Another year, another Derby Day, and UEA had one target in mind, : collecting it’s eleventh title in a row. Under the stunning sunny skies of early summer, it was set to be one of the most exhilarating Derby Days for years. With changes to the rules allowing for a host of events to be worth two points rather than one, the challenge to defend our title was at the highest it had ever been. With 40 events on the line including Judo, Football and even Table Tennis, it was set to be an incredible day…a day that did not disappoint!  

The clocks struck 9am and the Sportspark roared into life as the Men’s Volleyball kicked off the day. Right from the beginning swathes of UEA supporters flocked to the arenas to cheer on their competitors, yet it was the women’s futsal that really brought the day to life. A sport on the rise in 2025, it was a back-and-forth battle that gripped everyone’s attention in the early stages of the day. As I covered Archery in the same venue, the noise coming from the futsal court was like that of day 1 at London 2012, the excitement and pandemonium reverberated across the entire hall. The 3-2 victory that followed for and the excitement it caused helped bring the day to an electric start. A win for Archery added alongside helped move the overall score to 2-2 as midday struck, with lots still to play for. 

However, it was the next hour where UEA really began to open its advantage. All eyes descended on the swimming pool where the victories started to flow. Chatting with swimming president Josh Stroud before the event, he expected “a clean sweep” and did he get it, and some. Two resounding victories for the men and the women with the packed swimming pool crowd spurring them on set the tone for a dazzling hour. Simultaneously to the success in the pool, men’s Lacrosse closed out a 7-0 win at Colney. President Teddy Minto praising his teammates for the comfortable margin their team was able to create during the game. Other wins in the form of Men’s Table Tennis and more brought UEA a 7-2 lead in the overall standings as we reached 1pm. 

Still, once the afternoon arrived, campus began to turn all of its attention to Colney. Starting with American Football, President Kit Boulton told me to expect big things from the team, and they responded with a 16-7 victory, including a stunning 2^nd touchdown pass that took the game away from the hands of Essex, a superb start to proceedings. As wins followed for men’s and women’s Rugby, women’s Football, Baseball and  Women’s Lacrosse, the hallowed grounds brought about great success for our competitors, helping UEA to bridge out a comfortable lead into the afternoon and evening events. 

As the afternoon continued, the eyes of the Sportspark turned to theWomen’s Hockey. With the UEA turnout at a high and chants of support filling the air, the quality of hockey did not disappoint. With an array of all-star performances and superiority in all assets of the game, the girls brought home a resounding 5-1 victory to the pleasure of the expectant hockey crowd. In an interview afterwards midfielder Hollie Bozeat called the experience “amazing” and the love from the crowd made it the perfect goodbye to her time with hockey at the University. This being one of many performances that shone across the afternoon sportspark events. With wins for the Squash, Badminton, Mixed Water Polo, and Judo amongst others, rumours began to spread that an eleventh title in a row was getting ever closer. 

Despite calls of an Essex 25-15 lead from some I bumped into, the UEA crowd began to feel hopeful as we reached the time for the 6pm score update. The 25-14 UEA lead that followed now meant that they stood just six points away from their eleventh title in a row. With security guards struggling to control the swarm of students pushing to watch the last few events, we then began to wait for the all-important Netball to round-out the day.  

Under the gaze of a partizan crowd at the Sportspark halls, UEA’s netball team rounded out the day with a superb performance. UEA had won again. The dynasty undefeated, the margin of victory at an unprecedented level, UEA had shown its prowess on the biggest day of their year once again. With the sun shining down on another glorious day for our university, we can acknowledge that 2025 was a Derby Day for the ages. The question now is, can we win a twelfth in a row next year? We shall find out next April. 

Feature image gredit: Max Gowers Media