For the first time in a decade, Sheffield Hallam ended Varsity without becoming champions although they did secure a 1-0 win in the Men’s First’s at Hillsborough. The final day of Varsity had been highly anticipated after being postponed on the 13th March due to the snow and rearranged for today and with the sun shining over Sheffield, there was a large crowd at Hillsborough to watch Hallam secure the win. The showpiece event of Varsity had been ended a day that saw Hallam fight valiantly to reduce the seven and a half point gap which existed at the start of the day but fall just short as the day ended with University of Sheffield holding a 36.5-34.5 lead. Hallam had been undefeated in the day’s football action so far, winning both the Women’s First’s and Second’s events whilst they drew and won the Men’s Third’s and Fourth’s respectively so going into the final men’s event, this would’ve helped the sides’ confidence. In the end, it took a solitary Matt Moores in the second half to separate the two sides though the score could have been different with both sides missing good chances.

Nearly 4,000 students attended the match.

It was University of that had the game’s opening chance. Tim Kitgrave did well on the right before passing to Will Doyle on the left of the box who smashed his shot way over the bar. Hallam did threaten from a corner moments later but it was punched away by Adam Seymour in the University of goal whilst shortly afterwards, good link up play released Billy Law who charged into the University of area before being tackled at the pivotal moment. With the first ten minutes over, the best chance of the opening exchanges fell to Hallam as Ryan Williams ran towards goal and with his left hit a shot which had Seymour well beaten, but unfortunately for Hallam, not the frame of the goal. This spurred the already vocal Hallam support on even more and with University of students celebrating their Varsity success, there was a great atmosphere.
After a lively few minutes, the game had died down but a defence splitting ball by Craig Ashby for University of released Bird on the left but, from a position similar to Doyle previously, his shot was too high to test Liam Flynn in the Hallam goal. University of continued to press and had the next chance as well; a free-kick from around twenty yards out was whipped over the bar by Doyle. University of had another chance to test Flynn from a set piece as Hallam’s Jonny Davies gave away a foul on the right of the area. The ball was whipped in by Moules though it failed to really test Hallam, first the ball was headed away before it was struck over the bar. In between these, Hallam were awarded a free-kick of their own though from around thirty yards and from a central position, they tested Seymour as the ball went just over the bar.

Both sides kept searching for the crucial opening goal and it was Hallam who would come close towards the end of the half. They had three great chances to take the lead but sloppy finishing meant the two sides went into the interval with the score at nil-nil. Firstly, Captain Callum Reid was found in the box from a corner and, to the relief of those in black and gold, he headed wide from a great position. Afterwards, good play saw the ball flicked on to Mike Bamber who fires wide of the post before Bamber spurned another good chance, cutting in and firing wide once more.
At half-time, the Hallam Sports Officers defeated their University of counter parts in a penalty shootout and they as well as Hallam faithful were hoping that was a sign of things to come. As he did in the first half, Billy Law threatened the University of defence early on in the second period. He skipped past a defender before being tackled just before he pulled the trigger and then later, his pressuring made life uncomfortable for the University of centre half who was forced to boot the ball to safety.

University of started to grow into the half and came close to taking the lead. A ball was curled in towards Kitgrave whose backward header tested Flynn, forcing the Hallam stopper into making a superb save down to his right. Alex Brookes replaced Craig Ashby for University of and the substitute tried a speculative effort but saw the ball fly well over the bar whilst Flynn tipped a Kitgrave effort over before the resulting corner lead to nothing.
Despite the pressure, when the opening goal came, it was Hallam who grabbed it on sixty-five minutes. A free-kick from the right was swung in and University of failed to clear it, allowing substitute Matt Moores to stab home and run off towards the Hallam crowd as they both erupted in celebration together. It looked like Hallam would be celebrating again as Williams ran through on goal and finished but he was beaten by the linesman’s flag though it did seem a very tight call. University of upped their efforts to find a goal and came close when a counter-attacking move down the left saw the ball whipped across the box by Moules towards James Shields who was beaten to the ball by Jonny Davies whose sliding intervention cleared the ball for Hallam. Not comfortable with their one-nil lead, Hallam were also looking for a goal and came close to doubling the deficit when Matt Moores had the ball inside the area but fired straight at Seymour.

With the clocking ticking down, tension was growing as Hallam looked to cope with the University of pressure and see out the game. Despite this, the support for both sides meant the atmosphere was still buzzing. Hallam was dealing with the University of counter-attacks and nearly grabbed a second goal to secure the win. A free-kick was whipped to the front post but nobody was on hand to score the rebound once University of headed away and then the goal scorer Moores, nearly netted again clattering Seymour as he looked to capitalise on a defensive error, poking the ball just wide.
The awarding of five minutes added time divided the crowd, being met with Hallam moans and cheers by the University of fans and when Hallam conceded a corner at the start of added time, there was a lot of nervous people donning the Hallam maroon. This was intensified when the University of goalkeeper strode forward for the corner yet Hallam dealt with the threat and nearly scored again, firing wide when trying to beat the back tracking Seymour.
Hallam could have been awarded a late penalty for handball though the officials deemed the situation different to the Hallam management who were furious with the referee yet their anger quickly turned to joy when the referee blew the final whistle to seal the win. Points wise, the final day of Varsity belonged to Hallam who will be proud off their efforts though when University of Sheffield’s Sports Officer Luke MacWilliam picked up the trophy, Hallam were left to reflect on what might have been.

Hallam celebrate after another Varsity victory

Postponements of fixtures including the rugby league and the football meant that this years competition wouldn’t be finalised until April 10th however, if University were to take seven of the ten available points from day 7, they would be crowned champions.

The day started well for the Black and Gold, taking a point in the women’s badminton after winning five out of a possible eight matches.

Meanwhile in the sports hall a ‘not sure what to expect’ atmosphere was in the air in anticipation of the Korfball. Mix together the movement of netball with the physicality of basketball along with the scoring frequency of lacrosse, perhaps and well, you get the idea.

Hallam second’s started on the front foot taking early an early 2-1 lead. However after conceding a sloppy against the run of play just before half-time, Hallam began to look nervous. It was University who came quickest out of the traps in the second half, storming into a 4-2 lead and looking value for more. A 3rd Hallam goal for Hallam five minutes before the end proved too little too late as Uni clung on for the all important Varsity point.

The onus was left to the first team to gain a well-needed point for Hallam. The game started well for Hallam who scored a few early goal but Uni refused to lie down, constantly narrowing the gap to just one. The noisy crowd were soon silenced after a ‘RAWR’ was heard from Tommy Derrick. The Hallam number 4 was cautioned for unsporting behaviour in what might proved to be one of Varsity 2013′s strangest moments. Hallam began to get a foothold in the second half, shooting a couple of hoops in quick succession. A wonderful piece of athleticism from Hallam’s Gregg helped his team to put the nail in Uni’s coffin as he dived into the crowd to save a lose ball and assist the final hoop.

Back in the badminton arena Hallam’s men were struggling. After narrow losses for their second and third seeds, the men in maroon found themselves 4-1 down with just the three to play. Strong performances from Craig Barry and James Lait gave Hallam a fighting chance and at 3-4 down _____ held his nerve to ensure that both University’s would take a share of the spoils.

Following the badminton, it was over to the impressive athletics zone. University dominated the early events with a 1,2,3 finish in the women’s 400m and an easy victory for triple jump elite athlete member Jazz Sawyers catching the eye. Although first place finishes were hard to come by, the Hallam girls began to occupy many of the the second and third spots, something which helped them narrow the overall gap and they eventually took the lead in the shape of Moe Sasegbon and Laura Hanagan. The pairing produced fine performances in the women’s 60m hurdles taking a 1 and 2 finishes respectively, a result that would see Hallam take the overall Varsity women’s point.

Meanwhile in the men’s, a false start from the 60m sprint favourite Andy Wilkinson meant Hallam lost out on a possible 7 points, a move that would prove vitally costly in the overall standings. Uni’s Jamie Roden, dubbed the ‘Usain Bolt of the 300m’ strolled to victory in the 3000m, lapping most of his opponents. A wonderful solo performance from Ed Dawes in the 800m put Hallam into a 45-44 lead but University were still to be awarded with 9 points following their 10k victory on Sunday and as such they were to take the overall Varsity point.

At a sunny yet snowy Abbeydale, Hallam’s men’s firsts Hockey team produced one of the performances of Varsity so far with a 10-1 victory over their University rivals. They got off to a flyer following a well worked penalty corner which was scooped to the back post and nodded in. Hallam dominated possession for large spells of the match and two brilliantly worked goals just after half-time took them into an unassailable 6-0 lead. Hallam hit the magnificent seven following a few cheeky lob attempts but not to be completely embarrased, University hit back with a consolation but conceded a further three more with little time in the match remaining. It’s a shame for Hallam that such an impressive scoreline only counted for one overall point, but that’s Varsity.

In the climbing at Foundry Hallam’s Jake Haddock won the highest scoring male with 194 points whilst University took highest scoring female leaving the third point to go the highest scoring team. It was University who just scraped the victory with a 1,342-1,290 over Hallam. They won the overall event 2-1.

Meanwhile the snowy conditions at the downhill cycling meant riders were given over an hours practice time. Hallam quickly moved into a 3.5 second lead and as a result, became outright favourites for victory. But Uni weren’t to give up and rapidly narrowed the deficit to just over a second. Eventually it came down to the last ride where uni pedalled one of the fastest downhills of the day, taking the overall event by just 0.65 seconds.

So, what does this do to the Varsity scores? With 8 points left on offer The University of Sheffield now lead Sheffield Hallam by 35.5 points to 28. If Hallam are to retain their Varsity crown, the best they can hope for is a draw. Is it possible to win every event left in Varsity? Find out on April 10th.

Other outdoor fixtures have also been postponed such as the Golf at Hillsborough Golf Club and Men’s and Women’s Football and Ruby League at Norton. Downhill cycling has been moved to 7th April and BMX and Time Trial will join the new Finals Day.  The Men’s Hockey First’s will still go ahead however.

All other scheduled fixtures for the day will still go as planned.

Luke MacWilliam, Sports Officer at University of Sheffield said; “I’m devastated by this decision but I am also committed to making the best out of a nightmare situation. I’m still really looking forward to supporting the rest of our teams who will be competing today and tomorrow and the rearranged finals days on April 10th. I’ll continue to work very closely with Josh and the rest of the Varsity planning team to make the Finals day a great event.”

Josh Saydraouten, Sports Officer at Sheffield Hallam University said; “I’m absolutely gutted by this decision however it allows all teams and players concerned to train more and be even better prepared for their Varsity fixtures. We’re now even more determined to make the Hillsborough final the biggest it’s ever been and I will continue to work with Luke and our Varsity planning colleagues to ensure this happens.”

Saydraouten and MacWilliam are disappointed with the postponements.

After a relatively nervous and tight first quarter the men’s team began to open up a vast lead in the second and the team began to look more comfortable as the game went on. Zach Gachette showed his class and proved why he is now playing for the British basketball cup winners. Displaying some fine basketball and even producing the odd slam dunk, much to the Hallam’s crowd delight. Hallam ended the second quarter leading 52-30 and it was going to take a minor miracle for Sheffield Uni to force a comeback. Any hope’s appeared to be dashed by the new addition this year of Nick Lewis, the 19 year old point guard from Canada seemingly shooting three points for fun, toying with the University team. Hallam ran out comfortable winners in the end, with the match finishing 99-59, a solid performance from the Hallam firsts who were always favourites to take the point.

It was a similar story for the women’s team two hours earlier. A rampant display by the girls from the start lead to them easing to victory over their city rivals. After finishing the second quarter with a 52 point lead it became apparent that the win was sealed and the real question was whether they could surpass the 100 point mark.  The team didn’t disappoint and the score ended 104-37.

The day didn’t all go Hallam’s way however as the University took the point in the match between the netball first teams. Uni raced into a 9-1 lead before the first quarter had ended and Hallam were struggling to get any sort of foothold on the game. A dismal first quarter proved costly for the girls who were always facing an uphill challenge against a strong Sheffield University outfit. Hallam began to find a way into the match producing some fine netball leading to some well worked goals. But the girls began to become frustrated as a stern University side refused to roll over. 42-24 was the final score, and the University girls celebrated in style, running onto the court to celebrate with their team mates after the final whistle blew.

One of the highlights of the day proved to be the futsal. For all those that are unsure, the sport is pretty much football played inside. Both Universities’ had a lot of support with a full crowd, producing an electric atmosphere. Sheffield University dominated the opening half going four goals ahead. But a resurgent Hallam side were determined not to give up and they got the score back to 6-4, and a comeback looked possible. A quick fire three goals however put an end to Hallam’s challenge and despite a goal from the Hallam goalkeeper Mitzu late on in the second the score ended 12-6 to Uni.

It was a tight affair between the women’s volleyball team earlier on in the day. Hallam looked as if they could take the first set when they went 21-20 ahead, but Uni battled hard and took the set narrowly, 25-23. The Hallam side didn’t let their head’s drop though, and they took the second set and were hopeful of going on to win the match. But Uni stepped up a gear in the third and fourth, eventually running out winners three sets to one. The men’s volleyball tie proved to be a lot more one sided, Hallam took the first, dropping just 12 points, and from then there was no looking back for the team, winning in straight sets.

Going into the last two days of competition Hallam are just two points behind University with a lot of points still on offer. Hallam will remain upbeat that this time last year we were slightly further behind, and the varsity trophy could well make its way back to us for the tenth year in a row.

Results

Netball

Hallam 3’s 21 – 33 University 3’s

Hallam 2’s 50 – 28 University 2’s

Hallam 1’s 24 – 42 University 1’s

Volleyball

Women’s: Hallam 1 – 3 University

Men’s: Hallam 3 – 0 University

Basketball

Hallam Men’s 1’s 99 – 59 University Men’s 1’s

Hallam Women’s 1’s 104 – 37 University Women’s 1’s

Hallam Women’s 2’s 127 – 12 University Women’s 2’s

Hallam Men’s 2’s 57 – 76 University Men’s 2’s

Futsal

Men’s: Hallam 6 – 12 University

Football

Hallam Men’s 2’s 2 – 0 University Men’s 2’s

It was honours even at Don Valley on Sunday afternoon as Varsity Rugby ended with a win each for Sheffield Hallam and University of Sheffield. Before this, University of Sheffield had been successful in the Rowing to extend their overall four point lead whilst also winning the Varsity 10 Kilometre run though no point was awarded for this with it counting towards the Athletics point.

Early on Sunday morning, the downhill cycling was cancelled due to the bad weather yet the Rowing at Damflask went ahead with University of Sheffield winning by eight victories to Hallam’s three. It was then on to the 10 Kilometre run at Don Valley. In the women’s event, Hallam took first followed by University of Sheffield in second and third but in the men’s event, Hallam failed to find the podium with University of Sheffield’s Rob Gardner taking first with a time of 34 minutes and 38 seconds followed by Paul Trobin in second and Iraitz Arrospide in third. Hallam’s average time of 41:54 was also inferior to University of Sheffield’s time of 38:30 meaning that they won the Varsity point.

Focus at a very cold Don Valley then turned towards the days main events, the women and men’s Rugby Union games. It was the women’s turn to compete first and it was a memorable occasion for all concerned as they recorded their first Varsity win thanks to a 17-10 victory. Bronagh Doherty opened the scoring with a try for Hallam before the kick was converted to make the score 7-0. Lizzie Gladman then scored Hallam’s second try to add another 5 points to the side’s tally before the conversion was missed. Half time saw Hallam lead 12-0 but the deficit was cut early on in the second half as Tulu Osinubi scored a try for University of Sheffield however they missed the conversion and were punished as Gladman scored her second try of the game to make the score 17-5 after Hallam were unable to convert the kick from a wide angle. University of Sheffield kept pressing to try and work a way back into the game and when Rebecca Ley scored they looked like they might be in with a chance. However, the conversion was missed so Hallam’s lead stayed at seven which was large enough for them to see out a memorable win and set up Hallam for the men’s game which was to follow.

The Women’s teams form guards of honour.

The cold weather continued for the men’s game with a strong wind and outbreaks of snow worsening the conditions for player and spectator alike though this didn’t prevent the Hallam and University of Sheffield supporters creating a typical Varsity atmosphere throughout the game. Hallam took an early lead through a Mark Ireland penalty before University of Sheffield scored the game’s first try thanks to Matt Clarke. The kick wasn’t converted and this allowed Hallam to retake the lead thanks to another Ireland penalty. Both sides then scored a penalty each before University of Sheffield added their second try through Andy Hodgson though failed to score the conversion. Hallam closed the gap once more with Ireland again scoring a penalty and this made the half time score 12-13 in University of Sheffield’s favour. After the break Magowan’s long ranged penalty extended Hallam’s deficit to four but Ireland’s fifth penalty of the game saw the gap once again reduced to the single point.

University of Sheffield were applying the strongest pressure and were eventually rewarded with a penalty try with Magowan adding the conversion and with the score at 23-15 and the game approaching its dying embers, Hallam looked to be struggling for a way back into the game. However, Ireland converted another penalty to set up a tense last ten minutes but at a time when Hallam were arguably applying their strongest pressure of the game, University of Sheffield put the ball into touch to spark jubilant celebrations from their players and fans as the referee called time on the game and Rugby Varsity 2013.

Sheffield Hallam fought out an 3-2 overall victory against their rivals The University of Sheffield at the Hallamshire Tennis Club today.

The University of Sheffield took the tennis points 2-1 after a fine display by both their men’s teams. The day didn’t all go Uni’s way however, as the Sheffield Hallam Women’s tennis team battled their way to victory in what can only be described as one of the most thrilling ends to a tennis varsity tie ever seen.

The Men’s first team began the day relatively well when Martin Spudeny, in his first ever Varsity event beat Yasen Tsanev 6-3 6-3 in a closely fought battle. Spudeny however, who only joined the team half way through the season, produced some amazing tennis, with some spectacular winners being produced. A break of serve at 4-3 in the second set proved to end Tsanev’s challenge, and Spundeny ended the match in style with an ace. Much to the roaring Hallam fans delight. The cheers however, were short lived. The University took the other three singles ties with relative ease, and Hallam found themselves going 6-2 down heading into the doubles. The doubles pairing of Tsanev and Grocott proved too strong for Spudeny and Lighthowler . Running out 6-2 6-1 winners.  A similar score in the other Men’s first doubles resulted in Sheffield Uni defeating Hallam’s first team 10-2.

The Hallamshire was packed with fans from both sides.

The Men’s second team also found themselves struggling against a strong University side. When Hallam lost three of its singles ties, it was down to Jan Chojnacki to keep the tie alive. After racing out of the blocks to a 4-0 lead in the opening set Jan began to slow down, giving his opponent Alex Stoia a glimmer of hope. Stoia took this chance; winning the set 7-5. All seemed to be lost for the second team. But Jan fought back, and despite losing seven out of eight games at the end of the first set, Jan won the second 6-4. Despite the spirited fight back however, Chojnacki ran out of steam, and lost the deciding set 6-2 giving University the win overall. 12-0 the final score between both sides men’s second teams.

The Women’s tennis proved to be very different. The tie was built up to be a closely fought battle after the previous encounters earlier on in the season, and it exceeded those expectations. The women played their doubles matches first and got off to a flying start as the partnership of Charlotte Sykes and Becky Cole ran out 6-0 6-0 winners against their University rivals. In the other doubles match Hannah Parker and Lauren Trigg lost a closely fought battle 6-4 6-3 to tie the scores at two apiece after the first two matches. Trigg and Sykes however, who along with Cole, are featuring in their last ever varsity event came out into their singles games and cruised to victory winning 6-1 6-3 and 6-1 6-2 respectively.

The girls now couldn’t lose going into the last two singles rubber’s 6-2 up. Parker battled hard against her opponent as she featured in her first ever varsity, but despite her spirited efforts she fell just short. Losing 7-6 6-2. It was then left to Cole to bring home the point for Hallam. Having already lost the first set 6-4 to a battling Anabelle Sidwell however, it was going to be tough to do this. But Cole fought back and took the second set in a tie break to set up a third set that would decide who would win the tie. Cole took an early lead and lead 3-0, but the University fans spurred their team mate on and Sidwell broke Coles serve to level the scores at 3-3. The girls couldn’t be separated and it was left to a third set tie-break to decide the winner. Cole rose to the occasion much to the delight of her team mates and the on looking Hallam crowd. A long fought battle between the girl’s teams, which will go down as one of the greatest ever.

The Women’s Team embrace their teammate Becky Cole after her hard-fought victory.

In the squash Team Hallam took both points in two fascinating encounters. The day began with a round of 2nd team matches in which Hallam dominated, winning five matches and losing just two. Stand-out performers were Alex Lewis who brushed Jagnesh Sukhramani aside winning 3-0 and Ben Dinsley who saved a number of match points to grind out a 3-2 victory over Matt Fisher. The match didn’t come without its moment of controversy however after a collision between the two players during the final point ended with a Dinsley victory to the shock of Fisher.

Matt Fisher is bewildered with how the match finishes.

Overall scores:

Charlie Yeardsley 3-2 Lucy Tetlow

Alex Lewis 3-0 Jagnesh Sukhramani

Sam Whedler 3-1 Johnny

Adam Snow 3-0 Kritting Gutpo

Kyle Barlow 1-3 Matt Oakes

Ben Dinsley 3-2 Matt Fisher

Pat Reed 1-3 Jack Ithell

The 1st team matches were a much closer affair and at 3-3 and the first to 4, it all came down to the final encounter where Matt Pearson held his nerve to ride out a comfortable 3-0 victory against Oli Drewe to the delight of the Hallam fans in the seats behind. Other fine victories came from team chairperson Lara Cooper who beat Elaine Dean 3-0 and Jack Alcock who beat Toby Cockill by the same scoreline.

Lara Cooper 3-0 Elaine Dean

Robin Crease 2-3 Lemmie Green

Dan Hindmarch 2-3 Paul Snape

Laurenne Davies 1-3 Tom Anthistle

Jake Brynne 3-1 Jac

Jack Alcock 3-0 Toby Cockill

Matt Pearson 3-0 Oli Drewe