Stirling tennis stars lift BUCS National Trophy

Tennis players from the University of Stirling have been crowned champions after winning the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Trophy Final.

The Men’s Second Team – comprising Ethan Hance, Adam Clunie, Patrick Young, Finlay Watters and Callum McGinn – saw off the challenge of the University of Bath at BUCS Big Wednesday.

Watters secured a 4-2 victory with a Man of the Match performance in the decisive game – closing out a tie-break to bring the trophy home to Stirling, Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence.

More than 40 members of Stirling University Tennis Club travelled to Loughborough for the end-of-season finale, which sees finals played across 16 team sports.

Scott MacAulay, Lead Tennis Coach at the University of Stirling, said: “A huge congratulations to the Men’s Second Team for their brilliant performance against Bath in the National Trophy Final, and across the tournament.

“I’m incredibly proud of everything our scholars have achieved this season, and the support we received in Loughborough was fantastic – it was great to see so many from the Club travel south to back the players.”

The team beat Strathclyde Men’s 1s, Dundee Men’s 1s, and Stirling Men’s 3s (6-0) on their route to the semi-finals, where they saw off the challenge of Leeds Beckett Men’s 2s to reach the last two.

In the final, Stirling notched up a lead going into the final game, after Clunie and Hance had won their singles matches and Young/Hance their doubles match. Watters saved a match point in a third set tie break, and from there battled back to win the tie – securing the title for Stirling.

Meanwhile, the Men’s First Team finished runners up in the National Championship, losing 4-2 to Nottingham.

It is just the latest success for Stirling’s high-performance tennis programme, whose Men’s 1s won the BUCS National League 2024/25 and Liam Hignett and Robert Cowley winning the Men’s Doubles earlier in the season.

Wheelchair basketball player Shayne Humphries is congratulated by Cathy Gallagher, Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling. 

In further success for Stirling at BUCS Big Wednesday, wheelchair basketball athlete Shayne Humphries won gold while competing for the University of Nottingham. Humphries is a sports scholar at the University of Stirling, however, due to the infancy of wheelchair basketball in the BUCS programme, rules allow players to compete for other universities. Nottingham emerged victors in Wednesday’s hard-fought encounter with Loughborough, winning 59-49.

Cathy Gallagher, Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “On behalf of everyone at University of Stirling Sport, I congratulate the Men’s Tennis Team and Shayne on winning their finals at BUCS Big Wednesday. It was a fantastic day, with students from across the country coming together to showcase university sport on the national stage.”

Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, access to world-class facilities and coaching, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Core sports include tennis, swimming, golf, football, triathlon, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships include athletics, fencing, BMX racing, and orienteering. Visit our dedicated webpage for more information on our International Sports Scholarship Programme.