None for the road?

Emily-Rose Rolfe, Lifestyle Editor, has never touched a drop of alcohol. Well, that’s not true, but she is at least mostly dry for January.

Image credits: brosner

The topic of drinking at University is documented time and time again in student media. It barely needs to be said that the most frequently noted stereotype of students is our hedonistic drinking culture. Do we drink too much? Is it necessary to drink at University to have fun? What will everyone think about my relationship with alcohol? Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether you drink or don’t drink. It’s whether or not you are enjoying your time at university: plenty of people get lashed under the weight of expectation, whilst many drink for the pleasure of being intoxicated. It’s not for anyone else to make a judgement on how much you should be drinking: the only person who should be ordering the shots is you. I am merely writing to give an account of my experiences of being a sober student.

Sobriety is not what students are notorious for, our reputation is intrinsically linked to the amount of alcohol we consume on an almost daily basis and how many scrapes we get into because of this. Binging is what students gear themselves up for in the summer leading up to Freshers’ Week, and we stampede through all succeeding nights out terrified that we will never see a drop of alcohol again when the sun sets on our university days. Excessive consumption of booze is what almost every anecdote arises from and what every student signs up for when they press ‘send’ on their UCAS application. However, there are students who stay sober throughout their university days. This is not to say being sober is being teetotal, Jesus was sober whilst still enjoying a nice glass of wine.

In first year I was stone cold sober throughout: I can count on one hand the amount of alcoholic beverages I drank. Your instant assumption after reading that sentence is that I spent every night sitting in my room watching Friends, eating lots of McVities, and fulfilling every sweet-as-sugar girly stereotype in the book. Whilst I freely admit I did spend evenings enjoying the comforts of a cup of tea, I was not a prude, and neither were the friends around me who lived the same lifestyle. Just because you don’t drink when you go out, doesn’t mean you don’t have fun. Monday Mosaic was teeming with acquaintances and awkward encounters;  I didn’t notice Arena’s cheesy Tuesday stench; Timepiece was absolutely mental; Rococos was raving; and I immersed myself in the disco vibes of the Lemmy. Just because I didn’t drink doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy fresher.

In third year, I have started drinking. I don’t know what happened over summer, but all of a sudden I seem to have caught the craze. I had a better time when I didn’t drink. I bounced off everyone surrounding me rather than being incredibly selfish. I never annoyed people when I was sober, whereas now I have accounts of taking up too much space on the dancefloor and saying incredibly stupid things. I was there to have DDMCs (Drunk Deep Meaningful Chats) with as well as to energetically run around with. I remembered my nights, and other people’s. I spent less money when I drank water not wine. And, being narcissistic, it was nice to not be a member of the pack and to stand out from the crowd. It was a stimulus for engaging conversations, something to define you amidst the furor of fresher confusion and identity crises. Personally I prefer drinking a maximum of three drinks a night, it keeps a buzz without stinging the night to death, and it also keeps your dignity and your liver healthy.

Is there peer pressure to drink at university? Of course there is. But if you don’t want to drink at initiations AU societies won’t make you, they’ll give you nasty concoctions of ketchup, peanut butter, egg yolk, milk, and brown sauce, but as long as you aren’t a bad sport and refuse to down it they won’t penalise you. I know a few prominent members of AU clubs who don’t drink but are not seen as any less macho or more boring because of this difference in lifestyle. Most people simply ask ‘why don’t you drink?’ in the same tone of voice as ‘I didn’t realise that pigs flew’, and they respectfully listened to my response. You might be called a shlad in Arena when you ask for tap water, but if anyone was judging whether or not they were having more fun than me, it didn’t impact on my hype. It’s easier said than downed, but if your place within your friendship group is based on the frequency of your chunders then I would swiftly either put them in their place or find more interesting friends.

The primary reason for me not getting trashed is because I’m a Christian. Specifically looking at the topic of drinking, probably the most relevant characteristic of the Christian life is balance: on not living excessively in any area of life. It is following the life of Jesus, who as we all know from Sunday school enjoyed a glass of wine, without downing it. He didn’t abstain, but neither did he encourage intoxication. Christians at Exeter University, despite occasional typecasting, do not live as monks do. They enjoy sobriety whilst sitting in a pub, party with and without drinking, have a huge variety of friends and are active members of many societies on campus. Christianity is not about abstention, but equilibrium. It’s also not being judgemental: I don’t walk into a club and sneer at the amount of antics and affection. I wouldn’t rebuke someone for stumbling home, it may not be my way of life but neither is it my place to reprimand.

You may think you’re a better person when you’re inebriated, but I have never met someone who is better drunk than sober. Ever. I just find that drinking doesn’t improve you: it can result in feelings of regret, embarrassment and irritation that you’ve wasted the rest of the day, and guilt if you’ve drunkenly confronted a good friend about a non-problem. Past the point of no return I can’t understand most of what you’re saying or where you’re going. You’re still great, and I don’t really care, but you’re objectively better company over a coffee or a casual pint.

Despite our frequent moaning that we are all incredibly poor, lavish amounts of money are spent in bars and clubs across Exeter. Financially, drinking just doesn’t make logical sense: we live on a budget yet knock back pounds like they’re pennies. It is also bad for your body: there are seven calories per gram of wine, almost as much as pure fat. The health-freak mindset of gym bunny Exeter is completely at odds with the spoonfuls of indigestible sugar mindlessly devoured each night. Nonetheless, you are paying £3,000 / £9,000 for tuition fees, and we all applied to Exeter for the student experience; not just to join the Library Society. Any pounds that leave your purse or go on your hips on a night out will probably not be regretted by future you. It is still something to bear in mind though.

Choosing the sober student life isn’t inferior to boozy days and nights, and vice versa. University is about enjoying yourself to your full capacity, and finding what you’re made of before entering the scary realms of ‘the rest of your life’. Whether you choose Dry January or a liquid lunch, your pint glass is always half full at uni.

Emily-Rose Rolfe, Lifestyle Editor

Five reasons why the FA Cup has lost its lustre

James Beeson looks at five reasons why the oldest competition in football, the FA Cup, simply isn’t the competition it used to be.

The FA Cup, once the pinnacle of English football, the stage where dreams were fulfilled and hearts broken, appears to be on the wane. Low attendances, weakened sides and a general lack of interest have seen this once glorious competition become nothing more than a mere distraction for many English clubs. Here are five reasons for the FA Cup’s fall from grace.

1) Poor Coverage

Increased commercialisation in football has already lead to the League Cup being renamed the Capital One Cup, and since the 2008/09 season, the ‘FA Cup with Budweiser’ has been shown exclusively on ITV. Whilst this is not necessarily an issue in itself, with ITV being available for public consumption at no extra cost to viewers, the coverage of this once magnificent competition has deteriorated significantly during this period. Constant advert breaks, coupled with meagre highlights and shoddy punditry have deterred viewers and taken the sheen off the FA Cup to such an extent that many football fans now avoid watching the competition entirely.

Wigan fans celebrate their FA Cup victory. Photo: the72.co.uk

2) Resurgence of the League Cup

Traditionally seen as the lesser of the two domestic cups available to English teams, the League Cup, or ‘Capital One Cup’, has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, with some thrilling ties and big upsets. Just last season, Bradford City of League Two defeated the likes of Wigan, Aston Villa and Arsenal to reach the final of the competition. Despite being beaten 5-0 by Swansea in the final, Bradford’s plucky spirit and hard-working attitude inspired football fans across the nation and rejuvenated the reputation of the League Cup, perhaps to the detriment of England’s supposedly more prestigious Cup competition.

3) Foreign imports

Increasing numbers of foreign players and managers on our shores could be causing a shift in attitude towards England’s cup competitions. It has been argued by some experts that many foreign players and managers do not ‘understand’ the true significance of the FA Cup – partly because, in many foreign nations, the domestic cups are not treated with the same respect as their league counterparts. This disdain was exemplified by then-Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, who in 2001 refused to allow his players to celebrate following their FA Cup triumph over Arsenal because of an important upcoming UEFA cup match.

4) Premier League revenue

Gerard Houllier was notable for his disdain for the FA Cup. Photo: theoffside.co.uk

While many Premier League sides in recent years have been criticized for fielding weakened teams in the FA Cup, it is perfectly understandable that they do so when you consider that  the growth of the Premier League as a global brand has seen revenue streams to clubs increase exponentially. As a result of this, many top-flight clubs tend to prioritize their league objectives and thus do not take the FA Cup as seriously, playing a mixture of squad players and youth team prospects. It could be argued that this has caused some of the magic of the Cup to disappear in recent years; after all, giant-killing performances are rendered less impressive when the favourites don’t start many of their star players, as was the case with Manchester City’s recent game against Watford.

5)  Predictability

Even considering the fact that many Premier League clubs do field increasingly weaker sides in FA Cup games, there appears to have been a decline in the number of ‘giant-killings’ in the competition in recent years. The gulf in revenue streams between top-flight and lower division teams means that, in the majority of cases, Premier League sides can afford to rest key players and still come out on top in cup ties. This predictability has made the FA Cup less exciting to watch, with Premier League teams tending to dominate; Chelsea have won four of the last seven FA Cups, whilst the Cup hasn’t been won by a non-Premier League side this century!

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Tisdale upbeat about City's future despite recent slump

Paul Tisdale has remained faithful to Exeter City despite interest from Portsmouth. Photo: wearegoingup.co.uk

Will Brookes was present at Exeter City’s recent fan’s forum at St. James Park, where manager Paul Tisdale was defiant over his team’s poor recent run of results.

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale was in fine form as he, along with senior club officials, answered the questions of around 50 City supporters during a fans’ forum at St. James Park last Thursday evening.

Tisdale used his opening statement to back the club’s policy of bringing through young players, alluding to their success in recent Premier League Under 21 Cup games against such opposition as Southampton and Blackburn. Both budgetary constraints and a belief in home-grown players have seen Tisdale place faith in his young squad this season, with six of the starters against their recent match Bristol City aged 23 or younger.

This is something which fans have become used to seeing over recent weeks, as was ultimately ending up on the wrong side of a tight result – this time going down 2-1 at Bristol Rovers thanks to an injury time strike from John-Joe O’Toole. Tisdale, The English league’s second-longest serving manager after Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, also spoke publicly for the first time about his link with the vacant Portsmouth job in December.

“[Portsmouth] approached the club and asked to speak to me. I didn’t apply for the job. There have been times when I’ve spoken to another club. I see no harm in it. I often learn more about our league and other clubs in the process,” said Tisdale, who continued by re-iterating his desire to add to his seven and a half years at St James Park as well as his belief that his current crop of youngsters can go on to produce great things for the club.

Despite his optimism of things to come on the pitch, Tisdale did admit to fans that City’s financial constraints could force his hand during the transfer window. “It would be heart-breaking if one of our players who will be a starter for us over the next 18 months leaves, but if he leaves at a very good price then we have to say that it’s worth doing. We’d be foolish not to talk to any club [about a potential transfer].”

Chairman and CEO, Julian Tagg, gave more insight to reasons behind the club’s yearly budget tightening. “The first year we were in League 1, our average attendance was 5,700; it is now less than 2,000. The average profit per head is about a tenner, meaning that the difference is about half a million per year [in gate receipts],” explained Tagg.

What has also added to City’s problems this season is the high proportion of home games played mid-week, which notoriously attract fewer fans than a Saturday afternoon fixture. Three of the next six home games will be played on a Tuesday night, with the late cancellation of last Saturday’s game against Morecambe means a fourth will almost certainly be added to that list.

Overall, Tisdale was both professional and thorough in his answering of questions, with both he and the board clearly understanding that a fan-owned club has to have a certain level of openness with supporters whilst still keeping the ins and outs of club life behind closed doors.

He was however quick to go toe-to-toe with a fan who challenged his policies without the knowledge to back his point up. He accused the supporter, who attacked him for having “wasted a lot of money on loan players who didn’t need to be signed”, of “commenting on money you don’t understand”, claiming that he had not paid a penny in fees or wages for three players mentioned.

Despite a bright start, City currently lie 15^th in League Two, 10 points off the playoffs following four defeats in their last five games. Whilst first team results have been poor, the St. James Park faithful have been thrilled by the performances of their youngsters who have set up a quarter-final clash with Burnley in the Premier League Under 21 Cup in the inaugural year of the competition, with a potential semi-final meeting with Chelsea or Arsenal to dream of beyond that.

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Xpression Sport Weekend: Week 2

Listen back to the second episodes of term of the Xpression Sport team’s weekend coverage, featuring discussions on Exeter City, Exeter Chiefs, the FA Cup, Six Nations rugby, Australian Open tennis, the upcoming F1 season and much more.

Saturday Sports Show: #32 25/01/14 by Xpression Sport on Mixcloud

Sunday Sporting Brunch: #5 26/01/14 by Xpression Sport on Mixcloud

Australian Open: Wawrinka crashes the Big Four

Online Sport Editor Matt Bugler offers his thoughts on Stanislas Wawrinka’s maiden Grand Slam championship.

Wawrinka’s forehand is one of the biggest on tour. Photo: zimbio.com

The ranking system in tennis has its peculiarities; as of Monday Andy Murray is ranked number six in the world and a resurgent Roger Federer languishes in eighth. However, based on his magnificent Australian Open triumph, Stanislas Wawrinka is not at all out of place as the new world number three.

Just over a year ago, the idea would have been inconceivable. Coming into last year’s Australian Open, Wawrinka was a solid top twenty player with just three career titles to his name, and at 27 years old running out of time to leave a real mark on the game.

An epic defeat to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round seemed to have a similar effect as Andy Murray’s defeat to the same man a year earlier, in providing an injection of belief that he could go the distance with the top players and reach the latter rounds of the slams. A clay court season where he was arguably the best player behind Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and a straight sets demolition of Murray at the US Open, where he lost another epic to Djokovic in his first Grand Slam semi-final, confirmed that he was having by far his best year on tour.

None of this compares to winning the Australian Open by beating the top two players in the world en route. The final was somewhat disappointingly a farcical affair in the end, with Nadal never previously experiencing back problems, but allowing his reputation of blaming injury in his defeats to get the better of him.

At a set and a break down he was being blown off the court yet moving freely, and a possible attempt to play mind games with his opponent worked for the third set, where Wawrinka fell to of the hardest challenges in tennis; staying focused against a player playing at a slow, restricted pace.

Federer may be playing well but he has been replaced as the Swiss No. 1. Photo: zimbio.com

There are two ways to beat Nadal; one is to be Novak Djokovic and win at his own baseline attrition game. The other is to power past him in Lukas Rosol-esque fashion by smashing winners and denying him the time on the ball that he so desires. Nadal may have been complaining this tournament about the increased speed of the courts, but for the spectators it is incredibly refreshing seeing a new face win a major playing a different style of tennis to the customary long rallies at the back of the court.

Indeed, for the first set and the start of the second, Wawrinka was zoning, taking the ball extremely early and neutralising the looping topspin of Nadal. His single-handed backhand is one of the best in the game, but is forehand is almost equally damaging, and countless times he took the ball on the rise from close to the baseline to fire past the Spaniard. With a potent serve that struck 19 aces in the final and a solid volley, he boasts a fine all round game that is as effective on his favourite surface clay as it is on a fast hard court.

He proved against Djokovic that he is also happy to duel from the baseline, and the numerous break points he saved in long rallies against the four-time Melbourne champion was testament to his refusal to lie down. If the return is a slight weakness, where Wawrinka has the tendency like his compatriot Federer to just chip the ball back into play, then he suffered no similar travails against Nadal on Sunday. The return game at the start of the second set was sublime, where he completed a love break with a backhand return winner off the sliced leftie serve that has troubled Federer so much over the years.

The display of strength and skill must come down partly to the influence of coach Magnus Norman, who has been as effective as Ivan Lendl is to Murray. The difference is that Murray was always expected to win Grand Slams, while Wawrinka was always in the shadow of another Swiss. He may be two months shy of his 29^th birthday, but with the average age of the top 100 much higher than it was a decade ago, he still has a few years to potentially add to his Grand Slam collection and confirm his place as third best player in the world.

Dimitrov and Bouchard lead a new generation

Li Na’s backhand in motion. Photo: india.com

Li Na is a merited winner of the Australian Open, having lost in the final twice before, and carrying the burden of the whole of China’s expectations on her back. Her smooth technique and backhand which may be the best in the women’s game complement her ebullient personality and sense of humour, which she displayed in the victory speech at the expense of her jovial husband.

Like Wawrinka, she was a late bloomer, winning her first Slam at the French Open in 2011 at the age of 29, and with fellow veteran Serena Williams leading the women’s game, the pattern of experience triumphing over youth seems to be translating equally to the WTA tour.

This may give hope to 24 year old Agnieszka Radwanska, who missed another huge opportunity to win her first Grand Slam. Like Wimbledon last year, she saw top players around her dropping like flies, only to blame fatigue on her semi-final defeat to Dominika Cibulkova, just as she did against Sabine Lisicki at SW19. Radwanska can be the most entertaining player on the tour, and her bageling of Victoria Azarenka was a delightful mix of artistry and disguise, but if she can’t last seven best-of-three matches in a fortnight then drastic changes need to be made to her training regime.

Along with the likes of Sloane Stephens and Laura Robson, Eugenie Bouchard leads the new generation of female players, and on the evidence of this tournament, she boasts the biggest chance of becoming the first major winner of the group. The Canadian feels at home on the centre stage, and her physical and mental prowess only needs to be put through more matches to finish developing. Bouchard should be top ten by the end of the year, and has all the potential to be the new face of the game.

In the men’s game, fans have been waiting patiently for a long time for Grigor Dimitrov to really break through. He threatened to at times last year, most notably in his victory over Djokovic at the Madrid Open, but repeatedly found his lack of stamina in the best-of-five matches to be his downfall.

A run to the quarters of Australia this year, where he won the first set against Nadal and probably should have gone two sets to one up, has hopefully announced his arrival on the main stage. At 22, “Baby Fed” is comparatively young to the top ten players, and will have plenty of time to turn into the player that L’Equipe predicted would be world number one by 2018.

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Nervy Chiefs triumph over Ospreys in ill-disciplined affair

Photo: premiershiprugby.com

Sports Team reporter Emmott Leigh was at Sandy Park yesterday to see Exeter Chiefs clinch a less than convincing victory against Welsh side Ospreys.

A poor display of technical ability and discipline was not enough to prevent the Chiefs from recording a second victory over Welsh opposition in as many weeks, clinching a 36-22 win  in a high-scoring LV= Cup match.

As Chairman Tony Rowe said, Exeter were revelling in the glory of their previous ‘excellent and hard-fought victory’ over the Cardiff Blues in the Heineken Cup, where even the likes of Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert were unable to stop them from achieving a 13-19 upset.

However, they were still equally guilty as Ospreys for the woeful series of knock-ons and ill-adjudged kicks which accompanied the start of this match. Beginning with the very first kick (an Ospreys slice which ballooned straight into touch), neither side were able to launch a sustained assault on the other as the penalties mounted. The first side to break through the barrier was in fact Ospreys, when Dafydd Howells capitalised on the yardage gained from a driving maul to ease over the line.

After the sloppy conversion attempt missed by several feet, the Exeter side found another gear and set up their own drive for Cowan-Dickie to ground the ball from the back of the pack, although there was a possible case for obstruction as the backs cut through the opposing line.

No matter; such controversy was instantly forgotten when the Chiefs decided to hand a try back to the grateful Welshmen in comical fashion. An inconsequential grubber kick was hopelessly misjudged and snatched by the grateful Morgen Allen to score.

Following a routine penalty in the Chiefs’ favour, the half-time whistle was blown and Exeter were trailing 8-10. They had been more dominant in the scrum, and marginally better towards the end of the half with their hands despite the selection of some inexperienced academy players, but guilty of small errors when it counted most.

Perhaps it was not surprising then that the home portion of the 8,760 fans filling the stadium roared as one in encouragement of their promising side as the second forty minutes began. They were soon rewarded as a brace of converted tries sent the scoreboard rattling along to 22-10, James Scaybrook charging through a trio of defenders to barge over and Cowan-Dickie grabbing a second.

Surprisingly, their efforts were immediately equalled by the rallying Ospreys, who secured one dazzlingly eloquent sequence of offloads to score through Jenkins before Grabham burrowed over as well.

At this point, the Welsh side seemed to tire. As they saw less and less possession, the Chiefs grew more and more confident and James Phillips soon restored their lead with a try. By the time flanker Don Armand had shuffled over the tryline, the result was beyond doubt.

Another victory for a weakened Chiefs team leaves them in contention to progress to the semi-finals. However, even if it might be ‘fantastic’ for Rowe to see Tom Johnson and Jack Nowell in the England squad, you feel that they were missed.

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International Honours for Exeter Students

Following the England Students squad announcement, Mike Stanton, Sports Editor, caught up with Rob Coote, Ollie Claxton and Jamie Gray before they head to Portugal for the first fixture.

Rob Coote, as well as Claxton and Gray, also plies his trade with Exeter Chiefs. Photo: exeterchiefs.co.uk

Three Exeter students have been selected for the England Students squad playing against Portugal on 24 January. Rob Coote, Ollie Claxton and Jamie Gray of EURFC made the squad following trials at Loughborough.

These selections mean a return to the squad for Coote and Gray following their successful season last year and, sees Claxton’s first call up for the Students’ side.

“It’s a massive honour playing for your country,” EURFC Club Captain Jamie Gray told Exeposé.

“You never know when is going to be the last time you pull on the England jersey, so it’s very special every time.”

“It really sinks in when singing the anthem,” said Claxton, who has previously represented England at a variety of age groups.

“It sends chills down your spine. That’s when it really sinks in that you are representing everyone in England.”

“It [the anthem] builds you up so much,” Coote continued.

“Once you are out there you are trying so hard, you’ve got the emblem on the shirt, the rose, it drives you on.”

The squad is made up of students from all over the country, a considerable contingent coming from the South West, and Exeter is one of the most well represented universities in the squad.

The Exeter boys are looking forward to playing the Portugal international side, who are ranked 22nd in the world on the IRB rankings. Following a close fixture last year, where the students won for the first time, they are preparing for a tough fixture.

“They will bring the same physicality.” said Coote.

“They like to hit the rucks and have some big boys.”

The England boys face a quick turnaround following the Portugal game, getting back from Portugal on the Saturday before flying out to France three days later, but the Exeter boys are confident for the upcoming games.

“It was a huge boost beating Portugal last year,” said Gray, “France are always decent, I don’t know when we last beat them.

“With regards to Wales,” who England Students face on 7 March, “we usually show some dominance against them.”

All three manage to balance studying full-time degrees with their rugby, as well as representing Exeter Chiefs at fifteen and seven-a-side. On the opportunity to represent their country whilst studying, the Exeter trio are very grateful and relishing the opportunity.

“Eight guys got contracts after England Students last year,” said Gray, “I think it’s a really good way to expose players to a higher level.

Turning from international duties to EURFC 1st XV, Exeter currently sit second in the table behind Hartpury, the boys admitting to a few performance hiccups.

“I think if we had beaten Bath everyone would be a lot more relaxed because we would be level pegging with Hartpury,” Claxton said.

“If we had beaten them all we would have to do is win our remaining games but now we have to chase bonus points.

“We’ve got four games left and I think if we win them and pick up some bonus points we can come top.”

Exeter face first placed Hartpury in their next game, which falls in the week of the England Students game meaning the squad will be missing three of its key players. Despite this they are very confident.

“We’ve got a great squad and fantastic individuals,” said Coote.

“We know how they play so we will look to cut them off wide and force them in, we got an interception try from that last year.”

“It was a close game last time we played them,” said Gray. “It will be an 80-minute game, it won’t be won in the first half.”

The 1st XV also welcome Bath in the annual varsity at Sandy Park on 19 February. Having lost to their rivals earlier this season, the men in green will be looking to make amends at their marquee derby match and are hoping for yet another large crowd.

“Even if you don’t like rugby it’s a great place to be, great atmosphere and everyone’s a bit merry!” said Coote.

“It’s the whole uni coming together for a celebration,” continued Claxton.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a rugby player, football player, hockey player; everyone is willing the team on and raising money for charity.”

Despite a demanding close to the season and admitting to putting pressure on themselves to perform, fully expecting to reach the BUCS semi’s and hoping to improve on last year’s outstanding season, the three internationals are relaxed, quietly confident  as they joke about Claxton’s impending initiation to the England Students and Jamie’s England Sevens prospect; the big second row stating “He may have a run out,” followed by laughs from the other two.

With England Students caps hopefully coming for the trio in Portugal the boys from Exe will definitely be ones to keep your eye on in the future. And what better opportunity than the Varsity to see them and the rest of the 1st XV in action, just a month away?

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In the Clubhouse: Cycling

In the Clubhouse this week Peter Medhurst, Cycling Club’s Race Captain, freewheels with Mike Stanton and Will Kelleher, Sport Editors

Photo: Peter Medhurst

The Cycling Club has been growing a lot recently.

Several years ago there were barely a handful of ‘regulars’ who would turn up for rides. Now the club has over 100 members, more than doubling its size in the last few years.

Our University’s cycling club covers all disciplines of cycling including road, downhill, cross country, cyclocross, BMX and more.

With lots of people getting involved with road racing, probably due to the success of British riders on the world stage, the club’s results have witnessed a huge leap forward in the last two years.

For the first time, the club entered the BUCS Team Time Trial and finished second out of 50 teams, collecting a silver medal. They have also been competing in some of the top amateur races in the UK, including a five day mini Tour De France style race in Wales.

Last year’s riders also racked up six individual wins in the local Devon area.

The BUCS Downhill (DH) event was unfortunately marred by crashes, but three riders succeeded in getting through the qualifiers and finishing inside the top 100, a strong achievement.

Last term the club successfully organised their own mini varsity DH, using their own timing poles and equipment, between Exeter, Bath, University of West England and Bristol University clubs.

Exeter triumphed in the team competition, showing the strength and depth of the squad.

On the road side of things an amateur racing team has been set up. The project is sponsored by the Bike Shed and the University. The team will be known as BikeShed-UEx.

The squad will be made up of the best university riders as well as other top riders in the region. The goals for this season are to compete and race side by side with the best riders in Britain. The team is also hoping to improve on the silver and bronze medals won at BUCS last year.

The club has also just organised its first ever training camp which will be a weekend away to Exmoor taking in two long days of excellent hilly terrain.

The BUCS Downhill competition is in Scotland this year. It’s a long way to go, but the club is hoping to take a strong team of 12-16 riders up to compete and improve after last year’s misfortune.

There are also a few local races and a series in the Forest of Dean that some riders will be competing in.

The great thing about the Cycling Club is that all you need is a bike! To join up and find out more about the club and its events, contact the club on Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.

EUCC is one of the cheapest AU clubs and membership is only £30!

Devon is a great place to get out and ride. Be it on or off road, there’s a wealth of places to ride in the area that offer superb rides and some breathtaking views.

The club often rides along the scenic coastlines, as well as over Dartmoor, and head to trails such as Haldon and Gawton.

The road rides take place on Wednesday and Saturday each week. The Wednesday ride is normally a bit shorter (25-35 miles) and will split into two groups – one for everyone and one which will go a bit faster. This is for  those who want to train more intensely for races. On Saturday the rides tend to be longer, but steadier, and are normally 40 to 60 miles.

The Downhill riders also head out on Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays, driving over to the various local trails the area has to offer.

To find out more like University of Exeter Cycling Club on Facebook, follow @ExeterUniCC on Twitter or email cycling.captain@exeter.ac.uk

BUCS: Men's Hockey 1sts edged by Oxford in thriller

Sports Team reporter Alex Bonner was present for a breathless encounter between Exeter and Oxford at the Water Astro.

Photo: Edwin Yeung

Oxford University defeated a spirited Exeter side 5-4, in what proved a very exciting match from beginning to end for both sets of fans. Despite losing the match, Exeter performed well throughout, meaning the result could have equally gone in their favour. The visitors took an early lead in the first half, meaning Exeter had to perform the difficult task of catch-up from then on. The scoreline illustrated the quality of hockey on display, but also the apparent desire of both sets of players to gain victory for their team.

Having dominated the early phases of the first half, Oxford found themselves controlling both play and possession in the first ten minutes of the match. Exeter had to contain some early Oxford pressure to keep the score level, with some excellent tackling from Exeter captain Ben Upton symbolising Exeter’s resilience at this stage in proceedings. The significance of this match was clearly apparent to both teams, with a few sets of players clashing early on, much to the amusement of the spectators.

Dealing with the pressure of the first ten minutes proved significant, as Exeter began to reassert themselves, which resulted in a much more visible contest between the two sides. Oxford had to cope with successive short corners, with the visitors defending stoutly to keep the scores level.

Photo: Edwin Yeung

The resilience of Oxford’s defence at this stage was in evidence, causing much visible frustration for the Exeter faithful. Exeter utilised their substitutes well, with club captain Sam Plater’s introduction adding some much needed creativity to the Exeter setup. Achieving a breakthrough at this stage proved difficult, with both sides’ defences suffocating any notable chances.

In the latter stages of the first half, Oxford began to reassert control, with their creativity unsettling Exeter’s back line. Winning a free kick in a crucial area proved significant, with Oxford capitalising to secure a first half lead, much to the delight of the Oxford crowd present in the stands.

The half time interval proved the break Exeter needed, with the team starting the second half in much better fashion. Sam Plater, having come close to scoring in the first half, had a great chance to level proceedings, with his shot unfortunately falling just wide of the goal.

Exeter, having built on this early momentum, began to dictate play through some excellent displays of passing play. Having squandered a set of short corners in the first half, the first short corner of the second half proved much more beneficial to Exeter, with Andrew Ross capitalising to level proceedings.

After another string of good saves by the Oxford keeper, Ross again capitalised from a second short corner to propel Exeter into an early second half lead. Despite earning a well deserved lead, Exeter couldn’t contain subsequent Oxford pressure, as they Oxford responded well to Exeter’s performance in the early stages of the second half. The short corner again proved decisive, scored by Oxford to level the score at 2-2.

Photo: Edwin Yeung

Levelling proceedings proved decisive for Oxford, with Oxford now dictating play with some intrinsic and precise passing that certainly unsettled Exeter’s defence. Some precise passing created an excellent opportunity for Oxford, which they capitalised on to take a 3-2 lead.

Further pressure lead to another glorious opportunity, which was despatched with ease meaning Oxford now took a commanding 4-2 lead. Oxford’s clinical finishing was certainly in evidence in the game’s second half.

Despite finding themselves two goals down, Exeter began to reassert themselves again, with Tom Samuel latching upon a loose ball to give Exeter hope of staging a remarkable comeback. Andrew Ross found himself sin binned at a crucial stage of the match, with Oxford capitalising on the advantage of having an additional player to take a decisive 5-3 lead. Hope was restored following an excellent Exeter counter attack, with Exeter dispatching the chance well to give themselves a faint hope of staging a remarkable comeback.

Oxford’s defence proved too resilient in the game’s final phases, meaning Oxford triumphed over a bitterly disappointed Exeter side 5-4. Despite the loss, Exeter’s performance was full of merit, which should give them confidence when preparing for subsequent fixtures.

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BUCS: EUNC 6 win moves them up to second

Photo: EUNC 6s

EUNC 6s faced Winchester 3s at home on Wednesday with their full team together and fit for the first time this season. Exeter dominated from the outset, turning over countless Winchester centre passes in the first quarter, with great defensive communication and pressure from WD Helena Carter and GD Bryony Bowman.

EUNC 6s racked up an impressive 12-2 lead after the first 15 minutes and went into quarter two with a fresh set of legs on court. A full change of defence took a while to settle in, which Winchester tried to take advantage of, putting in eight goals across the quarter. However, our attackers paid little attention and still managed to net a further 14 for Exeter, leaving the half time score line a pretty comfortable 26-10.

Now settled into the game properly, instead of drifting through the last half letting Winchester have some space, EUNC 6s only increased the pressure, squeezing Winchester’s shooters out of play and off the back line allowing them only four goals in quarter three to our 16. The shooters, GAs Nelia Vartsaba; Katie Boaks and Player of the Match GS Meghan Honeysett supported each other and worked solidly, always providing options and movement as well as finishing this off with some splendid shots.

The final quarter continued in this vein, with the consistent efforts of EUNC 6’s attack netting a further 14 goals against Winchester’s efforts that resulted in only 2 goals. Most of their attack was denied half way down the court by a cracking defensive effort, with some great control from EUNC who did not loose focus for any moment and consistently converted turnovers into goals.

With three matches left EUNC 6s are second place behind Plymouth 2s, who they face this week away for a local derby. Their next home match is their final BUCS match of the season and likely to be a cracker against Winchester 2s on the 5^th March, supporters are totally encouraged.

Fayme Yeates, EUNC 6’s Captain

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