Croydon boxer Lucy Harris admitted she had relished her first taste of Bucs Nationals competition after coming away from Sheffield with a silver medal to her name.

Harris narrowly lost a split decision to Coventry’s Vicky Lewis in the final of the women’s novice 54-57 kg category at Ponds Forge on Friday.

But despite falling at the final hurdle, there was still plenty for the 21-year-old Oxford University student to shout about, having only taken up boxing a year ago.

Since first donning the gloves at Harris has fallen in love with the sport and insists she has learned a lot from her first BUCS outing despite missing out on gold.

“I didn’t know if I was winning or losing throughout the bout and I think the scorecards at the end reflect that,” she said.

“But my opponent is a really nice girl and a good fighter, so all credit to her.

“It was a really good fight and it gives me a lot of confidence moving forward that I can keep getting better.

“Even though I lost it was a great event to be a part of. This is my first year at BUCS Nationals – I’ve only been boxing for a year and events like this are great.”

The Bucs Nationals are the UK’s largest annual multi-sport event with the 2015 edition seeing 6,000 athletes descend on the Steel City over the weekend.

Fellow Croydon boxer Steph Ware was also in action but she also missed out on top spot on the medal rostrum after a unanimous decision in favour of Cambridge’s Silke Riesle in the women’s novice 57-60kg final.

And the Lynn Athletic Boxing Club fighter confessed there was an element of frustration in not picking up gold in her one and only BUCS outing.

“I’m a bit gutted I didn’t take the gold,” said Ware. “She was a strong opponent and I knew she would push forward, so I needed to keep her away with long shots.

“I didn’t do that though – I got into a brawl with her, which I like to do, but the style of boxing that I should use is to be long and move away.

“But I’ve got to look forward and next for me is the Haringey Box Cup and then I’ve got the GB Amateur Boxing Championships in September.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do to make sure I stick to my own style and implement that in the ring.

I can definitely turn it around but I’ve still got a lot to work to do.”

British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the governing body for Higher Education sport in the UK, representing 170 institutions and facilitating 52 sport programmes. BUCS has been shortlisted for Governing Body of the Year at the BT Sports Industry Awards 2015 and is supported by Deloitte bucs.org.uk