Varsity 2016
This Saturday Sheffield Hallam University went head to head against Sheffield University on Damflask.
Varsity sees both universities attempting to win as many points as they can in a variety of sports. Rowing is one such sport where the universities can win points. In rowing, a point is awarded to the winning university for the men's result and another point for the women's result for a maximum total of 2 points.
For those not in the know, Sheffield City share a boathouse with both clubs and so we were invited to stay and watch. In fact, we took it a little further and held a barbecue! While the universities raced, we provided some much needed fuel...
Racing began at 9am and finished at midday. Although it was cold, there was plenty of blue sky!
The races were incredible to watch. Many were extremely close and the support shown for both sides was phenomenal. It was easy to get caught up in all the excitement! (At the end of this article, you'll find a number of videos - you'll see what I mean.)
Despite putting in their best performance for many years Sheffield Hallam were pipped to the post by Sheffield University in a 6-4 victory.
The results were as follows:
Men's Novice 4+: Sheffield Hallam (by 2 lengths)
Men's Senior 8+: Sheffield University (easily)
Men's Senior 2x: Sheffield University (by 3 lengths)
Men's Novice 8+: Sheffield University (half a length)
Men's Senior 4+: Sheffield Hallam (by 2 feet)
Winner: Sheffield University [1 POINT]
Women's Novice 8+: Sheffield University (by a canvas)
Women's Senior 4+: Sheffield Hallam (by 1 length)
Women's Senior 2x: Sheffield University (easily)
Women's Novice 4+: Sheffield Hallam (by 4 lengths)
Women's Senior 8+: Sheffield University (by 2 lengths)
Winner: Sheffield University [1 POINT]
Thank you to everyone who raced on the day! I'm sure it was as much fun to spectate as to take part...
All the clubs would also like to thank the legendary Donald McDougall and Joel Kesterton for volunteering to umpire. They mediated every race from the launch.
And finally, thanks to these guys for providing a bit of entertainment at the end... It's always a risky business when you're a cox, especially if you're in a winning crew. There's a video at the end of this article showing the whole thing.
Sheffield University's Forge TV produced this fantastic summary of the day's events! You can find out more about Varsity at http://sheffieldvarsity.com.
Check out some of the video we took on the day.