–Running away with it–
The women’s basketball team avenged the men’s cup defeat by beating Sheffield Hallam 2nds 54-18, extending their lead at the top of Women’s 3B. They’ll have a chance to complete York’s retribution when they play Hallam 2nds again in the quarter-final of the cup. The ladies’ badminton 1sts also look like strong promotion contenders in joint first place of Women’s 2B after winning their last five matches – four of those on their travels.
–Men’s Fencing Poised To Strike–
Men’s fencing is one to keep an eye on at the moment: The 1sts are second in League 1A having won all of their home fixtures and lost all of their away. Captain Tom Skingle points out: “our strongest line-up involves several natural science postgrads, who often can’t get out of labs in time to make away matches”. The good news is that league leaders Keele 1sts still have to visit the fortress that is the York sports centre dance studio. Skingle is bullish about his team’s chances against them: “When we visited Keele, our reduced team lost to very strong Keele by 11 points. When they make the return journey to York, we intend to win by several times that”.
–Hockey And Lacrosse Sticking To Their Task–
The hockey men’s 1sts have won their last two games in League 2B and find themselves two places from the top. They progressed from Round 1 of the cup with an emphatic 6-1 win over Sunderland 1sts. The Lacrosse men’s 1sts find themselves in a similar position: they are on the back of a 14-6 win over Newcastle, and can go joint top if they win the upcoming six-pointer against Liverpool. They’ve also reached the quarter final of the cup, where they are matched against Hull 1sts.
–Clash Of The Titans Eagerly Awaited–
Word has been spreading about the impressive form of the men’s rugby union 1sts in League 1A. They won their first three league matches, against the 2nd teams of Leeds, Newcastle and Northumbria, and also progressed from Round 1 of the knockouts, but most recently they slumped to a 5-22 at the hands of Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie 2nds. Leaders Manchester 1sts have a 100% record and have already established a nine point lead at the top of the league. York have two games in hand and must beat Manchester in the next round of fixtures to have any chance of catching them. They will play Liverpool 1sts in Round 2 of the cup.
–Footballers Up For The Cup–
Having taken four points from four games, the Men’s 1sts footballers lie in fourth place in league 2B. They may have breathed a sigh of relief when their last fixture was snowed off; they were due a visit from league leaders Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie 2nds, who recently silenced Newcastle 1sts, who themselves were on the back of a 7-1 win over York. A good cup run could be a highlight in York’s season; they’ve been in great scoring form in the tournament, making it to Round 3 with 4-0 and 4-2 wins over Teeside 2nds and Hull 2nds respectively.
–Relegation Dogfight–
The women’s fencing 1sts have lost four of their fives games in the BUCS Northern Premier and sit at the foot of the table. They have a crucial visit to Lancashire coming up; University of Manchester 1sts are the only team below them, and both teams will see this as their best chance to escape the drop. In League 1A of BUCS Badminton, the men’s 1sts find themselves in the relegation zone, next up for them are the team above them, 4th placed Liverpool. The men’s 2nds are also bottom of their league. Badminton President Adam Hirst explains: “[The men’s firsts] have struggled so far this year with Paddy Clarke not having played a game yet and Tim Green only just returning from injury”, and adding that “this has had a knock-on effect on the other teams as other people have been pulled up to fill spaces”. Both teams have a survival battle on their hands, but with the return of Green, and there only being home fixtures remaining for the 1sts, there is at least hope for a resurgence.