EVENT REVIEW | BUCS Conference Finals

The BUCS Scottish Conference Finals 2023 took the town of St Andrews by storm on Wednesday 8th March. Student athletes from across Scotland arrived ready to represent their institution in fierce competition for either a Cup or Trophy on the day. The standard of play was high and there was fantastic support from friends and fellow students on the sidelines.

Read all about it!

The Conference Finals featured a range of sports, including football, basketball, netball, tennis, table-tennis, volleyball, badminton and hockey. Unfortunately, inclement weather meant that the lacrosse and rugby fixtures will have to be rescheduled.

The day started off with the ICG Women’s Hockey Trophy, where Glasgow Caledonian University 1s faced off against the formidable University of St Andrews 3s. The game was intense, with both teams playing their hearts out but in the end, a dominant GCU took the victory with a 7-1 win over their opponents.

The ICG Women’s Hockey Cup was an Edinburgh derby and equally as tense a game, but a strong performance from the University of Edinburgh 4s lead to a 3-0 win over Heriot-Watt University.

In the highly anticipated Men’s Hockey Trophy students from Robert Gordon University 1s faced off against the home favourites, St Andrews 3s. The Saints put up a good showing but at the end of the day RGU turned the tables in their favour, defeating the home squad 4 – 1.

It was a different story in the Men’s Hockey Trophy, however, with the lads from Edinburgh Napier storming out the blocks. The pace was relentless and didn’t once let up, with the Aberdeen team showing good sportsmanship and grace in defeat. Napier took home the silverware with a 9-1 win.

In Badminton, the University of Edinburgh started well against their Heriot-Watt opponents with a blistering showcase of hand-eye coordination and timing, but it was not to be; Heriot-Watt University won the day, going 9-3 overall.

The University of Strathclyde 3s took on the University of St Andrews in the arena for the EY Netball Trophy.  It was a strong performance from the St Andrews team with good home support, but they couldn’t quite overcome the Strathclyde side, who took home the trophy.

A close match followed in the EY Women’s Netball Cup, with the University of Edinburgh 3s taking the University of Glasgow 2s right to the wire. The team from the West won the day with the final scoreline being Glasgow 40-36 Edinburgh.

Thank you to Sirens for providing match ticket vouchers as prizes for the MVPs of both Netball Finals!

In the Women’s Tennis Cup athletes from the University of Dundee 1s took to the indoor court against the University of Strathclyde 2s. The athletes from both sides played well, but it wasn’t to be for the team in maroon, with Dundee defeating them 5-1 after a valiant show from the Strathclyde students.

The Teach First Women’s Tennis Trophy followed the fast four format and took place on the outdoor pitches. Heriot-Wat University 1s battle sun and snow to win. HWU 6 – 0 Aberdeen.

Tennis Scotland Representative, Jack Ganley, was present to deliver both of the Women’s trophies to the successful teams. Thank you to Jack for giving up his time!

The Teach First Men’s Tennis Cup was incredibly close, with a momentous display of stamina taking place on the courts. The cup eventually went to a shootout, with the University of Stirling defeating the University of St Andrews 4 – 3.

The Teach First Men’s Tennis Trophy was equally close with a massive series of matches eventually ending in a shootout. Both universities were well represented by their athletes but eventually, Glasgow Caledonian’s 1s defeated the University of Stirling’s 7s 2 sets – 1 to take home the trophy.

Heading back into the arena we had the Table Tennis Cup. Tight matches and immense displays of hand eye coordination were in full view as the University of Glasgow battled it out with Heriot-Watt University. In the end it was a dominant display from the team from the cultural capital, ending with Glasgow 14 – 2 Heriot-Watt.

Basketball was another exciting sporting display at the conference finals. In the Women’s Cup final Queen Margaret University faced off against the Granite City’s Robert Gordon University. The game was close, with both teams trading baskets throughout. In the end, it was RGU who took the victory after a valiant fight from QMU.

In the Men’s Basketball Cup Final the University of Stirling faced off against the University of Edinburgh. The crowd cheered both teams on, reaching fever pitch after a late comeback from the University of Edinburgh, but it wasn’t enough as the boys in green took victory!

The Aldi Men’s Football Trophy took place on the outdoor pitches, offering up a whole host of challenges as the players not only battled each other but also contended with snow storms and blinding sunlight. In the end the Univerity of Stirling 4s defeated Heriot-Watt to take home the trophy.

The weather was no better in the Aldi Men’s Football Cup, as a last-minute venue change saw the home side St Andrews take on Edinburgh Napier. After an electric match with a fantastic crowd Napier toppled the Saints 3-0.

In the Aldi Women’s Football Cup the Univeristy of Aberdeen 1s took on home side St Andrews 2s, with a brilliant support turnout spurring both teams on! After an even match the Saints girls just edged it, defeating Aberdeen to take home the cup.

Heading back into the sports hall for the Women’s Volleyball cup, we saw the University of Edinburgh take on the University of Strathclyde. It was relentless from the start from Edinburgh, comfortably beating their opponents 3 – 0.

In the Men’s Volleyball that followed spectators got a brilliant show, with nail-biting sets that went right to the wire. Heriot-Watt University battled it out with Edinburgh Napier University, finishing HWU 3 – 1 Edinburgh Napier.

The BUCS Scottish Conference Finals 2023 was a fantastic day and it couldn’t have been completed without the tireless effort of the officials, venue staff, and volunteers who gave up their time to make it happen. We were also delighted to work with our BUCS partners in the build-up to the event.

Find all of the photos here on our Facebook page!

Check out the highlights video here!

Results: Please click HERE for the results and MVPs of the matches played at St Andrews on 8th March

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