Performance Sport. AUTUMN REPORT 2023/24 version 1.3
Contents. 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MATT PAINE
4
BUCS ANDREW LANHAM
5
NUTRITION MILLY BOORMAN
7
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY CONNOR GRANT
9
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING WILL RUSCOMBE-KING
12
PERFORMANCE PATHWAY WILL RUSCOMBE-KING
14
BOAT ED BLOOMFIELD
17
CRICKET CHRIS BOLTON
20
MEN’S FOOTBALL ALAN TYERS
22
HOCKEY CHRIS WHITE
24
NETBALL CHANTELLE WOPARA
27
MEN’S RUGBY OLLY SLYM
29
TENNIS ALI BLACKETT Click on an item to jump to it
Executive summary. Hello to all colleagues, friends, partners and stakeholders,
The magic in those BUCS numbers lies in the detail beneath them; with teams top of Premier Leagues, an unbeaten season so far for Volleyball, and some huge strength in depth with many 2nd, 3rd and 4th teams right at the top of their respective leagues.
I am writing these notes on the last Friday of term, sat in the entrance to Fortress Coombe Dingle, reflecting on the last 18 weeks...Yes; 18 weeks have flown by since the sun shone down at Coombe and we opened the doors to pre-season for men's hockey.
The continued pride, commitment, and inclusivity of our student clubs, provides a glowing environment for all players to find their level and contribute to the #WeAreBristol sporting community.
Since that day, 14 August, thousands of students have been engaged in Performance activity across our sites.
All of the numbers above are only possible by the people you have in your organisation to want to create the best environment possible for each other and most importantly the students.
Term 1 in numbers:
600
More than 600 students, across 20 clubs, engaged in some part of pre-season 23/24
The Performance team since pre-season have been outstanding; the level of detail in delivery and technical planning are continuously being improved and reviewed to align with the development values of players on and off the field. The way the team have joined together with some challenges and true sadness during this last year, has been exceptional.
We served more than 200 meals to students across our 3-week offer
200 Over 90 teams entered into BUCS competition
90
530
2364
Just over 530 games played since October 2023
I thank you all for this work and leadership, which you all show on a daily basis. The wider team in Sport, Exercise and Health all contribute to how we continue to deliver success stories.
We currently sit 10th in the BUCS league with 2,364 points already in the bag. 2
Executive summary. Our work in the last six months has always had one man in mind, as we have all tried to be a bit more 'Ben Dudley' - our Head of Hockey who lost his battle with cancer in April. A man who carried all the values, honesty and respect that made him a unique coach, friend and disciple of his sport. He's always with us, in all we do. In the great man’s words, this mantra lives on each and every day:
2023 has been excellent, but 2024 has the potential to be a truly magical year, The Euros in Germany, an Olympic year under the glamour of the Paris skies, and the University Performance team to once again continue to aspire to be the best we can be, and make sure that the offer is as unique as always. We already have James Peters, a Bristol alumnus, confirmed to race for Team GB Sailing in Paris, and we hope to see many more of our students and alumni join him as teams are selected in the coming weeks and months, ahead of the Games.
Don't be sad because its over, smile because it happened.” We opened the England Hockey Talent Academy in September, a project that Ben delivered in the last year of his life. There is no better legacy, in that the Academy is being led brilliantly by his close friend Martin Hicks and his team.
I would like to thank the Priory Foundation and Nigel Wray for your continued support and faith in our programme, and all of our partners and stakeholders who contribute in so many ways, to make the programme a success. Finally, I would like to wish you all a very Happy and prosperous New Year.
Bristol alumnus and Team GB member James Peters, with sailing partner Fynn Sterritt Credit: Sailing Energy / World Sailing
MATTHEW PAINE PERFORMANCE SPORT MANAGER 3
BUCS. The University of Bristol was represented by student teams in 532 fixtures between 27 September and 13 December 2023, winning 50% of these fixtures, and losing only 43%. Our results skewed more positive towards the start of the term, falling away towards the end, in my mind owing to a fantastic pre-season schedule of friendlies, strength and conditioning and nutrition for many of our teams. % Wins 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 11 Oct
18 Oct
25 Oct
1 Nov
8 Nov
15 Nov
22 Nov
29 Nov
6 Dec
We’ve also had teams and individuals in attendance at a variety of BUCS Events; Clay Pigeon Shooting, Touch Rugby, Korfball, Swimming and Surfing, to name a few. Overall, we currently sit 10th of 144 in the BUCS Points Ranking – for league teams, who make up the majority of the final points total, their contribution is based on current league places, so it is still all to play for, as we look up at the top 5. As we move into term 2, we are only a handful of game weeks before many BUCS Premier leagues reach their conclusion in early February. This marks the start of National Cup and National Trophy fixtures for these high-flying teams, knockout rounds that regularly take our teams as far as Edinburgh, Durham and Norwich, to name a few places that are a pain to reach by coach. Let’s now hope for a favourable Cup draw!
ANDREW LANHAM BUCS AND COMPETITIONS ADMINISTRATOR 4
Nutrition. What a great first season at Bristol! In this report, I have detailed each initiative we have actioned to date. Starting in preseason, we implemented four key ideas to kick off the year:
PRE-SEASON BREAKFAST & LUNCH Chef Tim and his incredible team provided breakfast and lunch for athletes attending the first three weeks of pre-season. Along with Tim and Arron Godfrey (Deputy Business Development and Hospitality Manager), I created a menu that supported athlete fuelling and recovery, whilst ensuring there were plenty of options to maximise athlete engagement.
Students fuel up during August’s pre-season Credit: FineTime Photography
NUTRITION EDUCATION WORKSHOPS We introduced performance nutrition this year with a bang(!) by providing two performance nutrition education workshops to all eight head coach and co-ordinator sports. The aim was to familiarise athletes with performance nutrition and its importance, educate on two fundamental topics (carbohydrate and protein intake), and discuss anti-doping in sport.
Not only did the food offering support athletes with their busy training days, but it also created a sense of togetherness, by eating as a collective twice a day. Coaches reported back that this promoted the social environment and team building within each club. Tim and the team did a fantastic job catering to hundreds of athletes each day, and we had some great feedback. It was greatly missed during the last week of pre-season!
We achieved this through practical activities, competitions, analogies, research, and case studies to make the workshops as engaging and useful as possible. Feedback was positive, and this created a momentum around nutrition heading into the season.
5
TUCK SHOP
and lunch together, engaged in workshops, and completed a fun activity!
The tuck shop offers snacks, drinks, and nutrition supplements in the gym at wholesale price, so athletes can easily access a fuelling or recovery snack around their training. This was designed to avoid situations where athletes couldn’t eat before or after training to support the nutrition strategies discussed in the education workshops. Some options include cereal bars, NutritionX protein bars and powder, and Lucozades.
The first nutrition workshop was discussionbased, sat outside in the sun! The objective was to get the athletes thinking about how performance nutrition is currently positively and negatively impacting them, and how it could be used as a performance tool. In the second nutrition workshop, we discussed barriers and solutions to engaging with performance nutrition, and then made protein energy balls. Athletes enjoyed doing something practical, fun, and applicable, although some protein energy balls were more successful than others!
Heading into season, there were two main areas of focus from the Performance Nutrition service: INDIVIDUALISED SUPPORT WITH VC SCHOLARS Tuck shop in the OWL Gym during pre-season
My key focus when at Coombe Dingle every other Friday is supporting the Scholars with their individual challenges and achievements around performance nutrition. This support can range from body composition measurements, game day fuelling plans, training day nutrition targets, relationship with food, or discussing antidoping and informed sport.
RESIDENTIAL WORKSHOPS The pre-season Residential provided a focused opportunity to get to know the sports scholars. During the three days, the MDT and the VC Scholars ate breakfast 6
Nutrition. We often go on walks to better discuss challenges, work through nutrition strategies on the white board, and use ‘Snap and Send’ (a version of a food diary) to determine if athletes are implementing the strategies we have discussed.
understand how performance nutrition could support their sports. Since taking this approach, I have created nutrition resources on key topics to be sent out within the clubs. This strategy will provide the most amount of information to the maximum number of players, as quickly as possible. We are also in the process of creating a game day supplement package with Nutrition X to support athletes’ fuelling and recovery on game days. This package will include carbohydrate gels, MRM recovery powder, and hydration tablets.
Our success stories have included one injured athlete increasing their body mass by 4kg whilst keeping their skinfold measurement the same. This suggests they have effectively increased their lean mass, putting them in the best possible position when they return to play.
TERM 1 REFLECTIONS
Other athletes have implemented a personalised game day-1 fuelling strategy, and have felt more energised during the game.
Upon reflection, what an incredible start to elevating the nutrition services at the University of Bristol! All staff and athletes have fully engaged with the support offered and welcomed me into the crew seamlessly. Although we have already actioned some exciting ideas, there are so many more opportunities to advance the support we are providing…. onto the next six months!
Another athlete and I regularly discuss psychology around food. This individual has become far more mindful of their behaviour, thoughts, and feelings towards food, to ensure they are positive and productive. SUPPORT FOR HEAD COACH AND COORDINATOR SPORTS To continue the momentum from preseason, I held individual meetings with the head coaches and co-ordinators to better
MILLY BOORMAN PERFORMANCE NUTRITIONIST 7
Sports Psychology. VC SCHOLARS & MAROONS
HEAD COACH 1:1 MENTORING
This term has seen me continue to provide mental fitness education and support for our Vice Chancellor’s Scholars. These sessions are tailored to the individual needs of each athlete / team they compete with, with the small group focus sessions remaining an integral fixture in the fortnightly calendar; men’s rugby & hockey VCs.
My main Head Coach contact points in the last few weeks of term were former UBWRFC Coach Steve Gazzard, Alan Tyers (UBAFC) and Chani Wopara (UBNC). I’m incredibly fortunate to work alongside these passionate, talented and unique practitioners. These interactions are often centred around team and club dynamics, coach-athlete relationships incorporating mental skills into practice design and coach reflective practice.
Special mention from this cohort goes to third year Aerospace Engineering student Oli Evans, who has made the final round of U21 GB hockey trials.
I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going with this amazing community of people at Bristol in 2024!
Examples of the topics we’ve explored have included: the role of ‘mental momentum’ in team sport, and functional breathwork training for navigating the performancewellbeing balance at university. I have also immensely enjoyed working with our fresh faces on the programme, coming from less-represented sporting domains such as international futsal and skeleton bobsleigh.
CONNOR GRANT SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST 8
Strength & conditioning. Prior to pre-season, we welcomed Samara Nche and Joe Page to the S&C team. Bringing these valued colleagues in was a significant step forward for our team; with Samara in post, it’s the first time we’ve seen two full-time S&C coaches in the team, and Joe’s role is joint across UOB and Bristol Bears Women – strengthening our relationship. We now have a greater S&C coaching capacity than ever before.
Pre-season in numbers: 136 S&C sessions 1,400 attendances A big step forward for us this year was the expansion of the catering provision which ran for three weeks of pre-season. This of course ensures athletes are fuelled for training but, far more importantly, is an opportunity for students to build relationships with each other, and develop their sense of belonging within their clubs which is so vitally important.
PRE-SEASON Pre-season started with a bang with men’s hockey returning a week earlier than any club previously. The remaining Head Coach and Coordinator sports returned on 21 August for a four-week pre-season. Our structure allowed all clubs to be supported with four S&C sessions per week, with the training modality tailored according to the sport.
Students bonding over lunch during pre-season Credit: FineTime Photography
TERM 1 With an excellent pre-season in the books, we transitioned into term, continuing to deliver against our well-defined training model, which sees all S&C sessions preceding technical sessions. This makes the timetable easy and efficient for our students.
S&C coaching underway during pre-season Credit: FineTime Photography 9
Term 1 in numbers:
Our priority this year was to improve repeat attendance of our S&C squads, as we knew this would have greater impact. Whilst last year attendance numbers were good, we found when analysing the attendance data that a core group was attending week-in, week-out, with the rest needing to improve their consistency.
16 weeks; 540 sessions Just over 7,100 attendances - an increase of nearly 10%. Over 500million reps completed.
During term 1 we increased individual repeat attendance by 16%, compared with last year.
kg
Nearly 450 million kilograms lifted.
This is a great start and I’m looking forward to building on this in term 2.
VC SCHOLARS
A big step forward this term was integrating sprint training to our programme. This has been a piece we have been looking to add for a while, and by utilising different training methods in the gym - namely Isometrics we were able to free up time for its facilitation, without compromising performance outcome.
We continued to support Scholars with their bespoke session, offering several options during the day on a Monday and Friday. This provides an opportunity for Scholars to train at ‘better’ times of the day, when the gym is quieter and there can be a focus on detail and coaching. On Fridays, sessions are supported by S&C and Physio; we are one of the only universities in the country to offer this.
This has added huge value to our programme, and now that we have found the logistical solution to this, we are looking forward to building our frameworks and processes.
With our Scholar S&C structure now welldeveloped, we are working to improve this incrementally, each year. This is achieved through more bespoke, individualised detail to each Scholar. This, in combination with our improving MDT processes, continues to deliver an exceptional level of support within a university setting.
10
Strength & conditioning. A Scholar can attend an S&C session, with a physio present, then follow this with a 1:1 meeting with Milly (Nutritionist) or Connor (Sports Psychologist), or both, then return to Coombe Dingle later that day for individual skills, and then team training. This support continues to drive physical development and sporting excellence within our Scholars and we’re looking forward to seeing the outcome of this at the end of the season.
Physiotherapist Henry Abrahams working with Rugby Scholar Ewan Venerus Credit: FineTime Photography
Term 1 has been a huge success; training standards have been increasing, as evidenced both by the outcome statistics and performances, come match day. We are now looking forward to building on this in term 2.
LOOKING AHEAD Term 1 has been a huge success; training standards have been increasing, as evidenced both by the outcome statistics and performances, come match day. We are now looking forward to building on this in term 2.
WILL RUSCOMBE-KING PERFORMANCE PATHWAY MANAGER AND LEAD S&C COACH 11
Performance Pathway. I was very excited to become the first Performance Pathway Manager here at Bristol. With this role being three days a week, I have been seconded to this role, while maintaining two days a week as Lead Strength and Conditioning coach. The focus of the role will be recruitment; supporting athletes on our pathway and building links with NGBs / Key Stakeholders.
This course will sit with the School, and is a fantastic opportunity for dual-career athletes to study at a Russell Group university renowned for its academic and sporting excellence. Bristol are within the Top 5 for academia and the BUCS top 10 for sport. The course will include the University’s academic strengths; anatomy, physiology, psychology, data / computer science, business and leadership (exact content TBC), delivered and taught in line with the University’s prestigious reputation for research, whilst also facilitating dual career athletes to achieve elite level sporting honours.
RECRUITMENT I was straight into the deep end, due to the timing of my appointment; we are currently in the middle of recruiting for next academic year (2024/25) and working hard to support applicants to the University. This year, we are looking to expand our Widening Participation recruitment, using sport as a vehicle to support prospective students to the University of Bristol, who would otherwise not consider it. This would be supported with a Scholarship offer.
Interestingly, the current gap in research is longitudinal study design in athletic populations due to the inherent logistical challenges. The course will be structured to facilitate tracking of longitudinal adaptations to training - research will look at individual adaptations to their own training.
We’ve had some great conversations so far and are looking to build on this over the coming months.
Simply put, this will mean; a requirement of the course will be for individuals to complete sport / physical development training to develop adaptation to these training methods, to then be able to analyse / research this as part of their academic coursework. As we understand it, this course will be the only current course with this structure.
PERFORMANCE SPORT SCIENCE MSCI We’re currently within the very exciting process of developing a sports course in collaboration with the School of Anatomy. 12
Performance Pathway. LOOKING AHEAD
We are currently developing the business case for the course, which involves surveying prospective students and engaging with key stakeholders. As you can imagine, there has been significant interest in key stakeholder clubs and NGBs for the course’s potential. The business case will be submitted in October 2024, and gaining approval will confirm the course will go ahead. Following this, we will be able to recruit and advertise the course formally, with a view to seeing the first intake in 2025.
Having now settled into the role, and with the Christmas Break behind us, I’m looking to forward to getting stuck into the role and build this over the coming months. Thanks again for your continued support.
If successful, the course will be a huge opportunity for us to recruit more dualcareer athletes, reaching those who we have never been able to attract due to not offering this subject.
WILL RUSCOMBE-KING PERFORMANCE PATHWAY MANAGER AND LEAD S&C COACH 13
Boat. CLUB CAPTAINS’ SUMMARY
and we’re very excited to see as many of you as possible at events throughout the year!
The Saltford gates reopened on 18 September to officially mark the beginning of the 2023/24 season. Throughout preseason, our squads trained at Saltford and Coombe Dingle every day for an intense week of training. With almost all of the Henley Rowing Regatta (HRR) / Henley Women’s Regatta (HWR) squads returning this year, we look forward to building on what was a very successful season last year.
Tom Kuijlaars and Ko Uchida UBBC Club Captains 2023/24
As joint club captains this year, the goal is simple; building on the legacy of years past, we aim to create a foundation for future years of UBBC to grow sustainably, and emerge as an unmistakable part of the UK’s rowing scene, with the end goal of becoming a ‘Championship Club’.
Men’s squad training Credit: Aaron Sims
INVESTING IN OUR CLUB We also welcomed the CEO of British Rowing, Alastair Marks, to Saltford on 5 October, when we laid out our plans for the future and discussed the growth of the newly renamed University of Bristol Head Race.
I’m delighted to share the news that on Monday 9 October, UBBC took delivery of a Hudson Ultimate SHARK Predator (USP) eight for the women’s squad. This is the second Hudson USP eight donated by UBBC Alumni in the last two years, and is the highest value equipment purchase we have ever made for UBBC - at just shy of £40k. The boat features carbon fibre wingriggers, and a hull and shoes specifically sized for female rowers.
Finally, on behalf of the club, we’d like to say a huge thank you to everybody within the UBBC Alumni & Friends. Maintaining and building on UBBC’s status as a leading programme would, quite simply, not be possible without your immense support, 14
Boat. The model of boat is identical to the USP eight purchased for UBBC’s men’s squad, meaning UBBC now has almost identical models and similar ages of boat for both its senior men's and women's squads, in almost every boat class.
This year also marked the 60th anniversary of the UBBC coxless IV. They reached the semi-final of the Wyfold and were beaten by Nottingham & Union. The crew featured Hugh Wardell-Yerburgh, Michael Jeans, Andy McClaren, and John Raynham. We were delighted that John was able to join us at drinks and regale alumni with stories from his time at UBBC.
Since the launch of our website and online donation platform, UBBC Alumni has spent over £122k on boats and equipment for UBBC; all raised entirely by their collective donations. These purchases simply wouldn't have been possible without our community's collective generosity. We’re all looking forward to the opportunity to thank our community at a boat-naming ceremony later in the year.
HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
A misty morning’s training for the women Credit: Aaron Sims
This summer saw the return of another successful Henley reunion drinks! Lots of Pimm’s and pizza was consumed while over 100 alumni rowers caught up.
GB TRIALS This year, we have five athletes trialling for the GB U23 team. Unfortunately, the November trials were cancelled due to the weather and unfair course conditions. Our athletes now have to wait until February for the opportunity to test their speed against the top rowers in the country.
This year's Henley Royal Regatta saw the largest number of UBBC athletes compete. We’re immensely proud of the 33 athletes that represented Bristol this year, across 4 different events.
15
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL HEAD RACE The University of Bristol Head Race was a great success in December. This is a key competition for our crews to gauge where we sit amongst many of our local rivals, but also get a good gauge as to how our crews are performing ahead of the main racing season, in January. Women’s eight at the UOB Head Race
UOB Head Race results were as follows:
Credit: Aaron Sims
Championship M8+: 1st Intermediate M8+: 2nd Championship M4+: 1st Championship W8+: 2nd Intermediate W8+: 1st Championship W4+: 1st
THANKS A huge thanks to all our supporters, colleagues within Sport, Exercise and Health, The Fernside Trust, all our alumni and Friends and especially to the coaching team.
Special mention to our Head Race coordinator, Megan Carroll, who organised a superb event with support from the whole club. This was the largest iteration of Head race with a record number of entries. It is testament to the Club that the Head continues, not only to thrive, but also to be run by students alone.
ED BLOOMFIELD HEAD COACH, ROWING 16
Cricket. With two new club captains at the crease and an impressive committee waiting in the pavilion, a big decision was made early on to continue embracing our ‘One Club’ tagline, merging our men’s & women’s committees. Couple this with mixed training sessions and socials, and our cricketing family is quickly becoming one of the most inclusive & diverse clubs at Bristol.
in January, where we’ll aim to qualify for the Super 8s; here the best eight teams in the country will battle it out at Edgbaston, to be crowned National Champions. BOWLING AGAINST THE BEST IN THE WORLD Five of our men’s Performance Squad bowlers were given the opportunity to join England and Ireland Senior teams as net bowlers for the day before their ODI clash at The County Ground, Bristol.
“BEST IN THE SOUTH-WEST” MEN’S INDOOR SUCCESS For the first time in University of Bristol’s history, our Men’s 1st team have qualified from their regional group to the South of England Championship qualifiers.
Max Toohey, our men’s 1st XI captain, described the experience as both “awesome” and a “lot of fun” as they got to bowl at and pick the brains of players such as Jos Buttler & Joe Root.
Set across three weekends at the Devon Indoor Centre, Exeter, our boys dominated the tournament, winning 7 out of 8 games and topping the table against some very noteworthy opposition. “It is exciting to see the freshers flourishing and the seniors leading by example. Hopefully we can bring the trophy home for the first time!” Tanmay Thanawalla, Indoor Captain
Sam Toohey, Max Toohey, Luka McguinnessSmith, Ekansh Mishra & Alex Quin were selected to bowl at England & Ireland Senior Team as part of their One Day International (ODI) preparations
With only 1st place qualifying from each region, this is an achievement in its own. However, our sights are now firmly set on qualifying from our South of England group 17
OUR HIGH PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME
ONE TO WATCH – KAMRAN DHARIWAL
The club has self-funded additional hours at a brand-new state-of-the-art cricketing facility in Bristol, for our exceptional cricketing athletes.
We welcome Kamran Dhariwal (first year, Medicine) to Bristol, from Hampshire C.C.C. Kamran had an impressive summer with Hampshire, including a record-breaking 209 off 85 balls in the ECB U18 County Cup Competition. He was awarded with 3 caps for their 2nd XI and will continue to train and play with them this upcoming summer.
Our ‘High Performance Programme’ enables our student-athletes, who have potential to play professional cricket, an academy style structure, to support them in their ambitions while also studying for a top UK degree. We currently have 7 cricketers (male and female) on the programme, and are excited to continue developing it over the next few years.
REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS Congratulations to Sally Phelps (second year, Anthropology) who has made the Winter Training Squad with Gloucestershire C.C.C. Women’s Senior Squad.
QUARTER GROUP - 23/24 CLUB SPONSOR
Tanmay Thanawalla (second year, Neuroscience) represented the South Asian Cricket Academy five times over the summer; including a match-winning 51 off 24 balls vs Denmark’s National Side, and an impressive stint behind the stumps against a very strong Middlesex 2nd XI.
We are proud to announce our new club sponsor, Quarter Group; a community of independent hotels, suites, short-lets, cafes, bars, restaurants and creative studios, which includes places like Racks Bar & Kitchen, Pizza on the Park, Clifton Hotels and Square Works.
Numa Shah joins us having represented Oxfordshire Women’s 1st XI against Kent during the summer. Other first years, Sid Mahadeven (Cheshire), Zack Gallatley (Surrey) & Mohan Shroff (Middlesex), all join us having played ECB U18 CAG cricket.
UBCC won the financial sponsorship after Polina Meshkova & Ed Cleaver successfully pitched a presentation against many other University of Bristol sports clubs.
18
Cricket. For the third season running, Max Toohey took over 20 wickets for Bridgewater C.C. in Tier One of WEPL. Alex Quin, Ben Woolnough, Charlie Atkinson (first year), & Rowan Bascetta-Pollitt also all made significant impacts in the highest tiers of their respective ECB Premier Leagues. THANKS As always, a massive thank you to the team behind the team; Pariksith Shetty, Theo Gordon & Wilf Brooke have been nothing but exceptional in delivering technical advice to our performance athletes, while Dan Newman continues to take our Strength & Conditioning programme to the next level. On behalf of UBCC, I hope everyone had a restful winter break, and may 2024 bring us all plenty of runs, wickets & more incredible memories!
CHRIS BOLTON HEAD COACH, CRICKET 19
Men’s Football. BUCS SUMMARY
Unfortunately, the season has not developed as we had hoped, with some results not going our way. The team has played very well, without creating a great deal of chances, and those chances we have created have not been taken. We were also knocked out of the cup by Cardiff Met 1s, in another good performance, but which ended 2-1.
Pre-season was a huge success for the whole of the club, with record numbers of athletes returning to reap the benefits of an exciting programme. The S&C sessions pushed the athletes, and having the benefit of on-site food gave them a professional experience that generated a massive motivational surge. Additionally, the nutrition and physio sessions provided a great insight into how the athletes should prepare themselves, both post- and prematch, along with how to recover from match days. So pre-season prepared the 1st team for the rigours of Tier 1 and we started with a brilliant win away versus Cardiff Met 1s. This was followed with a 2-1 win against our own 2s, and things were looking on track for a great season.
Josh Gordon -making a last ditch tackle to prevent a shot on goal
The 2s however found Tier 1 very difficult this season and they are languishing at the bottom of the league, with only 1 point. This position gives a false representation though, as the team have played some really excellent football, without gaining any rewards. They have created lots of chances, but, they also have not taken them, and as a result they are where they are.
Pat Gibbs making an important clearance against Cardiff Met
20
Men’s Football. Our 3s are currently third in Tier 3 and can go top if they win games in hand. The 4s and the 5s are both in Tier 4, with the 4s lying in third place and the 5s sitting 3 points clear of Cardiff Met. The 6s are third in Tier 6A, and can go top of their league if they win the game in hand. SATURDAY LEAGUE The Saturday league has gone really well for the club this year. The team are playing in the UHLSPORT Division 2 Western league. We are currently third, but can go top if we can win our games in hand.
Pat Gibbs in control of the ball v Cardiff
The skills sessions on a Friday have been a valuable extension to my role as coordinator. It gives me time to work with and develop players in terms of their skill and understanding of their positional play. This has been borne out by the performances that are being seen on a Wednesday and a Saturday. The VEO camera has also been a valuable addition to the club, as it allows players the opportunity to assess and analyse their performance.
We remain in two cup competitions and are pleased to have reached the quarter-finals of the prestigious Gloucester Senior Cup. In previous rounds, we’ve eliminated two teams from the UHLSPORTS Division 1. The players have thoroughly bought into the Saturday league, and playing against older teams has improved their development.
The club has also been involved in several fundraising initiatives for worthy causes, including Movember, for which they raised money playing netball against the women’s club, UBNC.
Pat Gibbs was put forward for the English colleges trials held in December at Bath University. The trials are divided into North and South, and each division select a squad and then they play against each other, in order to select a final squad. Pat has been outstanding for the club and we wish him all the best.
ALAN TYERS HEAD COACH, MEN’S FOOTBALL 21
Hockey. Starting the Hockey season was always going to be hard with everything that happened last year, both on and off the pitch; not least the devastating passing of our Head Coach and mentor Ben Dudley. From a personal perspective, it has been an honour to take on the challenge of working with a club and players I know and love as their new Head Coach and I look forward to standing on the shoulders of what has come before.
incredible quality, grit and determination. Those which stand out so far include a narrow 1-0 loss against Durham and a tight loss against Exeter, having been ahead going into the last quarter. The M1 are going from strength to strength and we remain hugely focused and optimistic for our remaining games. We sit bottom on the table as it stands, but still very much all to play for in our last three games of the league.
MEN’S SQUAD After a high quality, but ultimately frustrating last season in England Hockey Division One, the M1 returned to National Conference West with renewed ambitions of winning the league and having another bite at consolidating our place among England’s elite clubs. Team huddle at a match against Cheltenham Credit: SmifSports Photography
After losing their opening game of the season on a tough trip to Isca, the M1 quickly found their connections and their rhythm and proceeded to go on an unbeaten run, only punctured by a second trip to Exeter. We now sit top of the league and have really started ticking as a team.
The M2, once again take a new, young squad into both England Hockey West and BUCS competition. In West Division 1 North, we currently sit top of the table having been unbeaten until the weather froze our team more than the pitch!
Having enjoyed an unbeaten promotion season in 2022/23, the M1 have very much enjoyed the challenge of the BUCS Premier League. Despite some very strong opponents, we’ve put in performances of
Remaining unbeaten against our early season ‘rivals’ Team Bath Buccaneers and Swindon, however gives us inspiration, going into the second half of the season, 22
Hockey. that this can be the season in which we make our dominance count and enjoy promotion. Wednesdays have been much tougher for the M2 playing in BUCS Division One - the second tier of competition - playing, in many cases, against our rivals’ first teams. The M2 currently sit bottom of the league, however excellent performances against a very strong Exeter side and a narrow 1-0 loss to a late goal against Oxford Brookes have given us hope yet. LADIES’ SQUAD
Amy and Gwen celebrate a goal vs Oxford Brookes Credit: SmifSports Photography
An influx of highly capable first years to add to the quality already within has refreshed and revitalised the women’s squads going into the 2023/24 season.
In BUCS Division One, the ladies have been excellent, putting in some big performances against some very strong opposition. Credit to the whole squad for their resilience through a very busy first half of the season, playing most Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a lot of travelling.
The L1 squad got off to a strong start of the season in the West Premier Division and we have really started to gel as a team this year, improving week on week.
Noteworthy performances for these ladies include an exciting draw (3-3) with Cambridge and a big win (6-0) against UCL. We currently sit 4th in the BUCS table with 2 games to play.
Stand-out performances include a great win against Cardiff University (3-2) and Swindon HC (3-1). A young side with such quality, this promises much for the longerterm goal of returning to England Hockey National League. We will start strong as we go into the second half of the season in 4th place, with all to play for.
CHRIS WHITE HEAD COACH, HOCKEY 23
Netball. PRE-SEASON
The game of the season so far came away at Cardiff Met, in their Clash on Court event. Played in front of a big audience, the game was also live-streamed with player interviews being carried out - a huge occasion for the home side. We were not at all phased, and played the best netball all year, working hard for each other and communicating throughout.
I was excited to return for my second year as Club Co-ordinator as we headed into pre-season in August. The club and I had so much success in my first year and I was excited, with the help of returning players, to welcome new students to our wonderful UBNC. We started off the term with a fantastic preseason; the programme was incredible. Those involved got to live like full-time athletes for three weeks; training multiple times a day, eating nutritious food and attending informative workshops to get them set for the new year. It was a great experience and put us in a strong position as we started off the new academic year.
We came off the first quarter level, which was exciting, and gave us a chance - for the first time all season - to get a foothold in a game. It was competitive throughout, and super exciting for the neutral, as either side could have taken it, but with a strong final quarter and belief in our strategy and structures, we saw the game out, winning 35-31 and putting our first 3 Premiership points on the board.
BUCS PREMIERSHIP SOUTH Last year, the first team secured a place in the BUCS Premiership South; our first experience at this level could not have been made more challenging than an away game at Exeter, followed by a home fixture against Team Bath. These fixtures turned out to be as expected as far as the score line went, but with only five returning 1st team players, this was also a fantastic opportunity to learn as much as possible about each other.
First team huddle Credit: SmifSports Photography
24
Netball. Having our first win and reflecting on the improvements we had been making, helped the group believe we could compete in this division, with maybe some starting to believe that we actually belonged.
We are looking forward to hosting Cardiff Met and to hopefully cement that 4th spot in the final table, come the end of the season.
Our next realistic chance of securing points came when Cardiff travelled to us. Like us, Cardiff had one win under their belt (beating us in the first round), and targeted this fixture as a must-win game. It was a physical affair and another exciting game for the neutral.
I am proud to announce Ella as the club’s first ever Turbo Maroon. Ella has had a great start to the season as a fresher; she made the first team and has had some fantastic games and shooting stats to be proud of. Ella will join a team of Maroons and benefit from nutrition and psychology workshops. Ella will look to excel in these, but also look to share what she learns with the rest of the group.
TURBO MAROON - ELLA HONEY
We ended the first and second quarter up by 4 points, but knew Cardiff always had the capacity to come back at us. And they definitely did just that in the third quarter, taking it by 5 and heading into the final quarter of the game up by 1. We had taken so much belief from our previous victory and knew, even if we were behind during the last quarter, we would give it everything and that there would be chance for us to win ball and convert. That hard work and belief again led us to victory and we took the game 32-26. We have now played everyone twice, with the exception of Cardiff Met, and are proud to have made improvements in the second round of fixtures. With two wins, we sit 4th in the table, which is an incredible feeling.
Ella Honey warms up Credit: SmifSports Photography
25
CLUB The club, as a whole, has started the new term brilliantly and our new players have slotted in seamlessly. Highlights include the currently undefeated fifth team, who are aiming for promotion. The sixth team love a cup run; having made the final last year, and already reaching this year’s semi-finals, they are hoping to go one step further and lift the trophy. All six teams still have loads to play for and I’m looking forward to seeing where each team ends up this year.
CHANTELLE WOPARA CLUB CO-ORDINATOR, NETBALL 26
Men’s Rugby. FOREWORD
We have never seen recruitment like it. With so many new members in the club, the newly appointed Community Manager, Tom Franklin, has been tested in his role, to make sure rugby is available to all.
180 young men have worn the maroon of UBRFC over the past three months; they have played in both heatwave and belowfreezing conditions, on mud, on 3G, and in the hail and rain. The season so far has been eventful, just like the British weather. The major change has been to the coaching leadership, which saw three new arrivals in the setup, including Dan Gaywood, who we managed to poach from Bath University. Like any new team, it takes a few weeks to get up and running, but all credit is owed to our students, who have taken the changes in their stride. CLUB
Celebrating against Exeter 2s Credit: SmifSports Photography
Before I delve into the performance of the teams, off the field, the club has been doing some great things. The ‘chicken shed’ has been given a UBRFC facelift, so it now looks like a home for rugby, and can be used for hospitality and team meetings.
23/24 SEASON SO FAR... We have made rugby for all with our 6s playing in local fixtures against Bristol based sides which has been a huge success the students have also enjoyed the free beer, food, and travel that that these fixtures offer. The club have also created in conjunction with other universities a local league for the 5th team which is our firstyear based side. Results in this have been tough, but the players have enjoyed the experience.
The club volunteered at the Children's Hospice Santas On The Run event, which raised thousands for children with lifelimited conditions. The club have also had weekly coffee meetings where rugby chat is banned, to make sure that everyone is listened to. 27
BUCS
The 2nd XV have been the pride of the club this term as they sit top of their league with three to play early in 2024. I have looked at their side on numerous occasions and been blown away by their talent and how competitive the Performance sides are this season - what with so many first years playing in those fixtures.
We have entered four teams into BUCS this season with a mixed bag of results. The 4ths are doing very well with some huge wins over the bridge. They are the only English team in their league, with all the other universities coming from Wales. It’s safe to say they struggle to get the on the referee’s side when away there!
The 1st XV have also had a very good season and currently sit third in the BUCS Premier South, and are well on course to hit their target of second in that league, as runaway leaders Brunel cannot be caught.
The 3rds are in a very tough league and always struggle, and this year is no different. Having said this, they are through to the semi-final of the Cup, having beaten the 4th team in a classic at Coombe Dingle.
The highlight of the term was a losing game against the highly financially-backed Brunel which, for the first time in three years, gave away a bonus point at Coombe Dingle on an electric night. THANKS I’d like to take the time to thank all staff who have assisted the club during this time, particularly Matt Paine, Will RuscombeKing, Arron Godfrey, Victoria Dickson, Matt Carroll, Penny Rowe and Megan Leeson (Social Media Assistant) - who has created something special, that hopefully will be the cherry on top of my next update.
UBRFC vs Royal Navy in September 2023 Credit: SmifSports Photography
OLLY SLYM HEAD COACH, MEN’S RUGBY 28
Tennis. FOREWORD
TURBO MAROON SCHOLARS
Tennis returned for the new academic year on 31 August for a cracking pre-season. Players returned with energy and enthusiasm, with more having competed over the summer break than ever. Preseason engagement was high, both on the court and in the gym, and we started well with home and away friendlies against Exeter.
The Maroon Scholarship was redesigned over the summer into the new ‘Turbo Maroon’ Scholarship. This was a positive move to make sure that athletes who really want to push on at their sport above and beyond BUCS have the right programme and are supported fully by our team. The successful Turbo Maroon Scholars for Tennis this year are Ella Walker (Women’s BUCS Captain) and Jack Ritchie (Vice-Club Captain).
The new cohort of incoming players have been of a very good level and have helped to drive the expectations and standard of both men’s and women’s squads.
Both have been supported by access to additional on-court sessions and S&C. They have also had small group and personalised sport psychology sessions with Connor, and access to physio advice from Henry. These two Scholars are pushing tennis to new levels, with outstanding University performances within BUCS and National Premier League, but also building on their own individual successes in external competition; both did extremely well to compete in the £10K Cardiff Progress Tour 3-6 January 2024. COMPETITION The BUCS Teams have been led brilliantly by new captains Victor Wiles and Josh Wierszycki on the men’s side, and returning women’s Captains, Ella Walker and Alice Taylor.
Men’s 1s: Club Captain Alexander Stannard, Theo Woolhouse-Lorber, BUCS Captains Josh Wierszycki and Victor Wiles, and Lorenzo Cavalieri
29
NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE
The season started strongly with league standings as follows:
NPL has been tough as ever, with a great level of play in both men’s and women’s leagues. There have been two fixtures so far this term for both squads.
Men’s 1s: 2nd, Western 1A Men’s 2s: Joint 3rd, Western 2B* Men’s 3s: 6th, Western 2B Men’s 4s: Joint 3rd, Western 2B Women’s 1s: 1st, Western 1A Women’s 2s: 2nd, Western 2B* Women’s 3s: 1st, Western 2B
The men have played Cardiff Met University and Winchester LTC, unfortunately losing out in both.
*with a game in hand.
The women’s side have faced Malvern and Windsor, picking up the win against Malvern but a loss versus Windsor.
We are expecting League wins and playoff matches for our teams this year.
BUCS DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP
In Cup competition we still have four teams in their tournaments and we are optimistic to reach a step further than last year, where we reached two Cup Finals.
The BUCS Doubles Championships were hosted at Shrewsbury on 18-19 November. We had three pairs in the finals this year; Victor Wiles and Alexander Stannard in the men’s competition, and Ella Walker and Chaaya Malik, plus Jess Holloway and Chandani Rathnam, in the women’s.
Women’s 1s: India Henke, BUCs captain Ella Walker, Chandani Rathnam, BUCs Captain Alice Taylor and Lottie Forsyth
Jess Holloway playing a match during pre-season Credit: FineTime Photography 30
Tennis. THANKS
All three pairs lost out at the round of 32 with a tight third set 10-point tiebreak loss for Ella and Chaaya, for the second year in a row! A great effort by all of our players.
It has been an incredible start to the term for our performance teams, and we go into term 2 confident that the great performances will keep coming.
PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENTS
A big thanks to the BUCS captains for leading the teams so well, and to all the players for their hard work. Thanks also to Club Captain Alex, who has fully supported all our developments and the drive to make this programme better.
The quality of the tennis programme has improved considerably going into this 2023/24 season. We have increased the opportunity for court time for our top players, through Head Coach Skills sessions, and have brought in additional coaches to contribute their expertise to our players.
Our coaching team has worked brilliantly with these players this term, so special thanks to Ollie, Max and Ross for pushing them on and bringing new life, ideas and energy to this programme. Another big thanks goes to the S&C team, and Will and Samara, for all their support of the teams in the gym.
University Tennis Coordinator Ollie Bendall has increased his time with our BUCS players, and coaches Ross Gilbert and Max McGibbon have similarly come on board as regular coaching staff for the squads.
2023 was a good year for student performance tennis and we look forward to an even better one in 2024.
In addition, Samara Nche has been working hard with the players in the gym. These positive changes to the student performance programme has resulted in the best environment that these players have ever had, and is helping these players perform to the best of their ability
ALI BLACKETT HEAD COACH, TENNIS 31
Jenna de Vera playing for UBWRFC v Cardiff Met. Credit: SmifSports Photography
WITH THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS & SPONSORS
Visit our website