Chemical Engineers won their second Campus Sports Tournament, finishing 25 points clear of their nearest rivals.
The twice-yearly tournaments allow societies and groups of friends to take compete in a series of sports over the course of a weekend, with the scores totalled up to crown the overall winner. The Chem Eng team, who also won 2016's Winter Tournament, came out on top with 300 points, with Medics and the Law team both on 275.
The Engineers tried their hands at dodgeball, badminton and netball, but it was in the 5-a-side football that they really demonstrated their expertise. A closely-fought final against disciplinary rivals Chem Soc saw Chem Eng ended with a penalty shoot-out, with Chem Eng's precision giving them an eventual 6-5 victory.
In the badminton Chem Eng could only manage second place, behind an undefeated team of Medics, who also claimed the victory in the netball, over a team made up of members of the University's own netball team, no less. Ever-present at the top of the table, Chem Eng snuck in to third place to add to their overall points tally.
"It was very competitive in all four sports but played in a fun environment"
They also progressed through to the final of the dodgeball competition, but lost out to dodgeball-specialists Social Dodge in the final to the tune of 3-0. A third place finish for the Tennis team made up a significant part of their eventual tournament total of 180 points, which saw them take fourth place in the final rankings.
With minimal entry costs and all the action taking place over two days, the Campus Sports Tournaments provide an opportunity for students of all abilities to get involved in competitive sport without needing to make a major commitment. The emphasis on fun and on trying something new sits comfortably alongside the competitive atmosphere of the tournament, which is organised jointly by NUSU's Liam Isaac and Denis Murphy, Participation and Events Manager at the Sports Centre.
Isaac reflected on the most recent tournament – the fourth since the programme began last year: “Overall the weekend was a great success, it was very competitive in all four sports but played in a fun environment with teams really embracing the concept of competing across several sports.”
The seven teams competing at the weekend were required to take part in at least three of the four sports on offer, but Chem Eng's top-four finish in every sport demonstrates their superior performance throughout the tournament. So far each of the four tournaments has been won be either Chemical or Mechanical Engineers, with only a sudden-death rounders playoff able to separate them in the 2017 Summer Tournament.
Isaac continued: “Myself and Denis Murphy would like to thank all teams who got involved and welcome additional teams to join the next Campus Sport Tournament taking place 9-11 March 2018.”