Chichester uni team are the ultimate underdogs

With the top 20 qualifying teams from the regionals earlier in the year organised into groups of five for the event, Chichester were matched up with Bath, Loughborough, St Andrews and Nottingham.

The women got out of the group phase with four convincing wins. They built on this momentum and beat Strathclyde and Edinburgh in the next stage to set up a semi-final against five-time champions Birmingham. Chichester edged an exciting match 7-5.

Chichester then brushed aside Kings College London 7-2 in the final.

Ultimate, originally known as ultimate frisbee, is a non-contact team sport played with a flying disc.

Ultimate player Beth Hutchinson said: “We were serious underdogs coming into the nationals. I don’t think anyone gave us a chance. But we’re a tight team. More like a family really.

“We got our tactics right and other teams found it hard to break down our defensive zone. And then on offense our handlers moved the disc around quickly and we were able to pick out players in the endzone.”

University lecturer Dr Matt Smith, who established ultimate as a sport at Chichester ten years ago, said: “This is an incredible achievement for the club.”

Chichester’s ultimate indoor women’s championship squad comprises Beth Hutchinson (president), Amy Watson (captain), Amber Cottrell (cice-captain), Klaudia Piwowar, Sofia Hill, Kate Green, Katie Allan, Charlie Simpson.

Sixty students from the university are heading up to Sheffield for nationals in trampolining, athletics, swimming, climbing and judo.

In other midweek university fixtures Ross Miller scored two tries in Chichester men’s rugby firsts’ tense 19-19 draw with rivals Sussex.

The men’s basketball firsts were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Surrey and the men’s hockey seconds lost 3-2 on flicks to Surrey.

The men’s volleyball seconds beat St Mary’s firsts 3-1 and the netball fourths defeated Royal Holloway thirds 44-42.

Meanwhile the men’s table tennis wrapped things up in the league with two matches to spare to secure the South Eastern 2A title.

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