URN

With calls for Wenger’s head after the 1-3 loss to Bayern Munich; the 21 year old Jack Wilshere showed his class tonight in a team that apart from a dynamic 20 minutes could mount very little against a ruthlessly efficient German side. Alongside the improved performances of England compatriot Theo Walcott, Wilshere has been one of very few shining lights at Arsenal this season but will his form continue? Bastian Schweinsteiger, before the game, labelled Wilshere as one of the best midfielders in the world, but is the young man from Stevenage really this calibre of player; or his talent accentuated by ever optimistic England fans desperately searching for a commanding general in their national side’s midfield.

Varsity Men's Basketball

The 2013 charity Varsity Basketball match between UoN (University Of Nottingham) and Trent was the first to be held in the Capital FM arena. Just over 2,000 spectators witnessed UoN win 83-70 after a pulsating 4th quarter.

The score line does not reflect the general play of the full match and Trent should feel rightly aggrieved with themselves after leading the tie after each of the first three quarters.

The first half was dominated by Trent star point guard JoJo Ansah. The 22 year old Ghanaian was playing in his fourth varsity series and is also a prominent figure of the Derby Trailblazers team. Nonetheless JoJo’s and Trent’s hold of the game began to unravel. In the second half he was guilty of overplaying, passing too late and gifting fouls to UoN.

UoN, who play in the midlands 1A league, had the players to capitalize on Trent’s errors. The Nigerian Small forward Ibey Ajgabe and Northern Irish shooting Guard Aaron Brown in particular were instrumental in the Uni fightback. From being down 8 points at the end of the quarter, UoN managed to win by 13 points in the decisive 4th quarter which also saw the crowd come into life.

University of Nottingham v Nottingham Trent

Location: Capital FM Arena. Face-off: 7:45pm, Monday 18 February.

On Monday evening in front of a sell-out crowd of over 7,000, the University of Nottingham are pitted against Nottingham Trent, winners of this event for the last 2 years, in the self-proclaimed “biggest Varsity Ice Hockey game outside North America”.

The history of the Varsity series owes everything to Nottingham Mavericks assistant coach Simon Hopkins. The Mavericks is a joint university Ice Hockey team, with students from Nottingham Trent and the University of Nottingham joining forces on the ice to compete as one team. Hopkins had the idea to split the roster into two, with the players representing their respective university teams in a game in which the proceeds would go to charity. The first event drew a crowd of just under 3,000 and has grown from strength to strength ever since. This year sees the University of Nottingham led onto the ice by their captain Oliver Glover who will be hoping to get one over captain of both the Mavericks and Trent Reece Clarke, who his aiming to win his second and Trent’s third title in a row.

Jack Maclaren, Michael Gaffney and Paul Millington headed down to the Capital FM Arena to speak to the players ahead of the all-important Varsity clash.

The University of Nottingham’s Women’s basketball team were looking for their first consecutive victory over Trent in the Varsity Series for over 7 years and there’s no doubt the brilliant crowds at the Capital FM Arena helped set the scene for a fantastic sporting spectacle.

This Friday will see one of the most tightly contested fixtures on the Varsity calendar, Rugby League, played out at Harvey Hadden Sports Centre. Last year saw Uni claim a narrow 22-18 victory, but this time round things will not be so easy, with the momentum all on Trent's side. Both teams have competed in the same BUCS division this year, the Midlands National, and with the regular season all played out Trent have been crowned division champions, winning 6 out of their 10 games, including both their home and away fixtures against Uni. The UoN boys meanwhile have slogged through a much more disappointing season, winning only 4 games and registering a disappointing -40 goal difference.