A HANDSOME hat-trick was netted by the University of York as three teams qualified for the British Universities and Colleges Sports’ cup finals, writes Michael Thurloway.

Both the men’s and women’s lacrosse first teams reached the Northern Conference Cup final after impressive victories.

The women hosted Northumbria firsts, the only side to beat them this season, but turned in a strong performance to stifle the opposition and come away with a 17-5 triumph.

They will face Durham thirds in the final.

The men made the lengthy trip to Chester but turned in a convincing 23-1 win for the right to meet either their Liverpool or Lancaster counterparts also in three weeks’ time.

York can also prepare for another cup final courtesy of the men’s firsts’ squash ranks, who negotiated a nail-biting encounter to emerge 3-2 victors over Leeds Met seconds.

The squash team are well placed to complete a league and cup double as they currently top Northern 2B.

In their BUCS cup semi-final, the women’s firsts football team put in a valiant performance against UCLAN, a team from two divisions above them, but were ultimately consigned to a 1-0 defeat on home soil.

York dominated for most of the game, but a goal conceded just before half-time prevented them reaching the final.

The men’s seconds fared better, notching a 4-1 win over hosts Teesside thirds.

Meanwhile, the women’s volleyball firsts saw their cup run come to end with a semi-final defeat to Leeds firsts.

Leeds posted a straight sets victory to clinch a place in the final.

On the league front, the fencing men’s firsts comfortably toppled their Keele foes.

However, the women’s firsts were eliminated from the BUCS national championships.

After finishing second in the Northern Premier, they got a first-round bye, only to come unstuck in the quarter-final at the hands of a strong Cardiff firsts team.

Despite a strong start in the foil, Cardiff were the more powerful in sabre and épee to win 111-98.

The women’s rugby firsts suffered a tough duel beaten 44-0 by Sheffield in the Northern 1A league. But the men’s thirds produced a brilliant performance to easily dispatch Sunderland 51-0.

A 2-2 draw with Newcastle 4ths was not enough to lift the men’s hockey seconds off the bottom of the league.

Meanwhile, Huddersfield firsts leapfrogged York men’s thirds in Northern 6B thanks to a comfortable 4-0 win.

The women’s seconds made it three disappointing results for the hockey club, crashing 4-1 to Northumbria thirds.

The women’s tennis firsts lost 8-4 to Leeds thirds in Northern 3B and remain without a win this season.

The American football team, York Centurions, perished 48-8 on 22 Acres against the Newcastle Raiders.