Alumni Sports Day
Release Date 22 February 2012
On Saturday 4th February, former students returned to campus to compete against current students for the second Alumni Sports Day.
Despite weather warnings of snow and ice, students and alumni were not deterred from gathering on the Whiteknights campus with their hockey sticks, badminton rackets and various sporting attire to see who fared better: the current student teams or their alumni predecessors?
The badminton squad were the first to arrive to campus and start proceedings. Their fast-paced match was won by the alumni team, much to their delight! Similar success was also enjoyed by the alumni Lacrosse team, who were thrilled to beat the current student team on the day. Lacrosse is a relatively new sport at Reading, and the camaraderie between all the players was clear to see as they all gathered in Mojos - the Students' Union pub - after their match to enjoy lunch.
The result of the mixed hockey game was a little more ambiguous, as snow started to fall mid-match- covering the pitch and its players. The match was therefore declared an honourable draw after the weather made it near-impossible to carry on.
Alicia Parker (BSc Biological Sciences 2011) took part in the mixed hockey game. She said:
"It was really good to be back on campus. The students fielded an excellent team and deservedly took the lead in the first half. Unfortunately the weather prevented us completing the match but we'll be sure to settle the score next year. We then had a fantastic time (as always) in the Students' Union."
As the weather took a turn for the worse, alumni took full advantage of the indoor sports on offer, with many enjoying a game of squash in the University SportsPark or pool in the Students' Union.
Sport aside, plenty of alumni used the Day as the perfect excuse to return to back to campus, meet up with old friends in the Students' Union and watch the RBS 6 Nations rugby, which was being screened in Mojos. Amongst the spectators were a group of 2002 alumni, who graduated just as 3Sixty - the Students' Union nightclub - was completed. They were delighted to finally have the chance to visit 3sixty, as they joined fellow alumni and current students at the night club for the perfect finish to a fun-filled, nostalgic day.