AUTHOR

Jess O'Flaherty

The 2026 edition of VFEAR once again delivered a brilliant afternoon of competition at Lee Valley, with Cambridge and Oxford renewing one of the most distinctive fixtures in the Varsity calendar. Combining relays, field events, and plenty of team spirit, the match showcased not only impressive performances from established athletes, but also the depth and versatility that makes the Cambridge University Athletics Club squad so special.

Across the afternoon, Cambridge athletes produced a number of performances at — and in several cases pushing close towards — Blues and Half Blues standard, underlining the strength of this year’s squad heading into the outdoor season. The atmosphere throughout the competition was outstanding, with athletes, coaches, alumni, officials, and supporters all contributing to a fantastic occasion.

To kickstart the day, we had a PB throw from Leonie Brunning in the hammer (44.31!) to further cement her Blues status in the event. A half-blues standard was also achieved by Lihani Du Plessis and Rachel Mckinney. Not much later did Leonie also take the win in the high jump with a solid jump of 1.60, closely followed by Mati Strevens in third with 1.55 and Sunshine Kellah-Nash in 4th with 1.50. Back on the throws, the Cambridge women’s Javelin team composed of Carys Ward, Daisy Kaye, Anna Prince and Jemima Bland absolutely washed Oxford (excuse my French) clean sweeping the top four places. Our women's PV team also took most of the top spots and in style ;). Lauren Healy, Summer Breen-Levine and Rachel Marsh all vaulted half-blues standings. Marni Lai, in her first outing in the event, was not far behind that mark! The men's PV took a similar fashion to the ladies,with Chin Aik and Alver's Captain Sol (or maybe now Pole?) Inglis going 1-2. It was a memorable showdown.

On the track, we had a great start with a win from the women's 4x4 team composed of Women's captain Maya, myself (Jess), and Daisy Kaye giving a strong lead for Olivia Sparks who then only extended the lead even further! It was a very close race for the men's 4x4 composed of Rhys Gibbs, Zac Baylis, George Warren and James McCulloch.

We also had a wicked run from some of our sprinters. Olivia Sparks, fresh from a 400m, was our top 60 m sprinter in 8.22 to take 3rd overall in a very close finish. Our women's captain Maya was not far behind in 8.36 to take 4th, followed by Georgia O'Dell in 5th with 8.38 and Tori Buckley, our resident heptathlete and competing in her second of 4 events that day, taking 6th. In the men's race one of our sprint stars Sam Ashadu took the win overall in a comfortable 7.11. Our next best was from the flying Scotsman himself, Rhys Gibbs, in 7.23 to take 4th and Ben Greenleaf in 5th with 7.28.

Finlay Nunn, John Bennett and Alex Kingston were also very close to the half-blues, mark all jumping 1.70 in the high jump. In the men's discus, despite a broken thumb, it was a win from Alex Blake-Martín who edged even closer to the blues mark, with a 37.01 m throw. Mantas Gudelis, close to the half-blues standard, took 2nd with a throw of 33.88.

Our men’s 4x200 team composed of Zhe Xi Ho, Ben Greenlead, James McCulloch and Sam Ashadu. Ashadu hawked down the final O*ford runner to take the win for the team.

Back on the field, very similar to the women's result, we had a 1-3-4-5 sweep from the men's javelin, with Remi Livesey taking the win with in a PB of 61.05, cementing himself further into the blues standard distance! Our sponsorship officer, Yashas Raj, the brains behind our new AKUMA kit, followed in 3rd, inching closer to the half-blues mark.

In the shot, it was a 1-2 from Leonie Brunning and Tori Buckeley in 11.09 and 10.75! For the men, Mantas Gudelis took the win in 13.07 and very close to the blues standard. Georgia O’Dell in long jump took the no.2 spot in a brilliant 5.03 to confirm her half-blue status in the event. Becca O’Donovan took 4th with 4.71.

Georgia O’Dell went on take 2nd in the 60m hurdles with BUCS officer Alice Eyssens coming 3rd, both in 10.06! John Bennet took the win in the men’s hurdles with a speedy 9.16. Kingston, McCulloch and Finlay Nunn, who only attempted the height a week prior also did very well to come 4th, 6th and 7th respectively.

The final event of the day was the DMR – 1200, 400, 800 and 1600. It was a very tight race for the women that rested on the 1600. Some tactics were played by the OUAC team, and it came down to a 200 m sprint finish after 7 laps of the track. A close battle finish but sadly OUAC just had the upper hand in the end.

Overall, we took home the win in the Women’s track and field and maintained our win in the men’s track. A good day out! 3 out of 4!

Particular credit must also go to those athletes who stepped outside their usual events to ensure Cambridge fielded strong teams across the board. Alex Kingston deserves recognition for stepping in to contest the hammer throw, shot and 60m hurdles; Sol of course; and John Bennet and Marni Lai also in the PV. Marni also competed in the hurdles for the first time after only recently training with the squad!

As ever, VFEAR demonstrated that Varsity success relies on far more than the performances taking place in the arena itself. CUAC would like to extend sincere thanks to all of the coaches who supported the team throughout preparation and on the day itself, including several alumni who returned to help guide and encourage the current squad. Their continued commitment to the club remains invaluable.

We are also hugely grateful to the Cambridge and Sussex officials who gave up their time to ensure the match ran smoothly. Fixtures such as VFEAR simply would not be possible without the dedication and professionalism of officials working behind the scenes.

A special thanks must also go to several notable CUAC alumni and supporters who contributed throughout the day: former Presidents Sam Clarke (2021–22), Johanna Schönecker (2023–24), and Jess Poon (2024–25); Transatlantic Series Co-Director Ben Ellis; Andy Hodge for capturing the day through his photography; and Achilles Chair and Team 4 coach Bridget Wheeler for her continued support of the club and Varsity athletics.

Finally, CUAC would like to thank our event sponsors, Wordley Partnership, for their support of this year’s competition. Their backing helped make another memorable edition of VFEAR possible.

With strong performances, exceptional team spirit, and so many athletes willing to step up for the benefit of the team, this year’s VFEAR was another reminder of what makes CUAC special. The club now looks ahead with confidence to the remainder of the outdoor season.