Today's stories involve fresh faces, crazy post-match calls, fewer hangovers, and more sweet, sweet ultimate. Read on to hear how DCU triumphed against tigers and penguins in an epic battle for the right to collect a small metal disc from Coburn.

Downing College Ultimate at Darkside Beginners Tournament: Sunday, 16 October

Game 1: DCU 7 - 3 Tigers in Top Hats (ARU alumni/Spank/randoms)
So it seems DCU struggles to get organized and turn up to 9am starts even without hangovers (read the schedule people!). Nevertheless the five brave souls who did show up on time held off the Tigers in Top Hats (who had very kindly dropped to fives with us) long enough for reinforcements to arrive. We then proceeded to take advantage of, unlike many of the Tigers' players, not having stayed in Cindies till "the end" last night (Cindies has a closing time ???), and in some very dewy conditions took the game in style. Special mention goes to Nick Owen's inability to see defenders when they're crouching.

Game 2: DCU 11 - 0 Pickup
This game involved slipping on bananas, dodging shells, and getting stuck in corners repeatedly. No wait, that was just the Mario Kart we played instead of this game. Followed by some cursing at monkeys with sniper rifles.
Yeah, so this game didn't actually happen, everyone else was too tired/busy to actually play for a pickup team, and we didn't mind the break.

Game 3: DCU 3 - 9 Airwolves (Wolverhampton Uni)
Despite a warmup, turns out not playing for 3 hours in the middle of a tournament leaves you a bit rusty for the next game. Airwolves had some high quality players with a distinct height advantage (read: Lassie's little brother), came out strong and took some quick points - we tried to claw ourselves back into the game, but despite some performances and great commitment, only ended up trading the last few. The game was followed by ... well ... all I will say is that if you ever play Airwolf and are invited to take part in one of their calls, think carefully about what you say. Also there may be pictures of Kaustuv kissing someone's tongue. Special mention goes to Louis who was still eating a burger during our warmup despite having arrived at the pitches an hour earlier :D.

Game 4: DCU 11 - 1 HU (Royal Holloway)
We went into this game buoyed by the knowledge that if we won, we'd be playing again immediately afterwards in the plate final for a chance at silverware. Sleeping in our own beds last night instead of some cold scout hut must have been a good thing, because we soon realised that, despite their excellent handlers, we had legs on these guys, and burnt them deep over and over. They fought hard, but it's tough to keep up with Fraser and Dan even when fully fit - we reached the hard cap of 11 before time went to earn us a short break before the final match. Special mention goes to Dan for exclaiming "Why don't they want to mark me, I don't smell that bad!"

Game 5, Plate Final: DCU 6 - 2 HU (Royal Holloway)
In our prematch talk I warned that Holloway would come out stronger than they had in the previous match, now that everything was on the line, and was proved right. DCU proved up to the challenge though, and really showed our quality with great commitment from everyone, including some beautiful work by the freshers. Conditions were perfect and we used the whole of the field effectively to finish out the tournament in style, utilizing the long game without going for ugly hucks while shutting them down on D. Special mention goes to the feeling of getting beaten to the disc by a guy in a full body penguin suit. Aforementioned suit was then used in a call with the super-friendly Holloway players, named 'Flight of the Penguin' (read: me in a penguin suit waddle-sprinting away from a horde of crazy ultimate players).

Victorious in the plate final, ending placed 5th out of 9 teams (starting seeded 7th), DCU now officially has SILVERWARE. For a college team to succeed at this level, against entire Uni teams, is a tremendous achievement, and only possible because we have such enthusiasm for the sport. Well done to everyone who played at any time this weekend, you've all earned this, with particular thanks to those who showed up for that tough Saturday morning.

Particular praise goes to Fraser, who was incredible and practically tireless all weekend, making super cuts at super speed, every single time. By the end of the weekend, teams were specifically pointing him out and asking "Who's marking the danger man?". Also deserving of praise is Dan Janman who was always somehow free from his mark and running on to that final continuation into the end zone from Fraser (I swear they have a telepathic link), combined with some nice grabs from long shots. Thanks too to the experienced players (Nick Owen, Nick SD, Tebs, and me) who played a ridiculous number of points over the weekend and yet kept the spirit high (even when hanging ...) and everyone involved, and of course some sensational handling.

But the real point of this tournament was to get some beginners involved - and thanks so very much to all who did show up. Beth, Jon, Joanna, Louis, Kim, and Tom all contributed hugely. Particular praise is reserved for Jon, who stuck with us and played some excellent ultimate for someone who pulled his groin within 2 minutes of the tournament starting, Joanna, who iron-womanned every point on a rough Saturday morning where DCU played some of the sweetest 6 v 7 points I have ever seen, and Tom, whose confidence grew throughout the weekend and ended up scoring two points in the plate final. But when I mean that everyone's presence was helpful, I really do mean it - everyone had moments where they did something really great, and generally played quite well. Hopefully you've seen why us experienced players love ultimate: it's the perfect balance of competitive and fun sport with super-friendly players at every match we play.