Sporting students at the University of Aberdeen are gearing up to take on their rivals, The Robert Gordon University, in this year’s 'Liquid' Granite City Challenge.
The University’s 50+ sports clubs will take to the field in an attempt to maintain the University of Aberdeen's 10 year grip on the Granite City Challenge over their RGU rivals.
The Challenge is an annual event, which is the largest one-day sporting event in Aberdeen, with around six hundred sportsmen and women competing in their respective sport to win the Challenge Shield. This year the Challenge takes place on Wednesday, March 23, from 1pm onwards.
The Granite City Challenge is extremely varied with competitions ranging from martial arts and Gaelic football to water polo and tennis.
However, the University of Aberdeen's dominance of the Challenge may not be set to continue.
The Robert Gordon University has recently opened its £11,000, 000 state-of-the-art sports centre at Garthdee which provides RGU students with a substantial platform to launch an assault on the University of Aberdeen’s supremacy.
The last few years have become more of a contest with RGU slowly gaining ground - last year’s defeat was the closest yet with a narrow 40 points to 21 victory to Aberdeen.
The narrowing margin has added extra pressure, but David Sweetman, Aberdeen’s Sports Vice-President, has a confident outlook and is staying positive for another Aberdeen victory over their rivals.
He said: "It's a great day for University sport - every club competes and it is good to see recognition given to each winning captain through the presentation of their own award. No club wants to lose to RGU so there is a huge competitive edge.
“It will be great to feature in the event but it will also be very entertaining for spectators so I hope as many people as possible can get behind the University and spur them on to victory!"
If you would like further information on the event please contact Zoe Ainsworth at the University of Aberdeen on: (01224) 272311.