St Mary’s and Brunel go to Battle in the West London Varsity

On Wednesday 20^th March, students at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham locked horns against old rivals Brunel University in the annual West London Varsity, competing against each other in a range of sports. Held at the Brunel campus in Uxbridge, Middlesex, St Mary’s brought teams to represent the University College in sports including football, rugby, rowing, table tennis, netball, basketball, cricket, hockey, volleyball and athletics. Brunel University ultimately emerged victorious, but not before an excited audience witnessed a number of stellar performances from the St Mary’s teams. There were some fantastic individual performances, while male, female and mixed sports teams fiercely competed against some very good Brunel competition, but always with a friendly spirit. With help from a team of MA Sports Journalism students, SMUC Radio, St Mary’s student-run radio station, successfully hosted live coverage of West London Varsity. At the end of the day, a large audience also got the chance to see AU President Luke Allen perform with the cheerleading squad, after reaching an £1,000 target competing in 20 different sports for charity.  He was raising money for Special Olympics Richmond, a charity established as part of St Mary’s Olympic legacy. Luke commented, “Varsity was a huge success, even my cheerleading, which I actually really enjoyed! Every single player and supporter gave their absolute best and I couldn't have asked for any more from anyone. We didn't win the trophy, but there’s much more to this event than the silverware taken home by the winning University. We demonstrated our unique togetherness and pride for St Mary’s, we established new leaders that will take us into the coming years, and we've shown a small University outfit has a massive heart, a relentless ambition and a tireless passion. “Oh to, Oh to be, Oh to be a Simmie!”