Kian Gadsby
The University of Nottingham took a record breaking 31 teams to Loughborough to compete at Bucs Big Wednesday 2025.
The 31 teams were competing across 13 sports, with 18 of the sides participating in National Championship games and a further 13 in Trophy or Vase finals.
Nottingham teams enjoyed great success, with 11 National Championships won and 16 titles overall.
Here is a summary of how our teams got on.
Badminton
Both the men’s and the women’s teams had sides in both the Trophy and the Championship finals. All 4 finals were against their Loughborough counterparts in fierce battles between the local rivals.
The women’s 1s badminton team won the Championship with a 5-3 victory in a thrilling final, but the 2s were defeated 7-1 in the Trophy. In the men’s, the 2nd team lost the Trophy final 6-2, and the 1s lost the Championship by the same scoreline.
Fencing
The Fencing team had an incredibly successful day, as they secured all three titles that they had teams competing for.
The men’s second team started the day in action in the Trophy final. They emerged victorious 128-118 against Exeter, meaning they kicked off the day by securing the title for the Green and Gold.
It was down to the men’s and the women’s first teams to deliver the National Championships
With one title won, it was down to the men’s and the women’s first teams to deliver the National Championships. The Men’s first team won the National Championships with a 120-98 victory over Durham, whilst the Women also achieved victory in an enthralling 103-99 success over the same opponents.
Hockey
The UoN Hockey team claimed both the men’s and the women’s National Championships following a highly successful day for the teams. The women’s team took a late 2-0 lead against Loughborough in their final. The hosts did pull one back, but it wasn’t enough to deny Nottingham a fourth consecutive Championship.
The Green and Gold were 2-0 down going into the final quarter
The Men’s match was somehow more dramatic. The Green and Gold were 2-0 down going into the final quarter, but they came back to draw 2-2, sending the game to penalty shuffles. Captain George Beaugniet scored the winner, earning the Nottingham hockey team a second Championship of the day.
The men’s 2s and 3s also had exciting matches, although unfortunately both sides were defeated. In the Vase, the 2s came from behind to draw 3-3 with Edinburgh, only to lose on penalty shuffles. Meanwhile, in the Trophy, the 3s saw a last gasp penalty flick saved as they lost 3-2 to Loughborough’s 3s.
Football
Both the men’s and the women’s football teams were narrowly defeated in their National Championships games.
The men saw a penalty saved in a 1-0 defeat by Loughborough, whilst the women were beaten 2-1 thanks to two second half goals for St Andrews. Full match reports will be published in the coming days.
Lacrosse
The women’s Lacrosse team reclaimed the Championship title they last won in 2023 with a resounding 12-3 victory over Exeter.
However, the men’s team were edged out 9-12 by rivals Nottingham Trent, who have now won three championships in a row, in their final.
Netball
The Netball team emerged victorious in the Trophy final. They comfortably defeated Bath’s 2s team 69-34 to win the title, capping off a brilliant year for the team, who also won all 10 of their league fixtures to secure their league title.
Rugby League
The men’s Rugby League team won the Trophy, as they defeated Liverpool John Moore’s 34-4 to claim the title with a dominant display.
Table Tennis
The Green and Gold achieved success in table tennis. The Women’s 1s won the national Championships by beating Newcastle 3-0, and the 2s won the Trophy as they defeated Imperial 3-0.
The men’s 2s were defeated 9-8 by Sheffield Hallam in the trophy, the first time that the Trophy final had required a 17th match to decide the champion. The 1s, however, defeated rivals Nottingham Trent 9-3 to secure themselves the National Championship.
Tennis
The UoN Tennis team had a triumphant day, as they ended up with 2 titles from 2 finals.
The Men’s 1s team secured the National Championship with a 4-2 victory over Stirling, winning their first championship since 1954. Meanwhile, the Women’s 2s earned themselves the Trophy as they beat Bath 4-2.
Water Polo
The Water Polo teams enjoyed great success this year, as they had three teams reach BUCS Big Wednesday.
Up first was the Women’s Trophy. The UoN second team qualified for this final, which was the first time that the second team had qualified for this game. They were up against Strathcylde 1s, although they were defeated 12-14 in a thrilling contest.
The women’s first team defeated Durham 15-8 to secure back-to-back National Championships, but in their second ever Championship match the men’s team were unable to win the title, narrowly losing 11-12 to Durham.
Wheelchair Basketball
The Wheelchair Basketball team triumphed 59-49 over Loughborough to earn themselves the national Championship. It saw them regain the title they won in 2023, following a runners up medal last year.
A huge congratulations to all of the UoN teams that took part and were victorious on the biggest day of the year for student sport in Britain.
Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of Ben Lumley and BUCS Sport via Flickr. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @uonsport via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @uontennis via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
For further sports content and ways to get involved, follow @ImpactSport on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Impact Sport Facebook page!
