Get your T.I.T.S out for medics hockey

Southampton medics hockey team – The Gophers – played host to a variety of the UK’s medical school hockey teams in an enthralling and drink fuelled hockey-fest on Sunday. Around […]


Southampton medics hockey team – The Gophers – played host to a variety of the UK’s medical school hockey teams in an enthralling and drink fuelled hockey-fest on Sunday.

Around 300 doctors of the future donned costumes from ‘out of this world’ including aliens, astronauts, Father Christmases, and even Buzz Lightyear for the annual Tournament In The South (hilariously abbreviated to T.I.T.S – teehee!)

The event began on Saturday afternoon when all the hockey teams met at The Stags and went on to dump their stuff at the residents of some very generous Gophers.

Once in costume the now pretty inebriated bunch of medics marched on to Tiger Lily in Bedford Place for a curry. It was lucky that there were not any ‘normal’ people going out for nice meal as they probably wouldn’t have been able to hear themselves think over the noise.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any louder some clown wacked out a god-damn vuvuzela cleverly disguised as a beer bong.

The night progressed onto Avondale and then Jesters. Here, I’m afraid, is where I have to stop reminiscing as my alcohol content wiped my memory – but from what I hear it was a pretty good night.

We had a total of twelve Cardiff freshers shacking with us in our house, however we lost three of them and gained another. I hear one lonely student managed to end up in Winchester with no recollection of how he got there. Oddly, I seem totally confident in the professionalism and integrity of the future of medicine!

The actual tournament started on Sunday morning at the sports centre on Thornhill Road. The games were played to a (generally) high standard despite nearly everyone being hungover to high heaven. All three Gophers teams were steadily providing solid performances throughout the day.

The seconds lost in the final of the plate on penalty flicks despite a wonderful performance in goal from James Dargan. The firsts managed to reach the final of the cup and were given a chance to be crowned champion of T.I.T.S 2010 – an award that is the envy of every medical school in the universe.

Cardiff first team were their opponents and they put up a magnificent fight but it was the Gophers first team, captained by Ben Challoner, who pulled through for the win!

T.I.T.S was a roaring success and I’m still recovering from it but the best cure for a weekend on the lash and some intense hockey is simply knowing that other medic hockey teams will now quiver at the very thought of facing the mighty Gophers in competition!

T.I.T.S would not have been possible without the efforts of the Gophers committee: Tom Mankelow, Katherine Smart, Clare Macadam, Ben Challoner, Ashley Brown, Aisha Balaji, Matthew Leaning, and Ellie Gatfield.