AUTHOR

Archie Harper

As the notorious week 5 blues swept across Cambridge, disgruntled students stayed up into the early hours to complete problem sheets and scrambled to submit essays. There was one group however, of significant athletic prowess, that were solely focused on finishing off a different kind of opposition. The 79th Freshers’ Varsity Match took place at Wilberforce Road on Saturday, where captains Jack and Maya had selected strong teams to take on Oxford.

Fortunately, November’s weather showed mercy, and the athletes were only subject to a cool fourteen degrees Celsius and cloudy skies. This did not stop the young runners, jumpers, throwers, and vaulters from setting the track ablaze however, and we were treated to a thrilling day of athletics. The two clubs competed diligently and shared the spoils at a tight margin, with Cambridge’s women emerging victorious (84-83), whereas the men just fell short (85-86), if not for the mixed relays unconventional scoring towards both individual matches, rather than the combined.

On the women’s side, our athletes proved too strong in key areas, sweeping the 800m and 400m on the track, followed by the javelin and triple jump in the field. There were many impressive performances, including Daisy Kaye’s victory in the javelin with a blues-standard of 39.64m. Despite having already competed in a rowing competition, Tamsin Tewson achieved a half blues standard in the 800m. Serena Jampel and Esther Jay also secured half-blue standards in the pole vault and discus, respectively.  Not only did everyone perform well, but they performed many times; Tori Buckley, for instance, demonstrated prowess in five track & field events. The ladies’ 4 x 100m relay team capped off the day with a commanding win, securing victory for the light blues. Well done to the whole women’s team for their supreme effort and technique.

An excruciatingly close margin of defeat did not take away from the effort of Cambridge’s men, who displayed talent and determination that is sure to blossom in the Spring. Another blues standard was achieved by Mikhail Evloev with an extraordinary 44.4m launch of the discus, combined with a (half blues standard) win in the shot put. Even in November’s lactic-inducing chill, Augustas Ukvalbergas participated in four track events to a high level, even doubling up for the 4 x 4 and 4 x 1 (only 10 minutes apart). In the 1500m, Dan Taylor cruised to victory in a half-blue time of 4:07.1. Despite the team’s best efforts, and more stellar performances in the horizontal jumps, the men’s side just missed out on witnessing Jack Lipman lift the coveted trophy.

Ever exciting, the day finished with the Mixed 4 x 400m, which saw a narrow defeat for the light blues, whose athletes had already competed in numerous events already across a variety of disciplines. Under the waning light of a classic Wilberforce autumn afternoon, the trophies were presented to the victors, and post-match celebrations ensued at the Hawks’ Club. The teams united and displayed comradery befitting of the old rivals, and CUAC rallied on their home turf, looking forward to the indoor and outdoor seasons where they proved so strong last year. Upon reflection, I am sure that the young athletes will remember this day as the symbolic beginning of their time with CUAC, which for many of us has been so fulfilling not only throughout our degrees, but beyond.