The introduction of Indoor Rounders to the 2024 VC’s Cup marks an innovative twist on a classic game, blending traditional Rounders with elements that cater to a cooler time of year and an indoor setting.
The adaptation of the game to fit within the Sports Centre’s main hall, using two smaller diamonds, added a new layer of strategy and skill to the game. The rules adjustments—particularly the ability to catch players out off the walls and the penalty for hitting the roof—introduce unique challenges that players wouldn’t encounter in the outdoor version.
The teams were split into four groups of four teams. Teams paired up to compete against the two other teams in their group, with the teams rotating so that each team played against one another in their group. The competition was structured so that teams earned points based on their performance: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. In cases where teams had the same number of points, the tie-breaker was the difference in their total scores to decide their rankings.
For groups that had three teams, the format was slightly different. In these cases, one team would bat while the other two teams handled the fielding. Each team would get two chances to bat, and their total batting score would determine their ranking within the group.
Day 1
Seven teams kicked off the first hour, split into two groups. Group one consisted of Chipperfield Circus, Campus Sporting Exploits, DoNATS and Keepers of the Keys. In some narrowly contested matches, it was Chipperfield Circus who came out on top after winning all of their games. The other three teams all finished with one win under their belt, securing three points. Taking points difference into consideration, Campus Sporting Exploits’ took second place, Keepers of the Keys were third and DoNATS finished fourth. Group 2 was made up of three teams, Marlowe’s Marauders, U Bunch O’Kents and Happy Ravers. Marlowe’s Marauders racked up a massive 7.5 batting points to finish their group in top spot. Second place went to U Bunch O’Kents with five points, narrowly finishing above Happy Ravers who finished with 4.5 points.
Group 3, consisting of Living La Vida Mocha, Flu Fighters, RISistence is Futile and Fine Ants, who stepped up to compete in the second hour. The results from these games were extremely tight, with Living La Vida Mocha, Flu Fighters and RISistence is Futile all finishing with two wins out of three and six points. Living La Vida Mocha finally came out on top thanks to a points difference of +6, Flu Fighters finished second with +2 and Flu Fighters were in third with -1. Fourth place went to Fine Ants who suffered three out of three defeats. Group 4 saw Liquorice All Sports top their group with a score of 3.5. Second place went to SPP Power with two points and third place went to Infomaniacs who finished with -1.
Day 2
Following the results from day one, teams were organised into another four groups:
- Group A (teams who finished 1st)
- Group B (teams who finished 2nd)
- Group C (teams who finished 3rd)
- Group D (teams who finished 4th)
Unfortunately the first hour saw a few last minute player dropouts, resulting in Groups B and D combining to play one large game. Group B was made up of Campus Sporting Exploits, SPP Power, U Bunch O’Kents and Flu Fighters and Group D included DoNATS and Infomaniacs. Each team was paired up, batting a fielding twice. Following the first set of games, Campus Sporting Exploits racked up 7.5 batting points to win their group. This left SPP Power in second place with 3.5 points, U Bunch O’Kents finished in third with 1.5 and Flu Fighters finished fourth with 0.5 points. In Group D, DoNATS recorded a whopping 8 points to win this group ahead of Infomaniacs who recorded 3 points.
The second hour saw Group A, Liquorice All Sports, Chipperfield Circus, Marlowe’s Marauders and Living La Vida Mocha, and Group C, RISistence is Futile, Happy Ravers and Keepers of the Keys, compete for points. Group C witnessed some big batting scores with Keepers of the Keys finishing on top with a massive 10 points! Second place went to RISistence is Futile who scored a solid 8.5 points and third place went to Happy Ravers who scored 3 points. Group A saw some close games with each team gaining the lead and then dropping points. Ultimately it was Marlowe’s Marauders who took the lead in Group A with two wins and a draw, recording seven points and crowning them the VC’s Cup Indoor Rounders Champions! Second place came down to points difference with Liquorice All Sports and Living La Vida Mocha both finishing with 4 points. However, Liquorice All Sports’ superior points difference of +5.5 compared to Mocha’s -5.5 saw them snatch second place, leaving Living La Vida Mocha in third and Chipperfield Circus in fourth place overall.
Congratulations to Marlowe’s Marauders for winning the Vice Chancellor’s Cup Indoor Rounders event. It was a fantastic event with all teams getting involved and supporting each other. The FairPlay Award for this event goes to RISistence is Futile who played with great humility and honesty and were very supportive of the umpires and fellow teammates, showing exactly what the VC’s Cup is all about!
Keep up to date with all upcoming Vice Chancellor’s events and results on our website. The next event is Walking Netball, taking place on Tuesday 20 and Thursday 22 February.