Sports highlights: Weeks 1 & 2

The following highlights from various sports clubs and teams were compiled from recent reports. If any captains or team members have a result that you'd like to feature in the next round-up, please contact comms@caths.cam.ac.uk.

Football

Congratulations to the St Catharine’s men’s second team on winning the Shield final in the intercollegiate knockout competition on 24 April. Newly promoted to Division 3, the Shield win was the culmination of a strong season of both league and cup performances, as Captain Kris Bhargava (a third-year Land Economy undergraduate) explains:

“We have comfortably held our own in a much tougher division and remain unbeaten against the other first teams in our league. The highlight of our season has undoubtably been our magical cup run, beating Robinson, Churchill and Girton on the way to last Wednesday’s Shield final against Pembroke. We conceded a very early goal but, spurred on by a large Catz crowd (and megaphone), the boys bounced back and fought hard to equalise in the second half. The game was end-to-end, with Catz hitting the woodwork several times, but it eventually went to extra time and penalties with neither team able to score. In the tense minutes that followed, our boys kept their cool and we managed to win 4-3 on penalties – sparking huge celebrations and a well-deserved fairy-tale ending to this season. It has been an honour to serve as captain of the team for the past two seasons, and I am sure the club will continue being successful for many years to come!”

Next up is the men’s first team who face St John’s in the Cuppers final at 5pm on 10 May at the St John’s playing fields. The team are hoping for a strong show from St Catharine’s supporters to negate our opposition’s home advantage!

Rugby

On 27 April St Catharine's men’s rugby team, alongside their partners from Homerton, faced the combined talents of Fitzwilliam and Sidney Sussex College (last year’s runners-up) in the semi-final of the Cuppers knockout competition. Captained by Sam Hickley (a second-year History undergraduate) and Tomos Miller (Homerton), the team showed defensive determination and attacking flair to secure a resounding 48-5 victory. Tries were scored by Joe Day (a second-year Land Economy undergraduate), Lance Burn (Homerton) and Johnny Daly-Lonergan (a first-year Land Economy undergraduate), all converted by Tomos. 

The team now faces Jesus (who knocked out winners of the past two seasons St John’s in their semi-final) at 4pm on 4 May at Grange Road to compete for a title of Cuppers champions, which was last won by St Catharine's in 2001. They actually beat Jesus in the 2023 Plate final with a last gasp try so hopefully they can repeat this feat this year to lift intercollegiate rugby's more prestigious title.

Hockey

Also on 27 April, the St Catharine’s mixed hockey team won their Cuppers quarter-final 2-1 against a combined team from St John’s and Newnham Colleges. Their eyes are now firmly on the climax of the competition, when the semi-finals and the final are played on one day: 4 May at the Wilberforce sports ground. There will be an early start as their semi-final is scheduled for 9am against a team representing Corpus Christi, Robinson and Lucy Cavendish Colleges. The final then takes place at midday so St Catharine’s supporters can cheer on our hockey players during the first part of the day, before the rugby final gets underway later the same afternoon.

Netball

This year’s mixed netball Cuppers tournament got off to a rocky start, with St Catharine’s starting off with a 4-10 loss to Churchill. The team regrouped for a 9-3 win against Sidney Sussex and a 5-3 win against Hughes Hall, achieving a very respectable second place overall! (The Kittbag)

Swimming

St Catharine’s swimmers put on a strong show as the Swimming Cuppers competition resumed for the first time since COVID-19 on 27 April. With 13 swimmers, St Catharine’s had one of the highest turnouts of the colleges (one of only five to field a team without combining with another college) and put on a good show across the board.

Placing a very respectable 8th overall (out of 12 teams), there were some standout performances. Thomas Craig (a first-year Natural Sciences undergraduate) placed 1st overall in the Men’s 50m Freestyle, finishing a full second ahead of Jesus College. The Men’s 4x50m Medley Relay team came third overall, with Harry List (a third-year Natural Sciences undergraduate), Thomas Craig, Hari Prasad (a fourth-year Chemical Engineering undergraduate) and Samuel English (a first-year Geography undergraduate) racing. Team Captain Samuel also scraped back a full length on the final leg, placing the St Catharine’s team first in their heat. Cassia Deakins (a first-year Geography undergraduate) placed 6th in the Women’s 50m Freestyle and raced in the 4x50 Freestyle relay. Toni Renz (a second-year Natural Sciences undergraduate), Poppy Jo Lee (a second-year HSPS undergraduate) and Eva Watkin (a first-year MML undergraduate) also raced in the relay, placing 10th overall.

Other swims included: 

• Men’s 4x50 Freestyle Relay: Thomas Craig, Samuel English, Harry List and Nirmay Jadhav (a second-year Engineering undergraduate)= 6th
• Toni Renz in the Women’s 50 butterfly = 8th
• Hari Prasad in the Men’s 50 breaststroke = 8th
• Lucas Cheng (a first-year Economics undergraduate) in the Men’s 50 butterfly = 9th
• Ashley Hsu (a second-year Natural Sciences undergraduate) in the Men’s 50 backstroke = 9th
• Esther Labarraque (a third-year HSPS undergraduate) in the Women’s 50 backstroke = 10th
• Women’s 4x50 Medley Relay: Esther Labarraque, Toni Renz, Eva Kynaston (a first-year Geography undergraduate) and Eva Watkin = 11^th