Sidney competes in the Cuppers

Hi Fergus! I hope you’re enjoying being back at Sidney and playing football again. Let’s kick things off with finding out more about the Cuppers competition.

‘Cuppers’ is the Cambridge version of the FA cup. It is a knockout competition that allows Cambridge Colleges to play each other regardless of the league they are in. It is hotly-contested with many Blues players turning out for their Colleges. The final is usually held at the University rugby ground in front of a sizeable crowd. Sidney reached the semi-final last year losing to the eventual winners, Fitzwilliam.

How did Sidney get on in the last match against Clare College?

Having beat Darwin College 7-3 in the first round, and after a long period without any matches due to the pandemic, Cuppers resumed on 9 May against Clare. Having taken a 2-0 lead at half time, Sidney seemed to be cruising into the next round. However, Clare fought back to 2-2 and took the game to extra time. A brilliant free kick from next year’s captain Henry Weston re-established our lead and we held on to win 3-2. It was a great all-round performance and fiercely fought.

It sounds like a great match! What were the highlights?

Firstly, it was great that the team could finally get back together and play after missing so much football. The first half was one of great skill and creativity from everyone involved, and perhaps the lead should have been even more at half time. Heading into extra time, and with fitness levels tested, the resilience shown by the team to keep their heads up and go on to win the game was great to watch. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this team.

What’s next for Sidney’s football team?

Sadly, due to a player shortage we were unable to field a team in the next round against Fitzwilliam. This was always going to be a problem with the competition being moved into the exam term. I really believe, based on our performances this year and last, that we had a chance of winning the competition. As mentioned, we reached the Cuppers semi-final last year and had a 100% record from the matches played this year. Football at Sidney is a great thing to be a part of and I hope the skill and togetherness that I have witnessed in my three years here will continue long into the future.