Ollie Stevenson
The University of Nottingham’s lacrosse teams travel to Clifton this week carrying something they haven’t always had against their cross-city rivals: momentum.
For the men’s side in particular, this season has been an exorcism of last season’s Trent bogey. For the women’s, it’s about bouncing back from a crushing loss in the National Championship finals.
Varsity between these two sides has a short but loaded history. Played three times since 2016, UoN have enjoyed a 2-1 record.
The men won 16-8 in 2016, won again 9-7 in 2021, before suffering their one blemish on that record three years ago, when they went down 7-8 at the 2023 edition of the series. The women’s only varsity appearance in that time came at the same 2023 fixture, where they won conclusively 16-6, rather putting the occasion to bed before halftime.
This season, both squads have made a habit of putting Trent away comprehensively.
After falling short to Trent at every hurdle last year, the men had a decisive 13-12 victory early in the season, setting themselves up well for the rest of the season, before beating Trent 9-5 in the return fixture, and then putting the nail in the coffin with a 14-1 hammering of NTU in the National Championship semi-finals. The women have been even more emphatic, 21-5 and 16-5 in the league, then 13-6 in their own semi-final.
Whenever Trent has met UoN this year, they’ve come off second best.
None of that makes Thursday straightforward. The game is held in the heart of Trent’s Cliton campus, and varsity carries its own charge, regardless of form. And the men know better than most that a good season is no guarantee against this opponent; twelve months ago, the bogey was very real.
What has changed this year is harder to quantify. The 13-12 league win from earlier in the season was a potential watershed – a moment that proved UoN could grind out results against Trent rather than just lose them in tight games. Since then, the evidence has only grown stronger. The 14-1 scoreline in the semis is evidence enough.
The women arrive in an even more assured position. Their three results against NTU this season don’t read like a rivalry. A combined margin of over 40 goals across the league and cup is not the kind of form that suggest much anxiety about the occasion.
However, Varsity can flatten form lines. The atmosphere is different and the stakes feel higher. The men’s squad will know that Trent holds the trophy from 2023, at the last time these two met under this banner. That 7-8 loss is close enough to remember clearly.
UoN go in as the form side in both fixtures. Whether that translates into success at Clifton, in front of a Trent crowd, is what Varsity is for.
Match Details
Where? Nottingham Trent Clifton Campus
When? Thursday, 30 April 2026. Women’s Draw is 17:00, Men’s Face-Off is 19:00
How to Watch? Tickets are available online at the Notts Varsity website
Ollie Stevenson
Featured image courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 1 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 2 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
