Chichester students lap up late-season successes

The men’s ultimate frisbee team booked their place in the outdoor nationals after an emphatic victory over St Mary’s in the semi-final of the South Eastern Conference Cup.

Half-time arrived with the home side 8-1 up. The visitors got one back but Chi swung the disc around nicely to close things out 15-2.

Joe Clarke, Ben Mills, Jordan Sloan, James Cushen, Paul Bailey, Kieran Thornton, Calum McFarlane and Thomas Ladbury will travel to the Riverside Sports Complex in Nottingham next month to compete against the other national qualifiers.

Vice-captain Mills said: “This is the first time we’ve ever made it to the nationals so it’s a big achievement for our club. We’ve had a great cup run this year. I think this is down to our team spirit and not giving up when our backs are up against the wall.

“In our quarter-final game we were down 7-4 against Essex but we ended up winning it quite convincingly in the end.”

There was a big win as well for Chi’s mixed golf team at the Downs course at Goodwood in their Conference Cup final. The golfers have had a good season and completed a league and cup double with a 6-0 defeat of Reading.

In rugby the men’s first XV visited closest rivals Portsmouth and won 17-12 to seal the league title in some style.

The men’s tennis also got the result they needed to ensure they finished top with a 6-6 draw away to second-places Sussex.

And the season ended on a high for other racquets teams.

Chi’s men’s badminton ones have put a really good run together over the past few weeks. They faced an unbeaten Imperial in the Tudor Hale Sports Centre in their last game.

Good performances from Jack Bird, James Lovell, Ben Skinner, Lewis Sandy, Leo Cheng and Lewis Grossert in both singles and doubles earned them an impressive 4-4 draw against the visitors, who dropped their first points of the season.

Bird said: “We didn’t expect to come up with a result but we’re really happy because this means we finish runners-up to Imperial. This is probably above our expectations.

“Everyone has played so much better recently and we’re building a really good foundation for the team next year. We’ve got three very good freshers. What with what table tennis and men’s tennis have done it’s been a really good year for racquets.”

The men’s badminton twos finished second in the league as well and the women’s team is also in with a shout of a runners-up spot.

There was heartbreak for a second week running for the netball club. After the threes missed out on a league title with a narrow two-point defeat to Reading, the fives lost their championship decider in a final match between the top two sides.

In hockey, Chi’s men’s first team needed a win at home to Sussex in their last match. The visitors took the lead in the sixth minute but Chi equalised ten minutes later after a short corner had been blocked.

Sussex went ahead when a defensive mistake allowed a forward to tuck the ball away following a long up-field pass. This lead might have been increased but for a super save by Danny Ould.

Chi had a goal chalked off by the officials before levelling at 2-2 just before the interval. Sussex took the lead for the third time in the 51st minute from close range. Another goal for the home side set up a tense last ten minutes but neither team could find a winner.

The men’s hockey twos lost 7-0 to Imperial but the women’s ones beat Sussex 5-0 to finish third in their league.

In football, the men’s sixes got back to winning ways beating Portsmouth 3-1. They are three points behind league leaders Surrey with games in hand. The fours held champions Reading to a 2-2 draw.

IAN WORDEN