The Battle of the North: Leeds set to host the Christie Championships

Dan Thompson on 16 March 2022

Of all the aspects of life that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, sporting events feel like the most important of the unimportant. As restrictions were rumoured and then implemented from March 2020, organised sport in Britain came to an abrupt halt. This pause included university sport and the historic rivalries and competitions that come with them. 

Today sees the return of one of the most prestigious of these university competitions: The Christie Championships. The triangular championship sees the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool face each other in over 30 different sports across one day. 

Having been held since 1886, The Christie Championships are the second oldest sporting rivalry between British universities, behind Oxford and Cambridge, when the three universities were colleges of Victoria University. It is named after Richard Copley Christie, a professor of History and Political Economy in Manchester from 1854 to 1866. 

The competition is returning to home soil this year, with the University of Leeds hosting the event today. Leeds’ last victory came in 2014 by securing 172.5 points to Manchester’s 161 and Liverpool’s 144.5. The triumph saw Leeds dominate across almost all fields, picking up 23 wins in the process. It has been eight years since that last victory, albeit with a two-year break, and Leeds’ competing students will be hoping they can recreate 2014’s impressive performance. 

Image Credit: Christie Championships

Leeds dominated the cup in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning nine of out ten championships from 1993 to 2002. However, Manchester have since grabbed the headlines, securing 15 cups up to and including 2019. Leeds will be aiming to recreate their last win on home soil in 2011, which ended an eight-year hegemony for Manchester, and will need support from across the university to do so.

The tournament will be held across various sporting venues in Leeds, including The Edge and the Bodington playing fields. Full details of times and locations for each sport can be found here. Whether you’re a fan of football, badminton, equestrian, or ultimate Frisbee, there’s something for everyone.

Here’s hoping 2022 is a year to remember for the University of Leeds, and one in which we claim the Battle of the North.

Image Credit: Christie Cup Twitter

Courteeners Dazzle Old Trafford at Hometown Spectacle

GryphonEditorAdm on 29 September 2021

There are artists with devout, cult followings in their local area, and then there’s the Courteeners. Alternating between Heaton Park and Old Trafford Cricket Ground, the band returned to the latter for their customary outdoor Manchester show that seems to happen every few years, as they once again proved why they have reached such heights in their great city.

Despite last year’s release ‘More. Again. Forever.’ their setlist has remained roughly unaltered for a number of years; it is truly difficult to imagine ‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’ anywhere than at the start. The crowd was instantly raucous, with sing-alongs drowning out Liam Fray and his band that could have definitely benefited from a little more volume. 

The triple screen layout that overlooked a magnificent Old Trafford added a majestic atmosphere to the gig, as Courteeners firmly cemented their status as a headline act — and no less — which was reinforced by their debut major headline slot at Glasgow’s TRNSMT two weeks prior. With Oasis, The Stone Roses and The Smiths now in ruins, Courteeners have been Manchester’s biggest band for some time now, now rivalled only by Liam Gallagher’s resurgent solo career.

The inevitable climax of ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ after a few acoustic numbers was refreshing, with the band packing their hits into the top and tail end of the set — a distribution that perhaps only Manchester could accommodate, with the crowd still knowing every word to deeper cuts like ‘Fallowfield Hillbilly’ and ‘Lose Control.’ 

It begs the question of if, after their fourth major outdoor show in Manchester, Courteeners will ever make the jump to the likes of Reading and Leeds headliners, or outgrow O2 Academies in the south. However, they will certainly be welcomed back with open arms in their glorious city for many years to come.