The University of Gloucestershire cricket team have had an amazing semester on and off the field as they make it through to the national trophy for Indoor BUCS. They have also had some incredible events, such as their golf day and their Movember events.
Team member Ollie Pugsley spoke about their recent Movember events where they held three separate events, which included a 5K run, Tri-series football and a darts night, and they were three great successes which raised £585 throughout the month.
Their success on the cricket field came at Indoor BUCS, where they won six games from seven, beating teams like Cardiff Met and the University of South Wales.
Their indoor success didn’t finish there as they have only lost two games in the Cheltenham Indoor league, losing to Cheltenham Civil Service and Cheltenham Cricket Club so far. But the team also made the cup final, narrowly losing to Civil Service, who won for the third time in a row.
They put up a great fight in the final with the ball, taking it to the last over with only defending 57. But the struggles then started with the bat in the first over as they lost Adam Sercombe, their opener, without scoring.
Their struggles continued with losing two more wickets in quick succession, leading to them being 25-3 after six overs. But Hayden Jones and Alex Tierney steadied the innings to their score of 57 after the 12 overs.
The start they had with the ball was incredible. They were able to restrict Civil Service to 26 of six overs.
Toby Rice kept picking up wickets throughout the middle to put the pressure on Civil Service, but their opener, George Leadbetter, saw them home to take them to their third title in a row.
UOG Cricket held its annual Golf Day, which was a success, with 16 members playing it in a Ryder Cup style. They set up their competition into four groups, playing a mix of games due to the mixed abilities in the groups.
The golf day was held at Brickhampton on their 9-hole course, which consists of five par 3’s and four par 4’s. The course has its challenges, with the weather recently leading to wet fairways and sodden greens.
Cricket captain Ollie Pugsley hopes, with their partnership with Brickhampton Golf Complex, to be able to hold these golf days more often. “We hope to be able to put on these golf days every semester.”
The University of Gloucestershire have had an impressive last two years so far, with them winning their first Varsity for eight years last year being a huge achievement, and making it through to their first national competition for many years was also a big achievement.
Their social events have been very impressive and a great success, with them hosting four events in November. One stood out, which was their first-year factor fundraiser, a special event which raised loads of money for their club. All of the money raised can be put in to help raise funds for better equipment and coaches.
