The Halcyon Age: Big wins and humbling losses for the University of Manchester Ultimate Frisbee Club

As another busy indoor season comes to a close, Ultimate teams across the country are switching their focus to the outdoor version of the sport. Commencing in October, the indoor season is a packed period with numerous events ranging in ability, and competitiveness, from beginner-friendly weekends to competitive regional, and national tournaments. University of Manchester Ultimate attempts to benefit from these opportunities by sending as many teams as possible to beginner tournaments, and for participation at regional tournaments against other universities in the Northern region.

This year, Halcyon, as they more commonly known, fielded eight teams across the Mixed, Women’s, and Men’s regional divisions, and following a string of successful performances at their respective tournaments, the club represented at all three divisions with five teams at nationals.

Men’s Indoor Nationals Division 2:

The national tournaments began with Men’s division 2 in Nottingham. 16 teams attended from across the country’s four regions, 13 of which were the universities’ 1^st team. Only Bath, St. Andrews, and Manchester sent a 2^nd team as they each finished high enough at their respective regionals to secure the sole extra spot at nationals. For Halcyon, expectations were grounded, with the consensus being that outright winning the tournament would be a stretch, but finishing well above seed was achievable.

Frustration quickly grew amongst the team with losses hindering team chemistry growth, resulting in careless and rushed performances at times. A first match against Strathclyde 1, the eventual two-time champions of the tournament, resulted in a 7-3 loss to the 2s, a real wake-up call to say this tournament will be much more difficult than regionals. The 2s ended the first day with four losses, and one draw, which included a hard-fought 8-7 loss on universe to Bangor 1, and a gruelling 8-8 draw against Newcastle 1. This resulted in a last-placed group finish, retaining the same table position as their initial seeding, 15^th.

Sunday’s game outline had the 2s playing the 10v15 against Cambridge 1, which they won 4-6, progressing them to the 10v11 against Heriot-Watt 1. A 4-5 loss dampened spirits again, and with one game remaining, the goal was to end the tournament on high. The team delivered in the 11v12 through an emphatic 11-5 thrashing of St. Andrews 2, finishing 11^th place, four above seed.

When asked about the team’s performance, 2s’ captain Frederick Lawrence emphasised that the team lacked versatility in playstyle, and that they required adaptability depending on the opponents. ‘As a team, we aren’t used to building up to the level of the others over the course of a game. Instead, we got used to playing our own way, bullying opponents, and breaking down defences with lots of disc possession.’

Despite an overall disappointing weekend, it was an important learning curve for the team, all of whom had never played at indoor nationals prior. On the difference in quality, and how it can give teams a false perspective, Lawrence asserts that ‘regionals gave us an outlook on how [nationals] would be, but the reality is that regional tournaments are very different [to each other]. Southern teams played in more competitive tournaments.’ This was something the team had to learn first-hand over the course of the tournament, giving them the experience of handling losses, and managing wins in a competitive environment.

Special mentions go out to MVP, Elijah Slade, and MSP, Harry Savage.

Men’s and Women’s Indoor Nationals Division 1:

At division 1, a total of 40 teams participated over the weekend, 20 women’s, and men’s teams. Initial seedings placed Manchester Men’s 1 at 10^th, and Women’s 1 at 19^th.

Men’s 1 had a frantic start to the weekend, playing four games, winning two, drawing one, and losing one. Their first match against Imperial 1 heightened optimism, as they won 6-3. The two following games were long and gruelling. Against Leeds 1, a hard-fought game ended in a 4-4 draw, while they were edged one point by St Andrews to a 5-4 loss. The day ended with a dominant, 7-2 win against Royal Holloway 1, placing them 2^nd in their respective group, and 8^th in the overall standings.

Manchester Women’s 1 experienced a similarly frantic day. Their first game against Durham 1 was a 5-6 win, setting an exhilarating outlook for the tournament. Another win in their third game against KCL 1, sandwiched between two losses, against both Birmingham 1, and Loughborough 1, respectively, meant that the first day was highly competitive, reenforcing the exhilarating nature of this tournament. With two wins and two losses, the women’s team placed an impressive 12^th in the final standings of the first day, seven above seed.

The second day saw a fantastic turn of events for the men’s team. Following the 8v9 against Warwick 1 in which they won 8-7, the 1s were placed into the 1v8 against Loughborough 1. A win here would see them placed 1^st for the time being, and a win is what they got! 5-6 against the current champions of their respective region stuck Manchester at the top of the division.

This did not last long however, as not even a bookends by #16 Harvey Stone, which included an outrageous footblock, could stop a 5-6 loss against the eventual champions, Bath 1, in the 1v4. The ending game of the tournament was an important 3v4 against St Andrews, in which the 1s dominated a 2-6 win, finishing 3^rd and taking bronze.

Placed 12^th from pool play, Women’s 1 beat UCL 1 in the 5v12, skyrocketing them into 5^th. They retained 5^th place after an initial 6-3 loss in the 4v5 against St Andrews 1, before snaking down further to 8^th place in the 5v8. The final game of the day ended in an 8-6 loss in the 7v8, narrowly losing ground to Southampton 1. Despite this, ‘we remained positive,’ says 1s player, Fiona Kirkpatrick. ‘The team knew that we played well, and everyone gave it their best effort. It was a case of our opponents playing better.’ Certainly, the weekend was filled with narrow losses for the team. But with a determined group of athletes, they smashed their initial seed of 19^th, finishing the tournament in 8^th place!

Mixed Indoor Nationals Divisions 1 & 2

Halcyon sent another two teams to mixed indoor nationals, with 20 teams at division 1, and 16 teams at division 2. Initially, the 1s, and 2s, were seeded 3^rd, and 14^th, respectively.

Right off the bat, Mixed 1s faced off against Strathclyde 1 in a fiery 9-9 draw, an intense start to the weekend. A break of a couple of hours before their next game gave them plenty of time to prepare for Sussex 1, who lost 6-7 to Manchester. The final two games of the day maintained the demanding nature of this tournament, as a 6-8 loss to Durham 1, followed by a narrow 6-5 win against Southampton 1, placed them 5^th going into the brackets.

In slight contrast, mixed 2s had a rollercoaster of a first day, seeing off Stirling 1 with a 5-11 win, and following that up with another win, 7-5 against Royal Holloway 1. Two losses ensued, which included a 7-12 loss against Leicester 1, however the 2s finished the day in style, beating Bath 2 in a high-scoring 9-7 match.

The 1s started Sunday retaining 5^th place in a close 9-7 win against Sheffield 1 in the 5v12. They then broke top 4, winning 13-7 against Warwick 1 in the 4v5, before knocking on Loughborough 1’s door. The opportunity to go 1^st was lost, as Loughborough got multiple breaks, and won 12-7 in a competitive 1v4 tie. Manchester’s final game was the 3v4 against St Andrews 1, in which the latter team won 6-13, placing the former 4^th overall.

Coming into Sunday placed 8^th, the 2s lost the 8v9 against Warwick 2, shielding them from a top-8 finish. The following three games were crucial to win, as any losses would bump them further down the table. A close 7-6 win against Heriot-Watt 1 in the 9v16 set the tone of the remaining fixtures. They were not going to lose. Up next came Royal Holloway 1, who put up a good fight, only losing out by one point in the 9v12, which ended 9-8. Finally, an intense day came to an end with the 2s sealing their 9^th place finish in the 9v10, beating UEA 1 by 10 points to 5. They beat seed by 5, finishing top 10, and considering that most games were played against other universities’ first teams, the 2s performed very well.

The 2024/25 indoor season was a huge success for Halcyon. With an impressive five teams participating at nationals, this was the most they sent in recent years. All the athletes, from beginners to experienced, brought a desire to win, and a competitive edge that the club has long been missing. When asked about what is unique about this year compared to previous years, men’s captain Adam Greenwood believes that ‘enthusiasm has been key to our progress this year, and it radiates from the players, from the committee, from the seniors at this club. A culture of encouragement, constructiveness, and most of all determination exists at the club, and has been slowly increasing and improving. Everyone here wants to play, and wants to win.’

Indeed, the club saw a huge beginner intake at the start of the year through its taster sessions and initial socials, creating a camaraderie amongst themselves, and with senior players. By retaining many players from last year, it ensured a seamless progression path for all players, most of all the beginners. As the club has many players on different points of their ultimate journey, Halcyon saw, and continues to see improvement in all their athletes, the first real fruits of which, were borne this indoor season.