‘We’ve never lost to Oxford University’: Meet the Brookes Captains

Confused by all the options? These guys tell you why you should play for their team

| UPDATED

Beth Morley –Women’s Football First Team Co-Captain

This could be you

Beth Morley, Psychology third year from Saltash

What is your position? CB.

Describe your team mates in three words: Absolute bloody legends.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? I have to pick one? I’m not sure how appropriate the stories are to be honest.

I guess it would be one of the girls coming out whilst surrounded by 26 lesbians from the Brighton team.

What makes you the best team at university? We may not be the biggest team but all of us get on so well together not just for football but outside of football too.

Who is the one to look out for in your club and why? The one to look out for would be Hayley Gibson, she’s one of our new social secs and she definitely isn’t afraid to have a good time, especially now she’s been given charge of the new freshers.

Fittest Member? Anyone who doesn’t go to the socials every week.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? I don’t really keep all that much in my kitbag to be honest, but I do think I have an old granola bar on there from tour so that’s not so nice.

 

Catherine Campbell: Women’s Football First Team Co-Captain

Catherine Campbell, Early Childhood Studies third year from Croydon

Position? Centre Midfield.

Describe your team mates in three words: Mental, dramatic and unforgettable.

What makes you the best team at university? I would say I love the fact that although we have all come from different places we all get on so incredibly well, we look out for each other on both the football pitch and nights out. A lot of respect for the girls.

Fittest member? Mark’s definitely the fittest.

What is your pre match ritual? Before a game we always need a focused team talk to get everyone ready.

If you feel like giving football a try, why not check out their Facebook page?

Will Scholes – Rugby Union First Team Captain

Will Scholes, PE/CMC third year from Aylesbury/France.

Position? Second Row and Back Row.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? A memorable moment from last year was playing and winning the charity crosscode game against Brookes Bulls,  a lot of people made their way to the game, there was a good atmosphere and it led on perfectly to the boat party and Mayday.

What makes you the best team at uni? We play Rugby Union.

But also this year the club as a whole has a better structure, a lot more commitment and we are also aiming to gain promotion for all of our teams, which promises an exciting season.

 Who is the one to look out for in your club and why? Ed Kittow aka Danny Care our scrum half, he’s always sticking to the ball an quick to eject it from rucks he’s also very sneaky and quick around rucks which makes him dangerous.

Fittest Member? Our fly half of course, Will Watson.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? Vaseline. For my ears in scrums – rugby players will understand.

 

 

Charlie Dee – Men’s Lacrosse First Team Captain

Charlie Dee, Equine Science and Thoroughbred Management second year from Cheltenham

Position? Mid/attack.

Describe your team mates in three words – Gym Tan Lax – The lacrosse Lifestyle.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? Beating Cambridge 1sts in the last 10 seconds.

What makes you the best team at uni? Socials with the girls.

Who is the one to look out for in your club (and why?) Adam ‘The Edge’ Hicks – A big trend setter.

Fittest Member? Felix Fresh Jenkins – great beard.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? A piss bottle for the journey home.

What is your pre match ritual? Tuesday night is pasta bake night I carbo load for a match.

What do most people not know about you the captain? Played polo for Young England.

 

Imy Edwards – Women’s Lacrosse First Team Captain

Imy Edwardsm, Interior Architecture second year from Holyhead

Position? Midfield Attack.

Describe your team mates in three words: Beer, lax, tour.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? When someone’s face got between Emily and the goal.

What makes you the best team at uni? Even when we lose we still manage an even messier night than the time before. We can score from any position, we like to play rough and we can keep it going for 60 minutes.

Who is the one to look out for in your club (and why?) Lish is as feisty off the pitch as she is on.

Funniest/most outrageous initiation? Our ‘welcoming party’ or initiation, as it should not be named, starts the season as we mean to finish-messy, covered in mud and probably still drunk.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? Two balls.

What is your pre match ritual? The uplifting Brookes cheer, that only the initiated and worthy are privy to.

What do most people not know about you the captain? I’m 1/8 Chinese

Henry Rudd – Men’s Hockey First Team Captain

Henry Rudd, Sports Coaching and PE with Geography second year from Kenya

Hometown? Born, raised and live in Kenya.

Position? Midfield/striker.

Describe your teammates in three words: Energetic, wild, determined.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour?  Best moment last season was having a huge crowd out to see us blast our way through the promotion playoffs and gain a place in the premier league, winning 7-3 in the final.

What makes you the best team at uni? Speaks for itself really, we are the biggest sports club, both men’s and ladies’ firsts are in the premier league, and the other 6 teams, when they aren’t winning are partying. Also with an even balance of girls and boys, socials every Wednesday are easily the best around.

Who is the one to look out for in your club and why? Ben Roe- moves like you’ll never believe it on a dance floor. Incredible.

Fittest member? We’re a good looking bunch of lads, but our main pretty boy is Theo Dowse.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag?  Never been a big kit bag man, keep it simple.

What do most people not know about you the captain? I’m a safari addict and keen for a serious party.

 

Merrick Steward: Cricket President

Merrick Steward, Sport and Exercise science third year from Exeter

Position? Cat-like fielder and bowl wiley left arm meds.

Describe your team mates in three words? Hord and forst.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? Plenty to choose from. Plenty that aren’t appropriate.

Have to go with one of the lads waking up in someone’s shed in Belfast, covered in scratches, not knowing how he got there, only to be given a lift back to the hotel by the sheds owner.

What makes you the best team at uni? Our first team’s been promoted and second team only missed out on promotion by one point.

We have the perfect balance between sporting prowess and savage rowdiness dominating the social scene.

Who is the one to look out for in your club and why? Luke Shermer, man of many talents, stylish opening batsman, Harry styles lookalike, up and coming stand up comedian and lady killer.

Fittest Member? Ali Easton, god he’s pretty.

Funniest/most outrageous initiation? Sending a fresher to Inverness to find the Loch Ness monster, nothing more to say on that matter.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? A kind of deep heat that is meant for ‘equine use only’.

What is your pre match ritual? Get up, shake, gym, shake, feed, shake.

What do most people not know about you the captain? Oddly enough I’m full blown 100% Mexican. Straight out of the state of Oaxaca.

 

 

Bradley Maybury: American Football President

Bradley Maybury, Accounting and Finance fourth year from Birmingham

Position? Wide Receiver.

Describe your team mates in three words? Oxford Brookes Panthers.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? What happens on tour stays on tour. Except speedos.

What makes you the best team at uni? We’ve never lost to Oxford University.

Who is the one to look out for in your club and why? As a player it would be Will Grant, although he’s picked up the name ArroGrant for obvious reasons. Socially it has to be Silly Sylvain, he’s just so silly.

Fittest Member? The other president Julian Wakeford is just beautiful. He used to work at Abercrombie in New York as one of those topless guys outside.

Funniest/most outrageous initiation? Initiation? I think you mean ‘team bonding’. We just like to hang out, grab a beer and eat some oreos.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? A picture of Justin Bieber. His hair is very good, very cool, very handsome. I like it.

What is your pre match ritual? I’m not really one for putting on my left boot first or whatever. I just like to pray, listen to some Hillsong and try and focus on the game ahead.

What do most people not know about you the captain? I play for Great Britain.

 

 

Brookes Bluebirds Co-captains: Katie Charman and Laura Ellacott

Katie Charman, fourth year Spanish and Business management student from London

Describe your team mates in three words:  Hardworking, CHEERful and amazing.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? Most memorable moment has to be our competition weekend in February. Travelling to Bath University, competing against 14 other universities in our level with a great routine and finally celebrating as a team on the mat after winning the Varsity Championships against Reading at Future Cheer University Nationals.

What makes you the best team at uni? As well as being Twice National Champions and winners of Varsity Championships against Reading, we train hard doing tough sessions of stunting and tumbling at least twice a week.

We also play just as hard with lots of awesome socials and events, we spend so much time together through both training weekends and socials that we are just like a big family.

Who is the one to look out for in your club and why? Holly Milton, a second year flyer, such a strong member on the squad, watch out for her in this year’s routine.We also have a few returners from placements abroad which is exciting so keep a look out for them.

Fittest Member?  Would have to be Jess N-Smith.

Laura Ellacott, third year Law student from Devon

Funniest/most outrageous initiation? Initiation gossip remains at initiation.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? Excessive amounts of glittery bows and lots of deep heat.

What is your pre match ritual? Our rather bizarre pre-comp tradition is always to go to an all you can eat roast dinner buffet the night before, it happens to be an essential to our winning formula.

 

Rory Copus: Rowing Captain

Rory Copus, Fourth year Mechanical Engineering Student from Illinois

Position? Coxswain – steersman & tactician of the crew.

Describe your team mates in three words. Passionate, Driven, Winners.

What is the funniest/most memorable moment from your last season/tour? Most memorable has to be winning the Temple Challenge Cup this year at Henley Royal Regatta, the pinnacle of our season. I’ve raced at Henley for nine years and made the final twice, but have never won.

To narrowly lose last year & bring back the majority of the crew again, to be the fastest Brookes crew ever, and win with my brother in the crew – you can’t really top that.

What makes you the best team at uni? Our record of success, and the atmosphere of the squad – you mention Brookes Sport and people think ‘rowing’.

The attitude to training is what pushes us on as a club – our strength lies in our depth, and the rowers relish the inter-squad competition. And obviously, when the time’s right, we party pretty damn hard.

What is the oddest item you keep in your kit bag? A roll of electrical tape, handy for taping up blistered hands. Or my lifejacket. Every cox needs one.

What is your pre-race ritual? I stand by the racecourse and look down the track – it helps me visualise the race, and calm my mind.