Lucy student, Ben Gompels, captains Cambridge University RUFC to victory
On Saturday the 25th of March, Cambridge University men’s rugby team dug deep at Twickenham to deny Oxford a hat-trick of varsity victories. Lucy student and team captain, Ben Gompels, shares with us his rugby journey and how it has helped him with his studies.
What are you studying at Lucy?
I am studying an MPhil in Surgical Sciences having previously studied undergraduate Medicine and Bristol MBChB and intercalated in Medical Humanities BA (Hons).
I completed my foundation years as a Doctor in Liverpool before starting my studies here and aim to complete a PhD in Surgery at Cambridge prior to starting core surgical training to become an Orthopaedic Surgeon with an interest in sports medicine.
When did you start playing rugby?
Sport (especially rugby) has been a huge passion of mine since I started playing at the age of 8 in Bristol. I was fortunate to play professional rugby for one season for Bristol Bears in the Championship whilst studying and I’ve made so many friends and had some fantastic coaches over the years who have helped me through my journey.
Cambridge has provided the opportunity to play alongside researching at Addenbrookes and it’s been a privilege to represent such a prestigious university in terms of both sporting and academic excellence.
Can you tell us about the recent Varsity match?
Our club captain, Toby Flood, sustained a serious injury in December so I was called up to Captain the side in his absence, which I have done since January.
We were lucky to have some experienced heads in the team which made my job very easy in terms of leading on the pitch. But it was mainly a case of focusing the team on playing the game, not the occasion. It was awesome to get the win to sign off the year and put Cambridge back on the winning foot after three years of the dark blues dominating.
What would you say to others considering becoming more involved in sports?
Sport has always provided balance for me, though the time commitment can be tough, it has provided clarity and focus as well as a lot of time management! The wellbeing of having a whole club to help support and the connections you make with the team can help both on and off the pitch.
Just go out and enjoy it, any sport is great and even if you’ve never played or always played there’s a great sense of teamwork and belonging.