Bangor University students celebrate 2015 Varsity triumph over Aberystwyth
Over a thousand Bangor and Aberystwyth University students packed into Bangor City’s FC stadium to watch the final game of the 2015 Varsity series recently. The competing culminated with Bangor University collecting the coveted trophy for the first time in two years.
The Varsity competition started with some early tee offs in the golf competition, followed by with 35 different fixtures taking place in and around Bangor over the course of the day. The sports ranged from athletics to ultimate frisbee, each fixture counting towards the overall total and the Varsity title.
With a magic number of 19 wins required to secure the overall title, Bangor started the day well with early wins in the triathlon and the women’s hockey 2nd XI match. Bangor successes continued in the early fixtures and allowed the host University to ease into an early 8-3 lead overall. However wins in men’s basketball, cheerleading, dance, fencing and hockey men’s 2nds saw Aberystwyth claw their way back into contention heading into the early afternoon fixtures.
With the Varsity title still up for grabs, a rush of afternoon wins for Bangor in women’s football, men and women’s lacrosse, accompanied by a crushing win in women’s basketball by 64 points to 29 allowed Bangor to pull away from their rivals. With the athletics and women’s hockey 1st XI results coming in just after 4pm, a Bangor win was guaranteed with an unassailable 21-11 lead.
With the trophy destined to return to Bangor, attention turned to the final event of the day - the men’s football 1st XI game at Bangor City’s Nantporth Stadium. With a sea of green (Bangor) and purple (Aberystwyth) clad students making their way to the stadium, the scene was set for a triumphant finish to the day. After 30 minutes of extra time, and a 4 – 3 victory to Bangor, the end of the match hailed the end of Bangor’s victorious battle.
Richard Bennett, Director of Sport, said: “This was a fantastic day for sport in Bangor with a convincing overall Varsity win of 28 points to 11, with 29 different sports represented across all of the fixtures.”
Full results can be found on Seren’s website.
Publication date: 21 April 2015