University of Sheffield have lifted the Sheffield Varsity trophy for the 11th consecutive year, following an 11 point win over Sheffield Hallam University.
In the closest Varsity for years, the Black and Gold made their lead unassailable on the penultimate day of competition following a bumper haul of points in Tennis.
Hallam dominated events in the pool and gained ground on the Black and Gold in Netball and on Sports Park day, but were unable to stop Uni of’s record win streak being extended for another year, following a 51-40 victory.
Highlights for the University of Sheffield included a sweep of the points of trampolining, a comeback win in Women’s 1s Rugby Union and a rare victory in Ice Hockey 1s, the first time in which the Black and Gold have won in regulation time since the showpiece event was added to the Varsity calendar.
The fifteen days of competition had started with Hallam carrying a narrow lead after wins in Basketball and Netball at Canon Medical Arena.
By the end of the first week, Uni of had clawed this advantage back and held a three point lead after a strong Hallam performance on Sports Park day.
Uni of accelerated away in the first half of Week 2 however, and despite Hallam rallying at the English Institute of Sport events on Monday (Futsal and Netball), they would ultimately come up short.
The winning margin in 2025 remains the smallest since the pandemic, as the 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions all saw wins for the University of Sheffield by 20 points or more, with last year’s margin of victory being 54.5-26.5 – a vast 28 points.
This year however, once again, it’s the University of Sheffield’s turn to celebrate – until the two universities in Sheffield do battle once again around this time next year…
