Varsity

On Wednesday the 29th March 2017, the University of West London Warrior’s took on Westminster University in the annual fight to slay the dragon. As one of the biggest events in the university calendar it was certainly not one to be missed. With a record turnout of supporters, both universities were out in full force to witness the battle.

Ealing Trailfinders was alive with anticipation, excitement, nerves, teen spirit and (relatively) cheap beer. Seas of red and yellow, donned by all supporters, lit up the grounds. With war paint on, laces tied and speakers blaring, every athlete had their heads in the game all with one goal in mind: to bring home the trophy!

Days before the event all students were informed that they could not bring their own alcohol, a statement which disheartened the masses. Fear not, there were cheap prices at the bar and some sneaky supporters who were determined to have the best of times. So, with no obstacles in the way, the day kicked off in true British fashion, with a bit of dodgy weather and some excellent sport!

First up at Trailfinders were the Spartans’ second team (men’s Football) and the Lady Titans (women’s basketball) down at Osterley. A nail biting match for the Titan’s but amazingly they just beat out Westminster to win 27-25. Obviously, just to keep things exciting for the day ahead, the Spartans lost. With an 8-0 loss for the men, UWL dusted themselves off, lifted their heads and headed into the next matches with plenty of determination. The scores at this point were sitting at 1-1.

The next matches to be played were the Eagles’ second team (women’s Netball), the Titans (men’s basketball) down at Osterley and the Trojans (women’s football). After a cracking win last year the Ealing Eagles headed into the game with a wealth of nerves and some very big boots to fill. Unfortunately, the same result was not achieved this year, facing a strong Westminster side the ladies lost 46-9. Unfortunately for UWL, the Titan’s didn’t manage to pull it out the bag either with yet another painfully close match, losing 45-44. Thank god for these ladies because the Trojans managed to bring the spirit back up with a smashing 4-2 win over Westminster. By this time of the day Westminster were sitting just ahead at 3-2. However, there was so much more to come from both sides…

Some massive grudge matches were to come, with the Spartans’ first team (men’s football) and the Ealing Eagles firsts team (women’s netball). Sadly, for the Spartans it was another loss for them, after a hard fight they came away with a 2-1 defeat. Not to worry, the Eagles were battling it out down on the courts in a truly electric match with a final score of 38-37 to the West London ladies. A very well deserved win! This left the overall score at 4-3. It was all down to the rugby teams now.

As many were taking their seats in the stadium, for the women’s rugby, followed by the men’s rugby, the atmosphere was growing more and more intense and the tension between the two sides was growing fierce. With the weather still holding out, the music booming and the drinks most certainly flowing, the Falcons (women’s rugby) were defeated by Westminster in a tense match, leaving the score at 22-17. This meant that the cup was out of our grasp until next year, alas all was not lost. With one match to go the Warriors were ready.

In an amazing match for the Rangers (men’s rugby), cheered on by the screaming and chanting supporters putting all their last drops of energy into getting behind the boys, they managed to come away with a win of 32-15. Followed by a manic pitch invasion UWL rejoiced in the efforts of the day and claimed a moral victory!

It may have been Westminster’s this year (and the last six) but as we always say, there’s always next year!