Image: James Roberts

#BUCSWednesday Notepad: Week 9

By James Roberts, Matt Richardson
Dec. 1, 2016
Posted in BUCS Wednesday Notepad, Sport, University Sport

There’s something about playing sport in the freezing weather – it’s just so exhilarating/soul-destroying (depending on your point of view). The coldest November morning in six years ravaged the fixture list, with the entire Cryfield schedule called off. But the #BUCSWednesday action that went ahead showed a clear improvement on last week. Two Boar Sport reporters braved the cold (sort of) to bring you the highlights of Wednesday week nine.

Results at a glance:
16 wins, 4 draws, 12 defeats
Top three wins:
De Montfort University Men’s Badminton 1s 0-8 University of Warwick Men’s Badminton 2s
University of Warwick Women’s Table Tennis 1s 5-0 University of Birmingham Women’s Table Tennis 1s
University of Warwick Men’s Water Polo 1s 38-1 University of East Anglia Men’s Water Polo 1s

Men’s Squash end month on a high

University of Warwick Men’s Squash 1s 3-2 University of Loughborough Men’s Squash 1s 
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Image: Matthew Richardson

A mid-November slump had left the men’s squash 1s feeling the winter blues. Hindered by injuries and with three defeats on the bounce, the relegation zone’s frosty chill nipped at the Warwick resolve.

But if a routine win over Birmingham had awoken the 1s from their slumber, this week’s 3-2 win over Loughborough 2s marked something of a return to form. Oli Hayes provided the shot of the day with a rolling cross court nick which dumbfounded his opponent – the onlooking Loughborough players stunned into begrudging admiration.

Yet it was the efforts of Adam Lewis that best typified this Warwick performance. 10-6 down in the final game, Lewis scrapped from behind to win 14-12. Indeed, all of the 1s looked ready for a scrap. Like a bear rudely awoken from its winter hibernation, bellicose in its hunger and pining for revenge, the men’s 1s are clawing their way back up the Midlands 1A table. Festive this was not, but the seasonal stupor has been arrested.

Badminton

University of Warwick Women’s Badminton 2s 4-4 Coventry University Women’s Badminton 1s
University of Warwick Men’s Badminton 1s 4-4 Loughborough University Badminton 1s
University of Warwick Men’s Badminton 3s 3-5 University of Nottingham Men’s Badminton 2s

The trio of Badminton meetings in the Sports Centre offered contrasting experiences – though sadly this didn’t extend to the results. There was a disarmingly relaxed atmosphere in the Main Hall as a clash with our Varsity rivals unravelled on a court adjacent to students enjoying a chilled out Wednesday afternoon. Even misjudged drop shots were met with laughter, though this didn’t mask the fact that both teams wanted to win.

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Image: James Roberts

The various doubles and singles matches provided varied plots, if nothing else. Just metres away from a Warwick doubles pair closing out a victory to gain a precious point, the home captain Huang and her partner were finding life tougher against a ruthless Coventry duo. A tie seemed a fair result, with neither team dominating the other.

If the Main Hall was relaxed, then Desso Hall was anything but. All four courts were occupied and ferociously fast fixtures took place on each one. Rallies switched from power to finesse in the blink of an eye, the speed of footwork enabling the players to cover the court effortlessly. No cheap points were given away; most rallies only ended when one player pulled off an exquisite drop shot or an unstoppable smash. The 1s tie against their Loughborough counterparts was exactly that, while Nottingham 2s had just too much for the Warwick 3s. If even the 3s are that good, it’s no surprise that the 1s featured in our top three wins of the week.

#ClubSpotlight week 9: Women’s Football

Unfortunately the Women’s Football 1s clash with Nottingham was one of the fixtures affected by the weather. We’ll be catching up with the rearranged game, so tune in then! In the meantime, go to @BoarSport or ‘The Boar Sport’ on Facebook.

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