The Battle of the North

The final days of April are usually ones of particular stress for many university students. The inevitable dissertation deadline creeps up upon 3rd years as they struggle to grapple with the concept of joining ‘the real world’. Students in the younger years meanwhile realize with a mixture of fear and dread that their year of drunken debaunchery or too many hours on the Playstation have come back to bite them as the exam period looms. However for the sports teams of the university it is much more, as the Christie Cup arrives and they have one last chance to get one over on their rivals.

Now in its 126th year, the Christie Cup is an annual triangular tournament between the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. Originally the competition was purely Athletics but has since been widened to include over 40 sports. Everything from rugby to table tennis will be on the agenda in this high-octane one-day event.

Manchester has dominated the event in recent years with 8 straight victories up to last year when Leeds triumphed on home turf by a tiny margin of just 8 points. It is key that Manchester reassert their dominance this year and they will be confident after a strong season for the Athletic Union which has seen teams excel across the board whether it is the swimming team in the Aquatic’s centre or the Men’s football 1st XI at the Armitage. Speaking ahead of the competition AU chair Agi Duhig was in confident mood stating ‘ It’s a fantastic event and is a real opportunity to put Manchester sport on the map, especially considering the success we have had this season. It’s really important we get the trophy back this year, I’m confident we can do that’. Measures are already in place to make sure Manchester do not let complacency set in with heavy fines in place for any team that consume alcohol prior to their matches. Their will be plenty of opportunity to celebrate in the evening should Manchester fulfil their potential and reclaim the trophy.

This year’s event will take place on 25th April with Liverpool being the host city.