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BUCS Canoe Polo 2010 
Once again the Hatfield water park, Doncaster, played host to the incredibly well attended BUCS student canoe polo competition. The event began on the 24th April where organisers from Loughborough students’ canoe club observed a mass migration of students from all over the country. A total of 84 teams entered, many of whom were armed with canoes, tents and in true student spirit, copious amounts of alcohol.
Despite the gruelling 7am start on Saturday morning the ladies kicked off proceedings with a jaw-dropping 27 goals in the first four games!!! The open, old boys and reed leagues followed suit providing a fantastic spectacle to the spectators lining the banks. Incredibly, the Saturday event ran super smoothly thanks to a crack team of volunteers who orchestrated 152 games and recorded 679 goals within a single day.
By the end of day 1 it was apparent who the real challengers for the championships titles were. Nottingham Trent men as current champions were favourites to win the open league; however, Bangor Cambridge and varsity rivals Nottingham Uni were keen to prove their metal on pitch. In the ladies, reigning champions Liverpool lost two of their first 3 matches allowing rival universities to realise their ambition to take away the title of university champions. By the end of Saturday Nottingham, Loughborough and ULU ladies emerged as the contenders for the top spot but would require a solid defensive line and the guts to go for goal. What would Sunday bring?
As the event came to a close on Saturday the party was already beginning. Several outrageously dressed cacti set the mood by staggering in for the cowboys and Indian themed party. However, these cacti were able to thrive in an environment filled with (alcoholic) fluids unlike their native, dusty plains. Cowboys and Indians ignored past prejudices to insure the hydration of said shrubbery which laid the foundations for a truce which was finally secured through plenty more drinking!
7am on Sunday was even less appealing to those who hit the party hard and the dull weather reflected the fuzzy heads seen bobbing around the venue. However, there was the minor detail of a competition to be won which meant it was game face time! The final knockout stages saw Nottingham University progressing through to all four finals. An incredible achievement! The finals saw all eight teams playing their hearts out supported by their universities and friends they’d made over the weekend. Congratulations to the Gold Medal winners: Nottingham Trent (Open winners) Loughborough Ladies (Ladies winners), Nottingham B (Reed winners) and Cardiff (Old Boys winners) all of whom provided the crowd with some excellent and nail biting polo. Congratulations also to Hertfordshire University for winning 5 brand new Peak UK Polo buoyancy aids as best New Comers to the competition and Kim from Nottingham, who was lucky enough to win the ‘Let’s Dance’ Custom Robot PeakUK Polo buoyancy aid!
The event which saw 230 games played, 994 goals scored and probably more empty bottles of booze would not have been able to run without the support of the participants, the tireless efforts of the volunteers and PeakUK for their fantastic prizes and generosity.
(Posted on the 15th May 2010 by timb) |
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