The excitement and anticipation in St Andrews were immense as the town played host to the BUCS Scottish Conference Finals 2024 on Wednesday the 6th of March. A total of 22 fixtures and 9 different sports gave many student athletes the chance to make a memory they would not soon forget, and the opportunity to bring home valuable silverware to their University or College.
The opening act of the 2024 Conference Finals saw St Andrews University 3s face-off against Stirling University 2s in the Women’s Hockey Trophy. A large following of Stirling supporters and a strong home crowd for St Andrews created a passionate atmosphere for the first game of the day. A hardly fought first half meant Stirling opened the 3rd quarter with a slender 2-1 lead. However, shortly after the half-time break Stirling’s quality began to show and the match finished 6-1 in favour of the visitors.
Despite the grey skies and bitter temperature, the impressive standard of hockey continued in the Women’s Hockey Cup when Edinburgh University 4s took on Aberdeen University 1s. A back-and-forth 70 minutes eventually resulted in Aberdeen University lifting the cup, after they held onto their 3-2 lead in the final minutes of the game.
The Men’s Trophy final provided another opportunity for St Andrews University to clinch hockey silverware. This time, an impressive performance produced a gold medal for their 3s, who beat out Edinburgh University 6s 3-0.
The final hockey affair of the day was Edinburgh University 3s vs Aberdeen University 1s in the Men’s Hockey Cup. A heated affair soon lost any sort of discipline, leading to the referees having to brandish multiple cards, including a red to one University of Aberdeen player. With Aberdeen 3-2 down, they pushed intensely for a 3rd goal, playing without a goalkeeper for the last 5 minutes. However, they were punished for missing too many chances and Edinburgh University were able to hold on at the death.
The first tennis event of the day involved 2 impressive teams, with Strathclyde University 1s facing Dundee University 1s in the Women’s Tennis Cup. There was brilliant entertainment on show for spectators including 2 closely fought matches that required tiebreaks to decide the winner. Ultimately, Dundee came away with a victory, winning 5-1 on the day.
Despite the unfortunate wind and rain, incredible tennis was still on display from both Edinburgh University and Stirling University in the Women’s Tennis Trophy which followed fast four rules. A brilliant outing from Stirling Women’s #1 and #2 who did not drop a match in both their respective singles and doubles together proved to be the difference maker. Stirling won 4-2 overall.
Heriot-Watt University went up against Edinburgh Napier University in the Men’s Tennis Trophy which also took place in a fast four format. Despite a great effort from Napier’s #1 who recorded a convincing singles victory, Heriot-Watt proved to be the stronger team on the day resulting in a 5-1 victory.
In the Men’s Tennis Cup Stirling University 5s took on St Andrews University 2s. This matchup provided highly competitive, back and forth tennis, which resulted in half of the matches going to tiebreaks. Stirling were crowned champions after a 4-2 victory.
The Women’s Netball Trophy featured Strathclyde University 4s matching up against Heriot-Watt University 4s. Strathclyde asserted their dominance early meaning they took a 17-point lead into half-time. Despite Heriot-Watt showing flashes of good play in the second half, Strathclyde walked away with a comfortable 51-28 victory.
However, the Women’s Netball Cup final supplied a much closer contest. Aberdeen University 1s trailed Edinburgh University 3s by just a single point heading into the final quarter. A huge effort in the final 15 minutes by Edinburgh led to them lifting the cup after a 41-33 win. The early stages of the Men’s Football Trophy final were a tightly contested affair, however after Edinburgh University 4s opened the scoring their confidence levels elevated and they put in a dominant performance. Eventually resulting in a 10-0 win over a hard-working Edinburgh College 1s team.
A huge display of home support was on show in the Men’s Football Cup final as St Andrews University 1s battled against Stirling University 3s. The Saints took advantage of early pressure and gave their many fans something to cheer about when they scored just minutes into the match. Stirling applied pressure in St Andrews defensive third for much of the match, but a composed performance resulted in a 3-0 win for the home team.
The final football fixture of the 2024 conference finals involved Stirling 2s versus Heriot-Watt 1s in the Women’s Football Cup. An intense game which saw chances for both sides and moments of individual brilliance came down to the final moments on a cold, windy night. Heriot-Watt established an early lead after scoring on the 15 minute mark, but Stirling cancelled it out with 2 goals of their own either side of half-time. Stirling were able to sustain late pressure from Heriot-Watt and defend their 2-1 lead until the final whistle. Spectators watched on in suspense while the Heriot-Watt goalkeeper made a flurry of crucial saves.
The Men’s Rugby Trophy got off to a rip-roaring start. Physical play from Stirling University 2s and costly penalties by Strathclyde University 3s resulted in a 19-0 lead for the men in green. However, Strathclyde were able to weather the storm and begin to put some points on the board themselves. However, Stirling came out victorious on the day, 46-22. In no small part due to their set piece dominance.
Two impressive teams faced off in the Men’s Rugby Cup when Stirling University 1s played Glasgow University 2s. A muddy pitch and whipping winds proved to be difficult conditions for the two sides who still put on a thoroughly entertaining display of rugby. Stirling pulled off a 27-14 win that provided great pleasure to their many fans watching. The game included a man of the match display from Stirling’s loosehead prop who was excellent around the breakdown and showed off some bone-breaking carries.
Heriot-Watt University 1s played Aberdeen University 1s in the Women’s Rugby Cup final. Heriot-Watt came flying out of the gate with several early tries meaning they established a healthy lead. They continued their impressive performance with slick passes and line-breaking runs which contributed to a huge 78-0 win despite the tireless effort of the Aberdeen players who fought until the final whistle.
Two teams determined to lift silverware faced off in the Mixed Badminton Cup Final. Intense rallies which featured spectacular moments of technique impressed spectators in the matches between Glasgow University 2s and Edinburgh University 2s. Despite some impressive performances from Glasgow, Edinburgh proved to be the stronger squad on the day, leaving St Andrews as 11-1 victors.
Stirling University 1s took an early lead and held possession for most of the first quarter against Glasgow University 2s in the Women’s Lacrosse Cup. A number of stunning saves from the Glasgow goalkeeper meant Stirling were unable to extend their lead. Glasgow was able to capitalise on Stirling’s missed opportunities and eventually ran away with the match which finished 18-4. Meaning Glasgow would be the team to bring the cup down South.
An eager crowd and high-flying action were on show in the Women’s Volleyball Cup. A commanding performance produced a straight sweep in sets for Edinburgh University 2s who beat Glasgow University 2s, 3-0.
A thrilling match with a booming atmosphere followed when Dundee University 1s grappled with Heriot-Watt University 1s in the Men’s Volleyball Cup final. Vicious spikes and elbow-scraping dives featured in a strong Heriot-Watt performance meaning they took the first two sets with relative ease. However, Dundee showed great fight in the third set, at one point erasing a 5 point deficit to tie the set at 14-14. Unfortunately for Dundee, Heriot-Watt regained momentum in the set following a timeout from their coach and eventually won the match 3-0.
Basketball was on the agenda for the closing matches of the 2024 Conference Finals. Aberdeen University 1s faced Dundee University 1s in the Women’s Basketball Cup. A closely contested opening 2 quarters resulted in a slim Dundee lead at half-time. Dundee’s physicality proved to be too much for Aberdeen as a number of offensive rebounds lead to second chance points for Dundee who extended their lead to 11 by the final buzzer. The match finished 52-41.
The climax of the day’s events showcased the Men’s Basketball Cup. A highly rated Stirling University 1s team matched up against Robert Gordon University 1s in a venue packed full of spectators who cheered on both sides from the bleachers. From the first moments of the game Stirling came out hot, finding ways to score on all 3 levels and RGU’s defence did not appear to have any answers. RGU were able to find some momentum in the game but still found themselves down 17 points down at halftime. Stirling cruised their way through the 2nd half and were crowned champions following a 95-75 victory.
BUCS Scottish Conference Finals 2024 was a wonderful event which was only made possible by the hard-work and dedication of referees, Saints Sport staff, and volunteers. Check out photos from the day on our social media accounts below.
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Photo credits to Jacob Portchmouth and Andrew Leinster.
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