After a solid week of rain in Florence, the weather finally broke and we had sunshine and a dry track for the match against 3 other Italian clubs, one of which was a fully professional team with many internationals.

We were welcomed last night at the official dinner by Nicola Vizzoni, an 80m hammer thrower who won silver medals at the 2000 Olympics and the 2011 European Champs.

Both the men’s and women’s teams performed really well. Medallists were:

• Matt Houlden: silver, 300mH - 40.08s
• Keno Mario-Ghae: silver, HJ - 1.94m
• Ryan Harper: bronze, DT - 40.26m SB
• Didi Akinluyi: bronze, SP - 12.51m SB
• Helena Wace, Lucy Spray, Lizzie Thompson, Emily Craven: silver, 4×100m - 51.02
• Lucy Spray: bronze, 300m - 42.09
• Lizzie Thompson: bronze HJ - 1.45m

Many thanks to the host team, Atletica Firenze Marathon for putting on such a great fixture and making this such a memorable trip for all involved.

Click here to see photos from the event.

This year’s intake of freshers landed the first meaningful blow against The Other Place in the annual Freshers’ Athletics Varsity match. They may have just arrived at Cambridge but they already know the drill. This was the 10th straight victory for Cambridge against Oxford.
Laying down a marker so early on will provide a encourging base for the rest of year, as CUAC showed they will have a team full of promise, as well as their established stars. The fresher athletes showed their strength, pulling out some fantastic performances out of season and in the middle of week 5.

The women’s competition was won comfortably – 105 to Oxfords 84 – whilst the men’s match kept everyone on their toes. Cambridge fought hard to take the trophy with 96 points to Oxford’s 94. Athlete of the match was awarded to Onakeno Mario-Ghae of Girton for his exceptional performances in the Long Jump and High Jump. The latter was won with a jump of 1m 93cm, just 2cm short of Blues standard.

Onakeno Mario-Ghae was a star performer on the day

Each event features two competitors from each university. Cambridge excelled in the jumping events, with a Cambridge one-two for both the men’s and women’s long jump, triple jump and high jump events.

The Cambridge men were also particularly strong in the middle distance track events: Lloyd Hilton of Jesus won both the 400m and the 800m, Roger Poolman took victory over 1,500m, and fellow Queens’ athlete Will Ryle-Hodges came first in the 3,000m. Rebecca McLean and Joy Lisney took a Cambridge one-two in the 400m whilst Emily Dudgeon and Rebecca Moore secured another one-two in the 3,000m. The women’s team won both their relay events to round up a superb day of events.

Freshers revel in their early success against The Other Place

The match was full of strong performances that the Cambridge athletes can be proud of. This was an encouraging result for CUAC and the team look set to retain their winning streak in the main Varsity Match on May 19th with the help of this year’s crop of fresh talent.

The sun was shining at Wilberforce Road on Saturday as CUAC did what they do best and produced another unbelievable 4-0 victory.

Exceptional performances by the Cambridge teams have ensured that the 137th Varsity Match will go down in history. Not only did the Men’s and Women’s Blues teams win by record-breaking margins but the Alverstones and Alligators also left their Oxford Rivals standing.

Rhys Hodnett and Leo Scott set the standard, once the events got underway, both clearing 43m in the Men’s Blues Hammer competition, taking the first one-two of the day for Cambridge.

The Men’s Long Jump saw an unexpected win from Alex Jackson, who achieved the Blues’ standard on his first attempt. Women’s captain Emma Perkins put in a fantastic performance, taking first place in the High Jump, Triple Jump and Long Jump, to go with her 100m Hurdles win on the track.

CUAC legend Louis Persent easily won the men’s 400m Hurdles followed by Andy Lomas. Persent also took the gold in the Men’s High Jump and the 200m, completing a track one-two with Men’s Captain Mark Dyble, who went on to win the 100m.

Naomi Taschimowitz ran a personal best of 4:21:84 to finish in first place in the Women’s Blues 1500m, 30 seconds clear of the first Oxford runner. Rory Graham-Watson won the 400m and the 800m in the Men’s competition.

The Steeplechase proved to be a stong event for Cambridge. Soren Linder won the Men’s Blues race and Polly Keen set a match record, winning the 2k Steeplechase in 7:00:67 minutes.

The Men’s Discus was won by Rowing Blue Hardy Cubasch closely followed by Ryan Harper. Toby Haseler cleared the Blue’s distance to win the Shot. Meanwhile Laura Duke and Helen Broadbridge dominated the Women’s Throws, between them winning the Hammer, Discus and Shot.

Josh Mouland proved to be a key player for the Alverstones, winning the 110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles, Pole Vault and the Shot. Clare Palmery convincingly won the Shot, Discus, Javelin and High Jump for the Cambridge Alligators.

There were many outstanding performances from CUAC athletes but the victory was truly a team effort. The support and encouragement that CUAC provided on the day was second to none.

The relays were a clean sweep, with an outstanding last leg from Louis Persent in the Men’s 4×400m ensuring that CUAC finished on a high.

The fierce rivalry between the Light and Dark Blues is unique in its intensity but something that always inspires some unexpected and truly phenomenal performances on the day. It is a rivalry that motivates athletes in the cold, dark depths of winter to get out and train; a rivalry that pushes athletes to their limits when they come face-to-face with competitors from the Other Place.

The CUAC athletes demonstrated what can be achieved with a lot of hard work, motivation and team spirit. This was a victory that the club fought hard for and that is well and truly deserved.

CUAC had some very promising performances at the BUCS Championships, held in Bedford from 30^th April-2^nd May. The men’s team finished 15th in the team competition with 10 points and the women’s team finished 12th with 15 points. Highlights from the weekend include:

Emma Perkins – Gold in the high jump with a new CUAC record and PB of 1.81m

Polly Keen – Silver in the 2000m steeplechase with a new CUAC record and PB of 7:05.09

Lizzie Thompson – Excellent season opener in the 400m hurdles, just missing the Blues time with 65.11

Toby Haseler – 4^th place in the shot, achieving the Blues standard and adding over a metre to his PB with 13.78m

Chris Bannon – 6^th in the 5000m in a new PB of 14:56.81

Matt Houlden – 8^th place in the triple jump with a solid jump of 13.85m

Ryan Harper – 8^th place in the discus with 38.65m

Nyma Sharifi – 400m hurdles PB of 59.61

Rhys Hodnett – Qualified for the hammer final with a new PB of 43.06m