Cuppers Finals Results 2025
- Grace Gibson
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
Thank you to everyone who headed down to Iffley Road last Saturday to watch one of the four Cuppers finals. The atmosphere from the crowd was fantastic and the whole day was a true celebration of college rugby. As always, but particularly as we come to the end of the XVs season, we would like to thank the people who have made this year possible: the captains, referees, medical and grounds staff without whose hard work none of this would be possible. Particular thanks also to Steve Karpa, the dedicated photographer responsible for all these brilliant action shots, and Chris Sutton, who has looked after the Iffley Road turf so well this season.
Pembroke/Wadham/LMHugh's Match Report for the Men*s Bowl Final vs Christ Church:
And so the fateful day arrived….
After a long and brutal campaign, the squad had made it to the hallowed Cuppers Bowl Final. It was a glorious day, the sun beaming down and the crowd growing throughout the first match of the day. With strong support for both sides, the only thing challenging the noise in the stands was the noise on the pitch as the game heated up. The boys sauntered out for an unusually casual warm up led by Drill Sergeant Powell, who had clearly taken last week’s match report to heart. Then, a Braveheart-esque team talk from Chaz (captain Charlie Kenway, Pembroke) and we were ready for battle.
The boys breezed through the first few minutes, racking up 14 points almost instantly thanks to some Danny Stokes (Pembroke) orchestrated genius which clearly made ripples down Iffley road as the crowd grew ever bigger. We relaxed into the game over the rest of the first half, opening our lead and working on our tans as the sun rose ever higher over the East Stand. The half-time changing room energy was invincible and we headed out for the second half hungry for more points. As we hit the 70-minute mark, we found ourselves in our own 22 for the first and only time of the match. Despite "House's" highly technical set play, ‘piggies’, which involved their front row (500kg combined) jumping back onto each ruck, they remained stuck on the line.
Aary (Aaryaman Dhar, Wadham), clearly bored of this repetition, decided to have a bit of fun of his own, tussling with ‘Gobby’ (Ben Clarke, Christ Church) on the side line. Rumour has it, Gobby claimed he was the prettiest boy in OURFC which Aary didn’t take lightly. Luckily, the much needed (for Christ Church) water break put a stop to the hair pulling. The match continued as we started to rack up the points, with moments of genius from Stokes and a notable pitch length run from Milo (perhaps the only time he has caught the ball this season).
The match finished 40-10, a huge win for the conglomerate and a brilliant end to the season. After a successful campaign, we've set our sights on the Cup next season.
Other Men*s Bowl photos available here.
CorpusVille/Catz/Merton Mansfield Match Report for the Men*s Plate Final vs Keble:
After finally assembling the line-up the boys had been promised all season and some team bondage at Nandos, it was a splendid afternoon down at Iffley Road as the five nation army marched out against the Keble (and ringers). Skips Freddie Spence (Corpus) followed up his rousing pre-match speech by getting us on the board first as the pack rumbled over the white line with a maul. The boys took off and didn’t look back from there.
A slight sticky spell at the end of the first half saw a heroic 12-man defensive shift to keep Keble out, despite the 3 cards gained in the attempt. Kebab (Luke Newland, Mansfield) finally got the yellow he was aiming for with his freshly dyed lid, but tries from Victor (Angelov, Mansfield) and Slice (Ben Shaw, Corpus) sent the boys into the tunnel at the half with a comfortable 17-0 lead.
Half time chat included firm instructions to ‘ice the rucks’, and ‘not give away more pens’. It's safe to say not everyone was on board with this order but Rimbar (Finbar Dinnen, St Catz) made up for a disallowed try to go over in the corner and make it 22-0 (though his kicking form was pretty shocking throughout the game). Keble stayed in the game, giving us a good contest throughout and were rewarded with a try in the closing stages. The game wrapped up comfortably with the crowd losing their minds for Victor’s 50 metre foot race to add a fifth try in the final minutes of the game and seal some silverware for the lads (27-7).
Other Men*s Plate photos available here.
Castle Match Report for the Women*s Cup Final vs Parks:
With the pitch bathed in Oxford sunshine and two finals already played, it was time for the Women*s final to get under way. After a slightly delayed kick off, Castle came out firing with a swift turnover after kicking off leaving space for their captain, Marged Williams (Worcester), to cross the line in the opening minutes of the match. The 7-0 lead was short-lived as Parks launched a fast and aggressive attack on the restart which saw a line break and subsequent try by their skipper, Mel Morley (St Johns), who went on to convert it herself. It was neck and neck with 8 minutes played. After an opening period of excitement, the game settled into a back-and-forth contest during the first quarter with both teams holding strong in defence and blitzing their attacking line.
But it was not long until more points were on the board as Castle’s Amelie Harris-Lovett (Worcester), fought through the defensive line to reach the white line. 14-7. Strengthened by the score, Castle came back fighting for another try in quick succession, pushing the Parks attack back onto the try-line as Max Cook (Merton) took advantage of the ‘no offside’ call to ground the ball on the line. 17-7. Parks answered with another score thanks to winger, Kate Mitchell (St Johns), who sidestepped the defence to take it over the line. 17-14. With half time approaching and the score line closing in, a quick restart saw Castle turnover the kick off once more, giving space for Poppy Burrows (Christchurch) to skip through the defence for another try. 22-14 at half time with everything left to play for.
Stirring words from both captains at half time saw the teams take to the field reinvigorated by the break. Parks were back with a bang as Alex Wilkinson (Keble) side-stepped the defence to cross the line minutes into the half, reeling Castle back within reach as the score hit 22-21. Castle responded with a quick attacking line which saw Amelie Harris-Lovett (Worcester) once again cross the line. 29-21. The energetic attack from Castle continued as Katie Glendening (Hereford) sprinted down the wing to take the score to 34-21. A brief period of to-and-fro in the match saw strong performances from both teams but Parks fought back with another try from Tolu Duckworth (Keble). 34-26. With minutes left in the match both teams continued to battle, but Amelie Harris-Lovett (Worcester) once again took advantage of some gaps in the defensive line and crossed the line for a hat-trick. 39-26. The final whistle saw Castle claim the Cuppers title 39-26.
With strong and dominant performances from both teams it was a hard-fought match in soaring temperatures. A massive congratulations to Kim López Güell (St Peters) who received the Lizzie Cribb player of the match trophy.
New College Match Report for the Men*s Cup Final vs Magdalen/St Hilda's:
After NCRFC’s 36-19 victory over Saints in the semis, the boys in white and brown were looking to repeat the events of last year and punish Hildalen in the Cuppers Final. The customary pasta night was had (this time avoiding an allergic reaction for one fresher, Faris Fahal), and the chat was, as per usual, of low quality. The fellas woke up on the day of the final and were forced to wait an excruciating period of time until the 6pm kick-off. Sam ‘Mate, I literally cannot concentrate’ Thompson was particularly vocal about his struggles in the calm before the storm. A team brunch c.12:30 brought the boys together in the JCR, as they watched good luck videos from old boys alike; they were even treated to former Captain, Johnny Morley’s view of Tower Bridge from the 43rd floor (thanks Johnny!). The messages certainly riled the lads up, and it’s safe to say that everyone was dialled in at 4pm for their walk down to the hallowed turf of Iffley Road.
After a hot and sweaty warm-up, no dropped balls and a team run-through, the brown and white army looked like a well-tuned try-scoring machine. With fans starting to trickle into the stands, the guys headed into the sheds for their final preparations before the match. With shirts on and nerves rising, NCRFC charged out onto Iffley Road, confident for the game ahead.
The first half was an incredibly tense affair. Hildalen got off to a great start, and having regathered possession, found a 50:22 in the opening play of the game. Perhaps one of the weirdest tries I have ever witnessed followed. After 3 colossal tackles that set the Hildalen defence on the back foot, their centre waltzed through our defensive line unchallenged. A real kick up the . . . wake up call. What followed was a demonstration of NCRFC’s resolve and determination. George Morgan found touch with a fantastic clearance kick, allowing NCRFC to play rugby in the opposition’s half. The ball was turned over, and after several phases of play, Jack Sander burst through the defence only to be brought down 5m short of the line. A pop off the ground to Cameron Tilley, followed by an offload to Freddie Hawkins, brought NCRFC right back into the game. 5-7.
With play resuming, Josh Adeyemi, in his final game for the club, took it upon himself to score what can only be described as a wonder try. Sniping around the ruck, Josh made considerable ground, before stepping around their fullback, breaking two more tackles and flop over the line. 12-7. A penalty for Hildalen brought the score to an agonisingly close 12-10. A Hildalen overthrow at the line-out gave Jack Botham the ball, who ran deep into the Hildalen 22. Botham then finished what he started and scored NCRFC’s third try of the game, taking the score to 19-10. After some poor discipline, NCRFC conceded another penalty, and Hildalen took the 3 points, making the score at halftime a nail biting 19-13.
After stern words from senior players and loud words from fresher Ben Hartigan, the brown and white army was more determined than ever to stake their claim on the Cuppers trophy. The fresh legs of Faris Fahal brought particular energy to the second half. The New boys went straight to business. After Jack Sander crashed it up into the opposition’s 22, quick-ball gave Noah Miller the chance to beat his man and feed Sam Thompson for our fourth try of the game. The fifth try came after a fantastic carry from Matt Wall, and an even better offload to Jack Sander. Once again, quick-ball proved decisive, and the lads worked it wide, where a fantastic miss pass from GAM gave Sam Thomson the chance to execute a 2 on 1 with our ‘winger’ Freddie Hawkins. 29-13. Freddie was then somehow denied a hat-trick in his last game for the club.
A line break from Noah Miller once again took NCRFC deep into enemy territory, and quick hands from Jack Botham put Oscar Cobb in for his first cuppers try. 34-13. With 4 unanswered tries, Hildalen looked out the game, until their scrumhalf darted through NCRFC’s defensive line. His chip through put significant pressure on NCRFC, until Captain, Cam Tilley, pulled the most outrageous behaviour probably ever seen in a Cuppers final. A no-look out the back 10m, maybe 20m (definitely not forward) pass rescued the team from danger, and fed Sam Thompson, who then carried well and brought the team ‘out of the jaws of defeat’ (Oscar Cobb, 2025). NCRFC then had one final statement to make. With the clock in the red, a line-out on the 5m line and a healthy score line, there was only one obvious option – Fire and Brimstone. The lads piled in and 13 bodies mauled the ball up to the try line, only to be brought down illegally by Hildalen. Penalty Try. An immense second-half left the game at 39-13, and brought the cup back to the New College Bar.
NCRFC would like to thank all of our fans, old and new, for coming down and supporting us this Saturday. Massive congratulations to Oscar Cob for his MOTM award - the Peter Bridges trophy presented by the man himself - although perhaps some PR training is in order. A huge thank you to all the boys for whom this may well be their last outing in the brown and white shirt – Jack Botham, Noah Miller, Matt Wall, Jack Sander, Alex Sokolov, Freddie Hawkins, Josh Adeyemi, Theo McAuliffe and George Morgan. You will be sorely missed.
Similarly it was fantastic to see George Cooper and Rob Dowsett have strong games in their final games for Hildalen.
Other Men*s Cup photos available here.
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