BUCS Wednesday’s are now finished for the year and what a year it’s been. We have had highs and lows and so we just want to take a moment to reflect on all things BUCS.
Badminton have had a quiet season but no the less they brought things back from last year winning three games and finishing fifth out of nine teams in their league. This year our badminton team will be competing for a point at Varsity and they're just as excited as the rest of us. Himal Gurung, Men’s Badminton Captain has said, “I’m looking forward to see my team performance against Roehampton as all the hard work in training should help us achieve the best result and securing an advantage for our side.”
On to Basketball, who we know struggled at the start of this season but really turned things around. They managed to score a total of 654 points, making them the third highest point scorer in their league. We have high hopes for them at Varsity and can't wait to see their performance. Leo Juster and Dijean St Marthe who have been incredible committee members for the past few years are really helping to turn the club in a positive direction, we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours.
BNU Dance have taken comp season by storm, so far they really have eaten and left no crumbs! Having teams place at every competition, winning best team spirit, best male dancer and best overall choreograph. Dance are ready for the Varsity point decider on Saturday 18 March at Bucks Comp. Being the first team to compete for a Varsity point this year, the club is really feeling the pressure but we know that they will give it their all and really bring the famous BNU Dance energy.
Men’s Football now with five teams in their club and Elliot West has done any amazing job chairing all of them. Bucks FC 1st team finished first in their league, going unbeaten all season they narrowly missed out on a place in the cup final but we could not be any prouder of them. Jethro Odumosu has been an incredible captain to his team and can’t wait to play in his third and final Varsity. Also a big shout out to Fraser Garden who is now finally coming to the end of his Bucks journey and has been a huge part of Bucks FC since his first year – The club and the Students' Union will miss him!
Bucks FC 2nd team had a challenging season with a change of captain half way through the season they should be very proud to have finished with 14 goals to their name. We look forward to them taking to the pitch at Barn Elms in this years Varsity, neither can their captain Ozion Bowen who said,“What I’m looking forward to the most about varsity is the opportunity to express ourselves in front of a crowd, also putting all our hard work this season from training and matches to hopefully bring the win home.”
The Bucks FC 3rd and 4th team also struggled with captain changes this year but both put in a strong fight. They went to every game with their heads held high and made sure to celebrate no matter what the score. Both teams are playing for points in this years Varsity and we look forward to seeing them give it their all for those important 90 minutes. Riky Bansel, Bucks FC 4th team Captain, has said, “I’m looking forward to the experience of leading and representing a Bucks team at Varsity this year. As a team we will put 100% effort in to make the uni proud.”
Futsal have again done really well this season, winning 7 out their 10 games and finishing on the same number of points as the teams in first and second place. We wait anxiously to see where the goal difference lands them in the table. We would like to say a big thank you to James Saxby and Tom Benton for attending the FA Futsal refereeing course, allowing our Futsal team to play at home this season.
Women’s Football took to the league for the first time in a long time this year and they really should be proud of themselves. Winning half of their matches and scoring a total of 16 goals, they really have made a mark on BUCS Wednesday’s. We would like to a massive thank to Lauren Somerville who stepped up as chair half way through the year and really has done an incredible job.
Hockey, what a year it has been for both our Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams! Lets talk about Women’s Hockey first, they have had a full squad all season which really has proven what a difference it makes as they finished second in their league. We are so proud of all of them. Looking back on the year, their Vice Captain, Amy Shayler, said, “Highlight of the year ,the last game of the season when we defended a short corner in the last minute of the game stopping the opposition equalising. You could really feel the team spirit and determination to win. A good game to demonstrate the improvement from the first game of the season.”
Men’s Hockey should also be immensely proud of themselves. After last years season, giving away numerous walkover’s, this year they gave out none and came back with several wins. First year student, Joe Cunningham, was asked to step up as Vice Captain and he really has done an amazing job with his highlight of the season being, “Seeing the improvement from our players in our game against the best team of the league, Royal Vets, achieving the best goal difference of the season against them.”
Both hockey teams take to the pitch for Varsity points this year and we think it could be two very good games to watch. We asked the team captains what they're most looking forward to.
Liv Ross, Women’s Hockey Captain, “I’m most looking forward to showing everyone the improvement we have made from last year with the support of the spectators from the side lines."
Tom Byfield, Men’s Hockey Captain, I’m looking forward to going against roe with a strong full team with the best chance we have had so far. The day is also a great experience for the lads to have and a chance to have a fully spectated game with supporters.”
Netball 1st team went above and beyond this season, going unbeaten in the league having scored 493 goals. They even went unbeaten in their cup fixtures finishing second place after a very close final. Summer Knight has been an incredible captain and can’t wait to see their performance against the University of Roehampton, “I’m most looking forward to leading the team to another win this year. I can’t wait to see everyone on court putting into practice all the hard work we've put in this year and really finish off the season on a high! Really showing our best netball and bringing all the girls together and smash it."
Netball 2nd team mihgt not have had the best season this year but nevertheless, they went to every game with a positive attitude and made sure to party like winners on a Wednesday night. “My highlight of the year was playing the away game against Royal Holloway, this was a breakthrough game for us as we got our best score and even though we may not have got the win that we wanted, all the girls played brilliantly and the morale was high the whole day.” Lydia Butler-Hewitt Netball 2nd team Vice Captain. With Varsity just around the corner the team are putting their all into training and we know they are going to give 110% to the game. Netball 2nd team Captain, Imogen Sanders is. "looking forward to being able to finally take part in varsity and play the sports that I love. Having a load of support around us on the day will be a big boost too.”
The Men’s Rugby performance on the pitch has been amazing this year, and so have their dance moves. Who can forget the team showcasing their talents in their memorable Magic Mike Takeover? After scoring 120 points and only giving away 1 walkover, the team really should be proud of their efforts this year. We know the team's nerves will be high at the moment, what with Varsity creeping up on all of us, but we know they will give it some welly on the day and show the University of Roehampton what Bucks are made of. Chris Ntoni, the men's rugby Captain has said he's, “looking forward to watching all of the different clubs perform at their best throughout the day and I’m also looking forward to leading the team in the last game of the day and putting a show for all the spectators.”
We would like to give a mention to Women’s Rugby, as although they haven’t played any league games this year, they have really grown as a society and we cannot wait to see them in their Varsity friendly against the University of Roehampton. This will be the first time the women's rugby team will be a part of Varsity since 2019 and team Captain, Holly Simmons, has said, "I’m looking forward to to Women’s Rugby finally being in a position to play at varsity and put everything we have done in training into practice. We have all come so far since starting in October and I’m so excited for everyone to see what we can do.” We also had a chat with Head Coach & Vice Captain, Jess Hughes, who's highlight for this year has been, "watching the team develop from 2 players, to a core squad of players who have all come along miles in their skills and are all so supportive of each other and being able to actually be a part of Varsity, represent Bucks, and represent Women’s Rugby.”
Last but not least we have both the Men’s and Women’s Volleyball teams. They have done really well this year, giving it their all in every single game. “The highlight of the year is definitely our game against Brighton University. We shocked them with our skills' progression and our confidence. Everyone tried their best and did amazing job. Our hard work during trainings finally paid off and I am so proud of our team and I believe we are going to smash it during Varsity.” Adrianna Palkowska, Women's Volleyball Vice Captain "The highlight of the season has been beating the University of Roehampton in straight sets 25-24 25-15 25-5, capping off a dominant team performance showing all the hard work put in at training really paid dividends, with a lot of personal highlights and achievements for a lot of our players." Mitchell Smith, Men’s Volleyball Vice Captain
Again both Volleyball teams will be setting the ball high in Varsity this year and we're very much looking forward to seeing how the games play out. The women's team captain, Karla Lozada Muciño is, "looking forward to competing once again against Royal Holloway to show how much we'vee grown as a team this year. We are bringing a lot of power and skill and are so happy to take part in Varsity.” Men's team captain, Raffy Pantaleon, is looking forward to Varsity for a range of reasons including. "to witness the camaraderie that we have for our own team no matter the sport. Varsity is not just about competing, but also showing love and improvement towards your own sport which is really good to see."
It really has been a fantastic year for the Athletic Union and we are very proud of all our members, however it’s not over yet. Wednesday 29 March is coming, will the RoeBuck Trophy stay with Bucks? The only way to find out is by joining us at Varsity for the biggest sporting event of the year.
- Jess Bradbury, Vice President Student Involvement.