Derby Day 2025: A Celebration of Sport in the Sun
Last week, thousands of students descended on Coombe Dingle to take part in Derby Day!
Derby Day is the ultimate day of sport for Bristol University, where athletes competed across 25 sports against 10 different universities. Led by Ella Lovibond, your Sport and Student Development Officer, this was a huge opportunity to showcase the talent of student athletes and have some fun!
I was really pleased to see so many smiles on faces and lots of different sports taking place! Coombe was shining in the sun and the atmosphere in the hub was buzzing!
Everyone looked great in their Derby Day shirts, and it was awesome to see all the sports come together in a day filled with success!
Check out this video from The Tab who spent the afternoon interviewing athletes, spectators and Ella! Epigram also sent a team of reporters to various fixtures, you can read all of thier excellent coverage on thier website - or look out for the latest issue on news stands dotted around campus.
The day kicked off at 11am and ran until 10pm, with teams and supporters heading to the Triangle for an afterparty sponsored by Fishes to round off the day in style!
Here is how the day unfolded…
We kicked off in the Indoor Sports Centre where Bristol took on Bath in a fierce match up! In the women’s game, Bristol fought a tough game losing 2 sets to 1, however star performances from players like Amelia Frumpston kept Bristol in the game for long periods. While on the men’s court, they drew two sets to all in a tight match. Both volley games ended with celebrations from both sides, as each team comprised of final year leavers who rounded off their year in style!
From the volleyball court to the tennis court where Bristol teams faced off against long-time rivals Birmingham University, in a series of doubles matchups that ended up in a 4-0 win for Bristol!
Speaking to Epigram, Jamie UBTC President said, ‘It was fun to play our last game, thanks to Birmingham for coming down. [We] almost lost, but it was good fun. Tennis wins.
By midday, Coombe Dingle was buzzing. Spectators filled the hub, sports teams made final preparations, and fixtures were underway across the grounds.
Matches in Lacrosse, Hockey, Netball and Football drew big crowds – especially the headline clash between Bristol and Bath in Men’s Football.
Despite a nail-biting 4–3 loss, the match was full of energy and passion. As described in this article by Adam at Epigram, it was a high-scoring heartbreak for the Bristol 1s, but the team walked away proud, especially those playing their final match.
Elsewhere, ultimate frisbee was taking place on the other side of the ground, next to the tight game of rounders which saw Bristol come out on top 9-4 against opponents Bath.
On the hockey pitches under the sun, Bristol ladies suffered a narrow defeat to St Andrews in a BUCS playoff game, but as the sun settled their thirds picked up a huge 4-3 win over Cardiff ones!
As the day drew to a close, the rugby kicked off with UBRFC Leavers vs Birmingham Leavers. Led out by captain Ryan Webb, Bristol engaged in a tough match which went down to the final minutes. Despite the final rally from the boys, they came up just short loosing 22-19.
A similar story played out for the women, who faced up against rivals Birmingham. Despite their efforts they too fell short on the night, as Birmingham walked away victorious.
By this point, most of the other games had ended and crowds gathered in the hub to reflect on what was an incredible day of action. This was all in the backdrop of MMA and Kickboxing bouts that were happening in the ring!
Final Score: Bristol 24 – Visitors 15
See you at Derby Day 2026...
Keep the Derby Day Spirit Going
📊 View the full results from all 53 fixtures
📺 Watch the livestream replay where we invited students to commentate on the featured games! Played in the games? Can you spot yourself?
📝 Tell us what you thought of the day so we can make next years even better!
Big thanks to student media writers and reporters who covered the day – look at their content here!
🔴 Epigram
🟡 The Tab
