Oxford football, not usually a college pursuit associated with gender equality, presented a surprise result as a mixed BNC team won the RAG five-a-side competition held on Sunday. The Brasenose Second squad advanced further than the college men’s team to beat Balliol with a ‘golden-goal’ in the final. The victorious BNC team defeated Hertford and St. Hugh’s teams with consistent 3-1 wins in Pool H, having been drawn to play late in the group stages. Without time to rest, BNC snatched a 2-1 victory in a challenging quarter final against a talented Somerville squad. The large Balliol representation ensured an all-Balliol quarter-final when the College’s first and second team fought a surprisingly aggressive game. Despite the second team having had greater success at the group stage, they were unable to exploit this mental advantage as Balliol’s premier squad won 4-2 on penalties. In group 2, Mansfield’s Leigh Rangers rose to challenge BNC’s Men’s team in their quarter-final thanks to the sharp shooting of Taj Uddin. The work rate of Leigh’s midfield strongman, Riaz Ahmad, was phenomenal but Ryan Amesbury narrowly missed their only real opportunity in the second minute of extra-time, allowing BNC Men’s to score the vital winning goal. The Balliol Firsts Brasenose Men’s semi drew a large crowd as Balliol profitably battled to prevent a BNC dominated final. Whilst warm sunshine blessed the bulk of the competition, atmosphere of the aggressively emotional final was enhanced the weather turned upon the finalists. Despite a match full opportunities both teams failed find the necessary height to score in the first-half. Another goalless ten minutes necessitated the referee’s announcement of golden-goal extra-time. Although Brasenose, based upon their earlier performances, had been expected to win, such a result seemed unlikely Balliol dominated possession the ball. Three minutes in, BNC’s David Hollowday celebrated victory as his shot placed the ball firmly between the posts. However referee disallowed the goal height grounds. Nonetheless this gave Brasenose the added confidence to score a well-placed goal shortly after to secure their position as RAG champions 2002. The annual sports event attracted a record 26 teams, representing over a dozen colleges, to compete and raise money for RAG Week.
ARCHIVE: 3rd Week TT 2003
Rag Success
