RAMPANT University of York’s men’s rugby first XV followed up their promotion to the British Universities and Colleges Sports premier league by rounding off their campaign in style.

They crushed Sheffield 36-14, recovering from an early 11-0 deficit to put on an incisive attacking display.

Tries from Will Sharp, Hugo Watson (2), Will Ward, Sam Durno and Hugh Draycott ultimately ensured the black and golds ended the season with 12 wins from 14 games.

Reflecting on a superb season, captain Sam Lord said: “It was a great way to finish and I’m incredibly proud of the effort everybody has put in.

“We said at the beginning of pre-season that we would work as hard as we could and see how far that took us.

“It’s taken us all the way to promotion.”

It was also a day of BUCS Northern Conference Cup finals, with York’s men’s and women’s lacrosse both suffering disappointment.

The men went down 10-5 at the York Sport Village, with a dejected captain William Chun saying: “We did well to get here, but to reach the final two years in a row and lose both is tough.”

York had been in with a chance of victory until the third quarter, but left themselves increasingly open in defence as they went hunting for goals.

In Durham, the women’s team came up short too, losing 10-6, though neither result should overshadow what has been a hugely successful season for the lacrosse club.

The same goes for the women’s football team, whose season ended in a 7-0 defeat in their cup final against Manchester.

York were simply beaten by a better team in a match that was always going to be a daunting challenge.

The consolation was winning promotion with a 100 per cent record in the league.

The men’s squash team, meanwhile, were crowned cup winners with a superb 3-2 victory over bitter rivals Lancaster, securing some vital points in York’s quest to break into the top 40 sporting universities in the country.

The men’s football firsts also ended their season on a high.

Knowing that even a win would only be good enough for second in the table, they capped a positive season with a thumping 5-1 triumph.