Latest news from Loughborough University
| 1 April 2008 | PR 08/39 |
Students in County Cup showdown at Welford Road
Loughborough Students face South Leicester RFC in tomorrow night’s County Cup Final at Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road ground.
League leaders Loughborough, who won the County Cup two years ago, will be hoping for a repeat performance to cap what has been an impressive year for the student side. Already guaranteed promotion into National League Three next season, Loughborough will also contest the British Universities crown at Twickenham later this month (23 April).
Wins against Market Bosworth and Melton Mowbray in the quarter and semi finals of the Cup have earned Loughborough Students their place in the final against South Leicester, who beat Syston on their way to the final two.
Loughborough have already played South Leicester, currently sixth in the Midland league, once this season beating them 30-17 and the return fixture is scheduled for 19 April. But Loughborough Students head coach Dave Morris believes South Leicester will provide tough opposition for the University side.
“There is a great rivalry between the clubs and our fixtures are always fiercely contested,” he said. “We have a number of players unavailable for this fixture due to injury and international commitments, but our squad has great strength in depth and we expect our players to step up to the mark tomorrow.
“We are coming to the end of an incredible season for Loughborough Students and a win at Welford Road would be a brilliant achievement. We’d like to thank Tigers for opening up the ground for the fixture.”
Loughborough’s England Student captain Ian Kench and players Andy Wright, Matt Cross and Simon Pitfield are in the squad for tomorrow’s fixture while Hong Kong 7s team member Mark Wright and long-term injured Basil Holiosmennos are two players to miss this important match.
The County Cup Finals kicks off at Welford Road at 7.45pm tomorrow (Wednesday 2 April). Supporters are advised to get to the ground early to secure seating.
-ENDS-
For all media enquiries contact:
- Amanda Overend, Sports PR Officer, Loughborough University,
T: 01509 228686, E: A.J.Overend@lboro.ac.uk
Notes for editors:
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities,
with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research,
strong links with industry and unrivalled sporting achievement.
It is a member of the esteemed 1994 Group – a set of internationally
recognised, research intensive universities – and has a reputation
for the relevance of its work. Its degree programmes are highly regarded
by professional institutions and businesses, and its graduates are consistently
targeted by the UK’s top recruiters.
Loughborough is also the UK’s premier university for sport. It has
perhaps the best integrated sports development environment in the world
and is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports scientists
and support staff. It also has the country’s largest concentration
of world-class training facilities across a wide range of sports.
In the 2007 National Student Survey, the University was voted fourth in
the UK, with 23 out of 29 of Loughborough’s subject areas being
ranked in the top ten for overall satisfaction. Loughborough is also ranked
in the top fifteen of UK universities in national league tables. It was
named winner of the 2006 and 2007 Times Higher award for the UK’s
Best Student Experience and winner of the 2007 award for Outstanding Support
for Overseas Students. In recognition of its contribution to the sector,
the University has been awarded six Queen's Anniversary Prizes –
an achievement bettered by no other university.