The 2025 Roland Bryant Cup competition between students of The University of Sydney (USYD) and Charles Sturt University (CSU) unfolded in a dramatic, very emotional and almost unbelievable way on Saturday 17 May with CSU winning by the closest possible margin.
It was an unusually (for Orange, in mid-May) perfect weather day – clear sunny skies, no wind, cool air for this year’s competition. The 15th RB Cup competition is a name given to the Cup by the two students who inaugurated this competition at the end of 2009. A large group of university Sydney students came to Orange with a committed determination to “take the Cup back to Sydney”. Some of the competition was intense and very committed, especially the men’s soccer and basketball.
Due to the sponsorship kindly provided by ADA NSW (represented by Claire Schifter), Guild Insurance (Bettine Hartley), A-dec (Paul Riddel) and Avant Dental lab (Ian Feigen), the students were very well supported. This included newly designed coloured, labelled jerseys (USYD – blue; CSU – red), hiring of facilities and marquees, lunch, support of referees and umpires, and many with accommodation for the Saturday night after the evening “fun and bonding experience” – as described by the USYD student President, Ahjeong Yoo, who, along with the very hard-working CSU Student President, Dylan Day, can take real credit for the success of this year’s event.
The first four (of five) events were shared. Men’s soccer was 4-2 on penalties to USYD, women’s soccer was 7-2 to CSU, men’s basketball was 26-22 to USYD and women’s netball was 52-7 to CSU. By 4.45pm, when the final event, mixed team volleyball (held outdoors), started, the sun had “set”, the lights were turned on and it was unquestionably “cold.”
The volleyball (best of three “sets”, first to 15 in each), had all spectators (and participants) emotionally exhausted as the game went to a final, deciding set. CSU went ahead, then USYD scored successive points, then the score swung back and forwards, with those watching alternatively celebrating a point and then “despairing”. In the end, CSU won the final set 15-13 and so retained the RB Cup. During the day, many excellent “action” photographs (a small selection shown here) were taken by Dr Rabeeh Bahrampourian (who has taught at both USYD and CSU) and later conveyed to the presidents for distribution.
In the closing ceremony, at the end of the very good day and the quite amazing finish, the RB Cup for 2025 was presented to CSU. MVP awards were presented to Alister Burns (USyd) and Sinead Docherty (CSU). All ADA NSW members would be most welcome to attend for some part of the 2026 Cup event, to be held in Sydney, usually in early-May. Come and support future members of our profession.
– Report prepared by Prof Roland Bryant (May, 2025).
