Stan Calvert 2015 pull-out

STAN CALVERT

Centre of attention

The heartbreaking SC finale saw Newcastle lose in the last second Photography by Cat Scharöter

STAN CALVERT FINALE 2015 NETBALL Newcastle

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Northumbria

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By Jonty Mawer at Northumbria Sports Central The frenetic finale of this year’s Stan Calvert was held this year at Sport Central, Northumbria’s cavernous venue in Sandyford on Sunday, and rounded off another largely unsuccessful year for Team Newcastle in this competition.

Much like last year’s finale, the overall tournament had already been decided.

Northumbria, for the second consecutive year, have proved themselves the superior sporting power in this city and, to Uni’s detriment, have done so by quite some margin. The 29-point deficit is definitively ugly reading for Team Newcastle, and totally epitomises the gulf in overall athletic ability between these two universities. It is now there for all to see.

For the NUNC first team, however,

all this surround sound was immaterial and irrelevant. Their focus was firmly on the job in hand; taking the fight to Northumbria in their own back yard and trying to regain some pride in the beleaguered red lion.

The stage was set for a tantalising and dramatic contest. You can’t fault the Poly for their penchant for the theatrical; the main arena of Sport Central had been ceremoniously bedecked in blue and red with loud music and flashing lights creating a scintillating atmosphere on and around the court. For each player who took to the court on Sunday evening, it will have undoubtedly been the biggest and grandest stage on which they ever will have played, making every pass, every shot, every attempted interception more special than any other their sporting lives.

The game itself started with spellbinding intensity as both teams instigated advances on their opponents net.

The Newcastle centre Hattie Grant was bounding around the court like a gazelle; energising her side, pressurizing the opposition and producing wonderful scoring opportunities for Emily Whiteside up front. The score however seemed perpetually even throughout the first quarter with neither side entirely in the ascendency. Both teams were both dogged in defence and tenacious in attack in equal measure, but as time went on, Newcastle began to pull away

How the story of Super Sunday unfolded

slightly and by the time that the whistle sounded, they led 13-7 against their local rivals. This marked a hugely positive start for the netballers, one that they were keen to build upon.

The second quarter began with the same intensity of the first. Both sides were tireless in their relentlessness in their pursuit of points, gleefully putting their bodies on the line for the sake of victory. Grant most prominently embodied this inspiring attitude in the centre with the help of her partners in crime alongside her: wing attack, Alice Hagyard, and goal attack Hannah Swainson. Uni were on top, looking the far stronger outfit; not bad for a team which has never been featured on Sky Sports, unlike their lofty opponents. As the half time whistle blew, Newcastle led by four points, meaning that if they could hold on for another 30 minutes, the day would be theirs.

In keeping with the theatrical nature of the whole affair, during the half time show, the Newcastle cheerleading squad produced a masterpiece. Combining both red and blue squads for the very first time, the cheerleaders delivered a mesmeric display of choreography that managed to simultaneously stun and excite each and every member of their captivated audience. Despite competing regularly around the country, the cheerleaders surpassed all expectations with the high level of technical difficulty of

9am The first action of the day gets underway at the Northumberland Club, and Northumbria waste no time in getting stuck into their opposition. Eventually they will complete a resounding 12-0 victory in the women’s first team match.

their demonstration with most of their stunts surpassing competition-level complexity. This routine was therefore a true embodiment of their class and an exhibition that definitively justifies their reputation as one of the top outfits in the country. The Northumbria cheerleading display, in comparison, was less spectacular but nonetheless, a relative triumph.

With the colourful atmosphere of the occasion enhanced to almost impossible levels, the netball resumed at its customary intensity and vigour. Poly, it seemed, had regrouped to promising effect over the half time break and were beginning to rediscover the form which had been frequently alluded to in the press conference two weeks ago. Newcastle, however, were stoic at the back, thanks to the enterprise of their defensive holy trinity Jasmine Whitlock, Mia Archer and Jo Murnane, who religiously pestered the Poly forward line from the get go, making goal scoring opportunities an infrequent occurrence for the home side. Poly’s perseverance however started to pay off as they proceeded to narrow the gap between the two sides and eventually took the lead as the third quarter finally came to a close.

Consequently, the score stood at 2524 to Northumbria going into the final quarter and all was certainly to play for.

Newcastle had started by far the stronger but Poly, as they so often do, man-

aged to painstakingly claw themselves back into the context. This was the final showdown; this is where it all ended.

For most of the final quarter, however, both sides seemed rather wasteful in their approach; fatigue had started to hit causing both sides to make mistakes in build-up play and at the basket.

Notwithstanding this, no one could have possibly prepared themselves for the madness of the closing minutes.

The result of the match was hanging in the balance; miraculously the two sides found themselves at 32-32 with 42 seconds left on the clock. Either team could have clinched it, though in the dying seconds, the Poly snatched victory, leaving the Uni desolate in defeat. The Newcastle netballers could be seen strewn across the floor in tears, such was their passion for this fixture, whilst their counterparts euphorically pranced around the court, their victory achieved.

Sport can be cruel, particularly in terms of finals, yet the gut-wrenching nature of this defeat was palpable to all who witnessed it. The NUNC should me immeasurably proud of their endeavours, both in terms of the season as a whole and in the context of Stan Calvert. Yet again we look forward to next year for some salvation, whether anything of that sort will be realised is yet to be seen.

11.11am Newcastle’s AU Officer Caleb Jones bounds out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and tries to rouse the troops on Twitter: “Huge day.

Huge. Let’s go win our cup back”, he says. The points gap was eight points in Northumbria’s favour at this point, two points greater than at this point last year, but his optimism starts to spread through the Uni ranks.

Poly put to the sword STAN CALVERT CUP 2015 FENCING Newcastle

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Northumbria

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By Peter Georgiev at Newcastle Fencing Centre Throughout the last couple of years, Newcastle University’s fencers had consistently exemplified their dominance over Northumbria by collecting all four Stan Calvert points on four consecutive occasions. Thus, the hosts went into their Super Sunday clash with Poly in the role of obvious front-runneWrs but this burden never really prevented them from living up to the high expectations.

Yet another two convincing victories over their fierce rivals has been Newcastle’s objective all along and both the men and the ladies did not waste time to get the job done. At the brand new Newcastle Fencing Centre, The Royals, led by the experienced Daniel Ming and Molly Jowsey, needed less than three hours to dispatch their opposition.

Newcastle’s ladies were impatiently expecting their showdown with North-

umbria hoping to end an otherwise uninspiring season with a glorious high.

After last year Molly Jowsey competed alongside Ellie and Maddie Ivanovi, the Bulgarian sisters have now embarked on two semesters in Spain and allowed for some fresh faces to come in instead.

These faces came in the shape of Ellie Irwin and Daisy Billowes who did not stay in the shadow of their predecessors for too long leading Newcastle to a famous 135-60 victory. The disappointing fifth position in the already finished BUCS league and the early exit from the Conference Cup obliged the girls to get the most out of their Stan Calvert clash.

Exactly what they did.

First in line, Molly opened the game with a confident 5-0 advantage setting the tone for a smashing performance in the foil round. Newcastle seemed to be in a ruthless mood letting the passive Northumbria fencers earn only 12 points before the break. The change of weapon did not cause a change of momentum at the Fencing Centre as The Blues continued to push hard with the épée in hand building up a fascinating 90-27 lead. Eventually, Northumbria managed to soften what was shaping to be a disastrous defeat but did not avoid conceding a worse result in comparison to the previous Stan Calvert edition (123-86).

Meanwhile, Newcastle’s men got off to an extremely rusty start against a pumped-up Northumbria squad whose players kept exploding in joy in re-

Ming ended his Uni career with a memorable Stan Calvert victory Photography by Peter Georgiev

sponse to every single point. The guests had plenty of reasons for satisfaction in the opening stages of the match as they met an initially unconvincing home side. The apparent underestimation and lack of concentration on the part of Newcastle resulted in a surprising 3-12 deficit.

However, The Royals quickly overcame their nervousness managing to

come back and finally get in front at 25-22 after more than half an hour of trailing behind. The standout man Daniel Ming, who was participating in his last ever game for the Uni, took control of the situation guiding his teammates to a 90-45 edge on the twohour mark. Then, it was Andrew Dixon who extended Newcastle’s advantage in the épée round before Ming closed the

match producing a special memory for himself. The team’s top point scorer in the 2014 BUCS league pierced his opponent with a trademark move and sent Northumbria to bed at 135-72 to prolong Newcastle’s impeccable Stan Calvert run in the fencing department.

Raiders wreck and pillage in Stan clash STAN CALVERT CUP 2015 MEN’S AMERICAN FOOTBALL Newcastle

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Northumbria

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familiar double wing playbook, which the Raiders D made easy work of, even without the backing of the self-proclaimed ‘defensive guru’ Coach James ‘Jim’ Harvey. The half ended 14-2, the Poly’s only points coming from a special team’s error resulting in a safety.

Somehow the weather got worse for the beginning of the second half yet the story remained the same with the Raiders’ offence trundling downfield with hard running from Mike Seyani, Rory Osborne and Mike Towsey. Unfortu-

nately Newcastle’s third score of the day was denied by ‘happy go lucky’ officiating from a local hero known to the Raiders as ‘Ref Arm Bar’.

The fourth quarter started with Northumbria finally reacting to the failure of the double wing, resorting to a 60 yard ‘hail mary’ down the middle, which, with the 2-point conversion, resulted in a 14-10 score line. GAME ON. Again hampered by penalties the Raiders’ offence surrendered the ball to the Poly until a fumble recovery touchdown

put the Raiders back in the driving seat.

Northumbria’s fans could only look on in despair as two consecutive interceptions from rookie free safety Jon Kissun and another TD finally iced the game.

The final 28-10 score cemented the Raiders’ seventh straight Stan Calvert victory. It was a fitting end to a hard fought season and a brilliant send off to all Raiders graduating this year. Even Coach Johnson enjoyed witnessing Newcastle’s ongoing dominance in the sport.

“We did really well considering the weather. The team has significantly improved from prior years. WAfter losing our offence coordinator and head coach to Northumbria in 2012, things looked a bit uncertain for a while but we’ve never slipped.”

“We keep having great years and that’s got a lot to do with the great rookies we have from solid recruitment drives.

They’ve made sure that we keep doing what we do best - beating the Poly.”

By Will Hughes at Longbenton With both teams having failed to reach the playoffs this year, Sunday’s matching between the Newcastle Raiders and the Northumbria Mustangs was purely for bragging rights as to the best team in the Toon. The bitter rivalry was made extra intense with the long awaited match against former Newcastle Student, Raider and Head coach Ben Johnson, who traded in the blue and white for the red and black this season.

Led by rookie quarterback Kai Assoun and assisted by some of the ‘larger than life’ players upfront, the Raiders’ bulldozing offence took the field first and quickly asserted its dominance against an aggressive Mustangs defence.

The resulting big hits and inevitable trash talk getting the better of the Poly’s #21 who celebrated his last game by getting ejected in the first 2 minutes. The Mustangs responded to the opening score with the unveiling of the all too

The Raiders got the better of Poly for a seventh consecutive time Photography by Andrew Dale

12pm

12.48pm

The women’s second team football match and women’s second team hockey match get underway. A tough, nuggety performance sadly goes unrewarded as the footballers go down 2-0, but the hockey players grab a late winner after dominating.

In the men’s badminton second team match, the tide turns decisively against Newcastle as losses in the doubles mean that the best they can hope for is a draw.

Northumbria eventually prevail 6-2.

13.06pm A conversion from Northumbria’s women’s rugby team effectively kills that game, putting the score at 19-0. The Uni team do manage to grab a consolation try in the second half but lose 31-5.

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Night falls on the Knights STAN CALVERT CUP 2015 MEN’S BASKETBALL Newcastle 1st

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Northumbria 1st

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By Huezin Lim at Sports Central Results for Basketball in the Stan Calvert have been somewhat uninspiring over the past few years for the Knights. Having lost for the last six years, it did not seem this year was going to be their year, especially given Northumbria’s current performance in BUCS. Being top of the Premier Division and boasting several British Basketball League players within their ranks, this game was indeed a case of “David vs Goliath” as Coach Ian Hewitt alluded in the pre-game interview.

Played at Northumbria’s Sports Central, the crowd was ready and raring to go with a small yet dedicated of Newcastle students making the journey to support the Knights. Coach wanted his team to watch for their transitions and play the mismatches. Northumbria got the tip off right from the start.

Newcastle started the game in their customary fashion, feeding the inside ball to Duru in order to gain some momentum. Adrenalin was running high for the away team, and though this initially worked in their favour, mistakes were beginning to occur as Baugh threw the ball away needlessly. Northumbria, in return, hit back hard with an AndOne opportunity which, though unsuccessful, allowed for them to score off the rebound, a nasty blow for the Knights.

Newcastle were under extreme pressure in defence and their Coach was furious. Despite the three pointer by

Oyefusi, Baugh was still pushing forward when the player should have gone back to set up the half-court defence leaving them open to attack. Alex was desperately trying to find his rhythm and he was leading the game in points and he even converted a three-point play whereas Northumbria had still not managed to find their shooting touch.

With the shot clock winding down, who else would you expect to knock down the jumper from deep but Cole. The time-out was called and Coach wanted no slacking on defence.

After the short interlude, a strong drive

by Duru drew the foul as Northumbria was gunning for the 3 pointer. Northumbria coach told his guys to be patient and coach Hewitt sent on a defensive specialist to secure rebounds and up the defensive pressure. Cole hit the big shot every single time and he knocked down the 3 as the shot clock wound down again. The first quarter ended 23 to 16 with Newcastle keeping a slender lead.

A foul on a three pointer by Jack was definitely not what Newcastle were looking for and with that the score was cut to 23 to 22. This was the first time in a while that Newcastle has not dominated in the score. A spot up three pointer from Baugh turned the momentum slightly but they gave away another basket and the foul. Coach called the timeout, wanting to get on help side and be more physical. Cutting down on fouls would definitely be a priority as well.

Within a matter of one possession, Newcastle were called for two fouls and Duru took the sweet step back jumper but Northumbria answered right back, keeping the Newcastle lead at four.

After the final Newcastle time out.

Northumbria took five consecutive points and managed to draw the foul on Newcastle for two free throws, from the excellent play of Scott Martin. And the game was tied. Under a cold spell offensively, Newcastle were struggling on defence as well and resorting to desperate fouls as Northumbria pushed the tempo.

With a buzzer beater from Northumbria, they took a five point lead. 47

to 42. The entire team seemed to be in an incredible form from the jump shot and the Knights seemed a little shell shocked at this situation, having recently won the National Shield.

Right from the second half, Northumbria scored five straight points and Newcastle had two sloppy turnovers.

The Knights were going to have to dig deep and they started with a three from Alex. Coach said the game begins now, despite being down seven.

Baugh said that games were won on defence and the Knights needed to move the ball constantly. The players also needed to communicate and really needed to stop the Northumbria jump shot from being so effective.

Our offense was in a slump and the players could not find a basket anywhere. Coach Hewitt did not have much to say too as he knew the players were trying their best. The lead for Northumbria now stood at 13 and it was looking bleak for the Knights.

Even Baugh was shooting airballs and it was clear the Northumbria crowd were getting a good laugh out of this play from the Knights. It was 8 minutes into the 3rd quarter before the Knights still have not scored their first basket Duru scored the only four points in the entire third quarter. Emotions were running very high and frustrations were being felt throughout the team. Coach wanted the team to finish the game as a team and to have each other’s back. It has indeed been a long season and the score was not ideal but no one can fault the team for trying their best. Northumbria was indeed in a very strong vein of form and a different level altogether.

The boys were playing for pride at this point and everyone from Newcastle willed the Knights to finish the game with their heads held high. If there were moral victories to be had, Baugh had a poster dunk on a Northumbria player before the game ended, helping the Newcastle players forget all about the score and realise that while they may have lost in terms of the score line, they had kept their pride intact.

Troy Baugh with the monstrous dunk led Newcastle in the clash Photography by Phil Haswell

1HZFDVWOH VXI¿ FLHQWO\ VSLNHG E\ 3RO\ EDOOHUV STAN CALVERT CUP 2015 VOLLEYBALL Newcastle 1st

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Northumbria 1st

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By Jack Marley at Sports Central Thursday night saw the Newcastle Men’s and Women’s 1st teams fall in the Stan Calvert volleyball fixture to resounding 3-0 defeats at Northumbria University’s Sport Central. The Poly, an elite side that consistently dominates the sport at national level, reigned supreme and bagged four shiny points to add to their running total.

As the time came for the ladies to take to the court, both the red and blue fans had a chance to see their champions. In

their warm-up, the abundance of knee guards marked both sides out as committed to the pursuit of a win. Evidence then, that despite the overwhelming odds against them, Newcastle were prepared from the start to fight on their knees to make the difficult touches necessary to hold out against the Poly.

Northumbria climbed the score sheet with an efficient mix of long-range serves and near-net spikes that kept Newcastle scattered and divided. They often responded well to smashes into their half, with diving blocks that saw them hit the floor with enough force to make the average spectator wince. However, the art of the Poly playing style was not in preventing Newcastle reaching the ball, but ensuring they could do little with it once they did. Sure enough, the force of the initial shot meant that blocks merely sent the ball careering out of the court. Northumbria couldn’t rely on this totally however, and the ladies became better at controlling the ball as the game progressed, but momentum never really left the Poly and they finished their first set 25-10. The net swallowed several Northumbria serves and

13.26pm Quite suddenly, a few results turn the Uni’s way and bring about a wave of optimism/straw-clutching: the table tennis teams bring home some points, and a strong squash showing as well as the aforementioned consolation try perk Uni fans up in spite of the growing points deficit overall.

it helped build Uni confidence to see the scores creeping up on the home side. It may have explained some truly remarkable plays, like the surprise punch by #9 that caught Northumbria unawares and sent the ball just shy of their attention, or the heroic dive by #3 that put the Poly through their paces. However the league difference between the two teams began to show as the second set wound down and Northumbria landed successive shots that helped their point advantage grow into double figures. A promising start to the third set, with long-range, court-uniting passing that gave each player a chance to level shots at the Poly, sadly gave way to a Northumbria onslaught that tied up the game at 3-0.

The Newcastle boys had an even greater challenge before them. Since Team Northumbria field two Olympic athletes in their volleyball squad, the league difference between the two teams was even starker in the second game. That said, play kicked off with a miraculous first point to Newcastle.

A vacant Poly struggled to respond to the serve and the ball bounced off their

14.44pm The Poly hit the 40-point mark with an easy 96-31 win in the men’s third team basketball game. Traditionally, the first team to 40 points goes on to win the Cup, and confidence begins to spread among Northumbria’s fans.

right flank and trundled out. 1-0 to Uni then. If only it would last… A string of near-net efforts put Newcastle on the back foot and precipitated a points winning spree for the home team. Uni battled on fearlessly though, exemplified by #32’s painful double block that saw off two consecutive spikes. The Newcastle men built an efficient network of blocking and playmaking in their half, but the brute force of the other side forced jerky touches from them that ultimately fed the Poly’s score. As with the women though, Newcastle were steadfast in their dedication to the game and refused to let the odds get the better of their game. #21 unleashed a wellplaced spike out of Northumbria’s reach that preceded a string of consolation goals for the blues, and despite each set ending with a double-digit difference in points between the two teams, both sets of fans would have to concede that the plucky Newcastle boys and girls put on a hell of a show. A particularly zealous poly in the crowd greeted the boys in their last set by shouting encouragement to his team through a megaphone.

Feedback drowned out most of his

words but pockets of Newcastle fans hidden away in the red sea responded in kind with shouts of encouragement.

It was heartening to see, and Uni were no doubt bolstered by it to pull back 5 points in their last set from a poly romping. It became the most closelyfought set of the game, with #14 leaping from line to line to make some impossibly difficult blocks and #7 refuting the poly’s near-net dominance with a blistering spike that cut the front two in half. The men’s game ended 3-0 too, but the spirited show from both the Uni teams will be remembered as the night’s defining characteristic.

Head Coach Ashley Fantazia offered her take on Newcastle’s performance.

“Our main focus tonight was to have fun and take the opportunity to play against some world-class sportspeople.

And even though Northumbria had some really good sets, we didn’t roll over. We were the underdogs and we gave a good fight. One day we could overturn their advantage, anything can happen in this sport.”

15.12pm A second wave of optimism floods the Uni, with the men’s third team rugby union match ending 27-7, and the second team storming to a 14-0 lead. On top of that, the netball third team grab a win and the women’s hockey team seal their late win. There are still 43 points to play for, with the gap at 14 points.

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MEN’S FOOTBALL Newcastle 1st

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Northumbria 1st

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By Calum Wilson at Longbenton The men’s footballers played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with their Poly counterparts last Monday in a match that typified the spirit of Stan Calvert. A late strike from man of the match Alex Ames earned NUAFC some well-deserved spoils as the two sides battled it out on a cold and wet night, in front of an impressive crowd.

The match had been billed as one of the hardest to predict, with Newcastle sitting pretty at the top of BUCS Northern 1a league whilst their opponents, historically stronger, have experienced

mixed fortunes a league above. Those who made the journey to Longbenton were duly rewarded; the usual wholehearted tackles were accompanied with some attractive football, dramatic saves and a touch of late drama.

League standings considered, Newcastle would have been the most likely to take a point pre-match. The in-form lions though matched their higherranked opponents on the night and will feel that the 88th minute leveller was more than just reward for their hard work and commitment, epitomised by goal scorer, Ames, who ran tirelessly at the Northumbria defence all evening.

Despite tormenting the Poly right back on a number of occasions, Ames still had an extra spring in his step when his team needed it most, reacting first to the rebound whilst others around him looked on in exhaustion. The Newcastle number 7 smashed the ball home after originally turning it onto the post from an expertly delivered in-swinging corner.

It had looked for a while as if it wasn’t to be Newcastle’s day, twice falling behind and with two of their influential midfielders Jake Salisbury and James Golby picking up match-ending inju-

ries. This put more pressure on Ames to deliver out on the left. The Geordie coach on the sideline increasingly encouraging his players to feed the winger.

Northumbria dealt the opening blow on 9 minutes with a swift counterattack that stemmed from a Newcastle corner at the other end. The Poly number 8 lead the charge, racing away into space in the centre of the pitch, with the Newcastle defence caught three on three.

The ball went wide, before a rather tame low cross seemed to catch Scott Huntley

strike looked an easy save, but to the surprise of those on the touchline, the net rippled and the keeper cursed.

After the early caginess and with the score delicately poised at 1-1, the two sides eased into the match and both began to show glimpses of quality on the ball, despite the torrid conditions. Tactically, the formations looked very similar with Northumbria possibly winning the physical battle in the centre of the pitch, but otherwise the individual match-ups were fiercely contested.

and then Jack Taylor off balance, falling kindly at the feet of the Alex Djukivic to tap in from close range.

The Posh reacted well to this setback and within ten minutes of conceding, the scores were even once more. A clever ball forward found Espin in the opposing half. The number 8 picking out centre forward Walker, who quickly shifted it onto his left, needing only a yard to make room for a shot. The weak

Both goalkeepers deserve a mention also, and were called into action either side of half time. On 39 minutes, Newcastle’s Dan Readman was forced into dirtying his new sparkling gold strip as he dived to get a crucial palm on the ball, timing the intervention to perfection, that otherwise would have been a penalty and a brandishing of a card of some colour.

Meanwhile Alex Newton, in goal for

“Ames’ equalizer sent the Newcastle faithful, led by AU officer Caleb Jones, into delirium�

Northumbria, did well to tip over a fizzing long-range strike from Ames, five minutes into the second half, before blocking the volleyed effort of right back Mairs from the resulting corner. At the other end Readman was again called into action to deny Luke Hannant, but moments later was helpless to prevent Ben Murdoch’s follow up after centre back Pilkington’s goal line clearance.

As Newcastle pressed for an equaliser, the mood on and off the pitch seemed to be one of hope more than expectation. The Uni side saw a lot of the ball with the Poly content on playing on the counter. Perhaps for the boys in black, lessons were learnt from the 0-3 defeat to Liverpool John Moores the week before where a series of counter attacks was their eventual undoing.

The Geordies survived a scare on 72 minutes when Northumbria rattled the post. Spurred on by a large proportion of the spectators, the hosts eventually gambled and a formation change to 3 at the back seemed to do the trick. The pressure eventually paid off, two minutes from the end, when Ames’ equaliser sent the Newcastle faithful, led by AU officer Caleb Jones, into delirium.

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On an unhappy Wednesday morning where Uni went in 7-3 behind in the overall standings all hopes lay with Newcastle University Cricket Club and their two strong sides to bring Stan Calvert back to a level playing field heading into the back end of the week. South North Cricket Club was the scene, with a hard, pacy and somewhat plastic pitch it all started so well for the boys in blue.

Michael Darby led his second team

rious cut into the side netting which only wielded a single. The second team cruised to a victory in this game with great performances all round but with stand outs from Fox, Smith and Darby, who put in a true captain’s performance.

Then came the time for the 1st team.

A chance to pull level in this year’s fractious tournament. Street and his team came out swinging with Ollie Sale taking a wicket with the first ball of the match due to a top edge from the shaky looking Northumbrian opening bat.

With AU officer and cricket club member Caleb Jones calling for every ball to be a wicket there was a lot of hope and expectation riding on this side. The pressure told. Extras started to creep in and the fact that a seemingly unstoppable Spears managed to total up 38* in a game where batsmen have to retire at 25 tells its own story. Street did however keep it extraordinarily tight in his final over and to constrain a rampant Northumbria batting line up to 107-4 from what looked a promising start was impressive from the Uni bowling attack.

Castleden and Clarke looked to set

to a victory with both strong batting and bowling performances. Having restricted the Poly to 90 off their 10 overs it seemed a relatively easy task to chase the runs down in what is in an intriguing game. For those who don’t know about indoor cricket and are complete outdoor specialists, such as myself, it is difficult to adjust to. Anything that hits the side is two runs, regardless of whether it would be a boundary outside, for instance, from the first ball of a lovely looking innings from Smith opening the batting, he played a glo-

the tone of the innings for Street’s men but just couldn’t beat a negative Poly field with two men marking the back wall at all times. Then, with Castleden quickly followed by another two quick wickets it all looked a bit doom and gloom in what had looked like a promising day for Newcastle’s hopes in this Stan Calvert tournament. Sale, one of those two wickets, looked set to go long with an unbelievably well timed straight drive for 6 only to hole out trying to do the same next ball. Captain Street and Anderson did rescue their team from

STAN CALVERT CUP 2015 MEN’S CRICKET Newcastle

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Northumbria

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By Josh Nicholson at South North Cricket Club

“The second team cruised to a victory in this game with great performances all round�

16.38pm Just as the wave of optimism crests, it breaks: the Team Northumbria Twitter feed confirms their win. Overjoyed Poly players celebrate by deploying their selfie sticks for victory photos, while Uni fans console themselves with the knowledge that they will at least not be doing anything as tragic as using a selfie stick.

Rory the Lion in joyous spirits as at South Northumberland CC Photography by NUCC

what would not only have been disappointing but mightily embarrassing result for NUCC and their side. With 34 needed off the last over Captain Fantastic Street found the middle of the bat, but unfortunately it was too little too late for a flat looking first team. NUCC finishing on 96 at the end of their allotted overs. It is clear that the slow start

18.10pm The netball second team let a five-point lead slip to lose 33-31. Poly celebrations reach blood-boilingly insufferable levels, leaving Uni fans to kick inanimate objects and snap at loved ones.

really did for this originally very strong looking outfit.

On the way out of the centre Street looked inconsolable. Staring into the middle distance as he walked disconsolately away from the cricket facilities of SNCC after a lacklustre performance from his team. Never has the clubs hash tag of ‘we go again’ been more appro-

priate. The cricket is now to be moved outside and expanded to a 20/20 format for future Stan Calvert competitions after its raging success last year, when 3000 revellers basked in the Jesmond sunshine.

21.10pm The final insult: a brave, battling, gutsy, highly skilled performance from the netball first team ends in the cruellest manner possible.

Having equalised with eight seconds left, Northumbria break upfield and take the win with the last throw of the game.

Newcastle given a kicking STAN CALVERT CUP 2015 FUTSAL Newcastle

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Northumbria

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By Alex Hendley at Northumbria Sports Central It was points for Poly at Northumbria’s Sports Central in the Stan Calvert futsal on Thursday night, as Newcastle were put brutally put to the sword. Four Stan Calvert points were up for grabs in the men’s and women’s futsal but Newcastle lost 3-2 and 10-1 respectively, as Northumbria put on a masterclass in their impressive sports hall.

First up were the women, playing in front of a packed viewing gallery as supporters and athletes alike cheered on their respective universities, hoping for some points in the bag. However, it was only ever the home side at the races as they opened the scoring four minutes in, after dominating from kick of. After the first goal, unfortunately for Newcastle the flood gates opened, with the second and third goals hitting the net before the visitors had managed more than one shot on their opponents’ goalmouth. Northumbria managed to

score three more goals before the break, with a glanced reverse header and an open goal tap in both finding their way into the away side’s net, despite a strong period after the third goal where the visitors didn’t concede for five minutes, and had begun to create some chances themselves.

However, after that pre half time flurry the job was done for Northumbria as Newcastle had given themselves it all to do in the second twenty minute half.

The plan will have been to keep it tight at the back, before going in search of regaining some ground on the Northumbrians. This was unfortunately blown apart by a goal within the opening minute from Team Northumbria whose fans were now louder than ever.

A wicked shot was tapped in after it had rebounded off the post before the Newcastle ‘keeper fumbled the ball over the goal line for Poly’s eighth and ninth, before the double digits were broken into from a simple free-kick routine. Those who were present to support Newcastle University’s Stan Calvert effort did have something to cheer late on as the girls pulled a goal back, but the game ended 10-1 and two points went Poly’s way before the lads came out for warm ups.

This was a much tighter affair, and the tension in the air was evident as the match could not have been closer.

Northumbria came out of the traps flying with plenty of trickery and skill, however Newcastle’s defence was robust and their transition from defence in attack looked like it could hurt the

home side if their concentration slipped at any point. It took six minutes for the home crowd to have a goal to cheer and in honesty it was deserved, however so was Newcastle’s instant equaliser as their pumping aggression straight from kick-off was worthy of a goal. The three minutes of fury culminated in yet another goal, as Poly restored their two goal advantage but it was Newcastle with the goal of the game when the home crowd had to witness the ball

skid into the bottom corner from long range just before half time. Until the break Newcastle battled hard, and were perhaps unfortunate to go in behind as they had grown into the game superbly and were no longer allowing Northumbria the time on the ball they needed.

The second half was one of the most tactical displays you will see from a Newcastle side in Stan Calvert this year, as they executed perfectly the strategy the ladies would have been aiming for

- contain Northumbria and hit them on the break. With their solid box formation when Northumbria were in possession the home side were frustrated at the lack of opportunities they were able to create, however unfortunately Newcastle simply didn’t get the rub of the green on their counter attacks. The whole twenty minute second period ended without further goals, and it was Team Northumbria that took all the spoils.

Newcastle never really troubled Poly at the Sports Central Photography by Alex Hendley

Northumbria naff at whiff-­whaff STAN CALVERT CUP 2015

TABLE TENNIS Newcastle

3

Northumbria

0

By Huezin Lim at Northumbria Sports Central

Newcastle’s Joey, Paris, Muse and Matrina rallied to grab six SC pts Photography by Huezin Lim

With the Stan Calvert Cup of 2015 score at 27–18 before Super Sunday, Newcastle were under immense pressure to put some points onto the board. At the Upper Hall in Northumbria’s Sports Central, the table tennis contests mattered even more so as the guys and girls in blue were heavy favourites. The 1st and 2nd teams played concurrently over four tables and matches kicked off to little fanfare. Newcastle lady, Joey was feeling somewhat nervous, despite a substantial time to warm up. She was sending all her forehand shots well wide. Northumbria girl, Alex defended really well at the same time so if Joey could reduce the number of unforced errors, she would definitely have gained a lot more confidence and found her way into this match.

Amongst the Newcastle Firsts, Paris on the other hand, was doing an excellent job against her opponent with plenty of good backspin shots. She was gaining in confidence and it was clear to see as she was playing with a smile on her face. Newcastle were finding a lot of joy in their first round of matches and as Newcastle won the first match through Paris, it was definitely a good start for the Newcastle ladies, finishing before everyone else.

Muse was also having an enjoyable time against her opponent and it was clearly a good start for the ladies. With

Stan Calvert being one of the last times playing competitively in the academic year, all the ladies wanted to enjoy themselves as much as possible. The first match between Joey and her opponent was going down to the wire and both players were making plenty of unforced errors, the nerves and the pressure playing a major part. However, Alex from Northumbria prevailed and won this time around against Joey with a nailbiting final game of 14 to 12.

After the first round of matches, both teams were all square after the first round of matches with the score 1-all for Newcastle and Northumbria. The second round of matches began and it was a completely different affair with a lot more patience and concentration needed for Paris to take down her opponent, Alex.

Frustrations were being felt by Northumbria against Joey and that definitely gave her plenty more opportunities to relax and cut down on unforced errors.

With that, she also hit many more winners.

In the matches of Newcastle’s second team, Matrina was sticking to the basics and hitting the ball consistently back into the table, banking on her opponent making the unforced error. Muse was also handling the opponent with some comfort, being careful and patient. Unlike Matrina however, she was not afraid to go for the winner. The two ladies from Newcastle Seconds took their matches comfortably, putting them in good stead for the win.

Joey won her matches in three straight games, which must have been a relief considering the poor performance in the previous match. Paris was still up against Alex and this was definitely the closest contest of the day. Emotions were definitely taking its toll on her and her coach took a moment to give her some advice. Despite this, Paris would not be denied and she won the match, giving Newcastle’s firsts and seconds an insurmountable 3-1 lead regardless of the doubles encounter.