Varsity 2025: Warwick Netball take dominating victory in one-sided game

As Varsity 2025 drew to a close, supporters from both Warwick and Coventry were not deterred from cheering on their teams in fine voice and spirit as they descended on the Sports Hub Arena for a thrilling, albeit somewhat one-sided, women’s netball fixture, which began at 5pm.

With Warwick Netball’s top four BUCS teams out of the running for their respective cup wins, the game could have proven to be a challenge for the team in red and black. However, as both teams warmed up, it was clear that the home team were determined to take a win and pick up another two points on the Varsity leader board for Team Warwick, who had already started the day with a dominating lead over Coventry.

It was Coventry who started the game with the first centre pass, but before long the ball was already in the hands of their opponents, with Warwick making their first intercept within 30 seconds of the game beginning. That intercept translated into a goal within the first minute, asserting Warwick’s dominance that arguably set the tone for the rest of the game.

Despite Warwick supporters waving signs of ‘Becca’s aim is fire, Cov’s defence is retired’, the defence from the visiting opponents pressured Warwick throughout the first quarter. Nevertheless, the team from Warwick refused to crumble under the pressure, with a series of strong intercepts and passes cementing a strong lead of 14-5 as the first klaxon sounded.

At this stage, a Coventry win seemed completely off the cards and would have called on Warwick to make some catastrophic mistakes and for the visitors to pull out some big surprises

The crowd and support continued to grow, with cheers from Warwick and the blaring sound of thundersticks from Coventry filling the bleacher seating as the second quarter began. It was Warwick, again, who asserted their dominance from the off with another goal within moments of the game restarting, much to the excitement of the Warwick supporters (and the dismay of those from Coventry).

Unrelenting interceptions from Warwick’s defence saw off advances from Coventry, with Warwick continuing to score goal-after-goal, sailing into half time with a healthy lead of 32-8. At this stage, a Coventry win seemed completely off the cards and would have called on Warwick to make some catastrophic mistakes and for the visitors to pull out some big surprises, hardly demonstrated in the first half.

As the second half begun, it was clear that Coventry had a lot of ground to make up and it certainly translated into their approach as they fought back, becoming more feisty and powerful on the court. The burst of energy from the team in white, blue, and purple caught the seemingly unflappable Warwick team off guard, as they made their first mistake, sending the Coventry goalkeeper to the ground with a push of contact.

Their comeback didn’t last for long, with Warwick fighting back and taking a final goal at the end of the third quarter

With Warwick momentarily taking their eyes of the ball, Coventry seized upon the opportunity and retaliated, scoring seven goals – nearly half their total at that point in the game – in the space of 10 minutes.

However, their comeback didn’t last for long, with Warwick fighting back and taking a final goal at the end of the third quarter. Controversial as that goal may have been, with shouts of “no goal” from the Coventry supporters in the row behind The Boar Sport, the umpire made no qualms and Warwick led into the final break with a score of 49-15.

Any doubts that Warwick’s dominance was slipping away in the third quarter were quickly put to rest in the last 15 minutes of the game, as the team pushed the score beyond 50 in the first ten seconds of the final quarter, yet again denying Coventry a look in.

As support from the home team intensified, drowning out Coventry’s misplaced calls of “one final push”, a last-minute slew of substitutions carried Warwick into the final five minutes with goals continuing to be scored, proving, if there was any doubt, the team’s endurance.

The final klaxon brought an end to Coventry’s misery, and indeed that of their supporters: “Get me the f**k out of here”, as summed up by one of their dispirited fans

With the clock counting down the final minute of the game, the Warwick team kept showing their brilliance, their goals never ceasing as if teasing their opponents from the other side of the city. The final klaxon brought an end to Coventry’s misery, and indeed that of their supporters: “Get me the f**k* out of here”, as summed up by one of their dispirited fans.

The team from Warwick descended into a well-deserved huddle, with cheers of “We won Varsity” as the signs displayed the extent of the home team’s victory: 71-19.

When it all came together for Warwick, as it did for most of the game, it certainly was a beautiful show of how netball should be played, and the whole team should be commended for their teamwork, togetherness, and faultless intercepts.

With only the cricket left to be concluded, the game certainly proved to be a fantastic ending to a near-perfect day for Team Warwick. As the supporters filed out of the Sports Hub, a Coventry fan’s final fighting line, “You’re now going to get drunk and go to our clubs”, seemed wildly misplaced as the jubilant Warwick crowd headed past Cryfield Hill to the SU in shirts and ties, ready for their pre-Skool Dayz circles, fuelled by a glorious day of sport on the first day of spring.