Celebrities Play Cricket at Sports Park Weetwood

Tilly Hall
August 25, 2017
celebrities playing cricket at university cricket pitch, sports park weetwood

The University’s sports facilities were shown off in spectacular fashion this month when the BBC chose Sports Park Weetwood to host their celebrity cricket match.

For the 60th anniversary of the BBC 5 Live Test Match Special Radio Programme the BBC organised two mixed teams of cricketing greats and celebrities to play a T-20 match. The teams were lead by captains Phil Tufnell and Michael Vaughan and included celebrities such as Sprinter Yohan Blake, the Made in Chelsea Star Jamie Laing and BBC breakfasts Naga Munchetty both of whom are alumni of the University of Leeds.

Members of the public applied for tickets to watch the game via a random draw and 1,500 people out of the 27,000 that applied were lucky enough to get a ticket. For those who couldn’t be there on the day the game was screened live on the BBC red button, online and on BBC 5 live sports extra showing off the first-class cricket pitch and beautiful surroundings of Sports Park Weetwood.

During the match Great Food at Leeds delivered an astonishing birthday cake to the TMS commentary team which Henry Blofeld described as “…the cake of the century!”

cake int he shape of parkinson building

This fantastic event was a huge success and has showcased some of the high quality of the sports facilities at the University of Leeds where £25m has been invested over the past 8 years.

Gawaine Mackenzie-Hogg, who manages our outdoor operations said: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. But this was a great opportunity that we could not turn down.
“Test Match Special is a broadcasting and cricketing institution and it is good to be part of their anniversary celebrations.”

Suzanne Glavin Head of Sport and Physical Activity said: “It allows us to showcase some fantastic sporting facilities that students and public can enjoy. We can also explain the work we are doing to develop top-flight cricketing talent, the names who’ll no doubt feature on future Test Match Special broadcasts.”

If you missed the match you can watch it back on BBC i-player until the end of September.

To find out more about playing cricket at the University of Leeds, including our MCC cricket centre of excellence take a look at our cricket page here. 

Introducing our biggest ever class timetable!

Mike Walker
August 21, 2017

 

Brand new class timetable from 25th September!

Want to get more from your gym, but bored of the same old programmes or don’t have the time for long fitness sessions?

Look no further – here at the Edge we are introducing a brand new range of exercise classes, combining exciting new products and time-maximising 30-minute sessions – taking our total number of term time classes to over 220 per week!

Download the new timetable…

New Fitness Class Timetable

 

Here are just a few of your new exercise opportunities…

 

1. Edge HIIT

Incorporating strength, cardio and interval training, this Gym-Floor class will work you to the max in just 30 minutes! Designed to fit naturally around your day, our new sessions mean you can go from work to gym and back again with ease.

2. Clubbercise ®

Want to bring a night out to your workout?  Clubbercise® is a fun dance workout to club anthems from 90′s classics, using glowsticks to add to the atmosphere. Clubbercise fitness classes are great for beginners and fitness fans alike.

3. Barre Pilates

The Barre Pilates Method mixes Pilates, ballet & body conditioning for a whole body workout. This is a low impact class but that doesn’t mean you won’t sweat! This class aims to tone and define those muscles.

 

Water, check. Towel, check. Trainers, check. Glowsticks….

 

4. New virtual classes

With our brand new state of the art virtual offerings, we are adding virtual classes such as Insanity, P90X and Spin, available on-demand. These new additions are creating more variety and fun in our class schedules, complementing our new live sessions ranging from Primal Fitness to Freestyle Kickboxing…

…and more

Due to popular demand, we are also adding more Body Attack, Body Pump and Body Combat as part of our Les Mills package, working hard to use our world-class Edge facilities to their full potential and ensure you get the most out of your membership.

Book your classes online or visit our team at the Edge who will give you all the information you need to get involved.

Download the new timetable and book online today…

New Fitness Class Timetable (PDF)
 
Book Class

Breaking gender barriers in sport – Laura Chow

Laura Chow
August 17, 2017
Two lines of American Football players lining up to start a play

Breaking gender barriers in sport

The first day I went to training for American football I was so nervous. I almost bailed and got off the bus before the stop at Sports Park Weetwood several times. I was worried about being a girl playing the sport in a male team; that the guys  would be unwelcoming or judge me. However, as soon as I arrived and started playing, I realised I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My teammates treated me as equally as if I had been any man who’d walked onto the pitch and were supportive, friendly and kind. I was expected to be as fast and strong and to hit as hard as the rest of the men. There was no special treatment just because I’m female. To me this was exhilarating as it forced me to challenge myself and push myself harder. Training could be exhausting at times, but the tough times bonded us all and the team have become like brothers to me. We all look out for each other and encourage each other regardless of gender or anything else.

“I think sometimes people perceive men to be more sexist than they actually are and assume they will look down on women who try to play sports seen as typically “male”. “

Sadly, in some occasions, this can be the case. However, I can honestly say I have not found this while playing on the team and to believe that men in general are sexist or that their attitude to women playing sport is sexist, is wrong. Never once was I made to feel different, and the level of support everyone gives to each other on the team is really inspiring.

I have been proud and honoured to be a member of the American football team and have come to love playing a sport I would never have thought of playing before uni. I can honestly say joining, despite my gender or whatever people may think of it, has been one of the best decisions I have made this year. Gender should not be a barrier to sport.

Laura

Leeds Varsity parkrun, be a part of the series

Lucy Wood
August 15, 2017

Leeds Varsity are excited to announce that following last years success, Varsity parkrun is back for 2017.

If you’ve always wanted to be involved with the greatest sporting event in the university calendar, you can! So how does it work?

Each runner and volunteer will score a point for their University, the University with the most points wins parkrun Varsity.

When? Saturday 30th September, 8.30am

Where? Woodhouse Moor

How? Register with parkrun then simply turn up on the Saturday morning wearing your University colours to take part. Staff, students and alumni are welcome. parkrun is a 5km run which you can take as slow or as fast as you like. If you are keen to get involved but can’t run, don’t worry, you can volunteer for your University and you’ll still count towards your universities total. There will be 3 funnels after you’ve finished, you simply need to make your way down the funnel allocated to your University and hand in your token.

Who wins? You will only score a point for your university if you register and wear your University colours. The University with the most participants (runners and volunteers) will be the parkrun Varsity champions!

Helpful Information for on the day

  • Register beforehand
  • Print off and bring your barcode
  • Leave bags and coats at the finish line not the start line
  • Get to the start line for 8:50am
  • Please listen carefully during the run briefing
  • It’s a run not a race, you’re an ambassador for your university. Please be considerate to other runners and park users
  • Wear your university’s colours, GREEN for Uni, PURPLE for Beckett.
  • Try to seed yourself on how fast you think you’ll be able to complete the run
  • Cross the finish line the third time it comes into sight
  • After crossing the finish line stay in order until given a finish token
  • Get your barcode and finish token scanned at your University-specific scanning station

Dream Test Debut for Alumni Toby Roland-Jones

Lucy Wood
August 1, 2017
cricket pitch at the university of leeds

University of Leeds alumni, Toby Roland-Jones, called up to the England cricket side for their latest test against South Africa, had his dream debut taking four wickets and scoring 25 runs with the bat.

Middlesex medium paced bowler, Toby Roland-Jones took an impressive four wickets in his opening 33 balls in his first Test cricket match. Within just six overs he had balanced the match heavily in England’s favour, who in the first innings set a score to chase of 353.

The wickets fell in close succession with South Africa’s Elgar caught behind off an edge followed by an LBW (leg before wicket) to send Kuhn back to the changing rooms. Amla, a triple centurion the last time he played a Test match at The Oval, was the third to fall at the hands of Roland-Jones, giving a simple catch to Jonny Bairstow. The fourth and final wicket came from another catch behind as Quinton de Kock sent the ball straight in to the hands of gully, leaving the South African innings was in tatters.

In an exceptional start to his international career, Roland-Jones not only performed with the ball, but also scored 25 runs in as many balls, including a 6, showing his true impact as a player.

Whilst at the University, Toby Roland-Jones played for the Leeds Bradford MCCU side which supports talented cricketers through their time at university.

Head of Sport Suzanne Glavin said:

“It’s fantastic to see another university alumni achieving so highly in the World of Sport. Congratulations to Toby on his incredible debut, we wish you plenty more success for the future and will certainly be keeping our eyes on your successes.”

To find out more about cricket at the University of Leeds and how you can get involved, head to our clubs page here.