Varsity 2015: Meet the Captains
The Varsity season is fast approaching and Pi Sport will be there to give you lucky people round-the-clock coverage. It’ll be a week of non-stop action and excitement so we thought we may as well whet your appetite of what there is to come.
BASKETBALL CAPTAIN, TYMOTEUSZ TURLEJSKI
“Varsity is a top priority for our club and you can be sure we will put up a great fight in order to bring the trophy to UCL where it rightfully belongs. After beating King’s earlier this season, we know it is going to be an extremely difficult task to repeat. No matter, we believe that our hard work over the past season and sky-high team chemistry will lead us to victory again. Come along and witness our moment of glory for yourself!”
Watch it: Tuesday 10th March, University of East London, 17:00
NETBALL CAPTAIN, CAROLINE JEFFERY
“With one game to go, we are unbeaten and have already won our BUCS league (2B). It is no wonder the team is feeling confident going into the Varsity after a great season. We are looking to build on our convincing win from last year. The defence of Tilly Barker and Marie-Claire Healey has been working especially well in the last couple of games. Saskia Tonge as Goal Shooter is also on a fine run of form. Vice-captain Katie Sanderon will be looking to make a big impact from Goal Attack after returning from injury.”
Watch it: Tuesday 10th March, University of East London, 20:00
MEN’S FOOTBALL CAPTAIN, ADAM WHITFIELD
“I can quite comfortably say that the first team squad this year is the best I’ve seen over my three years at UCL. We’ve been both solid at the back and scoring goals for fun. To be fair, I’ve been hearing good things about King’s this year too so it’s not going to be an easy game by any means. Look out for Tom Harrington’s pace and power going forward, he is always a threat. Meanwhile Ben Putland isn’t afraid to put in a big tackle or two!”
Watch it: Monday 9th March, Dulwich Hamlet FC, 17:00
MEN’S HOCKEY CAPTAIN, WILLIAM NUNN
“Varsity means everything to UCL and we pride ourselves as the best Hockey team in London. Thanks to the injection of four strong, skilful and enthusiastic freshers: Letcher, Smith, Bullock and Brooke; coupled with the introduction of much improved former second team players, the starting XI has grown to become a spirited side which I am wholly proud to captain. I speak on behalf of the entire club when I say that unprecedented levels of revenge will be inflicted at Olympic Park. We owe it to ourselves to bring home the victory. Will it be our Fahim Khan, our very own Hong Kong international with the moment of magic? Will it be veteran Chris Baker saving last minute flick? Who knows, anything can happen.”
Watch it: Friday 6th March, Olympic Park, 18:00
WOMEN’S HOCKEY CAPTAIN, ELLIE CRAIG
“The women’s hockey team is more than just a bunch of great gals – on and off the pitch. We’re intent on claiming the Varsity win all for ourselves. With the help of some overly keen new freshers – (Serafina…) – this might just be the year we put Strand poly back where they belong. Although King’s have had a strong season, everyone loves an underdog. I have a feeling they may just crack under the Olympic Park pressure. Make sure you’re there to watch it.”
Watch it: Friday 6th March, Olympic Park, 18:00
MEN’S RUGBY CAPTAIN, JOE HEAGERTY
“We haven’t lost a fixture now for 12 months so despite KCL’s good performance in their league, I’ve got no doubt about our ability to win. With the squad we’ve got, Varsity will be an incredible spectacle. Our preparation could not have gone better this year. We have sailed through a difficult run of fixtures without much trouble. Combined with the sheer amount of individual talent and our strong team spirit, we are in a tremendous position to retain the Varsity trophy for a third year running.”
Watch it: Friday 13th March, Allianz Park, 17:00
TAEKWANDO CAPTAIN, RICO HODGES-SMIKLE
“Our team has done fantastically this season, coming second at the Imperial Open and third at the BSTF student nationals just last weekend. We also have the biggest, and I would say the best, university team in the UK. The Varsity results from last year also speak for themselves. Our team has only gotten better since then and a pack of wolves will always beat a few stray cats.”
Watch it: Thursday 12th March, Somers Town CSC 19:00
MEN’S LACROSSE CAPTAIN, BEN COLVILLE
“We have built on last year’s success of a league title and promotion, pushing on with the help of many returning members and some brand new faces making a big impact. We are on course to finish at least second in South East 1A at the end of the year. This is a worthy accomplishment considering it is only our second year of competition. Varsity will be very close, tightly fought and great for the spectators. We will put on a show and try to come away with the win this Sunday!”
Watch it: Sunday 8th March, North London Cricket Club, 12:00
The other sports captains have been poor sports and either been too much of a recluse for us to find them, or been too obnoxious to reply to our wonderful new Sports Section. But don’t hold this against them. We still, despite their sins, like them better than KCL, so give them your support! The schedule for the other events is listed below:
6 March Fri, Fencing, Wilkins Cloisters, 16:00
7 March Sat, RUMS / GKT Hockey, Olympic Park, 19:00
10 March Tues, Volleyball, University of East London, 17:00
11 March Wed, Swimming, Aquatics Centre (Olympics Park), 17:00
11 March Wed, Water Polo, Aquatics Centre (Olympics Park), 17:00
Get your tickets here from £5 and join us in our quest to conquer King’s.
Let’s go UCL!