Another week, another sports update! I hope all of you had a good week, maybe even with some Guy Fawkes themed events such as the Bonfire Formal or fireworks? If not, you can still attend tomorrow’s GCR movie night at Sheraton bar from 8pm where we will be showing “V for Vendetta”!
Now, let’s take a look at last week’s sports results:
It was a fairly mixed week for Ustinov. Two teams managed to fight to a draw, whereas only our ever-reliable Pool teams and Women’s Hockey and Men’s Basketball achieved victories. Well done, you all!
Unfortunately, our brand new Table Tennis team (which I captain) had to forfeit their very first match due to lack of numbers. Therefore, if you are keen to play table tennis, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with cs.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk! We train on Wednesday evenings and we have four tables and plenty of bats and balls. All skill levels welcome!
After this shameless self-plug, let’s take a look at our only match report this week (the other one would have been table tennis)! Our Men’s Basketball team already had their fourth and final match of the first round last Saturday. Here is what captain and GCR Male Sports Rep Christos Vlahos thought about it:
And the Streak Continues for Ustinov Basketball Men’s Team
The game against Trev’s was quite nervous in the beginning as both teams focused more on the defensive half. While we were finding it difficult to move the ball on offence, we managed to keep Trev’s away from our basket and the first quarter finished with one point lead for Ustinov. The tough game continued in the second quarter where we managed to find some easier shots but Trev’s answered every time and so we finished the half tied.
In the second half we were much more concentrated on offence and with nice ball movement we got some easy baskets that gave us a small lead. We also put more effort on the defence where Kevin’s numerous blocks started making the difference, and although we had a height disadvantage we balanced the rebounds. We started the last quarter with a small 3-point lead and thanks to big baskets from Elie and Long we entered the last minute ahead in the score. There we made our free throws and didn’t do any turnovers to reach our fourth straight win this year, again with a low score of 25-20 and remain undefeated.
It was a close game through all four quarters but we never lost control of the tempo and the score. Special thanks to all the guys who have played through that winning streak that gives Ustinov the top place in the group in Division 1 and also to Vera and Kimberley for their support from the sidelines (and of course their coverage of the games through their cameras).
Thanks for the report and a huge well done to the Men’s Basketball team! What a fantastic performance!
The next week will be intense for our football teams: the Floodlit Cup and Trophy are both prestigious knockout competitions where teams from all leagues compete against each other. As such, these matches are always highly popular with spectators. Why don’t you make your way down to Maiden Castle to cheer for our teams? Their undergrad opponents will definitely be bringing large groups of fans!
If you are considering to take photos of the Men’s Football A team’s Floodlit Cup match against Hatfield A on Wednesday evening, please get in touch with me! The College Sport Manager is looking for photo material to use on the Team Durham social media – a great chance for your photos to reach a large audience!
And now for the full list of upcoming matches:
Pool matches take place at the colleges of the home team, as listed. Most other matches are carried out at Maiden Castle. Find out how to reach Maiden Castle and the precise locations of pitches here: https://ustinovgcr.com/sports-facilities/#mc. Interested in watching Ultimate Frisbee? HERE are instructions on how to reach Whinney Hill! Come and show some support so that our newly promoted team can finally score their first victory of the season!
Disclaimer: If you plan to visit a match, it is always a good idea to double-check the fixture on the Team Durham website: https://www.teamdurham.com/collegesport/sport/. Matches can occasionally be rescheduled, though usually no more than 48 hours before they are supposed to start.
As usual, if you have taken pictures at any Ustinov matches, please don’t hesitate to email them to cs.ustinovgcr(at)durham.ac.uk for a chance to be featured in these weekly updates!
~ Vera, Clubs & Socs Officer
GRADUATE COMMON ROOM 