Image: Warwick Bears Ultimate Frisbee.

#BUCSWednesday Notepad: Week 14

By James Roberts, Matt Richardson
Feb. 2, 2017
Posted in BUCS Wednesday Notepad, Sport, University Sport

As Varsity edges ever closer, we’re back with another exciting (for the most part) edition of #BUCSWednesday. With five more wins than losses, this week can only be considered a success for #TeamWarwick. The Boar Sports curse was back with a vengeance, however, with all three games reported on ending in defeat. We mean well. Honest…

Results at a glance:
22 wins, 3 draws, 17 losses 
Top three wins:
University of Coventry Women’s Volleyball 1s 0-3 University of Warwick Women’s Volleyball 1s
University of Warwick Men’s Hockey 4s 10-0 University of Leicester Men’s Hockey 3s  
University of Birmingham Men’s Fencing 1s 96-135 University of Warwick Men’s Fencing 1s

A drab affair at the badminton

University of Warwick Women’s Badminton 2s 0-8 University of Worcester Women’s Badminton 1s

The hushed crowd of bags, shoes and shuttlecocks strewn across the Main Hall floor confirmed that this was not to be the glitziest of fixtures. Warwick women’s 2s v Worcester women’s 1s; one team mid-table with their chances of promotion remote (Worcester), the other anchored to the bottom of the Midlands 2A, resigned to weekly trounces and the slow death of relegation – that would be Warwick. Its premier league equivalent would have been Hull v Burnley, minus the glamour.

If the fixture on paper did little to stir the imagination, the badminton did even less so. A draconian reign of unforced errors meant that rallies were not merely short, but an anomaly. Amidst a peculiarly jovial atmosphere – the home team apparently content to roll over and hand Worcester the points – I searched desperately for a moment of magic, some sign of life. To no avail. If the courteous crowd of bags and shoes could have got up and left, they would have done so. Thankfully, I could.

Fortress Westwood breached

University of Warwick Men’s Tennis 3s 4-8 University of Birmingham Men’s Tennis 1s
University of Warwick Women’s Tennis 2s 4-8 University of Birmingham Women’s Tennis 2s

The racket theme continued with a full programme at the tennis centre. The men’s tennis 3s had a tricky-looking fixture against Birmingham’s first team while the women’s 2s were visited by their Birmingham counterparts.

The men’s matches got underway two hours after the women’s, but the girls were still going strong well after 3pm. They had only managed to win one singles match earlier in the day, so needed two doubles victories to claw back a draw. Sadly, some big baseline hitting from one Birmingham player was decisive in putting this beyond Warwick’s reach.

Turning up fashionably late created some confusion over the state of play, but I was reliably informed that the men’s 3s were firmly in control in one doubles tie, leading by a set and 3-0. They were good value for their lead, so I settled down as they looked to close out the match.

The balcony overlooking the courts ensured I could keep a watchful eye over all four matches, though it was the aforementioned tie that piqued my interest. The home duo were playing solidly with few unforced errors – particularly impressive was the array of shots showcased by Warwick’s Berry.

A recurring theme of both men’s doubles was the high proportion of rallies decided at the net. Each player was adept at closing off the angle, so even unsuccessful shots brought a swift end to the pattern of play.

It was initially unclear who the superior team were – Birmingham had the lead but their doubles partnerships often came off worse following the longer rallies. Indeed, in the blink of an eye Berry’s pair had closed out their match to keep the home in contention.

Ultimately though, these points were in vain. From my vantage point there appeared to be little between the two teams, but Birmingham had the edge when it mattered.

#ClubSpotlight week 14: Warwick Bears

For a closer look at Warwick Bears check out their Twitter and Facebook pages. If your club wants to take part in #ClubSpotlight this term, email sport@theboar.org.

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