Men's Semi-Final review:
Across Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April Oxford University Parks was the staging post for the Cuppers Semi-Finals. OURFC would like to issue our sincere thanks to the OU Grounds team for ensuring the pitches were in fantastic condition and that all games went ahead given the inclement weather conditions. In the Shield competition the two semi-finals saw Worcester/Lincoln taking on Keble and Brasenose/Queen's versus Christ Church. In two fantastic games it was Worcester/Lincoln and Brasenose/Queen's who took the spoils and progressed to the finals day. In the Bowl Competition on Sunday it was firstly the turn of Pembroke/Wadham taking on Exeter/Univ/Trinity with the latter claiming the win in a low scoring affair 6-5. In the second Semi-Final it was Tom Robertson's Oriel team taking on St Catherine’s/Corpus Christi/ Somerville/ Merton & Mansfield with the cluster triumphant over Oriel 19-0. In the Plate Competition it was the turn of St John's/St Anne's taking on Jesus and in the other side of the draw it was the turn of Cuppers giants Teddy Hall taking on LMH/St Hugh's. It was Teddy Hall and St John's/St Anne's who were victorious setting up a huge final in the Plate. Finally in the Cup semis it was Balliol/Hertford versus Magdalen/St Hilda's and New versus St Peter's. In two thrilling contests both New and Magdalen/St Hilda's progressed onto the Final at Iffley Road on Saturday 4th May.
Women's Semi-Final review:
Sunday 28th April saw our Women’s* Cuppers semi-final take place at Uni Parks. With only four clusters (teams of colleges combined together), the competition was fierce. While the rain threatened to disrupt the day, the teams arrived and proudly put on their college colours. Keble took on Corpus Christi first. Both teams had trained up at least five new players who valiantly took on seasoned Blues on the field - truly the spirit of Cuppers! A couple of hard lines from Lauren Webb, and Corpus claimed the victory. Next up came Worcester, proudly the only college with a full college women’s* team, playing Saints. Saints put up a strong fight, but it was to be a win for Worcester. We then took a short break to recover, and fortunately the rain let up just in time for the next kick off. Down a few players, a tired Keble played against Worcester. Despite some excellent line outs, hard runs, and big tackles from Keble, Worcester deservedly took the victory again. To finish off, Saints and Corpus battled it out for a place in the final. Corpus’ strong effort won them the game. All four teams displayed excellent shows of rugby, especially given the number of new players partaking. We look forward to seeing Worcester and Corpus battle it out in the final on Saturday.
Cuppers Finals: Saturday 4th May at Iffley Road:
The Oxford Cuppers Final will take to the stage at Iffley Road this Saturday 4th May, as five finals are played throughout the day. Kicking off at 10:45am, Worcester and Brasenose will fight for the Men’s Shield victory, before Catz takes on Trinity in the Men’s Bowl competition at 12pm. Next up will be the Men’s Plate competition at 2pm, with Saints and Teddy Hall battling for the glory. The Women’s* Cuppers Final will take place at 4pm, where Lauren Forbes will lead Worcester out against Corpus Christi, co-captained by Lauren Webb and Steph Dai. The game promises to be a spectacle with exciting players, new and old, guaranteed to give impressive displays of rugby. After the Women’s* Final, the Men’s Cuppers Final will kick off at 6pm. Magdalen/St. Hilda’s will take on New College in an intense battle built on long-standing rivalry. With a student bar, strong college allegiances, and great sportsmanship all round, the day is not one to miss.
Cuppers Finals Running Order:
10:45am Men's Shield Final: Worcester/Lincoln v Brasenose/Queen's
Midday Men's Bowl Final: St Catherine’s/Corpus Christi/ Somerville/ Merton & Mansfield v Exeter/University/Trinity
2:00pm Men's Plate Final: St Edmund Hall v St John's/St Anne's
4:00pm Women's Cuppers Final: Worcester v Corpus Christi
6:00pm Men's Cup Final: New v Magdalen/St Hilda's
Photo credit: Chris Bateman
Photo credit: Chris Bateman