The highlight of a good weekend of BUCS fixtures for York sides was the promotion of the Men’s 1sts Rugby team to the Northern Premier League B.
An excruciating 12-10 loss to second placed Liverpool on Sunday did not ultimately deny them promotion, and their ascendance to the Premier Division was confirmed on Monday.
Club President Hugh Draycott told Vision: “Obviously we are delighted to have been promoted this year. It’s the best possible reward for all the hard work that we have put in through the season. The team has adapted extremely well to the different challenges that it has had to face.
“It’s a credit to be part of a team with such strength in all areas. We owe a huge amount to our captain Sam Lord, who has shown tremendous leadership; it has been a huge privilege to play for him.”
In other notable fixtures both lacrosse teams also recorded notable victories, however both teams promotion hopes have been impacted by the vagaries of the BUCS point system.
The men’s 1sts team have been unbeaten all season, and confirmed this status with a hard fought 9-4 win against Durham, in which they failed to hit top gear but nonetheless got the result. Despite this, their promotion hopes are dependent on whether Leeds Met win their playoff match in the Premier Division. If Leeds fail to win, and Liverpool win their two remaining fixtures, then York will play Liverpool in a playoff.
Captain William Chun, delighted with his team’s performance throughout the season, told Vision: “To go from finishing eighth last year to winning the league this year is a fantastic accomplishment; I am really happy with this team”.
The women’s 1sts also secured an excellent 16-4 victory against a strong Leeds 2nds side, to end the season in second place, level on points with Durham and Northumbria. However, despite having a vastly superior goal difference York came off second best, due to an inferior head to head record against other teams they were tied with.