Two De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) sports clubs clinched league titles on Wednesday- just two weeks ahead of the biggest date on the university sporting calendar, Varsity.
Men’s Tennis 1st and Netball 1st both claimed top spot in their respective British University and College Sports (BUCS) leagues in Week 16’s #BUCSWednesday round of fixtures.
DMU Men's Tennis players pose for a photo at Leicester's San Carlos restaurant with Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard and Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs.
They become the second and third #TeamDMU sides to become league champions, after Women’s Hockey’s 100% winning record helped them score the first silverware of the season three weeks ago.
And, the ladies could add to their title with a BUCS Midlands Conference Cup gong after beating the University of Nottingham 6th 4-3 on penalty flicks in their semi-final tie on Wednesday.
They will be one of two sides who will travel to Loughborough University on Wednesday 8 March for BUCS Midlands Finals Day, where they will come head-to-head with University of Birmingham 5th.
They join Men’s Rugby 1st who just a week earlier secured their spot at Finals Day with a 26-20 win over University of Nottingham 3rd to set up a tie v University of Northampton 1st.
DMU Hockey Chairwoman Lydia Briggs said: “I am so proud of all the girls who have played in the cup games this season.
“The semi-final was our hardest fixture to date by far and it was such a tense ending on penalty flicks, but the girls pulled it out of the bag.
“Rachel our captain has done a great job this year leading the girls in their undefeated streak and David our coach has been a great help on the sidelines at games and at our training sessions.”
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Wednesday’s win maintains the side’s 100% winning record and they have two chances to continue their success: in the final and at Varsity.
Lydia said: “We can’t wait for the next two weeks with Varsity and our cup final.
“We were so happy to win our BUCS league and I can’t quite believe we have made it to the cup final either.
“I think a lot of credit goes to DMU Sport with an extra special mention going to our Strength and Conditioning coach Russ who has made a real difference this year.”
DMU Women's Hockey team add a BUCS Midlands Cup Final place to their league title after maintaining 100% record.
Men’s Tennis 1st didn’t even have to take to the court on Wednesday, as a draw for University of East Anglia 1st against Oxford Brookes 2nd meant that previous results were enough to leave them with a significant points margin over their title rivals in Midlands Division 3B.
Chairman Alex Simmons said: “Men’s Tennis have had their best year to date this season with the team winning eight out of their last nine matches and losing just once all year.
“Our main core of players have been pivotal in the league success, but have been aided by the overall quality and strength and depth in the squad.
“The boys saw the news on Twitter and we can’t wait to get together and celebrate, but we know the season is not over with eyes now firmly set on Varsity.”
Netball 1st clinched the title in Midlands Division 4B with one game to spare after 22-30 win over University East Anglia 2nd away from home.
Club Chairwoman Sadie Burch said: “It’s great to be rewarded for all of our hard work in training with win after win every week with a fantastic group of girls that are always 100% committed to the game.”
The girls will face the same opposition at the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Leisure Centre on Wednesday 15 March with the pressure well and truly off, but will be hoping to head into their Varsity fixture on Sunday 19 March with another victory under their belt.
Victorious Netball 1st squad joined Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard and Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs for a meal at Leicester's San Carlos restaurant.
Men’s Basketball 1st smashed their way to a stunning 101-74 victory against University of Northampton 1st to all but secure top spot in Midlands Division 3B.
One win from their final two fixtures will give them a league championship to celebrate.
Elsewhere, in the cup, #TeamDMU’s other semi-finalists were unlucky not to follow in the footsteps of the Women’s Hockey 1st and Men’s Rugby 1st teams.
Men’s Football 3rd were defeated 2-0 away at University of Northampton 3rd, but still have a very good shot at claiming a league victory this coming Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a valiant effort from the Women’s Rugby 1st team to reach their first ever final came to an end at home to Nottingham Trent University 1st. They were defeated 48-7.
Week 16 ended with six wins and five defeats for #TeamDMU, a win percentage of 55%.
You can stay up-to-date with all the action from BUCS Midlands Finals Day live throughout the afternoon on our Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat accounts.
Stay tuned for all your Varsity 2017 news too at our dedicated webpage.
Posted on Monday 6 March 2017