Author: Scott Willey

As the sporting year comes to a close, we look at Bangor Athletic Union’s achievements over the past year. On the pitch, Bangor have performed particularly well in the BUCS leagues, with both Men’s Badminton 1sts and Women’s Squash winning their Northern 2A leagues and gaining promotion to Northern 1A. Next season, there will be four Bangor teams competing in the first division, with Women’s Basketball losing on the final day of the season to miss out on the title and promotion to the Premier, while Futsal drop down into Northern 1A following their relegation play-off in the Premier. Men’s…

Looking to avenge last year’s 1 point defeat, Bangor struggled to start firing in front of a strong home crowd at Canolfan Brailsford. The club had roped a DJ in to build-up the pre-match hype and announce their roster ahead of the tip-off but unfortunately the hype of the game seemed to get to them. The game started scrappy, with points being exchanged by both teams inside the first few minutes. The away team started to pull away however, with Bangor giving away multiple free-throws throughout the first half. The home side also struggled to reclaim rebounds against a tall…

With just one day to go until Varisty 2015, we look at one of our highest performing teams this year, as they aim to finish the season on a high. Women’s Basketball go into this game high on confidence. Promoted last year to Northern 1A, their aims for the year were to consolidate their position in the league. However, going into the last game of the season they were unbeaten, and up against 2nd placed Newcastle. Unfortunately for the team, they were beaten after an early start and a long trip to Newcastle, meaning they finished 2nd in the league…

Today’s ‘one to watch’ fixture focuses on Varsity 2015’s main event: Men’s Football. By the time the match kicks-off at 5pm, we may well know the overall result of Varsity 2015 – but this won’t take anything away from the main spectacle at Bangor City FC’s stadium. The home team go into this game two leagues above Aber, having been promoted twice in the club’s recent history. This season, Bangor finished midtable, while Aber narrowly missed out on promotion, finishing in 2nd place. Aber’s recent form is better than Bangor’s, with four wins in their last five matches, although it…

With no Men’s Rugby Union or Rugby League at this year’s Varsity, we’re expecting a big crowd to turn out for the Women as they take to the field in a tight game against Aber. There is little between the sides in their respective leagues, with both in the equivalent 2nd divisions, although Aber finished 3rd to Bangor’s 5th. Looking at the form guide, there is again little difference between the teams, with Bangor coming into the game with only one win in five, while Aber have lost their last three. However, Bangor’s home form is stronger, and Aber haven’t…

Today’s ‘one to watch’ at Varsity 2015 is Ultimate Frisbee. This year sees the sport once again mixed gender, as it was in 2013 when Bangor triumphed 10 – 15 away from home. Bangor then went one better in 2014 when both a men’s and women’s team entered – with both Bangor sides convincingly bringing home the points, the scores 0-17 and 1-13 respectively. Bangor look likely to continue this rich vein of Varsity form this weekend, having qualified in Division 2 of the BUCS Outdoor Championships while Aber did not qualify. The home side’s Men’s team also finished 6th…

With only a week to go till Varsity 2015, Seren Sport will be looking ahead to the event with a “one to watch” fixture each day. Our highlighted match today is Men’s Basketball, which looks to be a tight affair, with Aber winning by a single point at the death of Varsity 2014, and Bangor narrowly triumphing in 2o13 by only three points. However, both of those matches were played at Aber, and Bangor’s home form is far superior to their away form, with 2/3 of their wins this season coming from the Canolfan Brailsford court. The team also enjoyed…

On the 23rd April, WhatUni will announce the results of 20,000 student reviews and name their University of the Year for 2015. As the results of the WhatUni awards draw near, it has been announced that Bangor University is one of ten shortlisted for the award. The award is calculated by taking averages from student reviews on the WhatUni website across a number of categories: university facilities, accommodation, course and lecturers, job prospects, city life, student union, clubs and societies, support services, and job prospects. Bangor University is a newcomer to the University of the Year shortlist this year, with five…

This week, Bangor University student Reid Piggott was selected to tour with the Great Britain Universities Handball team. Reid, who is studying Music Technology and Electronic Engineering, was one of 14 players selected for the tour to the Netherlands after impressing at a trials weekend in Warrington. Reid, who plays as a goalkeeper, first started playing handball two and a half years ago, when he began university. In that time, he has progressed quickly from the second team into the first team. At the end of his first year at Bangor, Reid was in the team that won the Glyndwr…

Bangor University Handball Club played the first home matches in the club’s history last weekend. Following on from their success at a regional tournament in Liverpool, in which the men’s team went undefeated and claimed the trophy, Bangor were looking for a good result to take into next weekend’s national qualifying round. In front of a packed crowd, the men’s team started slowly and found themselves 3 – 0 down within the first five minutes against a strong UCLAN side. The occasion seemed to be getting the better of Bangor, whose passing and shooting was well below par. After ten…

Men’s Basketball crashed out of the cup yesterday, following a triple overtime 84 – 86 defeat to Leeds Beckett 2nd’s. A win would have maintained the team’s 100% home record at home this season, and put them through to the quarter-final of the BUCS Northern Conference Cup. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The home side led from the beginning, although there were reasons for concern as the team didn’t take their chances. A nice reverse pass from Jordan Lamb created a good chance but it was missed, as were both chances from a free throw early on. Bangor held…

Team captain, Charlotte Bradley, inspired women’s lacrosse to a 15-8 win over Liverpool 2nd’s yesterday. Leading by example, Bradley ran straight at the Liverpool defence to put the home side 1-0 up within the opening minutes. In a heavy scoring first quarter, Liverpool replied immediately to draw level. The away side were looking to stop the rot, having lost three games from three so far this season. They looked to be turning things round as they soon lead Bangor 2-1, only for Bradley to go on another solo run and beat the keeper from close range. Neither defence could contain…

Men’s lacrosse made it their first win of the BUCS season yesterday, beating Manchester 2nd’s 9-0 at home. Bangor finished 3rd in the league last season, and were sat in 4th after one match. Bangor were on top from the start, winning the face-off and gaining possession. Bangor immediately looked to control the play, slowing down the tempo and working through a variety of set-plays from the training ground. The first shot of the match went to Manchester, however, as they broke from defence, only to see their shot go high and wide of the top corner. Both teams continued…

After coming 5th in the league last season, a new-look Bangor University Women’s Rugby team took on Keele University in their second BUCS game of the season last Wednesday. Losing heavily in their first game away from home, the team looked to improve at Treborth against recently regulated Keele. Club Captain, Harriet Etchells, spoke to Seren about the team before the match, and their aspirations for the season “we are a very new team with a lot of the girls that have never played rugby before, so for this season we would just like to have a really fun season, win…

Last night, Bangor University Men’s Basketball won convincingly in their first home game of the year. After losing last week to local rivals Chester, Bangor were looking to kick-start their BUCS campaign against league newcomers Lancaster. Lancaster won the tip-off, but from then onwards Bangor were in the ascendancy. The home side scored a quick 6 points without reply, before winning a first free-throw. Player of the Match, Jack Bamber ,stepped up and scored both attempts. At 8 – 0 down, Lancaster called a time-out. Unfortunately for the away team, it did little for their performance, with Bangor retaining their…

Bangor University Ladies Hockey 1sts picked up their first three points of the season today, beating Welshpool 1sts 2-0. Bangor’s Vice Captain, Rosie, stepped up to lead a side containing four new players this morning. Bangor started the game brightly, registering two shots on target to Welshpool’s none in the first twenty minutes. Welshpool did begin to create some chances as the half progressed, only for some brilliant defending from today’s Bangors captain and no. 5, Rosie, to break down the Welshpool attack again and again. As half-time loomed, Bangor’s no. 20 , worked hard to track back and win the…