Trampolinists bounced their way to a stunning victory on the opening day of Varsity 2017, giving De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) an unprecedented 3-1 lead after an exciting first night's action.
The club, who only had six members this time last year and had never competed for an official Varsity point, defeated the University of Leicester (UoL) by 353.9 points to 341.7 at Aylestone Leicester Centre on Thursday evening.
Following long deliberations, the Varsity point was duly awarded to #TeamDMU, adding to the two points they'd already clinched following a withdrawal of the UoL Equestrian side, giving DMU Equestrian the win by default.
Elsewhere, DMU Futsal were defeated 8-4 in their fixture at the Roger Bettles Sports Centre, despite coming back from 4-1 to dramatically draw level at 4-4 at half-time.
Excitement for Varsity 2017 all kicked off on Monday 13 March when sports clubs were thrown down the 'Dare To Win' gauntlet by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard, but it grew throughout Thursday as the opening fixtures drew nearer.
They began at 7pm with the Trampolining club in high spirits ahead of their fixture, looking calm and surprisingly relaxed despite the pressure they were under competing for the first Varsity point.
As they took to the trampoline, nothing seemed to faze them as they tumbled, twisted and somersaulted their way to what seemed to be an early lead.
Judges scored #TeamDMU relatively consistently early on and the squad looked happy at the halfway stage.
As the routines progressed, news came in that DMU Futsal had gone three goals behind in the opening five minutes of their fixture, putting their Varsity point in doubt.
But, as the Trampolining squad eagerly awaited for the results of their routines, a dramatic comeback began from #TeamDMU at Roger Bettles, levelling the scores at 4-4 as the game paused for half-time.
Finally, the scores were in back in Aylestone and the announcement of a #TeamDMU win was met with rapturous celebrations.
Club chair and Pharmacy student, Sasha Frary, said: "It feels amazing to win the very first Varsity point for #TeamDMU.
"We were confident coming into the fixture as we've trained so hard to get to where we are today, from way before Christmas right up to this moment.
"This is just the start for us as we still have a lot to build on for the future, but we're getting there. Our next aim is to continue to get more members and entries into British University and College Sports (BUCS)."
A very proud coach Jules Mark, said: "I got very emotional before they competed today as they've all worked incredibly hard to get here and I'm so proud of them.
"I'm delighted the squad got the win today, as there are lot here today who've never competed in an occasion such as this before and it can be quite daunting.
"However, they've all greeted the challenge, pulled off an amazing win and we now have achievement to build on."
Back at the Futsal, #TeamDMU had a replacement sent off as the fixture got heated in a fiercely competitive atmosphere at the Roger Bettles Sports Centre.
UoL went 6-4 up shortly after the interval before #TeamDMU rattled the post twice as they threatened another dramatic comeback.
Tired legs prevented that and as #TeamDMU pushed for a way back into the tie, UoL capitalised twice on the counter attack, clinching an 8-4 victory and leaving DMU Futsal devastated.
Today, the DMU staff Netball team are in action at the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Leisure Centre followed by the Vice-Chancellors Football XI at Beaumont Park.
Then, Super Saturday will see Archery in action at The Watershed plus 13 hours of sporting rivalry at Leicester Arena- home of DMU partners the Leicester Riders Basketball Club. Fixtures include: Basketball, Volleyball and Badminton.
You can keep up-to-date with all the sporting action throughout the Varsity series on our live blog and across our social media platforms including: Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.
Posted on Friday 17 March 2017