A busy and successful Michaelmas term for inter-collegiate sport!

With more leagues than ever displayed on the outward facing competition management system, it is easier than ever for Cambridge University students to get involved in fun and informal college teams – although of course with an element of healthy competition.  

The ’University of Cambridge College Sport’ umbrella provides a straightforward way to view league tables, fixtures, results and contact information for all interested parties, including team captains, players, and students keen to take their first steps in college sport, as well as University and College staff & alumni.  

Taking part in team sport has many benefits – along with the advantages for physical health, there is much to be gained in terms of vital soft skills, like leadership, teamwork, time management, creativity, and resilience. There are also benefits to an individual's mental health, in terms of a stress relief and time spent with friends, but also in the case of outdoor sports of spending time at the spectacular college venues around Cambridge.  

Being involved with college sports teams also allows people to meet others outside of the course, household, and year group, and expand their support network much further. In 2020, the Cambridge SU ‘Loneliness Report’ found that individuals who are involved in team sports are, in general, much more likely to have a reliable support network and build more lasting relationships.  

With well over 3,000 students taking part each year in regular leagues (plus around 1,500 in college rowing competitions, as well cricket taking place in Easter term, and one off events in a variety of other sports!), here follows a rundown of some of the successes from Michaelmas 2022, as we look ahead to 2023.  

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Pictured above: College Sport in 2022 

Basketball 

Darwin College proved to be the team to beat during Michaelmas term, comfortably winning all their league games and securing the Division 1 title, with Churchill in second place. 

Elsewhere, Wolfson gained promotion as Division 3 winners, while King’s/Homerton saw off the challenge from Christ’s to win Division 4. A fantastic campaign for Girton saw them win Division 2, almost hitting 100 points in 3 of their matches. They will be hoping to pip Darwin to the Division 1 title in Lent – so look out for that fixture!  

As it stands there are 24 teams in total across 5 divisions, and 28 colleges represented.  

Football  

At the halfway point in the college football season, and with more teams than ever in the women’s league there is plenty to celebrate!  

Newnham/Pembroke remain unbeaten in Division 3 and hope to finally gain promotion, while Wolfson/Darwin/St. Edmund’s are also unbeaten in division 2: the mature heads in the team seeing them through a tricky set of fixtures. Both teams are also through to the next round of Cuppers.  

Churchill/Christ’s/Lucy Cavendish had a great start, winning all four league games as they aim to take the Premier Division title back from Jesus, but it will not be a league and cuppers double this year after Fitz/Corpus took a narrow victory in the first round of Cuppers.  

Three divisions of 15 teams with every college represented in the league! 

Over in the men’s league, Fitzwilliam look to retain the Premier Division and Cuppers titles and have won all 5 matches played so far. Division rivals Homerton are also unbeaten and will be looking to get the better of Fitz in Lent.  

The other two teams winning all their league matches so far are Downing, in Division 2 and Trinity Hall, in Division 3.  

With 58 teams, the men’s football league has the highest number of Cambridge students participating of any college sport league.  

Pictured above: Jesus College Football

Mixed Hockey 

The Cambridge University Hockey Club League Secretaries, Imogen and Alex, have done an excellent job this year providing hockey playing opportunities.  

St. John’s College demonstrate their strength in depth, with 4 teams in total (joined with Newnham), with their 1st team winning Division 1 during Michaelmas, although they were pushed all the way by St. Catharine’s and Christ’s/Pembroke. In division 2, a combined Trinity/Fitzwilliam team went unbeaten in 9 games to gain promotion. 

With two divisions of 16 teams total, and 27 colleges represented, the league has a great platform for growth. 

Mixed Lacrosse 

Every college team was blown out of the water by the strength of the Medics mixed lacrosse team in Michaelmas, who won every game to secure Division 1.  

In Division 2, a tie on points between Caius/King’s, Girton and Pembroke/Selwyn saw the latter miss out on promotion by goal difference. 

In Division 3, St. Catharine’s and Churchill gained promotion, with St. Catharine’s winning every match.  

The Mixed lacrosse teams currently has 3 divisions of 21 teams, with 26 colleges represented.  

Netball – Ladies and Mixed 

It was St. John’s who dominated Division 1 in the college netball league, winning every game to secure the Michaelmas league title. Murray Edwards finished second, narrowly missing out on sealing their first title. St. John’s and Murray Edwards are also currently the only colleges who enter two teams into the ladies netball league.  

A super season for Sidney Sussex saw them gain promotion from Division 2 – in 2021 they were playing in Division 3 and have risen through the divisions – along with Queens’.  

Over in the mixed league, Hughes Hall and Girton capped a fantastic 18 months. Hughes Hall celebrated their third promotion in three seasons, moving up from Division 4 to Division 1 in consecutive attempts. Girton played their first season in Division 1 and narrowly missed out on the title, which was won by Jesus, having been in Division 3 in Michaelmas 2021.  

A great season for Downing saw their ladies team promoted from Division 3, and their mixed team promoted from Division 2! 

Emmanuel, Hughes Hall, Jesus, and Pembroke are all entering 2 teams into the Mixed Netball league – fantastic opportunities for their students to play!  

Across ladies and mixed, there are 59 teams, with 27 colleges represented.  

Pictured above: Downing College Netball

Squash 

St. John’s narrowly beat Christ’s to the Division 1 title, winning all their matches, while Queens’, of Division 2 and Peterhouse, of Division 4, also went unbeaten to gain promotion to Division 1 and Division 3 respectively.  

The Lent term looks ahead to an exciting term with another league, and a Cuppers event in a World Cup format! 

With 25 teams and 16 colleges represented in the league, there is room to grow in the squash league – and lots of squash facilities around the university to make it happen!  

Table Tennis 

The big sport at Clare, Pembroke, and Trinity, with Pembroke and Trinity each entering 3 teams, and Clare entering a massive 4 teams!  

Division 1 Michaelmas champions were Darwin, who won all five of their matches. Elsewhere, it was a strong term for Selwyn College, whose 1st team won Division 2, and 2nd team won Division 3! 

With 34 teams across 6 divisions from 20 colleges, there’s room for the league to grow. It is space-friendly and only requires 3 people for each match!  

Tennis 

Ever popular at Cambridge, with 40 teams contesting the Michaelmas leagues, the champions last term were Downing, who went unbeaten in Division 1. They will be joined in Lent by Downing 2nd team, who were promoted from Division 2 along with league winners Churchill!  

Selwyn/Robinson took the Division 3 title, while Wolfson took Division 4 with 5 wins from 5 games. Likewise in Division 5 and 6, Queens’ and King’s won all their games to gain promotion.  

The Lent term sees a new league season, as well as the start of Cuppers, which will run on into the Easter term and the grass court season! 

28 colleges are represented in the college tennis league, with Trinity College entering 3 teams 

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Pictured above: Lucy Cavendish College Tennis

Badminton 

Showing their strength in racquet sports, Downing College took the Open Division 1 title during Michaelmas 2022. In the Women’s league, St. Catharine’s were Michaelmas 2022 champions.  

With 56 teams across open and women’s leagues, badminton is played by 27 colleges. 

Ultimate 

An ever-growing sport at Cambridge, the college Ultimate Flying Disc league is run by the University Ultimate Club. It is one of only two leagues (along with women’s football) where every college is represented.  

It was a great term for Jesus College, who along with winning the Division 2 league, were also champions of the Indoor Cuppers event held at the University Sports Centre in November. In the final they beat the joint Emmanuel/Girton/Magdalene/Pembroke/Peterhouse team, bettering several other ‘joint college’ teams along the way too.  

14 teams participate in the regular outdoor college league across two divisions, while there were also 14 competing at the Indoor Cuppers. 

Rugby Union 

St. John’s College and a combined Fitzwilliam/Sidney Sussex team both remain unbeaten in Division 1 of the College Rugby Union league, each team with three wins from three.  

With 13 teams across two divisions, the league continues to thrive and offers opportunities for experienced players and beginners alike, with the support of College Rugby Manager Tom Stokes.  

The Lent term looks ahead to the culmination of the 2022/23 league, as well as the annual Cuppers tournament!  

Pictured above: CCK Rugby - Corpus, Clare, King's 

Rowing 

As ever it is proving to be a busy year on the Cam! During Michaelmas, Clare College Boat Club hosted the Clare Novice Regatta, Emmanuel College Boat Club hosted the Emmanuel Sprint Regatta, and at the beginning of December, the 2022 year of college sport was rounded off with Jesus College Boat Club hosting the Fairbairn Cup.  

In the Clare Novice Regatta, Gonville and Caius pipped Trinity Hall to the Women’s Cup, while 1st and 3rd Trinity took home the Men’s Cup.  

Remarkably, over 240 teams contested the Novice and Senior divisions of the Fairbairn Cup, with every college represented at the event.  

We look ahead to the Lent and May Bumps in 2023 – will Lucy Cavendish retain the Pegasus Cup? - as well as the BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) Regatta, where Cambridge college crews can pit themselves against university crews from across the country, as well as CUBC.