Men’s Lacrosse 1sts:
February’ Lacrosse quarter-final saw York triumph over Hull (not for the only time that month). In doing so, the lacrosse team set up an intriguing semi-final against Durham 2nds; a game which had added spice as York had just suffered a narrow 5-6 league defeat to them in the away league fixture.
York expected another hard game against Durham, and Durham didn’t disappoint. After taking the lead, the visiting side killed York’s comeback attempts time-after-time; nullifying their threat and again.
A quick double salvo from David Pooley and Captain Phil Howard saw York take a 4-3 lead, which they managed to hold on to until the end of the match.
They now look forward to a final against Leeds 1sts, and we can expect a riveting game; the last encounter between the sides ended 6-6.
Harrold commented after the game, “we had a really shaky start, but in those final two quarters we played our game and we got the win. We’re going to be working hard and we’re going to take our best game to the final! We’ve got a really good chance at this cup!”
Men’s Squash 1sts:
The men’s squash team are the Birmingham City of the BUCS squash world; combining a dire league season with a plucky cup run. Despite losing seven of their nine league games so far, their cup performances have had Vision squash correspondent Tom McDermott waxing lyrical.
They first beat Leeds 2nds 3-0. No big surprise. But when they drew Northumbria – a team who have beaten them 4-1 in both league encounters, even their greatest fans would’ve been anticipating an exit.
York defied the odds; winning 3-2 in a thrill-a-minute tie. Their opponents for the quarter-final, Newcastle 2nds, have also enjoyed two 4-1 victories over York. Another tight game (at best) was anticipated. “The Big Dog” and co. blew them away 5-0.
The underdogs became the giants in the semi-final, facing minnows Leeds 3rds, who must’ve been wondering how they managed to progress through three more rounds than the 2nds. York made short work of those too: 3-0. Through to the final, the league strugglers now truly face their Arsenal: Sheffield 1sts. Sheffield are topping York’s table and have been on good form for a very long time; they haven’t lost since November. But miracles do happen, and the BUCS Cup is one of the places to find them.
Men’s Table Tennis 1sts:
The men’s table tennis team have despatched Sheffield and Edge Hill to set up an exciting final; a Roses warm-up against Lancaster 1sts.
The men’s table tennis team have been in fine form in their league campaign; currently topping league 2B, with Newcastle and Durham 2nds both trailing by three points.
Their cup run started with a fine 11-6 win over league rivals Durham, and they lived up to their promotion credentials, storming to an impressive 15-2 win over league 2A strugglers Edge Hill in the quarter-final.
In the semi-final they will face mid-table 2A Sheffield 2nds. A game against established opponent from the league above was always going to be difficult for plucky York, but they were not hindered, and ran out 10-7 winners.
On Wednesday they will contest the final against Lancaster 1sts. Lancaster have already achieved promotion from League 1A, and have demolished every team they have met so far in the trophy.
This includes a 17-0 hammering of Newcastle 2nds; a team with whom York have shared the spoils of league matches this season – winning 12-5 at the start of the season, but losing out 1-16 in the more recent fixture.
Lancaster comfortably beat Liverpool, 12-5, in their semi-final, and will pose serious problems for York in the final. BUCS captain Tim Ang says, “Judging from Lancaster men’s 1st performance in their league, I predict we have a chance of 60 – 40 of winning, provided we perform at peak”, adding “We will try our best for the people of University of York.”
The table tennis will be played on Wednesday 16 March in the Sports Hall. The other finals are scheduled for the following Wednesday.
And those that fell just short:
Women’s Basketball 1sts
The York women’s basketballers have been proving that they are head and shoulders above all of their league 3B opponents; they’ve romped to victory in all eight of their league matches, recording a massive points difference of +226. They are fifteen points ahead of second place.
York also romped to victory against 2B strugglers York St. John in the first round of the cup. They beat Newcastle 2nds in the second round, and then pulled off a shock victory, beating Newcastle 1sts – the League 2B leaders – in the quarter-final.
The semi-final stage saw them draw White Rose Varsity rivals Hull. York were still big underdogs, but with home advantage, and spurred on by home advantage, knew there was everything to play for.
York even took an early lead, but Hull would not let them run away with the game, coming back strongly into the lead. York raced into a lead again, but a second Hull comeback took the wind out of their sails.
The 44-51 defeat saw York drop out of the competition, but they end the season as proud league champions.
Women’s Lacrosse 2nds:
The women’s 2nd lacrosse team’s cup run is one of the least impressive. They did reach the quarter-finals, but that was after being automatically passed through the preliminary Round 1, which exists to offer smaller teams a route into the finals.
One such team was Durham 3rds – the team York drew in the quarter-finals. The game against Durham was over no sooner than it had begun: York lost 26-2.
A small condolence to York is that Durham won their semi-final and now face Sheffield 1sts in the final. The staunchest of York supporters will watch the game with baited breath, hoping the result will imply an unofficial Cup finish of 5th for York.
Both women’s lacrosse teams have had poor seasons, suffering from poor intake and key players leaving.
This season is one best forgotten for the lacrosse club, and the poor cup performance is one of many aspects of the BUCS season that they won’t look back on fondly.
Women’s Badminton 1sts:
If any York team had an easy passage to the BUCS semi-finals, it was the women’s badminton 1sts. They came up against league strugglers Durham and York St John, as well as lowly League 3B outfit Teeside.
They did what was required of them and set up a semi-final, but may have wished they had been given a more thorough warm-up when they drew league leaders, Northumbria.
Past meetings (a 4-4 draw back in October, and a 2-6 loss in February) suggested a close match, but made Northumbria favourites.
The doubles teams won three of four matches, including a gruelling match between Jenny Eyes/Clare Breare (York) and Laura Mackie/Kerry Meyers (Northumbria), which York clinched with an epic 28-26 win in the third end. In the singles, however, they were simply blown away: Northumbria’s Holly Robson and Captain Laura Woodburn were irresistible – letting York’s Rachel Farrington and Alice Garcia-Melgares into double figures on only three occasions.
Men’s Fencing 1sts:
Tom Skingle and the boys have looked untouchable this year; notching up four straight wins from the end of January to the start of march, including superb cup wins over Nottingham and Aberdeen.
It started to seem that nobody would come to the dance studio and win. That was, until the arrival of Birmingham.
Featuring several Top 50 UK fencers, and coming off the back of a season that has seem them lose (marginally) only to Loughborough, the Midlanders were a whole new level of competition for York’s swordsmen.
York almost matched Birmingham in the first weapon, the foil, but lost 40-45. Mesmerising sabreurs Tom Jones and Pavel Guzanovcs helped York to a 45-42 victory in that weapon, but York eventually lost in the final bout of the épées. 116-132 overall.
In a season of near-misses, York also came a close second to Keele in the league. They are left to brush themselves down and straighten their blades in preparation for next season, and ponder what might have been.