Sport Editors Joel Lim and Abyan Memon report on Varsity 2026 day 1 and 2.
The London Varsity Series 2026 got off to a great start on Friday (20 March), as KCL Tennis, KCL Volleyball and GKT Hockey battled UCL and RUMS to get the Lions off to a red-hot start. Going into day 2 with a 3-1 lead, the series unfortunately slipped away from the hands of KCL as the Reds dropped points in both hockey and powerlifting.
Roar provides an overview of how the first two days of Varsity panned out:
Hockey Medics
Following a historically dominant display last year, with a clean sweep of all Medics games by King’s, the Hockey Medics team looked to open GKT’s season on the right foot.
The crowds for the Medics Hockey games brought the noise all night long, and much to the delight of the GKT crowd, GKT Women’s opened the scoring on the night. Following a star showing from each goalkeeper as they both faced a series of attempts in quick succession made at their goals, the first half ended with GKT up 1-nil.
The second half brought greater intensity from both teams, especially GKT, who piled on two more goals to their lead to start the half, including a chip shot over the goalkeeper’s head. Captain Carys led the charge for GKT’s dominant offensive in the second half, including taking a beautifully placed pass from midfield to the goal and hammering it in for score #4.
Despite RUMS managing to keep the ball in GKT’s half for the majority of the game, with multiple attempts at the goal, GKT’s defense was unbreakable whilst crowding the circle. GKT’s offense took advantage of the crowd in their half of the field to find gaps and score on breakaways, consequently taking the fixture 5-nil.
The Men’s game featured more midfield play, 1-on-1 battles, and aerial passes by RUMS. RUMS managed to stray away from the theme of the first half and get a couple of looks at the goal, but the GKT goalkeeper held down the fort, allowing GKT to score first at the start of the second half.
As RUMS matched GKT’s score, tying the game at 1-1, the intensity was turned up maximally for the duration of the fourth quarter, physical 1-on-1 battles dominating the final few minutes. Through a flash of sticks being hit, balls speeding out of bounds and both sides looking at the refs for calls, both teams took the game to the final minute tied at 1-1.
RUMS won the hard-fought fixture on the final play of the game, a penalty corner, followed by the team racing to the stands for a celebration for the ages. With that final play, RUMS Men’s Hockey Club beat GKT Men’s for the first time in a Varsity match, the first in 12 years, and prevented GKT teams from sweeping again this year after they won all their Varsity games last season.
The RUMS team was able to keep the pressure on longer, shifting the game in their favour as GKT eventually slowed down. RUMS Men’s showcased impressive handling skills and the will to fight back from a tough position, but GKT Men’s matched their intensity and contested RUMS through all four quarters, a truly admirable effort.
Volleyball
KCL Volleyball entered the court with dominant wins by the Men’s and Mixed teams and a narrow defeat by the Women’s in 2025. This year, they started the series off strong, with a confident and impressive comeback victory by the Women’s team. Despite losing the first set, the Women’s team fought tooth and nail for the second set, fuelled by strong hits by their opposite hitter. This gave them the momentum to snatch the win away from UCL, ending the game 2-1 in KCL’s favour.
Following the Women’s spectacular display, the Men’s volleyball team attempted to carry their strong momentum forward against a UCL team that is currently playing in a division above them, in a hotly contested 5-game series. While they put up a commendable display, the experience and depth of UCL’s team ultimately proved too much to handle, as UCL snatched the victory with a classy 3-0 sweep.
The overall tie was therefore ultimately down to the Mixed team. In what could only be described as a cohesive and well-organised showing, KCL Volleyball’s Mixed team comfortably took home the title with a 2-0 win. Equally impressive was the support for KCL’s athletes, as cheers from supporters reverberated throughout the fully packed stadium all throughout the game. This was truly a Varsity to remember for KCL Volleyball!
Tennis
Having won the Varsity series in 2025, KCL tennis looked to make it back-to-back wins this year, in a series that beckoned to be one that would bring intensity, excitement and energy. From start to finish, the team looked sharp, alert and poised for the win, as KCL Tennis wrapped up the Varsity series with a close but convincing 3-2 win over their arch-rivals.
Hockey
Both Hockey teams entered Lee Valley high on confidence. Entering the arena, the Reds looked to stage a massive comeback against their UCL counterparts, who are playing in the higher BUCS Premier (South) league. Both the Women’s and Men’s teams looked to take the crown away from UCL, after their third consecutive win in 2025, where they won both games (8-0 Men’s and 2-1 Women’s).
This year’s Varsity kicked off with the women’s game, which started off as a tight and cagey affair. Going into halftime 0-0, the KCL Women’s team rallied together to start the second half strong. Unfortunately, against the run of play, UCL drew first blood with a perfectly placed goal. With the momentum on their side, they then managed to score another impressive goal to round the game up 2-0.
The Men’s team then entered looking to avenge this loss. Unfortunately, the expertise and experience of their UCL rivals proved too difficult to overcome, as they conceded 4 goals in the first half. Hope was brought back to the stadium, as the Reds opened the second half with a goal of their own to inject hope into the supporters.
However, this was followed up by another 3 goals by UCL that well and truly put the game to bed. Both teams’ efforts, however, were still highly commendable as they clearly put in their all against significantly more experienced and seasoned opponents. For that alone, KCL Hockey can hold their heads up high despite the results.
Barbell
The KCL Barbell team has not seen Varsity success since 2024, when they won 132.1-131. UCL has taken consecutive victories with a score of 62-61 last year and 76.4-72.6. They will look to bounce back next year and reclaim the Varsity title.
Well done to all teams thus far and we look forward to seeing the rest of the teams at the upcoming varsity games!
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