2010 Alumni Weekend Report

Saturday 1 May

Hundreds of students, past and present took to the sports fields over the May Bank holiday as the University of Essex played host to the 10^th Annual Alumni Weekend. With the overall scores locked at four wins apiece and one tie over the past decade, it was all to play for with both teams looking to edge ahead of their rivals. American Football opened the proceedings in what proved to be a comprehensive 12-2 victory for the current students.

Men’s Hockey 2^nd XI were also in action early on the first day, securing a 6-4 win over the returning old boys. The racket sports were underway at lunchtime and the students again proved too strong for the Alumni with a solid win in badminton, 19-6 and a close fought battle in the tennis, 6-5.

The women’s hockey old girls got the Alumni side off the mark by beating the current students 3-1, which marked the start of a fight back for the returning teams. Women’s football alumni secured a 4-0 victory, as did the women’s rugby old girls in a highly competitive and physical encounter which ended 14-5. The men’s rugby fixture finished in a draw, with the teams sharing the points.

The men’s football kicked off in the afternoon with six teams battling for the cup. Both the first and second XI matches ended in a tie at two goals apiece, but it was the Old Boys third team that broke the deadlock with a 3-2 win, allowing the Alumni to lift the trophy.

With the overall scores locked at four all and with only a few remaining fixtures outstanding, the competition was really starting to heat up. Men’s hockey first team put the current students back in the lead, securing the points after fighting off a late Alumni comeback to win 5-4. Back in the sports centre, the Alumni showed their superiority on the squash courts with a decisive 5-0 win. The Alumni also edged past the current students 31-27 in the netball, swinging the overall score back in favour of the returning students.

The men’s cricket trophy was lifted by the current students leaving the overall scores tied at six all with only one remaining fixture to be played. It was the pool competition which set up a nail biting finale. The result fell in favour of the Alumni allowing them to claim the victory and be crowned overall champions on the day, 7-6. The Foundation Cup was lifted by ex Sports Federation president, Tareq Abu-Rish on behalf of the Alumni, to wrap up the first day’s action.

MAN OF THE MATCH AWARDS 2010

SPORT	STUDENT	ALUMNI
American Football	WILL BRADLEY	STEVE O CALLAHAN
Men's Cricket	MOHIT AGARWAL	RYAN HIRST
Men's Hockey 2	AARON SIME	DAN TILLEY
Squash	GEORGE FLINN	ADAM HILLS
Badminton	MICHAEL LENNON	KARINA SPENCER-SMITH
Tennis	DAVE LAVERACK	MATT BYFORD
Women's Hockey	BEC DOLAN	CONNIE BEDDINGFIELD
Pool	JAMES WAUMSLEY	MICHAEL WERBOWY
Women’s Football	PAIGE CHAPPELL	LAUREN MURPHY
Men's Hockey 1	JAMES O BRIEN	FELIX NURSE
Men's Football 1^st	LUCK WARGH	LEE MATSON
Men’s Football 2nd	JAMES QUIGLEY	CHRIS HOPTON
Men’s Football 3rd	PETROS STYLIANOU	RYAN FRIEL
Men’s Rugby	LUKE GROVES-PEAT	RICHARD DAVIES
Women’s Rugby	KATE AROSKIN	JENNY CONNELL
Netball	ZOE BANKS & NATALIE WARDLE	RACHEL HALL

Sunday 2 May

The weather didn’t deter competitors for the Sunday events, including the 14 teams which took part in the Open Netball tournament. The women battled the elements to play some great netball in tough conditions. The final saw Ex Motts take on the 2009 finalists, Kat’s Lightning, who were able to go one better than the previous year and lift the trophy.

Eight teams of current and returning students fought for the cup in the men’s 7-a-side football tournament. A similar story unravelled with last year’s finalists, Southern Softies being crowned champions after beating Shangooly FC 1-0 in the final.

The Indoor Mixed Hockey event built on the success of last year and attracted eight teams. Last year’s winners, The Awesomes were outplayed by Panda Watch who beat them 4-1 in the final, which concluded an exciting and eventful weekend of sport at the University.

Written by Laura Eddie
Sports Development Officer

[More Alumni Weekend Reports/Photos]