Archive for category: Leeds Sport

The Sports Colours were back on Wednesday the 25th of April to celebrate the momentous achievements of sports teams, students, staff and coaches over the year. Replacing sweaty sports kit for black tie the awards were a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate the success we have had at Leeds Sport this year as part of the overarching Celebrate Week.

Hosted by our amazing amazing activities officer Jess Bassett and Doug Edell the Sports Representative the evening kicked off with the presentation of the first set of awards. Called up to the stage were members from a whole range of sports for Club Colours. 64 individuals gained recognition for their hard work and commitment to their chosen sports. Full Colours were given out to 43 individuals this year, for athletes who continually perform at a high level for their teams, showcasing the talent we have in Leeds.

The Refectory swiftly moved the evening on with an excellent 3 course meal. DanceSport then treated us to a wonderful performance demonstrating the exceptional talent among our dancers. We continued to look towards our extraordinary athletes by celebrating our Sports Scholars who are supported in their sporting endeavours over their time at Leeds.    

There were more congratulations to come as we welcomed 22 Gryphon and White Rose award winners to the stage. These awards are given to those who have excelled or shown outstanding commitment in their sport.

This years Gryphon Award winners were:

Christina Nick – Athletics

Cameron Austwick – Cuesports

Patrick Green – Judo

Amber Brennan – Karate

Polly Brooks – Lacrosse

Anya Wood – Netball

Amelia Hall – Netball

Bea Skingsley – Netball

Jenny Davies – Skiing

Nicolas Peters – Ultimate Frisbee

Jonah Leake – Ultimate Frisbee  

The White rose winners were:   

Robert Nayagam – Boxing

Emma Woods – Cricket

Emma Poole – Dancesport

Elizabeth Stanton – Football

Rachel Weaver – Football

Emily Marshall – Kickboxing & Kraav Maga

Lydia Griffiths – Lacrosse

Helena Grennan – Netball

Clare Chapman – Rugby Union

Andrew Marks – Rugby League

Jonny Bolton – Ultimate Frisbee

This built us up to our 10 big awards of the evening. With 46 different nominees there was some fierce competition particularly with the new addition of Team of the Year. Rachel Weaver took home the first award for Gryphon Leadership, which she given for all her volunteer work with the Women’s Football team. LawSoc Netball  claimed Our Social League Club of the Year for the second time. Helena Grenna was awarded the Sue Jacklyn Club Coach of the Year Award, continuing Netball’s success. Joan Young, the head Netball coach, received the Mike Brook Award for Performance Coach of the Year as she lead her teams to great success this year.

Novice Women’s Rowing were crowned as our Most Improved Team of the Year was awarded to. This large team of girls who since only starting the sport in september have placed highly at indoor competition. At BUCS Head they achieved gold medal placement which is something Leeds has never done before. Their boat became the quickest university Novice Women’s quad in the country!

Rosie Blount from Rugby Union received the Most Improved Athlete Award. From never touching a rugby ball until university she became the leading try scorer for the 1st team in the 2016/17 season. Since starting the sport she had played for Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, Yorkshire Ladies and England Students 7s, an incredible achievement for someone with only three years experience in the sport.

Women’s Rugby Union took home our brand new award for Most Improved Club of the Year. After freshers fair and GIAG’s their club doubled in size! The huge influx of new members has lead to the creation of a brand new development team who hope to enter into the BUCS league next year. Starting from their varsity win – for the first time in the club’s history – the girls continued to smash their way through the BUCS league despite moving up a division and facing tougher competition.

Kim Daybell, Sports Scholar and Table Tennis pro received the accolade of Roberts Athlete of the Year. After competing at two Olympic Games and many open events Kim has had phenomenal success. Recently he gained two silver medals in the PTT US Open despite playing against some tough competition. Over the Easter break he made his debut at the Commonwealth Games. Kim managed to take away a silver medal almost beating his fellow team-mate Ross Wilson.

Men’s Cuesports 1’s took home the title of Team of the Year after some fantastic performances across the season. Managing to retain the title of BUCS 8-Ball Pool Team Champions whilst also gaining a new title of 9-Ball Pool Team Champions, something which no other club has ever achieved. Many members of the team  have also performed exceptionally over the year with selection for England Student teams.

Our final winners of the evening were to take home the prestigious Club of the Year Award. There was some tough competition between four of our biggest Clubs who have all achieved some amazing things this year. However, Women’s Football were victorious! Their huge BUCS success and all their work within the local community gave them the edge. The 1st team were undefeated in their quest for retaining their position at the top of the league and as BUCS Trophy winners. It is clear that the 13 dedicated committee members all wanted the best for the club by fundraising for two charities and increasing their contact with alumni to help raise funding. The girls were ecstatic with their well deserved win and we wish them all the best for next year too!

With the Commonwealth Games been and gone Suzanne Glavin tells us about her volunteering experiences in Australia.

After recording an online interview, Suzanne was selected for a place on the Press Operations Team. Here she helped look after the photographers at the triathlon and various cycling events at the Commonwealth Games this year.

She said:

“I feel like the luckiest Games Shaper! I managed to go to three amazing outdoor venues with some super sport. This included Southport Broadwater Parklands, where I worked on triathlon events. It was a super to see – from the photographers’ position at the finish – Jess Learmonth, one of our Leeds Triathlon Centre athletes, medal.”

Jess was England’s first medallist of the Games consequently bagging a silver. Unfortunately, the Brownlee brothers – Jonny and Alistair – failed to medal in the men’s tri event, finishing seventh and 10th respectively. Fellow Leeds Alumni, Tom Bishop, came home in 19th while second year Sport Science and Physiology student, Tyler Smith, competing as the flag-bearer for Bermuda, was 21st.

But, the action didn’t end there for Suzanne. She also had the opportunity to work with the photographers for the para triathlon and mixed relays. Here she saw the Brownlee brothers win a silver medal as well as Tyler Smith competing in the mixed relay.

Suzanne then headed to Currumbin…

 “… a beautiful, idyllic part of coastline with an amazing nature sanctuary set just behind. Here, I was supporting the Race Walk. It’s was a 5am start! I also went to help out with cycle time-trial and then again for all the cycle road races. To finish my most incredible journey I headed back to the Southport Broadwater Parklands to volunteer on the marathon!”

Suzanne’s adventures across Australia really proved the benefits of volunteering in sport. Not only can you travel world but you can also make a difference. Through contributing, collaborating and working as a team the experience of volunteering is priceless and well worth the hard work.

Suzanne finished by telling us about the impact of the games and her experience:

Suzanne on the ‘grassy knoll’ at the race walk event

“It’s relaxed, fun, friendly and exciting, with lots of people carrying their country’s flag with them. The locals, in particular, were so proud of their athletes and their homeland. The world coming to visit  genuinely pleased the residents. The Commonwealth Games are known as the friendly games and this one was no exception.”

As England’s cricket team embark on their tour of India, two of our Leeds Alumni, Kate Cross and Alice Davidson-Richards, have received the honour of joining the squad. With only sixteen places there was strong competition for a position on the team.

During Kate’s time at Leeds, women’s cricket was still a social sport and so she took on the challenge of training with the Men’s MCCU. With her success playing county cricket, Kate gained one of the first full-time professional contracts for England. She proved her determination and commitment to the sport making her first ever debut for England back in 2013.

Former coach Rick Holland told us about Kate’s experience at Leeds:

“She was very much an individual excelling as the landscape of women’s cricket was changing, moving towards the professional era. Kate represented the University of Leeds Women’s Cricket Club and helped less experienced players. She acted as a role model showing what could be achieved with dedication and resilience.”     

New talent was added to the England squad in the form of Alice Davidson-Richards who has recently been offered a contract with England. On her first ever call up to play internationally Alice will be making her debut along with two other uncapped players, Bryony Smith and Katie George.

Alice’s time playing cricket at Leeds gained support from a brand new programme. It aimed to draw the women’s cricket programme in line with the men’s, giving them equal opportunity to learn. She became part of the ‘Leeds Women’s Cricket Academy’ and began working with the best cricketers from the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett. Training over winter and working towards playing two friendly games against the MCC and Loughborough. Competing at a higher level allowed Alice to focus on training all year round and maintain her commitment. She gained valuable experience at Leeds which has translated into her professional career. 

Alice with her MCCU team

This scheme has developed over the years becoming the Leeds Bradford Women’s MCCU. This programme aims to give talented young cricketers the chance to receive top-level coaching. The girls now have more opportunities to compete at a high level whilst advancing their education. Players now compete for several major trophies each year including The BUCS Premier Final and The MCCU two day Championship. Many of the squad also perform with county teams.  Here in Leeds, the programme has developed close links with the Yorkshire Diamonds whom Alice has represented.

As both Kate and Alice venture across the world, we wish them the greatest success. Playing against India and Australia’s elite will be a huge challenge but one which our Leeds girls can face. With their strength and determination, we are sure they will both go far and continue competing for England.