KARATE - Cambridge win the Varsity Match
Monday 1 March 2010
For the fourth year in a row Cambridge brought back the Enoeda Cup.
In the men's A kata (choreographed forms event), Cambridge's Roman Sztyler took 1st place for the light blues for the third year running, followed in 2nd place by men's captain Nim Sukumar. Paul Smith and club president Jonty Fairless seized 4th and 5th place respectively making sure Cambridge took a dominating position on the score boards from the word go. In the women's event Oxford took 1st place however the remaining pole three positions were taken by Cambridge, with Madeleine Wood 2nd place, Gosia Stanislawek and Mingwei Tan in tied 3rd place. Men’s B kata was a closer affair with Cambridge's Liam Gabb and Craig Woodhead drawing 1st and 2nd place respectively, both in their varsity débuts.
In the main event, kumite (free fighting) Cambridge continued to build on its solid points base leaving Oxford with very little hope. Men's A opened with England national squad and veteran CU captain Paul Smith. He dismantled his Oxford opponent in an aggressive display, leading to a quick and humane defeat. Up next was current captain Nim Sukumar. Although managing to take an early lead against a worthy Oxford foe, the match evened out and ran till full time when the fight was finally declared a draw. Thibault Flinois was straight out of the gate in third, displaying a fearless attitude against arguably Oxford's best fighter. Unfortunately, due to a sharp exchange of techniques, Thibault's shoulder was dislocated. Ever the gracious combatant, Thibault still managed to shake hands by holding his right arm aloft with his left arm before rushing off to A&E. Thibault’s bout was eventually declared in Oxford's favour. Next was Liam Gabb who made his fighting début in style with some fantastically timed head punches against a more senior graded opponent, eventually bringing about Cambridge's second win. The men's A event was concluded with a textbook display from a very experienced Richard Oriji, who took an early lead in the fight. However, the fight took a turn for the worse for his Oxford opponent when a clinical and legitimate sweep left him immobile. After a visit from the paramedics, this final men's A team match was declared a victory in Cambridge's favour.
In the women's fights, Cambridge again took an aggressive start with junior England Squad's Emma Nunn, making her varsity début by taking the Oxford women's captain out of the running. Next came a spirited display from Gosia Stanislawek who again left no room for her Oxford opponent behind a barrage of techniques that brought about a second win for the women. Madeleine Wood, CUKC veteran and national squad member chalked up another win for Cambridge, leaving Stephanie McTighe - current women's captain - dealing with the pressures of delivering the Cambridge clean sweep. Steph didn't disappoint, and with some beautifully executed displays secured a 4-0 win for the light blue women's team.
In the men's B fighting, strike of the tournament has to be given to Nikon Rasumov who delivered a forceful front kick that left his opponent winded and weary and took home the fight for Cambridge. Craig Woodhead followed up with some of his renowned kicking techniques taking a second win for Cambridge. Ahmed Al-Shabab made his competitive début as well, and as always fought hard and fearlessly seeing his match through to a draw. Unfortunately the last two matches went to Oxford which was a small price to pay for an otherwise complete destruction of the Oxford University Karate Club.
All 4 Varsity trophies were brought back home; Men's A, Women's and Men's B and the overall Enoeda Cup. Special congratulations go to all those who made their varsity début: Mingwei Tan, Tiina Pajuste, Liam Gabb, Vu Nguyen, Craig Woodhead, Richard Oriji, Ahmed Al-Shahab and Nikon Rasumov.
VARSITY RESULTS 2010
Men's A: Cambridge 94 – Oxford 34
Men's B: Cambridge 74 – Oxford 54
Women: Cambridge 86 – Oxford 16
