The annual Camborne School of Mines (CSM) sports varsity took place on 25 and 26 February, bringing together student athletes from CSM and the Royal School of Mines (RSM). 

The second oldest rugby varsity in the world takes place each year in February with the location alternating between Cornwall and London, hosted by one of the mining schools. Originally, the match only featured the rugby game, but grew to include other sports over its 100 year legacy. 

The 2022 Bottle Match promised the first opportunity for students to get involved in the full varsity experience since before the pandemic. Both sides competed in tennis, hockey, squash, badminton, netball, football and rugby. 

CSM came away with the majority win across all sports and walked away with the traditional metal bottle trophy as reward for their rugby win. 

There were valiant efforts and scores for all teams. These were the final scores: 

Tennis 

Mixed Doubles CSM  4 – 0 RSM 

Men’s Singles CSM 4 – 0 RSM 

Women’s Singles CSM 4 – 0 RSM 

Squash CSM 12 – 0 RSM 

Hockey

Ladies Hockey CSM 2 – 0 RSM 

Men’s Hockey CSM 0 - 1 RSM 

Badminton 

Mens 3 – 5 RSM 

Mixed CSM 9 – 0  

Overall CSM 12 – 5 RSM 

Netball CSM 82 – 5 RSM 

Football CSM 2 - 1 RSM 

Rugby CSM 17-10 RSM 

“The Students’ Union are proud of all our sports teams who played in the 2022 Bottle Match. Each athlete earned their place in the team with the sporting prowess they delivered this year,” said Stevie Preece, President Exeter of the Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union.  

“We were reminded of the importance of the Bottle Match in bringing students and alumni together and continuing the legacy of the Camborne School of Mines this year after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student sports clubs.” 

Thank you to all students from RSM who travelled to Cornwall to compete and big thanks to officials, venues, stewards and organisers for giving their time to ensure a smooth-running weekend. Finally, a huge thank you to our annual rugby hosts, Penryn RFC, a brilliant local club who share their facilities with us every year.

All students look forward to catching up with RSM again for the alumni Bottle Match in the summer and the 2023 Bottle Match. 

For further details of the 2022 matches and previous Bottle Matches, please visit the SU’s Bottle Match hub: https://www.thesu.org.uk/opportunities/groups/bottlematch/