by Alex Harrison
The British Quadball Cup was contested for a landmark tenth time over the weekend of the 10th-11th of May 2025, and the ever-tightening university division provided one of its most unpredictable and fiercely fought tournaments to date.
Edinburgh’s Holyrood Hippogriffs came in as the Northern champions with an eye on claiming the first ever medal for a Scottish team at BQC, as well as scores to settle against the United Welsh Universities thanks to the Scotland-Wales rivalry that has been both national teams’ highlight fixture since 2022. Standing in their way were Warwick, two-time defending champions, though their expectations of an unprecedented threepeat were tempered by the youth and inexperience of their squad, albeit led by wise old head and Team England chaser James Martin. The Hippogriffs came out on top 140-90* in an impressive start to their quest to end Scotland’s medal drought, and it was clear from minute one that the champion could come from anywhere.
Another storied team was making a claim to that title. Southampton QC, playing here again as Bankers QC with the Bristol team folded in, had two championships to their name already, while last year’s Bankers had lost a pulsating final to Warwick - not to mention Bristol’s legendary fairytale run to the final in 2017, a story in which an upset victory from Edinburgh over Warwick played a key role. These historic teams met another longtime contender in Leeds Griffins, one of the oldest teams remaining in the UK, though again one which had never medalled. Team fixture Calum Brennan was playing his last tournament with a team which was setting out to prove their surprise group stage win over Warwick last season wasn’t a fluke, but the champion pedigree of Bankers told as they ran out 130*-40 winners.
Elsewhere, another combined team, Leicester Thestrals - who famously contended the UK’s first ever match against Keele - plus Team England beater Will Brilliant’s revived Cambridge QC, were facing the combined Welsh universities. With Brilliant switching to white to anchor the chaser game, Leicester/Cambridge’s main aim was to develop their young core of players, and were dispatched impressively by the experienced Welsh outfit 170-30*. This Wales team was arguably their best in years, and having fallen agonisingly short in 2024 of a first Welsh medal since Bangor’s bronze way back in 2013, UWU would likely prove a threat to anyone.
The competitors were rounded out by the team that had pipped Wales to bronze last year, Manchester Minotaurs, who under the leadership of Team Scotland stalwart Charlie Smith were aiming to blood their own young players and maybe prove a surprise threat to anyone who underestimated them, with a particular eye on the old Leeds-Manchester rivalry - and the UK’s most historically successful university team, Oxford University Quadball Club, who were looking to medal for the first time since their glory years in 2013-16. Despite losing Will Brilliant, Oxford’s strong coaching programme had set them up well for success, and Manchester were dispatched 140*-20 by an ominous OUQC, whose decorated head coach Luckeciano Melo was unequivocal: Oxford were coming for the gold once again.
Their next game was against Bankers QC, bringing back memories of the epic Oxford-Southampton rivalry which did so much to establish the top level of competition in the UK back in 2015-16, but Oxford ran out 200*-100 winners to further burnish their title credentials. Elsewhere Leeds claimed bragging rights in quadball’s version of the Roses rivalry by beating Manchester 240*-90 in an entertaining game, while Leicester/Cambridge fell 190*-30 to Edinburgh and Warwick’s growing pains continued with a 140-60* loss against Wales.
The group stage was concluded with Manchester impressively pushing Bankers QC in a tight 120*-60 loss, while a mirror match saw Leeds post the same scoreline in defeat to OUQC, both strong performances despite the result. Leicester/Cambridge had their first close game, losing 120-80* to Warwick, but the highlight was undoubtedly Wales vs Edinburgh, a club-level restatement of the scrappy rivalry which has defined both national teams. This time Wales continued their victorious streak, winning 180*-120.
With the groups defining seedings for the day two bracket, Warwick bounced back from a disappointing day one by eliminating Leeds 110*-60 in a tight match that swung their way only at the very end. Meanwhile, injuries forced Leicester/Cambridge’s thin squad to officially forfeit their quarter-final against top seeds OUQC. Edinburgh swept Manchester aside 120*-0 to storm into the top four, while Bankers advanced over Wales to round out a fascinating set of semis: two double champions, OUQC and Warwick, competing on one side of the bracket, with another double champion in Bankers against the only team without even a medal at BQC, Edinburgh.
The OUQC-Warwick rivalry is another of the UK’s best, and they served up a spectacular semi. After starting weakly on day one, Warwick were on the verge of making another final until a dramatic OUQC catch saw Oxford advance 90*-80, a disappointing yet encouraging result for the fresh and improving Warwick squad.
Edinburgh and Bankers, meanwhile, proved to be further apart: Edinburgh made certain of a first ever BQC medal with a resounding 150-40* defeat of Bankers, who clung on impressively in overtime after catching but were ultimately too far down to have any real chance of rallying against the victorious Scots. Bankers’ woes continued with another set score defeat to Warwick in the bronze medal match, completing a strong day two comeback from the reigning champions after winning only one match on day one.
The final pitted two historic teams against each other, the current Southern and Northern champions, one looking to revive their national fortunes and another seeking their greatest ever result. In the end OUQC’s pedigree told, and Oxford ran out 130*-50 winners in a final they only began to gain solid control over with the flag runner on pitch, having been leading a dangerous 80-50 at release. Edinburgh justifiably celebrated their unprecedented silver, but the day belonged to Oxford once again, becoming the first team to claim three BQC golds with their first since 2016.
The university division is smaller than it once was, but the quality is arguably as high as it’s ever been, and the closeness of many matches between top teams bodes well for the competitive future of quadball’s next generation. Can Edinburgh keep up the momentum and press for gold? Will Wales secure that coveted podium spot? Will Southampton and Warwick fight back and look for their own third title? Find out this time next year.
Elsewhere, in a minor footnote to the day, Werewolves of London became the second team to win three golds with another close win over LQC in the community final.
