English Universities wins British University Games

AFTER 4 days of intense competition across 5 sports it was English Universities who returned home from Edinburgh with the Home Nations Festival Trustees Trophy. English Universities retained their 2006 title with some outstanding performances across a variety of sports. With maximum points obtained from football, badminton and basketball, English Universities finished on an impressive 26 points with Scottish Universities finishing 2nd with a 20 point haul.

AFTER 4 days of intense competition across 5 sports it was English Universities who returned home from Edinburgh with the Home Nations Festival Trustees Trophy. English Universities retained their 2006 title with some outstanding performances across a variety of sports. With maximum points obtained from football, badminton and basketball, English Universities finished on an impressive 26 points with Scottish Universities finishing 2nd with a 20 point haul.

English Universities took Gold in the men’s and women’s football competition which helped them on their way to the overall British University Games title. English Universities were, however, made to work for the points in the men’s championship as with only 3 minutes of the last game remaining it looked like Scottish Universities would be taking the gold. It was Exodus Geohaghan (Wolverhampton) who popped up in the 87th minute with the vital goal to ensure English Universities won the Gold by a solitary point after a 1-0 victory over Scottish Universities. In the women’s competition the key result took place on the first day as England Universities, coming from 2-1 behind at half time, secured a 4-3 victory over Scottish Universities. This result, along with a win and a draw against Welsh Universities and Northern Ireland Universities respectively, ensured English Universities took the title with 2006 winners Scottish Universities settling for silver.
The Badminton competition also gave English Universities maximum points as English Universities and England ‘select’ (replacing the absent Northern Ireland Universities) dominated proceedings. English Universities dropped only two games all week, winning 9-1, 9-1 and 10-0 over England ‘Select’, Scottish Universities and Welsh Universities respectively. This 3 win sequence meant English Universities retained their 2006 title, and with England ‘Select’ taking the silver spot it was success all round for the squad.
A similar story was evident in the men’s & women’s basketball competition as English Universities remained undefeated to bring both titles back across the border. Scottish Universities battled hard in both the competitions but ultimately to no avail as they finished in runner-up spot in both leagues. Welsh Universities women suffered a miserable week in the basketball tournament finishing the Games with no points and a -169 goal difference.
The hockey championships highlighted the strength of university hockey across Great Britain with Northern Ireland Universities winning the men’s title and Scottish Universities winning the women’s title. Northern Ireland Universities successfully defended their 2006 title with an unbeaten three game run. Welsh Universities also remained undefeated across the three games but with Welsh Universities drawing two matches and Northern Ireland Universities only drawing one match it was the latter that ultimately lifted the trophy. In the women’s tournament it was Scottish Universities who dominated with three victories, 16 goals and 3 clean sheets. The other three nations couldn’t get close to Scotland’s pace, power and precision with English Universities finishing 2nd, Welsh Universities 3rd and in Northern Ireland Universities 4th.
The netball competition was arguably the closest of all the sports as Northern Ireland Universities returned home with their only gold from the Games. The pivotal game came on day 3 as English Universities and Welsh Universities shared the points in a thrilling 45-45 draw. With Northern Ireland Universities winning all their games, defeating English Universities by only two points 44-42, it ensured they retained their 2006 title. English Universities took the silver medal by a solitary point from Welsh Universities after they defeated Scottish Universities by a greater margin than Welsh Universities had, warranting a bonus point.

British University Games (BUGs) 2008 Final Table:
English Universities 26 pts
Scottish Universities 20 pts
Welsh Universities 15 pts
Northern Ireland Universities 14 pts

For a more detailed breakdown of results please see
www.busa.org.uk/bugs

Posted: 01/05/08

Back: Uni Sports

Back: Sports