AU Exec.
Speaking only weeks before she takes over from current President Tom Moore, she said the challenge of taking charge of sport at the University excited her.

She also made it clear that there was plenty of work to do in the year ahead, with her policies including greater publicity for lesser-known clubs, priority for sporting facilities at the newly approved Heslington East campus and an inclusive scene where sports clubs bond with each other rather than individually.

One of Carter’s main focuses, however, has little to do with the sporting successes of York and more to do with giving back to the community. She advocates that the AU push for students to get more involved in charitable work, an area that Nouse has highlighted in the past and one in which she admits there is “room for improvement”.

As a means of encouragement to others, Carter plans to take part in a sponsored charity cycle, alongside fellow student Jessica Walkup, from York to Amsterdam and back again, starting on Saturday, June 2.

The cycle, involving 20 volunteers, will take a total of four days and cover a total of 200 miles with proceeds going to terminally ill cancer patients. Destinations along the way include Hull and a ferry trip through the Dutch city of Rotterdam.

“This is a charity that is about those who cannot have cancer treatment and about making sure their last few weeks are as comfortable as possible,” Carter said. “It’s a worthwhile cause and one of the things I’m really keen to do is raise money for charity in sport”.

More has been promised for the 2007-8 academic year, with an emphasis on a more coordinated and accessible Athletics Union being one of the main policies that ultimately won Carter the election. She promises to achieve this through better publicity of big games, smaller clubs and AU events, and – more importantly – making it easier to access BUSA and college sport fixtures on the YUSU website, something which at the moment causes many problems.

However, the success of these policies will largely depend on the attitude and experience of the new AU Exec, who will be decided by student vote in the currently ongoing elections.

Of the nine positions, six remained uncontested by the close of nominations on Thursday May 24, with only the ordinary membership, Secretary and the vice-presidency having more than one nominee.

The most interesting contest promises to be between Jack Kennedy and Matt Horrs for Vice-President, whose primary role is to oversee college sport. Both candidates offers similar policies, with better communication in college sport and a wider variety of sports being the main focus.

Kennedy, a second-year English and History student, said he would “love to give something back to students”. He added “my experience as a Goodricke College sports rep made me realise how important college sport is to this university, giving students of every skill level the chance to have fun and be a part of a team”.

Ex-AU Treasurer Horrs advertised his “extensive experience” as his major selling point. At hustings he promised to “expand college sport” and “give a lot more variety to the one-day tournaments, with more charity events and silly sports for fun enjoyment and participation rather than just competition”.

Results will be announced on Thursday 31 May.

The table announced by AU Vice-President Nick Hassey suggests that Derwent retain a chance of snatching the title from the two colleges that have been leading the race for the majority of the season. However, the strength of their renowned men’s cricket team has been brought into question after losing their first Men’s 1sts Cricket match to Vanbrugh since 2002. A Derwent representative said they were “disappointed”, but added that they were “optimistic about the one-day tournament”.

Despite often being the favourites for the wooden spoon, Alcuin has a chance of receiving the accolade for most improved team during the 2006-7 season. They currently sit third from bottom, almost 30 points clear of newcomers Wentworth. Speaking about the season so far, an Alcuin sports rep said they were “happy” with the progress made, pointing to their cricketing performances and unbeaten run in the basketball as a “massive turnaround”. However, mid-table finishes for Langwith and Vanbrugh look certain and they must rebuild for next year.
Much is left to play for as college sport enters the one-day tournament season, ending with the decisive Sports Day. Goodricke sports rep Jack Kennedy said his team were “hopeful of doing Goodricke proud”, adding, “I think it will come down right to the end, with Sports Day being the biggest factor in this year’s championship”.

To be victorious as well as proud is quite an experience, and the performances offered by the Squash, Badminton and Women’s Rowing teams were nothing short of sensational. However, for some this week there will be a feeling of emptiness and disappointment at a performance that never really got started.

Despite Lancaster AU President Dave Greenshields promising to bring the Carter-James trophy back from York and across the border for the first time since 1985, the prediction never looked like becoming true, as Lancaster failed to lead at any stage in the competition.

A brilliant first day from York saw them take a monumental lead into the weekend, and one that would prove to be too great for Lancaster to fully come to terms with.

Despite expecting victorious performances in the field events such as Hockey and Football and the Rowing Regatta, Rugby was the only sport that truly proved fruitful for the Lancastrians as they tried wilfully to fight back the tide of points.

A mid-Saturday fight back provided brief hope for the away team, but York seemed to have too much confidence and ability in the majority of the sports for Lancaster’s dogged determination and boisterous crowds to cope with, meaning the tie was never in doubt.

An obvious cause for the lower levels of performances by the Lancastrians may be due to their sleeping and living conditions, but that’s obviously the price you pay as the away side, and something which Lancaster should perhaps cope with better than they have in recent times.

Yet, despite the onesided nature of the weekend there were numerous inspiring performances from either side and we have provided in-depth coverage of the weekend’s highlights. Content ranges from the conventional sports of cricket, football and rugby to the more unique events such as archery and equestrian. We hope you enjoy it.

The weekend followed a pattern similar to that of recent years, with the home team leading convincingly throughout. York took an early lead in the Equestrian on Thursday and from that point on were ahead in the scoring throughout. The hosts rarely looked pressurised in their pursuit of victory, with a short blip on Saturday afternoon being the only moment when the result looked in question.

Although such a comfortable scoreline looked unlikely at the beginning of Sunday, and was probably slightly unfair on the visitors, it wasmade attainable by an inspirational performance from York throughout.

On Friday, York was faced with potentially close encounters across the board, but the home team seemed in no mood to take prisoners as they laid siege to Lancaster on several fronts including the Cricket, Badminton and Skiing.

However, the most resounding victory of the day came from the Squash Club who won in the Women’s, Men’s and Mixed 1sts in straight sets, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, embarrassing their Lancaster counterparts. Elsewhere York were finding other fixtures similarly comfortable, as they dominated the Badminton tournament with the Mixed team winning 8-1, inspired by the performances of Jonty Hiley, and Sarah Myers.

The Rugby Seven’s tournament proved to be the only blip on an otherwise perfect day, as Lancaster’s powerful backlines and skilful attack proved too much for the York teams. However, end of day victories in the Swimming and Cricket overshadowed the disappointment and provided York with a monumental 30-point lead at the end of the first day. Day two proved to be a much tighter contest, and the most frantic. An early start saw fixtures in the Canoeing, Trampolining and Hockey being split between the teams. AU President Tom Moore led his side to victory in the Indoor Football Men’s 2nds with a domineering hattrick.

A nervous afternoon lay ahead for the home team however as Lancaster produced a string of excellent performances in the Tennis, Ballroom Dancing, and Table Tennis. This was followed by a catastrophic performance by the York Women’s 1sts in the Rugby Union as they were defeated by 47 points to nil. Suddenly the Lancastrian crowd were spurred on by their teams’ performances, and you could sense the nerves across campus as news filtered through that Lancaster had closed the gap to a meagre point.

The comeback was not to last though, as York recovered wilfully with an important victory in an exciting and tense hockeyMen’s 1sts game, won eventually by York 2-0. From that pivotal moment, York clawed their lead back and found themselves 20 points ahead at the end of the second- day, requiring less than 30 points to reclaim the Carter-James trophy.

Entering the final day as the underdogs, Lancaster went into the early-morning rowing regatta requiring a big victory. A promising start from the away team Men’s Fours lead to a short period of anxiety, but class prevailed as the Women’s rowing team provided a sterling performance, winning all of their races and all but confirming York’s 11th consecutive victory as the home team. Things went from bad to worse for Lancaster as they were heavily defeated in the Archery and lost surprisingly to a sprightly football
Men’s 2nds 1-0.

Unfortunately the edge was taken off a second day of powerful displays by defeats in the Rugby Union and Football Men’s 1sts, but it was not to ruin the York party, and by mid-afternoon they were confirmed victors of Roses 2007. Speaking after the presentation ceremony, York AU President Tom Moore declared the victory as a “convincing” one and a “very proud moment” for himself. He added: “Ever since I got the position [of President] a year ago this has been one of my main aims.” Talking about the weekend as a whole he said: “A lot of the fixtures were awfully close but if we’d carried our form from Friday into the two following days we could have been 80, or even 100 points in front.”

He singled out the Squash Club for providing the most impressive performance of the weekend and added that he thought the pivotal performance came in the Rowing Regatta on Sunday. Moore concluded with a special tribute to a beleaguered Rugby team who conceded the most points of any club to the opposition. “I’m very impressed by the rugby guys, even though they didn’t get too many points I’m proud of them. They deserved a lot better than what they got”.

Lancaster AU President Dave Greenshields was in a sombre mood afterwards stating he was “proud” of his team despite an eventual heavy defeat and agreed that the Rowing Regatta proved the “turning point” in the weekend, adding “I think we lost this on Friday to be honest”.