Over 4,000 students, staff and families came to Varsity 2024 at the University of Portsmouth
Varsity returned to the University of Portsmouth last week, the first Varsity hosted in Ravelin Sports Centre. The last Portsmouth-based Varsity took place in 2022 with The University of Portsmouth showing the progress they've made but still being pipped at the post by some margin. Varsity, last won by the University of Portsmouth back in 2013, was held across Ravelin Sports Centre, HMS Temeraire and St. Paul’s as well as other venues across the city.
Wednesday
Varsity 2024 officially kicked off on Wednesday 24 April, the University of Portsmouth Men's Rugby 1’s took on the University of Southampton 1’s in one of the most anticipated fixtures of Varsity. Kick-starting the spectator side of Varsity with a hotly contested Rugby fixture hosted at Havant Rugby Club. With over 800 in attendance, the fixture was the highest-attended single Varsity fixture to date. Dubbed Match for Magee the fixture raised funds for the former President of Men's Rugby Harry Magee who suffered life-changing injuries on New Year's Eve. The event raised £1,500, a fantastic amount to support Harry in his recovery and rehabilitation. UPRFC came out victorious in front of the packed stadium winning 25-5.
Some fixtures had previously taken place in specialist facilities before the main weekend with wins from gymnastics and trampolining and equestrian and losses for sailing, rowing and powerlifting. We went into the Friday with 16 points apiece setting up a dramatic weekend of sport.
Friday
The action continued on Friday 26 April with the next instalment of sport with Netball, Table Tennis taking place at Ravelin Sports Centre and the Portsmouth Destroyers, the university’s American Football Club, taking on the Southampton Stags at Langstone Sports Site. The University of Portsmouth Netball Club had a huge day with a clean sweep of wins from their 7 fixtures including a huge 97-12 win from the 1st team. The American Football was postponed with the Southampton Stags conceding the game part way through with Portsmouth already 21-0 up. The game almost didn't go ahead due to a lack of players from Southampton. Table tennis was the last fixture of the day who were sadly beaten 7-10.
The main weekend arrived and was met with excitement and a collective feeling of hope. The weekend is always a standout date in the calendar and although the weather didn’t deliver the bright sunshine we were all hoping for until Sunday afternoon, it was a fantastic weekend nevertheless. Team UOP went into the weekend winning 48 - 20 but with 64 fixtures still to take place it was not going to be easy with some strong Southampton teams making the journey over the weekend.
Saturday
On Saturday Team UOP were leading overall for much of the day with Southampton massively closing the gap with strong wins in squash, climbing, swimming and hockey. Cricket saw our closest wins and losses with every game separated by one point, 2 wins and 2 losses a piece. The rugby pitch saw the most controversy with a win for Southampton against the 4’s and the 3’s game being abandoned mid-way through with Portsmouth taking the win as a result. A strong showing from basketball in front of packed-out Ravelin Sports Centre saw victories for all the men’s teams and a huge win for the Women's 1’s against a higher-ranked opposition. The atmosphere was fantastic throughout the day and spectators were treated to some brilliant plays from both teams.
Sunday
Sunday arrived with the score 98 - 98, a close event but still with a long way to go before a winner was announced. We saw athletics, golf, futsal, squash, lacrosse, women's football, fencing, archery, badminton, ultimate frisbee, tennis, volleyball and the culmination of the men's and women's rugby all in one day. Ravelin Sports Centre saw a big win on the board early on from Futsal 2’s taking a 7-5 victory and at HMS Temeraire a tight win from the mixed lacrosse match up.
Moods were positive throughout the day with wins going both for and against Team UOP. The midday point came and the scores were still tied 106-106. The hope grew, could we do it? The Men’s Rugby 2’s saw a huge crowd resulting in some huge tries finishing the game with a converted try with an unlikely conversion placed through the posts by 2’s captain and hooker Louis Graham. A clean sweep across Men’s and Women’s rugby added some much-needed points to the board. Several scores came in around 4.00 pm which seems like the turning point with Southampton starting edge closer to the 160 mark which would be enough to secure the win. 5.00 pm struck and with that Southampton went over the 160 mark and retained the trophy for another year.
"We’re so pleased to be able to bring this event back to Portsmouth after a long wait, it’s fantastic to see so many people back enjoying the event. A win would’ve made it extra special, but it was so much fun regardless of the result."
Amber Jerome
Events Officer
Varsity 2024 was by far the closest competition we've seen with the final score of 150 to Team University of Portsmouth, to Team University of Southampton’s 170. Although the end result didn't go Team UOP’s way, the performances, atmosphere and behaviour of the whole of Team UOP is something everyone in the University of Portsmouth community should be rightly proud of. The progress all our clubs and teams have made is clear to see simply by the small margin of Southampton's win. Roll on to 2025 and to our first win in 12 years.
"Varsity is a fantastic event that really celebrates the inclusivity of all our sports clubs and sport in all forms. To compete against a very worthy adversary in the University of Southampton is fantastic and a testament to the collaborative nature of the two universities. I’m delighted that this event could take place, and to see so many students engaged, having fun and enjoying themselves is great to see.
I’m delighted that our performance on the pitches, courts, and the water gave a strong representation of us as a student body, but of course, I’d like to congratulate the University of Southampton for the victory. We’ll have to wait another year to bring that trophy back to Portsmouth."
Paul Tilley
Director of Sport
Over 80 fixtures took place over the weekend with 4 points awarded for a win, 2 points awarded for a draw and 0 points awarded for a loss. Due to our locations we rarely play against our neighbours as we sit in different leagues and competitions in BUCS, so it’s great competition. We’ve seen progress so far as we attempt to climb the BUCS league rankings and hope to finish this season better off than in 2023. Although the Varsity Cup travelled back to Southampton the result means there is still some work to do to win Varsity, but we’re so pleased with our performances so far this year in the BUCS tables and competitions.
Were you a spectator at Varsity and want to get involved in sports club activity? Launching this week is ‘Team UOP Can Week’ with drop in sports access until the end of term. After this, each session will cost £2 to attend.