The Men’s Blues have had one of, if not THE best season on OUHC record. Ending the year with 5 trophies the boys certainly have a lot to be proud of! It all started in mid-February after 7 wins and a draw against the Tabs ensured that we had won the BUCS South Premier League. We then approached the biggest friendly of the year, having already faced off against the minty chaps we went into Varsity with the stage set for an almighty showdown. It had been a while since the Dark Blues had won, with none of our current team had yet had the pleasure of lifting the trophy. Fast forward to a cloudy 6th of March we showed just how special this team really was and a controlled 3-1 win meant the Varsity Trophy was ours.
At this point we had only just started to get cooking, after leading for the majority of the year things were heating up in the South Central Premier League as those surrounding us made a late charge. After a nervy wait and some crucial gritty wins, the long game finally pulled through and we crowned champions of the league and awarded promotion to the National Conference Leagues. We then set out eyes to the next promotion battle, a one off winner takes all game vs Edinburgh for promotion to the BUCS National Prem. Having to come from behind twice the boys belief and determination secured a 2-2 draw which it took us to penalty strokes. A 4-1 demolition during strokes saw us promoted to the highest BUCS league for the first time ever.
Not to be done there we had one more score to settle, the boys travelled up the hill to once again visit the grey men on Cheney Lane. Under the lights, with a huge Brookes crowd pumping a 2-1 W was secured to gain us yet another trophy in the inaugural Oxford Derby. All the teams exploits this year have been mightily impressive as we kept on ticking off every goal on the list. The list of achievements was recognised by the University as the MB’s were awarded Blues Team of the Year.
After so much success it’s hard to find the words to describe this team. All I know for sure is that the story is not over for this band of brothers, and I cannot wait to see what comes next. It has been my privilege and pleasure to lead this team, and I’m so grateful for the lifetime of memories it has given.
- Johann Perera
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