UCLU Men’s Basketball dominate Interclub Netball
16 teams competed in 4 groups this year, hoping to steal UCLU Dodgeball’s title of reigning champions.
Friday 15th of November, 6pm
Weather: Icy cold, but miraculously no snow
Fancy Dress Theme: Tube stations
Group 1 – Cycling, Snowsports 1, Women’s Rugby 2, Dodgeball
Dodgeball began strongly with a 5-0 win against Women’s Rugby (aided by a few netballers) and a close win against Cycling. Cycling produced some great netball and beat Women’s Rugby, but drew against Snowsports after a closely contested match. Snowsports climbed up the tables with a victory over Women’s Rugby. The deciding game was between Dodgeball and Snowsports; could Snowsports knock out the defending champions or could Dodgeball get the draw they needed to progress to the semis? Snowsports eventually smashed it – a 6-0 victory took them through to the next round to face Basketball.
Group 2 – Basketball, Snowsports 2, Men’s Lacrosse, Squash
Basketball won by forfeit in their first game against Squash, who didn’t turn up. Men’s Lacrosse donned their Banana suits (they grow bananas at Kew Gardens, so technically they were a tube station) to take on Snowsports 2, and a very close game resulted in a 1-0 win. Basketball managed to smash Lacrosse’s hopes of a clean sheet by defeating them 2-0. Lacrosse secured another win, but only because Squash were still nowhere to be seen. Basketball continued to dominate with a 4-0 win over Snowsports 2 and sealed their position at the top.
Group 3 – Women’s Hockey, Men’s Hockey, Social Netball, Women’s Rugby 1
Hockey dominated the group with wins over Women’s Rugby and Social Netball from both Women’s and Men’s teams. Women’s Rugby finally won against Social Netball – it was a tough game with a 1-0 result. The Hockey teams faced off in the deciding game, with the Women’s dressed as the Men’s President Chris ‘Baker’ and the Men’s sporting green attire. It was an entertaining game which ended with a 0-0 draw.
Group 4 – Men’s Rugby, Men’s Football. Old Girls, Engineers Without Borders
Men’s Football kicked off their campaign well with a victory over Men’s Rugby but were narrowly defeated by the Old Girls in one of the best matches of the day. Men’s Rugby came back from their defeat to win 2-0 against the Engineers, who then produced a draw against Men’s Football. The Old Girls showed the boys how it’s done and produced a 3-0 victory over Men’s Rugby and a 4-0 win over the Engineers to finish top of the group.
Semi Final 1- Snowsports 1 vs Men’s Basketball
From the very start Basketball had been the team to beat. Basketball started the game strong taking a 2-goal lead in the first few minutes; they had perfected the art of exploiting their height advantage and simply throwing the ball over the opposition’s heads. Snowsports fought back strongly with some excellent shooting and even managed to keep their hipster cool despite the pressure. Basketball began to edge ahead, winning by 3 goals by the final whistle.
Semi Final 2 – Women’s Hockey vs Old Girls
Tying with Men’s Hockey, Women’s Hockey progressed to the semi-final with the Men’s agreement. Facing a team of undefeated ex-UCL Netballers, the game was going to be tough. Both teams made some fantastic interceptions and turnovers, and Women’s Hockey fought strongly throughout the game. But in the end, the Old Girls took the victory and progressed through to the final.
Final – Men’s Basketball vs Old Girls
This was it, the decider; would Basketball take the title or would netballers actually win the Interclub Netball for the first time ever? Basketball made some amazing passes down the court, and their goal shooter easily slotted the ball into the net. The Old Girls brought the score back to 3-2 with their knowledge of the game – they managed to work their way around the very long arms of the Basketballers. With the gold medals at stake, Basketball stepped up their game and produced some fantastic interceptions to increase their lead.
Final Score: Basketball 6-3 Old Girls
Final Results
1st: Men’s Basketball
2nd: Old Girls (Netball Alumni)
3rd: Snowsports and Women’s Hockey
Group Runners Up: Men’s Hockey, Cycling, Men’s Lacrosse, Men’s Football
On behalf of UCLU Netball, thank you to everyone who came along to play and those who came to spectate. Another fantastic interclub and £212.50 was raised on the evening for our chosen charity, the Mace Foundation.