The University of Sheffield’s men’s first team has claimed the Northern Conference tennis trophy for a second successive time after a close final went the distance.
Dylan Smith, 22, the captain of the team, said: “It was a fantastic win, with all the final matches being so close and lasting well over two hours.”
The final took place between the University of Sheffield and Leeds Beckett University at a neutral venue in Sunderland on Wednesday 6 March.
Alex Nakov, 20, another member of the team, said: “It’s been a massive effort from all of us to reach the final and then winning today from losing positions was a really amazing feeling.”
The score in the final ended 5-1 to Sheffield but all six of the matches, four singles and two doubles, needed a tiebreak to separate the two sides.
This success meant even more to the University of Sheffield’s tennis club, after its first team has now rendered itself back-to-back cup champions.
On their way to the final, Sheffield found victories against Bangor University and two other teams from Leeds Beckett, which means that they won three matches against the latter university within the last three months.
The quartet will also achieve promotion into the Northern Tier 1 if they are to win their final match of the season on Wednesday 13 March.
The Northern Conference Cup is for northern university teams in Tier 2 or below, running from October to March and comprising 39 teams.
Each team is made up of 4 students, and despite studying a variety of subjects, are united by their love of tennis.
The BUCS league and knockout competitions run from October to March and teams play matches every Wednesday across the season. There is a level for everyone with 25 women’s leagues and 35 men’s leagues.
Find out more about BUCS tennis at:
