On 12-13 March 2009, 16 men’s teams and 8 women’s university Futsal teams descended on Sheffield, to contest the 2009 BUCS Futsal Championship Finals as part of the BUCS Championships 2009. Over 2 days the teams competed at Ponds Forge for the right to be crowned university Futsal champions. There was excitement and goals galore as the best Futsal players in the HE sector showcased their talent. Women’s teams were drawn in 2 groups of 4, with all 8 teams progressing to the Championship Quarter Finals. Men’s teams were drawn in 4 groups of 4, with the top 2 in each group progressing to the Championship Quarter Finals and the 3rd place teams entering the Trophy Semi Finals.
Women’s Group A
Brunel topped women’s group A following impressive wins over Brighton and Loughborough. However a loss to Birmingham ensured that only goal difference left them topping the table. 2 wins for Birmingham and Loughborough also left them level on points with Brunel, with Birmingham claiming 2nd place in the group after scoring one more goal than their Midlands rivals. Brighton, impressive throughout regional qualifying, surprisingly did not pick up any points from their 3 group matches to leave them rooted to the bottom of the table.
Women’s Group B
Leeds Met dominated group B, recording 3 solid victories without even conceding a goal to set up a quarter final against Brighton. Durham and Bath both defeated Imperial, 6-0 and 8-0 respectively, to leave the London side bottom of the group and facing a quarter final against Brunel. Second place in group B went to Durham following a tense 1-0 victory over Bath, where defences dominated and a Helen Thomas goal sealed victory for the 2008 champions.
Men’s Group A
Loughborough dominated group A from start to finish, recording 3 excellent victories in matches over Reading, Southampton Solent, and Leeds Met to secure their quarter final place. The way they were moving the ball around was highly impressive and was reflected in the 21 goals that they scored in the group. Futsal newcomers Leeds Met sealed the 2nd qualification spot with 7-2 and 5-1 victories over Southampton Solent and Reading respectively. This left Solent and Reading to fight it out for 3rd place – and the Trophy qualification spot. The teams were very evenly matched but a goal from Tim Johnson in the final 2 minutes sealed a 6-5 victory for Reading. Southampton Solent finished bottom of the group and were eliminated.
Men’s Group B
Teesside, one of the most experienced university Futsal teams, were many people’s favourites to win group B. A 7-2 victory in their opening group match against Bristol reinforced this tag. However, Brunel were also in fine form defeating East Anglia 4-2 before shocking Teesside with a 5-4 victory. Brunel’s 3-2 defeat of Bristol put them through to the Championship quarter finals as group winners. The 2nd qualification spot rested on the final match between East Anglia and Teesside. The winners would progress to the Championship quarter finals, with the loser taking up a place in the Trophy. The game was full of end to end action with East Anglia taking the lead through Adam Seekings and Teesside replying through Imran Rashid. The turning point of the match was the sending off of Teesside’s Jason Kilbride, for deliberate handball on the goal line. East Anglia took full advantage of this and recorded a 6-3 victory to leave Teesside stunned. Bristol were eliminated following 3 defeats in the group.
Men’s Group C
Bath and Stirling both recorded victories over Brighton and Lincoln in their first 2 group matches to secure their passage into the Championship quarter finals. The final group match between the sides would decide who claimed top spot. Bath produced some excellent Futsal, trouncing the Scot’s 7-0, including an Ian Parkes hat trick, to top the group. This left Stirling as group runners up. The match between Brighton and Lincoln would see which side entered the Trophy. Brighton knew that victory was required, with anything else seeing Lincoln progress. With the game poised at 2-2 with 5 minutes remaining the south coast side threw everything they had at Lincoln. However Lincoln’s defence held firm to secure their place in the Trophy semi final and eliminating Brighton.
Men’s Group D
Group D on viewing seemed to be the toughest group to be in with experienced Futsal sides Hartpury, York and Worcester being drawn with Futsal newcomers Hertfordshire. In the first 4 group matches the biggest victory margin was 2 goals, highlighting how evenly matched the teams appeared to be. Hartpury managed to secure top spot in the group with 3 tight victories. This left Worcester and York to fight it out for the runners up spot in the group. Their game was tied at 2-2 entering the final few minutes. Worcester surged forward and goals from Lewis Fitzgerald and Adam Snook sealed a 4-2 victory and passage into the Championship Quarter Finals. This left a dejected York as 3rd place in the group and the consolation of qualification for the Trophy Semi Finals. Hertfordshire ended up bottom of the group and were eliminated.
Women’s Championship Knockout Rounds and Final
Last year’s champions Durham exited at the quarter final stage this year as goals from Alice Thackray, Lauren Harden and Sarah Ronald saw Loughborough avenge last year’s final defeat and advance to the semi finals. Brunel defeated Imperial 3-0 in their quarter final, including 2 goals from captain Zoe Lance. Bath triumphed over Birmingham 1-0 in a tight game with a late goal from Sofia Luxton separating the sides. Leeds Met continued their fine form – hammering Brighton 5-1 in their quarter final, including 2 goals apiece for Carla Cantrell and Annie Highway.
Leeds Met continued their goal scoring form in their semi final against Bath, crushing the team from the South West 7-1, with goals from Sophie Walton, Annie Highway, Theresa Harrison, Emma Lipman, and a hat trick from Carla Cantrell. In the final they would meet Loughborough who recorded a 2-0 victory over the previously impressive Brunel. Harriett Chapman and Tanya Dickinson scored the goals to take Loughborough through to their 2nd final in 2 years.
The final proved a close contest with Leeds Met going 2-0 up through goals from captain Julie Nelson and the prolific Carla Cantrell. With the clock ticking down Loughborough clawed their way back into the game. Excellent interplay saw Lauren Hardern arrive at the back post and finish from close range. The scorer unfortunately injured herself in the act of scoring and played no further part in the final. Loughborough strived for an equaliser, throwing everything they had at Leeds Met. However the defence held firm to see Leeds Met crowned as BUCS Women’s Futsal Champions 2009.
Men’s Championship Knockout Rounds and Final
Loughborough, champions in 2008, continued their fine form in the quarter finals. In an awesome display of Futsal they hammered East Anglia 8-0, including a Lawrence Hale hat trick to advance to the semi finals. Surprise package Leeds Met shocked the previously unbeaten Brunel with a 4-1 victory with goals from Matt Tyler, Jason Hinckley, Scott McGrory and Josh Forden. Bath required extra time to defeat a resilient Worcester side 3-2, Daniel Ayash scoring the winning goal in the final minutes. The outstanding quarter final was played out by Stirling and Hartpury. Stirling took the lead on numerous occasions with a brace of goals from both Michael Donnelly and Stephen McFayden. Hartpury responded with a brace from both Luke Buttery and the prolific Steve Davies. With 1 minute remaining Stirling lead 7-6 and were close to sealing the shock of the tournament. Hartpury surged forward and Davies completed his hat trick to level the match at 7-7. Hartpury were not finished and with only 2 seconds remaining Jonathan Else hammered home to break Stirling hearts.
Bath faced Loughborough in the first semi final. In an absorbing contest between 2 experienced Futsal sides the scores were tied at 1-1 after normal time. In extra time Bath went ahead through Mark Ingram. As the clock ticked down Loughborough introduced a flying goalkeeper in search of the goal that would take the match to penalties. The Bath defence held firm with Joe Dibben producing a number of excellent saves. With a minute remaining Ian Parkes broke away to score his second and Bath’s third to complete a famous victory and knock out last season’s champions. In the second semi final Hartpury were dominant against Leeds Met. Despite a brace of goals from Scott McGrory, Hartpury were not to be denied their place in the final, a second hat trick for Steve Davies and goals from JP Podvoiskis and Jonathan Else sealed a 5-2 victory.
The final was an end to end classic with both sides producing excellent Futsal skill and goals galore. Bath took the lead through Fynn Scheben, extending their lead with a well worked goal from captain Dave Jennings. Hartpury found a way back into the game with goals from Steve Davies and the experienced Marc Richards. Goals from Ian Parkes and Mark Ingram saw Bath regain the lead. Paul Casey and a second for Marc Richards saw Hartpury level the score at 4-4 with 2 minutes remaining. Extra time seemed almost inevitable. However, Hartpury surged forward one last time and Jonathan Else made himself the hero, finishing from close range to seal a 5-4 victory and crown Hartpury as BUCS Men’s Futsal Champions 2009.
Men’s Trophy Knockouts
In the Trophy semi finals Teesside recorded a 5-3 victory over Reading, including a brace of goals from Nick Hamblin. They progressed to the final where they met York who recorded a thrilling 4-3 victory over local rivals Lincoln with goals from David Slater (2), Jack Crane and Anton Murphy. In the final, Teesside produced the type of form that originally made them one of the favourites for the Championship. They went ahead with goals from Nick Hamblin, Rob Baker and Jonny Pennock. York replied with goals from James Grey and Anton Murphy. However Teesside were not to be denied their victory. Further goals from Hamblin and Pennock, combined with strikes from Jason Kilbride and Imran Rashid saw them complete a 7-2 victory and be crowned as BUCS Futsal Trophy Champions 2009.
George Carney, BUCS Football Development Manager commented on the finals,
“The Championship Finals have shown the potential that Futsal has to develop in the HE sector. The standard of this year’s finals were even higher than previous years – showing the commitment by many universities to develop the sport amongst their students. Planning is already underway for next year’s regional heats as BUCS aims to produce an even bigger and better tournament for its members.”
For all the results at the BUCS Futsal Championship Finals please visit www.bucs.org.uk/futsal