This year’s inter-university sports tournament was hosted by York University Students’ Union and featured about 50 sports and competitions.

While York set an early lead across the pre-weekend events, by the close of play on Friday 28 April, Lancaster had surged ahead, setting the foundations for the first Lancaster away win in 38 years.

On Sunday, Lancaster extended the overall lead and was confirmed as the winner of Roses 2023 with a final score of 200 to York’s 126.

Following the tournament, LUSU VP Sport Megan Homburg said: “There was truly something special this year in Lancaster, the enthusiasm and commitment of athletes was unmatched. As VP Sport I could not be more proud of the athletes, staff, volunteers, student media and spectators as each and every single one of them had involvement in bringing home the trophy. In individual wins and losses we saw Lancaster students handling themselves with integrity and grace. I truly could not be more proud to be Lancaster.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Andy Schofield added: “What a fantastic achievement by Lancaster students. An historic first away win in 38 years. I am so proud of everyone who participated in the events and those people who came along and supported the teams. Huge congratulations to everyone involved.”

Shining a light

The theme for this year’s Roses was Shine a Light, raising awareness of sexual violence in sport. Across the weekend, donations were being taken for Survive, a York-based charity which supports survivors of sexual trauma and provides them with the support they need to rebuild their lives.

At the time of writing, just under £3,000 has been raised via a Just Giving page, and more funds were raised over the weekend through ticket sales and merchandise. Both Lancaster and York Universities will be match-funding the monies raised too.

Alongside the fundraising, two original artworks were showcased: the first, linked to the Respect the Rose pledge and the other, sharing survivor stories and quotes via an opt-in interactive exhibit. Both artworks have been bought by Lancaster and York Universities, raising additional money for charity. The artworks will be displayed on both campuses in the future.

Roses are Red!

Organising Roses is an enormous task, and thanks go to both universities’ Students’ Unions for their efforts. Special mention goes to the student media teams too for providing wall-to-wall coverage of the weekend.

Thank you to everyone involved who made the tournament happen and congratulations to both teams for putting on a great show for the fans.

You can re-watch many events, and see the final scores at roseslive.co.uk.

Lancaster University and Students' Union Instagram accounts also feature a range of photos from the weekend.