A Sporting Review
1
Contents VICE-CHANCELLOR’S FOREWORD
02
ALUMNI SPORTS MENTORING SCHEME
30
EDITORIAL
04
SPORTING SEASON REVIEW
38
COMMENTS FROM THE DEAN
05
TEAM DURHAM SPONSORS
84
TEAM DURHAM - REFLECTING ON OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR
08
COACHES’ AND ATHLETES’ FOCUS
INTRODUCING THE TEAM DURHAM PRESIDENT
16
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
CELEBRATING SUCCESS PAST & PRESENT
17
ALUMNI AND REFLECTING ON THE PAST
118
MAIDEN CASTLE & QUEEN'S CAMPUS FACILITIES
25
HENLEY
134
87 110
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
2
Vice-Chancellor’s Foreword
Vice-Chancellor’s Foreword Team Durham represents the sports elements of Experience Durham. Experience Durham aims to ensure that all our students gain leadership and team building skills and improve employability through music and the arts, sport and volunteering. In this Olympic year it is wonderful to celebrate the success of Durham University Sport past and present. We would like to congratulate current student Lily van den Broecke on being awarded a paralympic gold medal in the Great Britain mixed coxed four, and Sophie Hosking who was awarded gold in the women’s lightweight double sculls at the London 2012 Olympics. We were thrilled that Lily and current student Gemma Collis were selected to represent Team GB in the London Paralympic Games. At the time of going to print, Gemma has not yet competed, and I wish to take this opportunity to wish her every success. Gemma will be making her Paralympic debut as part of the Wheelchair Fencing Female Epee
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Team, and only took up wheelchair fencing in October last year under the guidance of GB Wheelchair Fencing Head Coach and university Head Coach, Professor Laszlo Jakab. Lily coxed the Team GB Paralympic rowing squad LTAMix4+; this is the mixed coxed IV in which the rowers use at least one leg, their trunk and arms. Lily’s selection came only a couple of weeks after winning gold at the Munich World Cup with her crew.
Professor Christopher Higgins Vice-Chancellor and Warden
Lou Reeve, Lindsey Maguire and Steve Rowbotham came fifth in their finals. I am sure you will share my joy and pride in their success.
Those of you who were lucky enough to watch the Olympic and Paralympic events will know that Team GB’s Olympic rowing squad has also won gold medals, two silvers and three bronzes, making it the most successful Olympic rowing team for a second successive games. The squad included Durham University Alumni who were coached by our Senior Rowing Coach, Wade Hall-Craggs and his wife Emma.
On home turf, I was fortunate to be at the pitch and on the riverside at three of the country’s most iconic sporting venues: Twickenham, Lord's and Henley, watching many of our student games and regattas. To be captain of the 1st XI, also an MCC Centre of Excellence Member, is a fantastic achievement; to captain the side at Lord’s against Cambridge in the MCCU final, and score 107 runs, is truly remarkable and must go down as one of the highlights of any athlete’s career. This is what Chris Jones, Captain of the University’s 1st XI, achieved. These non-curricular opportunities which Experience Durham offers add significantly to the personal growth and experiences of our students.
Women’s lightweight double sculls – Sophie Hosking – gold. Lightweight men’s IV – Rob Morgan (coach) – silver
I was informed by Dr Peter Warburton that the objective for Team Durham was to break into the top three of the BUCS league table. For a small university with
3
Vice-Chancellor’s Foreword
rigorous entry grades this in itself is difficult to achieve. Yet again Durham’s students excelled, finishing second in the BUCS league, a truly outstanding achievement. Our teams have won eight national championships, eight premier league titles, five Northern Conference Cups, nine individual event gold medals and thirty six athletes have competed at international level this year. Simply superb! The success of the Community Outreach Programme must also not go without a mention. Working with disengaged groups and making a valuable contribution to the lives of so many has a profound influence on those who volunteer and this is evident in the reports from the Community Outreach team and the 200 student volunteers who work with these groups in both the North of England and Zambia. Durham University has invested in coaching support and facilities at both Queen’s Campus and Maiden Castle. I was proud to welcome Hugh Robertson MP to Maiden Castle to open our new £6.7m world-class facility. These new facilities have also enabled the Community Outreach team to extend opportunities to County Durham community; for example the "Have a go and row" programme. The success of Team Durham will always rely on exceptionally talented students who not only meet the University’s academic requirements but are also able to excel at the various extra-curricular opportunities. Despite celebrating success and medals, our emphasis at Durham,
now a Russell Group University and ranked third in Britain, will always be to provide a distinctive, meaningful and rewarding student experience. It is not just about winning, but as much about learning how to lead, communicate, work with peers and manage time effectively. It is of course also about having fun, making lifelong friends and creating memories that remain with our Alumni for the rest of their lives. I would like to quote the words of Olympic gold medalist, Sophie Hosking: "I can honestly say that if I hadn't gone to Durham, I wouldn't now be competing in international rowing. Durham, as a
collegiate university in a small city, lends itself to letting students study and pursue sporting careers simultaneously." I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Peter Warburton for his many successful years as Director of Sport for Durham University. It was with great appreciation and honour that I presented his Honorary Palatinate Award at an event at the House of Commons earlier this year. Peter is taking on a new role as Dean of Experience Durham, leading the strategic development for sport, music, drama, student and staff volunteering. Professor Christopher Higgins Vice-Chancellor and Warden
The Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Christopher Higgins together with Team Durham President, Professor Tim Burt award the Dean of Experience Durham, Dr Peter Warburton OBE an Honorary Palatinate in recognition of his dedication, support and commitment to sport at Durham University.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Editorial
Editorial Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
One of the greatest privileges we have is being able to work with Durham University students. Not only are they among the most academically able in the UK, but they strive to excel in all they do. Excellence is evident in the areas emphasised in our strategy - sport, music, the arts and volunteering. The diversity of experience which Durham offers enables students to develop leadership, time management, entrepreneurship and communications skills which undoubtedly help them later in life. This is evident in the many roles our students play in sports management and performance structures. The Club and Team Captains have worked tirelessly to ensure their clubs are run well, their commitment and dedication to their tasks are evident in this year's results. I hope you all enjoy reading the 2011/12 captains' reports from the various teams on pages 38 to 83. We also hope you enjoy the Athlete Focus series of individual student sport interviews on pages 87 to 109. There is a constant theme of celebration in this publication, as we celebrate the success of our current students. Pages 8 to 15 document Team Durham's most successful year, finishing second in the BUCS table, while giving you an overview of the diversity of the sports we participate in at Durham. As ever it is the breadth of success, across so many sports, that has made the year so special, and we have included a full overview of the National Titles, The Premier League Titles, Northern Conference Cup wins, Trophy wins, and individual medals that our athletes have won - quite remarkable. Still on the theme of success, we were delighted to celebrate current student Lily van den Broecke's gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympics, as well as former student, Sophie Hosking's gold medal at the Olympics. You can read more about the Olympic medals won by our Alumni on pages 118 to 135 and about current student, Gemma Collis, who is due to compete at the Paralympics, but whose results are not known at the time of going to press. We wish her and her coach Laszlo, the best of luck.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Much of the success is due to the support of our many coaches. The coaching staff have always gone the extra mile to ensure that our students are given the opportunity to achieve in their chosen sport, while helping to balance their degree commitments. We introduce some of the coaches to you on pages 87 to 97. The University has also supported us with the introduction of two new builds at Queen's Campus and Maiden Castle. You can read more about the official opening of the new facility by Rt Hon Hugh Robertson, MP, Minister of Sport and The Olympics on pages 25 to 27. What has been evident at Twickenham, Lord's, Henley and the Olympics is that Durham's educational community does not end at graduation. Friends made on the sports fields are friends for life. Durham Alumni are members of the Durham extended family, who offer
each other support in their lives and careers. The support we receive enables us to continue to provide the educational and life opportunities that many of us ourselves benefitted from as students at Durham. Reflecting on the past on pages 118 to 123 gives you an opportunity to walk down memory lane. To close I would like to quote our new Head of Sport, Music and Theatre, Quentin Sloper: "Durham University Sport will always be reliant upon great students and the emphasis will always be to provide a distinctive, meaningful and rewarding student experience. It is not just about winning but learning how to lead, communicate, work with peers and manage time effectively. It is of course also about having fun, making life long friends and creating memories that will remain with you for the rest of your life."
5
Comments from the Dean
Comments from the Dean Congratulations to all our students, coaches and support staff for leading Durham University to our most successful year in our sporting history. It has been an absolute pleasure this year to stand on the side of pitches and sport halls to watch so many outstanding athletes and teams have such amazing success. The Palatinates won twenty six league titles, including eight Northern Premier Leagues, finishing runner-up in four. This looks a fairly strong record when one considers that Loughborough only managed to finish top of two Northern Premier Leagues. The Palatinates won eight national championships and finished runners-up in twelve. Our final finishing position was second overall, with a record points score for Durham of 3,502 points with only Loughborough and Bath ever scoring more points in one year. We are absolutely delighted to have beaten the 3,500 point barrier. Once again, rowing led the way with their ninth British title in a row and their new facilities will hopefully help to sustain this remarkable success in the years ahead. They finished top of the points table at the small and large boat heads and won
the regatta placing them as the number one rowing university in Britain. The men finished an outstanding eighth at the head whilst the women finished a highly creditable eleventh. There were gold medals for Callum McBrierty and Angus Groom in the men’s double and gold for Hannah Cannell and Izzie Currie in the women’s doubles at the small boat head. Jess Budget and Rachel Martin also won silver medals in the women’s double. In the large boat head there were gold medals for our men’s and women’s coxless fours, silver medals for our men’s coxed four and our men’s and women’s eights and bronze medals for our men’s and women’s quads, our women’s coxed four, our lightweight women’s coxless four and our lightweight men’s quad. At the British Regatta there were silver medals for our men’s eight, our men’s double and our men’s coxless four. Bronze medals went to our men’s double, quad, lightweight quad and our women’s lightweight four, lightweight eight, our quad and double. Cricket came to the party this year, with both the men and women making it to the British Championship finals. Whilst both sides lost, the women going down to the penultimate ball against
Dr Peter Warburton OBE Dean of Experience Durham
Loughborough, the men bounced back in the MCCU final at Lord's with a brilliant performance against Cambridge MCCU. Durham scored 317 off 48 overs, with a magnificent century from Chris Jones before the Palatinates bowled out their opposition for 245. Men’s rugby returned to Twickenham for the second time in two years but found the going tough against Hartpury. A huge thanks to the many alumni, parents, friends and students who made it to Twickenham creating a sea of purple. The 2nd team had an excellent win in the morning in the Trophy Final and the men went on to win the Sevens convincingly for the second year running, destroying Hartpury in the final. The men’s 3rds made it a full house of finals with a superb Conference Cup win. Particularly pleasing was another Northern Premier League title for our 1st team. What a magnificent year for women’s rugby, who in their first year ever in the Premiership, finished runners-up, made it to the quarters of the Championship and the semi-finals of the Sevens. The Hockey Club was awarded club of the year at the Palatinate Dinner marking a remarkable year. Both 1st teams made it to the finals of the British Championships, with the Women winning brilliantly 2-1 against a strong Birmingham side. The men went down 4-3 to Exeter in an outstanding game. Both teams also won their Premierships. There were Conference Cup wins for the men’s and women’s 2nds and League titles for men’s 2nds and 4ths and the women’s 2nds. A magnificent year! Basketball made it to both British Championship finals with the women destroying last year’s winners with considerable ease, whilst the 1st team Men lost out to Worcester. The Women also carried off the Northern Premier League title in a superb all round year. Tennis had their best year on record with the women winning the Northern Premier League with ease and the men finishing runners-up. There were also league wins for our women’s 2nds and men’s 3rds. Durham students also contested the individual and doubles titles in all Durham affairs. Reka Zsilinszka defeated Ksenilia Tokarieva in the singles final whilst Sally Pearson and Lucy Scott defeated Reka and Ksenilia in the doubles final.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
6
women’s fencing won their Northern Premiership in style and the men held on in a nail biting play off to retain their Premiership status. Congratulations to Kira Roberts who won her third gold medal at the Individual Championships in sabre. Lacrosse had another remarkable year with the men and women winning the Northern Premier Leagues in style. The Men won their third successive Premiership Championship in a row defeating Manchester 17-0. Our women’s 2nds retained their North Division 1 Title. Women’s soccer had a remarkable year winning the National Futsal title with an extra time 4-2 win against defending champions Northumbria. They also won the National Trophy title and the North Division 1 title moving into the Premiership for 2012/13. After six rounds of the FA Cup, they eventually lost out in the last sixteen to Preston North End 2-0. The Men had an excellent year and gained their second successive League title and move to North Division 1 for next season. Netball held on to their Premiership place in style and did brilliantly to make it to the last four of the Championship. Congratulations to the club on breaking
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Comments from the Dean
the world record for non-stop netball which lasted 72 hours and raised a significant amount for charity. There were also League wins for their 3rd and 4th teams. Our women’s volleyball finished runners-up in the top league in the North whilst the Men won promotion to North Division 1 for next year. Congratulations to our Women in winning the National Trophy Final. Congratulations also to our golf team who lost out in the play-off for the Premiership but won the National Trophy final. Table tennis had an excellent year with the men winning North Division 1.
Climb and the men silver. There was also a silver for the Women in the Time Trial. Matt Rossiter won silver in the 10K, Ben Page won silver in the Hill Climb and Holly Page won bronze in the Hill Climb. Other outstanding individual performances included our Sports Man and Woman of the year. In snowboarding Charlie Bullock won gold in the slalom, silver in the giant slalom and bronze in the Boarder Cross. Jenifer Walsh won gold in the 1500 metres in the Olympic stadium in the British University Athletics Championship. Peter Hanton won individual bronze in rugby fives whilst Peter and Alex Griffiths won gold medals in the doubles. Our rifle small bore quartet won excellent silver medals in the British Championship as did our women’s duathlon team with our men’s duathlon team finishing fourth.
Our canoe polo women’s team won the British Championship in style whilst the Men won bronze medals in what was an excellent all round year for canoeing. There were silver medals for both the men and women in the White Water and for the Men at the River Race. There were individual gold medals for Sandra Hyslop in the Classic and the Sprint and for Ricki Longley in the C1. Sandra also picked up a bronze medal in the K1 category whilst Allison Auld picked up a silver medal and Katie Ellis picked up a bronze in the Sprint.
This was a team effort throughout the year and many more sports contributed to our overall success, with important BUCS points also coming from badminton, gymnastics, karate, biathlon and pentathlon, orienteering, pool, rugby league, sailing, snooker, squash, triathlon and water polo.
Cycling had another year to remember with the women winning gold in the Hill
I am handing over the reins, as Head of Sport, to Quentin Sloper on the 1st August,
7
Comments from the Dean
as I move fully across to my new role as Dean of Experience Durham, where I will take on the strategic lead for sport, music, drama, student and staff volunteering. I feel extremely privileged to have been given such a wonderful opportunity at Durham University. It has been a journey I will long remember and I am confident that the Palatinates will move from strength to strength in the years ahead. I would like to personally thank all of my staff, our wonderful coaching team and our magnificent support team. A huge thank you to our senior management team in the University, who have backed sport in every way possible. I would also like to express a big thank you to our many volunteers, our parents, our Alumni and friends for all of their support that has
been given in so many different ways. A very special thank you to our sponsors who have helped us move sport on in such an impressive manner. Durham remains a university with the highest possible academic standards and therefore even more credit must go to our students. I am astounded at how many of our top athletes have achieved 1st class degrees this year or very strong 2:1s. I am extremely proud of all of their achievements and it has been an honour to have worked closely with so many delightful young men and women over the last seventeen years as Director of Sport. Dr Peter Warburton (OBE) Dean of Experience Durham
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
Team Durham reflecting on our most successful year
These tables demonstrate Team Durham’s most successful year to date.
BUCS POINTS TABLE 2011-12 Loughborough University
5353
Durham University
3503
University of Birmingham
2911
University of Bath
2813
Leeds Metropolitan University (Carnegie)
2758
University of Edinburgh
2590
University of Exeter
2438
University of Manchester
2221
University of Nottingham
2131
Newcastle University
1952
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE WINNERS BASKETBALL (W)
LACROSSE (M)
FENCING (W)
LACROSSE (W)
HOCKEY (W)
RUGBY (M)
HOCKEY (M)
TENNIS (W)
NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE RUNNERS-UP BASKETBALL (M)
TENNIS (M)
RUGBY (W)
CRICKET (M&W)
NORTH DIVISION 1 WINNERS FOOTBALL (W)
TENNIS 2NDS (W)
LACROSSE (W)
FUTSAL (W)
TABLE TENNIS (M)
NORTH DIVISION 2 WINNERS FOOTBALL (M)
HOCKEY 2NDS (W)
HOCKEY 2NDS(M)
VOLLEYBALL (M)
NORTH DIVISION 3 WINNERS HOCKEY 4THS (M)
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
TENNIS 3RDS (M)
9
Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
NORTH DIVISION 4 WINNERS FOOTBALL (M)
FOOTBALL (W)
TENNIS 4THS
NORTH DIVISION 5 WINNERS RUGBY 4THS (M)
NORTH DIVISION 7 WINNERS NETBALL 3RDS
NORTH DIVISION 8 WINNERS NETBALL 4THS
CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS BASKETBALL (W)
HOCKEY (W)
FUTSAL (W)
LACROSSE (M)
CANOE POLO (W)
CYCLING (HILL CLIMB) (W)
RUGBY 7’S (M)
ROWING (M&W)
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
10
Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNERS-UP BASKETBALL (M)
CANOEING (MIXED) WWR
CRICKET INDOORS (W)
CANOEING (M) WWR
RUGBY (M)
CYCLING (50k TIME TRIAL) (W)
HOCKEY (M)
DUATHLON (W)
CYCLING (HILL CLIMB) (M)
CRICKET (M)
CRICKET (W)
CHAMPIONSHIP LAST FOUR FENCING (W)
CANOE POLO (M)
NETBALL (W)
DUATHLON (M)
TENNIS (W)
CHAMPIONSHIP LAST EIGHT BADMINTON (W)
LACROSSE (W)
NATIONAL TROPHY WINNERS FOOTBALL (W)
VOLLEYBALL (W)
RUGBY 2NDS (M)
CONFERENCE CUP WINNERS HOCKEY 2NDS (M)
TENNIS 3RDS (W)
HOCKEY 2NDS (W)
VOLLEYBALL (M)
RUGBY 3RDS (M)
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL TITLE HOLDERS KIRA ROBERTS (FENCING-SABRE), SANDRA HYSLOP (CANOEING-SPRINT), SANDRA HYSLOP (CANOEING-CLASSIC) CHARLIE BULLOCK (SNOWBOARDING-INDIVIDUAL SLALOM), RICKI LONGLEY (CANOEING-C1), REKA ZSILINSZKA (TENNIS), JENNIFER WALSH (ATHLETICS-1500m)
INDIVIDUAL SILVER MEDALLISTS MATT ROSSITER (CYCLING-10k), CHARLIE BULLOCK (SNOWBOARDING-GIANT SLALOM), KSENILIA TOKARIEVA (TENNIS), ALISON ALUD (CANOEING-SPRINT), ALISON ALUD (CANOEING-CLASSIC)
INDIVIDUAL BRONZE MEDALLISTS CHARLIE BULLOCK (SNOWBOARDING-BOARDER-CROSS), SANDRA HYSLOP (CANOEING-K1), KATIE ELLIS (CANOEING-SPRINT), PETER HANTON (FIVES)
DOUBLES NATIONAL TITLE HOLDERS PETER HANTON / ALEX GRIFFITHS (FIVES), LUCY SCOTT / SALLY PEARSON (TENNIS)
DOUBLES RUNNERS-UP KSENILIA TOKARIEVA / REKA ZSILINSZKA (TENNIS)
ROWING GOLD MEDALS DOUBLE SCULLS
CALLUM MCBRIERTY / ANGUS GROOM
DOUBLE SCULLS
HANNAH CANNELL / IZZIE CURRIE
MEN’S COXLESS FOUR WOMEN’S COXLESS FOUR
SILVER MEDALS DOUBLE SCULLS
JESS BUDGET / RACHEL MARTIN
MEN’S COXED FOUR MEN’S EIGHT WOMEN’S EIGHT BRONZE MEDALS LIGHTWEIGHT DOUBLE SCULLS
LUCY GLENDINNING / COURTENAY HALLWOOD
MEN’S QUAD SCULLS WOMEN’S COXED FOUR WOMEN’S QUAD SCULLS LIGHTWEIGHT MEN’S QUAD SCULLS LIGHTWEIGHT WOMEN’S COXLESS FOUR
“Durham provides sporting opportunities for everyone.” Helena Stolle
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP NAME
NATION
LEVEL
SPORT
YEAR
COLLEGE
Jennifer Walsh
Great Britain
U20
Athletics
1st
University
Thomas Knight
Great Britain
U20
Athletics
2nd
Grey
Elizabeth Barratt
Great Britain
U21
Canoe Polo
1st
Josephine Butler
Scott Cresswell
Great Britain
Senior
Canoe Polo
1st
John Snow
Philip Dean
England
U23
Canoe Slalom
Postgraduate
Van Mildert
Sophie Hawkins
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Collingwood
Anna Thompson
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Hatfield
Stephanie Elliott
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Collingwood
Joanna Lane
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Stephenson
George Scott
Scotland
U21
Hockey
3rd
Josephine Butler
Mark Galloway
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Grey
Cherry Seaborn
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
St.Hild and St.Bede
Lucy Thayer
Wales
U21
Hockey
1st
Josephine Butler
Sophie Clough
Wales
U21
Hockey
2nd
Josephine Butler
Peter Bray
Great Britain
U21
Orienteering
1st
Van Mildert
Josie Adams
Great Britain
Senior
Rifles
2nd
St. Mary's
Stewart Innes
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
3rd
St. Cuthbert's
Charlotte Jackson
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
3rd
St. Cuthbert's
Franz Imfeld
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
3rd
St. Hild and St.Bede
William Fletcher
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
1st
John Snow
Callum McBrierty
Scotland
U23
Rowing
2nd
St. John's
Lucy Scott
Wales
Senior
Tennis
Postgraduate
Ustinov
Jake Shackleford
Great Britain
U24
Triathlon
2nd
George Stephenson
James Wildgoose
Great Britain
U24
Triathlon
4th
Hatfield
FULL PALATINATES NAME
CLUB
COLLEGE
Philip Dean
Canoes
Van Mildert
Luke Blackaby
Cricket
Grey
Luc Durandt
Cricket
Collingwood
Holly Colvin
Cricket (Women's)
St. Mary's
Oliver Clarke
Hockey
Van Mildert
Stephanie Elliott
Hockey
Collingwood
Tony Wilson
Hockey
Van Mildert
John Ford
Rowing
St. Aidan's
Franz Imfeld
Rowing
St. Hild and St. Bede
Mike Ward
Rugby Union
George Stephenson
Tom Shiel
Rugby Union
Collingwood
James Hallam
Rugby Union
St. John's
Edward Brett
Triathlon
St. Cuthbert's Society
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Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
HALF PALATINATES NAME
CLUB
COLLEGE
Edward Hickman Casey
Athletics and Cross Country
University
Gareth Phillips
Athletics and Cross Country
Collingwood
Yvonne Farrell
Athletics and Cross Country
St. Hild and St. Bede
Jack Hillier
Athletics and Cross Country
St. Hild and St. Bede
Lisa Turner
Badminton
Van Mildert
Michael Piggford
Badminton
St. Aidan's
Helen Sanders
Badminton
Van Mildert
Kieran Massey
Badminton
St. Aidan's
Matthew Fletcher
Canoes
George Stephenson
Elizabeth Barratt
Canoes
Josephine Butler
Christopher Salt
Canoes
Grey
Seren Waters
Cricket
St. Cuthbert's Society
Oliver Durell
Cricket + Rugby
Hatfield
Matthew Wilson
Cycling
Van Mildert
Helen James
Fencing
University
James Dix
Fencing
Hatfield
Simeon Quigg
Fencing
St. Hild and St. Bede
Elliot Kay
Football
St. Aidan's
Maeve Clarke
Football (Women's)
Grey
Greg Chambers
Gymnastics
St. Aidan's
Libby Sherriff
Hockey
Hatfield
Louisa Boddy
Hockey
Collingwood
Alex Czerniewski
Hockey
St. Hild and St. Bede
Harriet Tebbs
Hockey
Josephine Butler
James McCarthy
Hockey
St. Aidan's
James Turton
Hockey
Van Mildert
Ben Howarth
Hockey
St. Hild and St. Bede
Ben Flint
Hockey
St. Hild and St. Bede
Richard Topham
Lacrosse (Men's)
St. Mary's
Martin Anderson
Lacrosse (Men's)
Collingwood
Hannah Shaw
Lacrosse (Women's)
George Stephenson
Katie Worthington
Netball
Collingwood
Laurence Thomas
Rifles
Josephine Butler
Giles Strong
Rifles
St. Cuthbert's Society
Murray Lidgitt
Rifles
University
Francis Highton
Rowing
St. Cuthbert's Society
Stewart Innes
Rowing
St. Cuthbert's Society
Charlotte Jackson
Rowing
St. Cuthbert's Society
Peter Hanton
Rugby Fives
St. Hild and St. Bede
Alex Griffiths
Rugby Fives
Josephine Butler
Jonathan Stanhope-Smith
Rugby League
Collingwood
Peter Vickers
Rugby League
Collingwood
Andrew McCulla
Rugby Union
Hatfield
Josh Beaumont
Rugby Union
St. Aidan's
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Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
HALF PALATINATES CONTINUED NAME
CLUB
COLLEGE
Fred Stonell
Rugby Union
St. Cuthbert's Society
Matt Steele
Rugby Union
St. Cuthbert's Society
Kate Langham
Rugby Union (Women's)
St. Chad's
Claire Hobson
Rugby Union (Women's)
John Snow
Edward Harrison
Sailing
University
Edward Fox
Sailing
St. Aidan's
Kathryn Beeson
Squash
Trevelyan
Bright Zou
Table Tennis
Hatfield
Shivam Kumar Raheja
Table Tennis
Collingwood
Ben James
Tennis
St. Hild and St. Bede
Georgina Jefferies
Tennis
St. Hild and St. Bede
Lucy Scott
Tennis
Ustinov
Sally Pearson
Tennis
St. Cuthbert's Society
Rebecca Wallace
Trampolining
St. Cuthbert's Society
Douglas Simon
Trampolining
University
James Wildgoose
Triathlon
Hatfield
Jonathan Yeates
Triathlon
Van Mildert
Thomas Chia
Triathlon
St. John's
James Miao
Water Polo
University
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Team Durham - reflecting on our most successful year
INTERNATIONAL HONOURS NAME
NATION
LEVEL
SPORT
YEAR
COLLEGE
Jennifer Walsh
Great Britain
U20
Athletics
1st
University
Thomas Knight
Great Britain
U20
Athletics
2nd
Grey
Alice Haws
Great Britain
U19
Canoe Marathon
1st
Collingwood
Elizabeth Barratt
Great Britain
U21
Canoe Polo
1st
Josephine Butler
Scott Cresswell
Great Britain
Senior
Canoe Polo
1st
John Snow
Philip Dean
England
U23
Canoe Slalom
Postgraduate
Van Mildert
Holly Colvin
England
Senior
Cricket
3rd
St. Mary's
Seren Waters
Kenya
Senior
Cricket
3rd
St. Cuthbert’s Society
Kira Roberts
Great Britain
Senior
Fencing
4th
University
Daniel Coultas
Scotland
Senior
Hockey
3rd
St. Cuthbert’s Society
Lucy Thayer
Wales
U21
Hockey
1st
Josephine Butler
Sophie Hawkins
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Collingwood
Anna Thompson
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Hatfield
Stephanie Elliott
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Collingwood
Joanna Lane
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Stephenson
George Scott
Scotland
U21
Hockey
3rd
Josephine Butler
Mark Galloway
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
Grey
Sophie Clough
Wales
U21
Hockey
2nd
Josephine Butler
Cherry Seaborn
England
U21
Hockey
2nd
St. Hild and St. Bede
Alexandra Aljoe
England
U19
Lacrosse
2nd
St. Hild and St. Bede
Katie Evans
England
U19
Lacrosse
1st
St. Hild and St. Bede
Claudia Tripp
England
U19
Lacrosse
1st
Collingwood
Hannah Sims
England
U19
Lacrosse
1st
St. Hild and St. Bede
Joanna Hitchcock
England
U19
Lacrosse
1st
St. Hild and St. Bede
Peter Bray
Great Britain
U21
Orienteering
1st
Van Mildert
Murray Lidgitt
Great Britain
U19
Rifles
2nd
University
Will Broad
Great Britain
U19
Rifles
1st
St. Chad’s
Josie Adams
Great Britain
Senior
Rifles
2nd
St. Mary’s
Stewart Innes
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
3rd
St. Cuthbert’s
Charlotte Jackson
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
3rd
St. Cuthbert’s
Franz Imfeld
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
3rd
St. Hild and St. Bede
William Fletcher
Great Britain
U23
Rowing
1st
John Snow
Callum McBrierty
Scotland
U23
Rowing
2nd
St. John’s
Lucy Scott
Wales
Senior
Tennis
Postgraduate
Ustinov
Jake Shackleford
Great Britain
U24
Triathlon
2nd
George Stephenson
James Wildgoose
Great Britain
U24
Triathlon
4th
Hatfield
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
16
Introducing the Team Durham President
2011/12 Team Durham President
Helena Stolle Helena Stolle Team Durham President
Team Durham is the brand name for sport at Durham and is the overall organisational body for the University’s sport structure. This encompasses three main areas; College Sport, Performance Sport (the BUCS programme) and Volunteering and the Community.
innumerable options for sportspeople to compete at the highest level. However, even if students fancy trying something different at a serious level, some of the University clubs have development squads for beginners so there is lots of motivation to try a new sport with excellent coaching structures in place to help student development. Durham’s outstanding inter-college sports programme certainly deserves a mention. With thirteen different sports available and around 420 teams playing on a regular basis, “the college sport programme is massive” so there is a lot of scope for students to get involved that way.
Role of the President As the student president, it is Helena’s role to oversee the majority of student sport. She explains that there is a lot of administration involved as she organises the college sport programme, fixtures, results, and one-off events. With regards the BUCS programme, Helena organises transport for teams and ensures that all of the facilities are in a top condition to ensure its smooth running. She has a budget to work with and so has to collaborate closely with the treasurer (a student with a career development scholarship) to work out financial allocations for each club. She also has a college sports manager (another career development scholar) who helps with the input of fixtures and the overall organisation of the college sport side of Team Durham.
Sporting background Having played every sport available to her as a youngster, Helena has mainly dedicated herself to cricket and hockey having competed in both throughout her school years. Arriving at Durham in 2008, she played in the University 2nd team in her first and second years. Having now graduated, this year she has returned to the Hockey Club following a break last year. She is therefore kept busy training for her two sports during the evening and at weekends. With regards to cricket, she has always played at university, as well as being a member of the Middlesex County team and would regard cricket as her main sport. She comes from quite a sporty family; her father used to play rugby, stopping only due to injury, and both she and her brother have seen sport play an important role in their lives.
Opportunities for Students “Durham provides sporting opportunities for everyone.” At performance level there are 53 Team Durham clubs so there are
Most memorable sporting moment in Durham In her first year she “did the treble”; winning the BUCS hockey trophy, the BUCS Wednesday league and their
Collingwood Geography graduate and Durham University hockey and cricket player, Helena Stolle, is this year’s Team Durham President. Here she gives us an insight into her role and the way Team Durham works as well as her own sporting interests. Team Durham
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Saturday league. Helena enthuses about the great team spirit in her hockey team which was helped by the fact that the team was built from the same players throughout her first two years making it an “awesome experience”. Personal development Helena took over the University cricket captaincy in her second year and continued this role into her final year which she found to be very helpful in ameliorating her leadership responsibilities and improving her communication skills. This role of responsibility led her to apply for the Team Durham President position which she thinks is “brilliant”. She admits that it is a lot of work but that she has learnt a lot of skills whilst carrying out her role. “It has really helped me to develop as a person. In terms of working with others, administration and organisation it has been really good”. Other interests When she is not involved in sport, Helena leads what she describes as a “normal life”, meeting up with friends and going to the cinema for example. She admits to being “musically challenged” but says that she really enjoys listening to music. However her main love is, of course, sport. When not playing, she loves watching cricket and rugby and would love to go and watch Wimbledon one day. Plans for the Future Having studied Geography, she hopes to pursue a career in this sector. She is considering environmental work, perhaps in a water company or involvement in environmental consultancy, always keeping sport as a sideline alongside her work.
17
Celebrating success past & present
House of Commons To coincide with Team Durham’s most successful sporting year to date and with the Olympic year, Team Durham organised a celebratory evening to showcase the fantastic sporting achievements of current Durham University students and Alumni at the House of Commons on 14th June. The event was kindly hosted by James Wharton MP, our Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Higgins and the Dean of Experience Durham, Dr Peter Warburton. It was an opportunity to re-engage with Alumni and celebrate together with current students and parents. The Palatinates achieved a remarkable second overall in the BUCS table for the first time in history; a truly outstanding achievement. As ever, it was the breadth of success across so many sports that made the year such a successful one.
W Basketball, W Futsal, W Canoe Polo, W Cycling Hill Climb, W Hockey, M Lacrosse, M and W Rowing, and Rugby 7s all were BUCS Championship winners. W Football, W Volleyball, M Rugby 2nds and M Golf were all National Trophy winners. M Hockey 2nds, M Rugby 3rds, M Volleyball, W Hockey 2nds, and W Tennis 3rds all won the Northern Conference Cup. The Northern Premier league was won by W Basketball, M Hockey, M Lacrosse, M Rugby, W Fencing, W Hockey, W Lacrosse and W Tennis.
We also celebrated the success of many of our Alumni who were selected for the Olympics or involved in the Olympics. At the time of the celebration, we did not anticipate the fantastic gold medal won by Sophie Hosking and Kat Copeland, and current student W Cox Lily van den Broecke. Congratulations to all! The Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Christopher Higgins together with Team Durham President, Professor Tim Burt awarded the Dean of Experience Durham, Dr Peter Warburton OBE an Honorary Palatinate in recognition of his dedication, support and commitment to sport at Durham University.
The Northern Conference Division One winners were: W Football, M Table Tennis, W Futsal, W Lacrosse, W Tennis 2nds and W Cricket 2nds.
Holly Colvin
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
18
Celebrating success past & present
Canoeing: Elizabeth Barrett – Josephine Butler. 6 European Cup Medals (GB) 2 World Championship Medals (GB), 1 European Championship Medal (GB), National League Ladies Division 1 Medal (St. Alban's), BUCS Canoe Polo gold medal – Women (2012- DUCC), BUCS Canoe Polo bronze medal – Men (2012 – DUCC) Sandra Hyslop - Collingwood. Silver medalist in the individual spirit race at the senior European Championships and Team gold (2009). Team gold (Classic) and team bronze (sprint) at the World Championship (2010). Hockey: Libby Sherriff - Hatfield. Represented England at U16 and U18 levels. BUCS gold and silver, Northern Premiership winners 2009/10 Sophie Davies – Van Mildert. Captain of Hockey for the last 2 years. The club won 2 National Club League titles as well as 1 silver medal in (2010) and 1 gold medal (2012) in BUCS. Lacrosse: Richard Topham – St. Mary’s College. Captain of men’s Lacrosse. Defeated Netherlands Senior Squad (Ranked eighth in the world) and England U19s. Has won 3 BUCS Championship Titles, 2 BUCS Northern Premiership Titles, Northern Conference Cup and 3 BUCS Championship Winner Medals. Hannah Lowther, England U19, Level 1 umpiring. Captain of W Lacrosse. DUWL 2011/2012 BUCS Northern Conference Division 1 Winners, Northern Premier League Winners, and BUCS Championships last eight winners. Fencing: Kira Roberts - University College. GB Senior team. 2011 -12. Fifth Ghent International, second Gateshead International, third British National Championships, Team representation at World Championships in Kiev, TASS sponsored athlete. BUCS Champion, Pro Sabre International second. Gemma Collis – St. Cuthbert’s Society. Started fencing in October 2011, represented Great Britain at the Malchow Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in January 2012. Participating in the 2012 Paralympics. Rowing: Will Fletcher – John Snow. Four times Henley Royal Regatta Winner. Bronze medal in the U23 World Championships quad (2009) and U23 World Champion
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
in the lightweight men’s coxless IV (2010). U23 World Championships in the lightweight coxless IV (2011). Selected to trial for 2012 Olympic Games. Franz Imfeld – St. Hild and St. Bede. GB U18 World Championships (men's VIII, 2009 Silver) and GB U23 World Championships (men's Coxed IV, 2011). Franz was also President of DUBC in 2011/2012. DUBC are the nine times defending BUCS Rowing Champions. 21 members of DUBC have gone on to represent their country at an international level over the last eight years, and DUBC Alumni won gold (Sophie Hosking) and silver (Rob Morgan - Coach) at this year’s London 2012. Charlotte Jackson. DUBC Cox GB U23 (women's VIII, 2011) Rugby: Joe Binns – Stephenson College. Rugby Captain 2011/12. BUCS Championship
winner 2010/2011, BUCS Northern Premiership Champions (Unbeaten in two seasons – 38 games) DURFC winner of the BUCS 7s tournament in 2012/11 and 2011/12. Cricket: Holly Colvin – St. Mary’s College – England women’s Cricket Team. Made her Test debut in the 2005 Ashes series where she became the youngest player male or female to play for England. The following year she made her ODI debut at Lord's against India. She has played a total of 58 ODIs and 28 T20s. She hit the winning runs in the World Cup final 2009 to beat New Zealand, and she was part of the team that won the ICC World Cup, the ICC T20 World Cup for the first time. Holly is also a 2011 Ashes winner, and last year she was ranked the leading spin bowler in the world. Unfortunately Holly could not attend the House of Commons event as she was representing England.
19
Celebrating success past & present
Gemma Collis selected by Team GB for the London 2012 Paralympic Games
Gemma Collis-Law Student London 2012 Paralympic Fencer
Durham University Law student and wheelchair fencer, Gemma Collis, has been selected to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. At 19 years old, Gemma will be making her Paralympic debut as part of the Wheelchair Fencing Female Epee Team. Gemma, who also plays wheelchair basketball, only took up wheelchair fencing when she joined Durham University in October last year and since then has represented Great Britain in the Malchow Wheelchair Fencing World Cup. Growing up, Gemma competed at a high level in a number of sports, including triple jump, figure skating and hockey. In 2008, Gemma developed a condition called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Since then, Gemma has been on crutches or used a wheelchair. In February 2012, the University opened the only world-class standard fencing specific facility in the country with four competition and four practice dedicated fencing pistes and wheelchair fencing frames with coaching led by Professor Laszlo Jakab. Gemma’s biography "My name is Gemma Collis and I am a 19 year old wheelchair basketball player and wheelchair fencer from Buckinghamshire. Growing up I took part in almost all sports. I figure skated at national level between the age of 8 and 11, played county level hockey between 13 and 15, was District 100m champion between the ages of 12 and 15 and was double county champion in triple jump aged 15. My dream had always been to go to the Olympics. I had been in training for London 2012 with the hope of representing Britain in the triple jump there. Then, just over three and a half years ago, in July 2008, I got a condition called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. RSD is a progressive nervous system disease that affects the functioning of the nerves in my right leg, causing altered sensation and extreme pain. Ever since then, I've been on crutches or used a wheelchair.
I thought I'd never be able to take part in sport again so began coaching, officiating and volunteering at sports events. It was whilst doing this that I discovered disability sports. Whilst volunteering at the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Birmingham in 2010, I discovered that my condition qualified me to play wheelchair basketball as a minimally disabled player so that November I began playing wheelchair basketball. Since then I've played for Aces, Percy Hedley Eagles and Wales. My greatest achievement to date in wheelchair basketball has been being selected to represent Wales U25s at the 2011 Celtic Cup in Stirling, Scotland after having been playing for nine months. However, I'm no longer just a wheelchair basketball player! Shortly after starting my Law degree at Durham University in October of last year, whilst training for basketball, I was approached by Professor Laszlo Jakab,
the GB Wheelchair Fencing head coach, who asked me if I'd like to try wheelchair fencing. I tried it and really enjoyed it. I've been fencing since the end of October and my love for the sport is continually increasing. My preferred weapon is epee, but I also fence foil. In January, I took part in a week long international fencing camp at Stoke Mandeville with the French squad and represented Great Britain for the first time in the Malchow Wheelchair Fencing World Cup at the end of January. I recently attended an international fencing camp in Frejus, France with fencers from several different nations. Whilst there I competed in the 8th Challenge International des Joinvillais, which is an annual international wheelchair fencing competition. I came second in the women's Category A Epee, having been knocked out of the mixed epee in the last 16 round of Direct Elimination. I was also selected to represent Great Britain again at the Lonato Wheelchair Fencing World Cup this May."
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
20
Celebrating success past & present
Lily van den Broecke
selected by Team GB London 2012 Paralympic Games
Lily van den Broecke Rowing Cox for the LTAMix4+
Durham University student and rowing cox Lily van den Broecke has been selected to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Lily’s selection comes only a couple of weeks after winning gold at the Munich World Cup with her crew. Lily, who is 20 years old and a 1st year student at Durham University, started rowing at secondary school. After four years of sculling, she tried out as a cox and found it suited her. Lily said: "I'm beyond excited to be part of the Paralympic Games. Not only is it an honour to be coxing some top athletes but the experience will be made even more special when shared with our home nation." In the Paralympic Squad, Lily is a cox for the LTAMix4+, which stands for Legs, Trunk and Arms mixed coxed four, and means that the rowers use at least one leg, their trunk and arms, with four rowers and one cox in the boat. Lily, who is a member of University College, combines her sporting career with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics; something she is able to do at Durham, which prides itself on academic excellence combined with opportunities in sport, the arts and volunteering. Although Lily has been selected for the Paralympics, she is able-bodied. The rules do not preclude able-bodied athletes to compete as rowing coxes in the Paralympics. She said: “I have coxed as part of the Junior GB squad as well as for the senior team. I feel that as an able-bodied cox working with the Paralympic Rowing Squad is one of the most humbling and incredible
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
experiences that anyone without a disability could have, and we would of course, love to win a medal at the games.”
It is the role of the cox to get 100% out of the crew and out of each athlete as an individual.
In 2011, Lily won gold in the World Rowing Championships in Slovenia as part of the LTA mixed coxed four with crewmates Pamela Relph, Naomi Riches, David Smith and James Roe.
There are a number of ways we do this. We listen carefully to the coach, trust what they say and reinforce it throughout a training session. We have to also be confident in independent decisions because a coach can’t be with you all the time.
In Munich, at the first World Cup of 2011, Lily raced in one of two GB LTAMix4+ boats to take gold, with Germany in second and the other GB boat taking bronze. In 2010, she coxed the junior women’s 8+ (JW8+) to a gold medal at the World Rowing Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. Earlier in Lily’s rowing career, she secured a gold medal as cox of the JW8+ at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in France and won the ‘Triple’ at school level by winning the School’s Head, National Schools and Henley women’s race with Headington School. The London Paralympics will take place from 29th August until 9th September 2012. Lily’s biography My name is Lily van den Broecke and I’m a student at Durham University, originally from Oxford. I’m studying for a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and am currently in my first year at University College. Alongside my studies, I am part of the Paralympic Rowing Squad – a vibrant, exciting and competitive team. My place in the squad is as a cox for the LTAMix4+ (LTAMix4+ stands for Legs, Trunk and Arms mixed coxed four). This means that at any one time, there are four athletes in the boat and one cox, which is me.
Our role is to push the crew, which requires good technical knowledge. Like a tennis swing, hockey push or rugby kick, they all require good technique, as does the rowing stroke. We also find that we say the same things in as many different ways as possible! People respond differently to different commands and it’s important a cox connects with their crew by understanding who responds to what. Besides, saying the same thing over and over gets very boring and might not get a response at all! We also have to motivate the crew, and the way we do this can be different for each rower. Whereas encouragement and positive reinforcement might be good for one athlete, another might demand more challenging and aggressive calls, which cause a response to push harder, to prove their worth. The other part of the job is to steer correctly using the rudder. This is made harder by the fact people apply different power through the one blade (oar) they have, causing the boat to swing to one side. The list goes on! I really enjoy coxing. The people, the art of the sport and competition make the early mornings and cold weather totally worth it. I hope the Paralympic Rowing Squad can win Team GB a medal at the 2012 Paralympics.
Celebrating success past & present
21
London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics We are very proud that Durham students and Alumni have taken part in the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, and in particular would like to congratulate current student Lily van den Broecke on being awarded her Paralympic gold medal coxing the Great Britain mixed coxed four.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
22
Celebrating success past & present
Congratulations also to Sophie Hosking for her Olympic gold medal in the women’s lightweight double sculls.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
23
Celebrating success past & present
Durham University Boat Club Alumni have been well represented at the Olympics – The Team GB rowing squad has won four gold medals, two silver and three bronze at London 2012, which makes them the most successful Olympic rowing team for the second successive Olympic Games. As you will know from previous bulletins, the squad included these Durham University Alumni (not shown in this photograph is James Harris, Durham Alumnus and gold medalist Kat Copeland's coach):
Fencing Current student and wheelchair fencer, Gemma Collis was also selected to represent Team GB at the 2012 Paralympic Games. At the time of going to press, Gemma has not yet competed, but we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate her on her selection. Gemma has been coached by the Team GB Paralympic Coach Laszlo Jakab who is also the Senior Fencing Coach for Durham University.
Durham University Olympics
Gemma Collis
Naomi commented: “Although I am a firm believer that true inspiration to achieve must come from within, the support that I have received during my time at Durham University, and in particular from my academic department and college, is unparalleled. Along the various sporting paths that I have taken, I have come to realise that having such a rock to rely upon is of the utmost importance in order to achieve ambitions and dreams.”
women's lightweight double sculls – Sophie Hosking – gold Louisa Reeve, Lindsey Maguire and Steve Rowbotham came fifth in their events. Lightweight men’s IV – Rob Morgan (coach) – silver Emily Taylor was also selected as a reserve for the women’s VIII Rob Morgan
Dave Miller
Torch bearers Mark Scholey (1999) College of St.Hild and St. Bede, 1st team Hockey and DAU President, was also appointed as the Torch Relay Programme Manager. The torch made its way to Durham and three rising sportswomen, Alumni and present students were involved who all represented Great Britain in their respective sports of hockey, rowing and fencing: England U21 hockey player, Steph Elliott, who hails from Middlesbrough, rower Naomi Hoogesteger whose crew broke the Atlantic crossing world record, and top five British fencer Kira Roberts.
Of these, Emily Taylor and Steve Rowbotham learned to row while at Durham. Steve also won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Dr Naomi Hoogesteger, a lecturer in the School of Modern Languages, hit the headlines last year when she broke the world record for the fastest Atlantic rowing crossing as the only female crew member. She completed the crossing in 31 days and 23 hours raising over £40,000 for charities along the way.
Dave Miller Dave was nominated to carry the torch through Hartlepool. Dave has been inspiring people to play hockey in the North East since the 1970s. Barely a hockey player will have come through the junior Durham and North East ranks or through Durham University without having benefited from Dave's coaching, mentoring or stewardship, including potential members of the Team GB hockey teams in 2012. Quite simply, he epitomises the spirit of selfless volunteering without which British sport would not be what it is today.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
24
Celebrating success past & present
DURHAM ALUMNI: NON-COMPETITIVE OLYMPIC INVOLVEMENT ALUMNUS \ ALUMNI
PRIMARY CLASS OF
PRIMARY COLLEGE
PRIMARY SUBJECT
CURRENT JOB TITLE
EMPLOYER
Amandine King
2011
St. Aidan's
Project Analyst
LOCOG
Andrew Ridley Anna E Foster
2004 2001
Van Mildert Collingwood
Social Sciences Combined Geography English Literature
Games Operations (C3) Presenter
LOCOG BBC Radio 5 Live
Anna M Rodgers
2000
St. Cuthbert's Society
1980
Van Mildert
Torchbearer Operations Manager Board Member
LOCOG
Baroness Sally Morgan
Sport in the Community Geography
Belinda Moore
1994
Trevelyan
Theology
Caroline V Ainley
2004
St. Mary's
Celia M Carrington
1980
Trevelyan
Business Administration Theology
Charlotte J Thompson
2007
St. Hild and St.Bede
Christian L Manito
2000
Grey
Christie P Aumonier
2001
St. Hild and St.Bede
Chemistry
Head of Athlete Engagement Financial Control Accountant Planning Committee Member (Independent) Consultant in Readiness Testing & Exercising Head of C3 (Command, Coordination and Communication) Delivery Integration Manager - London 2012
Christopher J Hollins Emily J Black
1993 2008
St. Hild and St.Bede University College
Sociology & History Natural Sciences
Emma Painter
2007
Grey
Modern Languages
Gabrielle (Gabby) N Logan Harriet Phoebe Jackson
1995
St. Hild and St.Bede
Law
2006
Grey
Classics
Helen L Goodwin
1998
University College
Arts Combined
Ian A Nunn John S Mortlock
1979 1987
University College University College
Economics & Politics English Language
Jonathan D Edwards
1987
Van Mildert
Physics
Joseph (Joe) DJ Cusdin Kenna A Kintrea
2007 1980
St. Cuthbert's Society Trevelyan
Marc R Bryant
1999
Van Mildert
Geography Engineering & Management Classics
Mark CA Pougatch
1990
Hatfield
Politics
Mark LY Scholey
1999
St. Hild and St.Bede
History
Torch Relays Programme Manager
LOCOG
Matthew G Kidson
2002
Collingwood
Social Sciences Combined
Central Football Services Manager
LOCOG
Michael S Painter
2006
Collingwood
Mathematics
LOCOG
Philip K Curnow
1994
Trevelyan
Rachel C Miller
2003
St. Mary's
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry Geography
Sarah A Jones
1995
Trevelyan
History
Sarah Bartholomew
2006
Grey
History
Shaun Darke
2000
N\A
Business Administration
Sophie DH Wooller
2007
St. Mary's
History
Thomas E Hill
2006
St. Aidan's
Social Sciences Combined
Workforce Operations Manager Programme Manager London 2012 Planner - Planning Decisions Team Deputy Director Government Communications Government Relations Manager Commercial Contract Manager Financial Planning Analyst Rate Card Manager
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Social Sciences Combined Social Sciences Combined
Olympic Delivery Authority British Olympic Association LOCOG Olympic Delivery Authority LOCOG LOCOG
Deloitte
Presenter Accessible Transport Officer Medical Services Manager Presenter
BBC Olympic Delivery Authority LOCOG
Venue Operations Accreditation Co-ordinator Event Services Training Executive Consultant Senior Finance Advisor - Cultural Olympiad Board Member (LOCOG) \ Presenter (BBC) Senior Analyst Head of Venues and Infrastructure Head of Commercial Governance Presenter
LOCOG
BBC
LOCOG LOCOG LOCOG
Olympic Delivery Authority Olympic Delivery Authority Olympic Delivery Authority BBC Radio 5 Live
Deloitte Olympic Delivery Authority Government Olympic Executive LOCOG LOCOG LOCOG LOCOG
25
Maiden Castle & Queen's Campus facilities
£6.7 million Sports facilities at Maiden Castle
The new £6.7 million facilities in the Graham Sport Centre at Maiden Castle were officially opened by the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson, MP, on Tuesday 21st February. The Dean of Experience Durham, Dr Peter Warburton, treated three of the esteemed guests - Mr Robertson, Charles Johnston (Director of Property for Sport England) and Chris Higgins (Durham University’s Vice-Chancellor) - to a guided tour of the Graham Sports Centre, which was being used by a range of athletes, from Great Britain Olympic trialists to children from the local community. The main focus of the tour was the £1 million indoor rowing tank; one of only three in the United Kingdom, which simulates the movement and feel of a boat through water. Will Fletcher, a Durham University student and member of Durham University Boat Club, expressed his satisfaction with the new facilities because they will allow, “hands-on coaching in all weather conditions”. It is hoped that this will help build on the club’s already impressive programme, led by Wade Hall Craggs (ex- British Olympian single scull), which has helped twenty one of its members to represent Great Britain at U21 and senior levels in the last eight years. For Will
at the moment, superior facilities are of the utmost importance because he has recently been asked to trial for Great Britain’s senior lightweight four for the London Olympics. As the Minister for Sport highlighted in the speech he delivered, the margins for success and defeat at elite level are often so fine, but the best facilities can make those “crucial differences”. Team Durham hope that Will is going to be the first of many to reach the very top level with this new springboard. In the upstairs section of the new extension to the centre, they received an introduction from Kira Roberts (currently ranked fifth in the country in women’s Sabre division) to the new fencing facility. It is the only one of world-class standard in the country, fitted with four ‘competition’ and four ‘practice-dedicated’ fencing pistes, as well as wheelchair fencing frames, which Team Durham hope will give the necessary boost to the training of Durham Student and Paralympic hopeful, Gemma Collis. However, this luxury will also be shared with the wider sporting community. Durham Regional Fencing Centre, which offers training for all ages and abilities, is being welcomed to fence at the Graham Sport Centre, and the wheelchair fencing facilities are set
to host training camps in preparation for London 2012 and Rio 2016. Further on in the tour, the Minister enjoyed speaking at length with Durham University cricket academy members Holly Colvin (England women’s International), Seren Waters (Kenyan International) and Luc Durandt (Durham University’s record run scorer for a university season), asking them about their time at Durham and their future careers in the sport. Each one of them expressed their individual desires to continue at the top level once they leave the academy programme. This would continue a well-embedded habit of the first ever cricketing University Centre of Excellence in the world, led by Head Coach and ex-England and Lancashire batsman, Graeme Fowler, which has helped to develop over forty test and county cricketers. However, the young players showed a breadth of perspective that appreciated the Durham University environment that encourages academic and sporting excellence. Maiden Castle also boasts an extended sports hall, a performance analysis suite, three dedicated physiotherapy treatment rooms, a multi-purpose dance studio and x-bike training room, a rowing ergo gallery housing 28 stations and a new purposebuilt boat house. Team Durham are grateful for the funding of all of these outstanding developments, which came
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
26
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Maiden Castle & Queen's Campus facilities
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Maiden Castle & Queen's Campus facilities
from Durham University, Alumni donations and a £500k grant from Sport England. “With a rich heritage of participation both within the University and the wider community,” said Charles Johnston, the Sport England representative, “it’s fantastic to see Durham University build on this with the Graham Sports Centre”. On the day, his opinions were being substantiated by demonstrations of Durham University Boat Club’s ‘Learn to Row’ scheme, a programme being spearheaded by Emma Hall-Craggs (Team Durham Head of Student Volunteering) and Francis Highton
(Vice-President of Durham University Boat Club), which arranges for Durham University Boat Club members to coach students from Durham School and local community schools. The wider University, of which 92% participates in sports (the best participation rate in the country), will also use the new facilities via their college sports clubs. Chris Higgins, Durham University’s Vice-Chancellor, emphasised how proud the University is of its exceptional sports’ participation level and how the sporting provisions at Durham are part of a wider curriculum: “The skills you learn
through sport, through arts, through volunteering are skills for employability and skills you need for life”. Whilst there are several potential Olympians and potential Paralympians amongst Durham University students this year, others from the University and the community have the luxury of training alongside and being coached by this exceptional talent. What was established on the day is that Team Durham, the Minister for Sport, and Sport England anticipate that the revamped Graham Sport Centre will inspire and nurture the skills and virtues of all who use it.
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Maiden Castle & Queen's Campus facilities
Queen’s Campus Sport Centre Annual Review During the academic year 2011/12, the Sports Centre continues to have a huge impact, not only on College Sport at Queen’s Campus, but also in helping to make Queen’s Campus a far more attractive option for potential students. General use of the sports facility has continued to increase significantly over the last academic year. This is reflected in the number of gym members. In addition we have also seen an increase in the use of the indoor hall by students, college teams and external groups, which has resulted in the hall being fully booked throughout the academic year. This year’s challenge is to see the facility being used to its full potential over the summer break. In addition, the completion of the new boat house has resulted in increased student members for both John Snow and Stephenson College Boat Clubs. Our partnerships with GB rowing as well as the NHS Trust continues and we also
look for opportunities to establish new partnerships with local businesses with a view to using the facilities and generate additional funding streams. We will also be looking to expand opportunities to groups on Campus, such as Music and the Arts, with a view to facility use for exhibitions etc. The introduction of the College based basketball and volleyball coaches has seen a steady increase in the numbers of students attending coaching sessions over the past year, and we are looking forward to rolling out these development opportunities to students in the next academic year. We have also set up a canoe/kayak club here at Queen’s Campus, with the intention of building a community programme with children and adults taking part. Our No Strings Badminton sessions continue to gain in popularity giving students, external groups and younger children the opportunity to engage and develop their skills.
Steve Wright Head of Sport Queen's Campus
For the 2012/13 academic year, our aim is to target the further development of canoe/kayak, volleyball and build on the development of basketball here at Queen’s Campus. It is hoped that university men’s basketball will be located at Queen’s next academic year with the intention of locating university volleyball to Queen’s in the coming years. Continued staff development and the introduction of a new member of staff have also had a positive impact, enabling students to undertake a wider range of activities. We have also revamped the health and lifestyle programme, which includes a new fitness class timetable. The Sport Centre has hosted a number of high profile and well attended events during the academic year including the Tony Blair Foundation Indoor Rowing Competition with, in excess of 200 children attending. The centre was also the chosen venue for the Tees Valley Acrobatic Gymnastics event with over 500 people attending the event from across the country and Ireland, both as competitors and as spectators. Further events included the Afasic Society, as part of their “Voice for Life” event, England Netball, Regional Trampoline Competitions and a Futsal competition which saw over 100 children in attendance as well as spectators. Now more settled in our centre, we have been able to turn our attention to raising our profile locally by increasing the amount and range of local community involvement. To this end we are spearheading a Healthy Living initiative aimed at primary school children. In addition we are also targeting adults from disadvantaged backgrounds with a similar social health and wellbeing programme. Stronger links with local groups and police force, who engage with youth groups, have also opened up more opportunities for local youths to participate in sport. We have also
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Maiden Castle & Queen's Campus facilities
embarked on weekly adult disability activity sessions in conjunction with Stockton Borough Council, as well as continuing the disability football sessions with the Percy Hedley Foundation.
The increased involvement in community activities has also impacted on the amount and range of volunteering opportunities now available to students, and Queen’s Campus.
Our involvement with Street League saw two very successful academy programmes taking place at Queen’s Campus. Our links with Street League have now come to an end, but we are looking forward to the opportunity of forging further links.
On a final note, we would like to congratulate Kat Copeland on her gold medal in the women’s lightweight double sculls at London 2012 with Sophie Hosking. Kat has been training with the Tees Rowing Club using Queen’s Campus facilities.
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme The Team Durham Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme is now in its third year. The Scheme pairs Durham University sports club captains or elite athletes with Alumni, who have successful careers in industry or business and who have participated in sport at a high level while at Durham. Using this link with an experienced individual, students have the opportunity to discuss with their mentor the challenges of being a leader in university sport, airing problems as they arise and balancing the difficulties of time
commitments of sport and academic work. They also have the opportunity to discuss future career choices with the leaders in their field. The scheme was also extended to include a leadership forum hosted by the Royal Navy onboard the HMS Bulwark wessel. Maeve Clarke, the Team Durham President attended this course, which you can read more about on page 32.
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
the guidance that they provide will look to prepare the students for the challenges within their leadership and out into later life. Sophie Davies, 2011/12 Hockey Club Captain shares her experiences of the scheme on page 31. We are very thankful to Clifford Chance who have kindly sponsored the scheme.
The leadership experiences facing the students during their time at Durham offer key opportunities for developing important employable skills. By utilizing the knowledge of the Alumni mentors,
Alumni Sports Mentors Tim O'Gorman
John Capaldi
Sarah Hardingham
Jeremy Wilson
Law
Music
Physics
Arts Combined
Cricket/Hockey
Lacrosse
Boats
Boats
General Counsel & Company Secretary Luminar Group Holdings Plc
Brevan Howard
Director Global Risk Management
Vice Chairman Barclays Corporate
St Mary's, 1976-1979
Grey, 1968-1971
Simon Thorp
Hatfield, 1980-1983
St Chads, 1985 - 1989
Elspeth Talbot Rice
James Lloyd
Ian Nunn
Law
Economics & Politics
Economics & politics
Geography
Lacrosse
Hockey
Basketball
Tennis/Golf
Barrister QC XXIV Old Buildings
Director of Marketing & Business Development Mayfair Capital
Former Finance Director Eurostar
Founding Partner Onside Law
University, 1976-1979
Hatfield, 1992-1995
St Cuths, 1986-1989
Hild Bede, 1982-1985
Charles Honnywill
Howard Veary
Susie Wakefield
Economics History & Economics
Classics
Geography
Hockey
Hockey/Tennis
Rugby
Retired Partner Deloitte
Partner Insurance and Reinsurance group Taylor Wessing LLP
Partner Ernst & Young Hild Bede, 1982-1985
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Hatfield, 1969-1972
St Johns, 1990-1993
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Sophie Davies I am very grateful for the Team Durham Mentoring Scheme, as it was through this that I was introduced to my mentor, Howard Veary. Howard is funny, approachable and always on call to help. I remember occasions this year as I have been finishing a job application, or making important decisions that I have been on the phone at 11pm, with Howard on the end of the line providing invaluable advice and searching the internet to provide as much help as he could. Howard encouraged me to pursue a career option that I was cautious about, and because of this, I applied for and accepted a job at Ernst & Young for
next year; a position that I am very excited about and would otherwise have let slip by. We email regularly, speak occasionally on the phone, he has watched two of my hockey matches and we have been out to dinner a few times. This relationship has helped me, not only to decide my future career path, but also in my role as club captain and as an MA student. Discussing my work commitments and club captain duties with Howard has helped me to manage my time as efficiently as possible. I am most grateful to Howard for the support that he has given the Hockey Club’s previous treasurer, Sofia. Having spoken about Sofia with Howard, he suggested that I put her in contact with him, and subsequently went aboveand-beyond his role as club captain
mentor, which he already did for two current students, Luc Durandt and I, by taking the hockey club treasurer under his wing too. Having Howard Veary already graduated, Mentor to Sophie Sofia had no one Davies and Luc Durant to turn to for advice, but with the help of Howard in terms of discussing applications, CVs and interviews, she has since secured an accountancy job next year. It is for this reason that I am very grateful to have been a part of the Team Durham Mentoring Scheme; it gave someone who had no one else to talk to, someone to bounce ideas off, and she is now on her way to achieving her goal of becoming an accountant.
We are thrilled to welcome new mentors to the Scheme Rear Admiral CCC Johnstone CBE
Edward Rash
Cross Country/ Athletics
Anthropology
Rugby
Boats
HMS Bulwark
Flag Officer Sea Training HMS Bulwark
Vice President Legal Burberry Limited
Captain Alex Burton Chemistry
University, 1983-1986
Hild Bede, 1982-1985
Mark Binney
Brendan Baxter
Maths
Natural Sciences
PwC
Rugby
Van Mildert, 1990-1991
UK Senior Legal Counsel Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
Geography
Hild Bede, 1991-1994
Hatfield, 1987-1991
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
The Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme extended Captain Alex Burton, the Commanding Officer of HMS BULWARK offered eight of our Team Durham elite athletes the opportunity to take part in a leadership symposium in Plymouth over the summer. All the students really enjoyed the experience. HMS Bulwark Report At the end of the last academic year, I was one of eight Team Durham sports captains fortunate enough to be chosen to attend a leadership forum hosted by the Royal Navy onboard HMS Bulwark, County Durham’s adopted Royal Navy vessel, in Plymouth.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time on HMS Bulwark, undertaking a seminar programme which provided us with an informal platform through which we could examine four different aspects of leadership. During these discussions, representatives from the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines shared their leadership experiences, providing us with insightful examples of leadership in action. During our two day stay, we were exposed to a range of Navy personnel with a wealth of experience, all of whom were happy to share with us their own leadership experiences and encouraged us to reflect on our own; challenging how we think about leadership and
Maeve Clarke Team Durham President 2012/13
provoking us to think about what qualities leaders should possess. Although particularly salient to leadership in a sporting environment, the tasks and discussions we engaged in during our stay will no doubt be applicable within other areas of our lives. Having recently taken on the position of Team Durham Student President I am confident that the skills I acquired during my brief stay on HMS Bulwark will be invaluable this year as we look to build on the unprecedented success of the 2011/12 campaign. This was a great opportunity to be given and I would strongly recommend it as a worthwhile venture for future students. Maeve Clarke
Profiling a few of our Alumni Sports Mentors
Rear Admiral CCC Johnstone CBE Flag Officer Sea Training Clive Johnstone is a graduate of Shrewsbury School, Durham University and Britannia Royal Naval College. Since joining the Royal Navy, he has deployed to most points of the compass and has served as Navigator, Fighter Controller and Principal Warfare Officer in ships ranging from Minesweepers to Aircraft Carriers. In addition to deployments around the world, he has been engaged on operations in the North Atlantic, off the Balkans, in the Northern Gulf, as well as on counter Narcotic Operations in the Caribbean. He also served as the First Lieutenant in HM Yacht BRITANNIA during an appointment that culminated in the handover of Hong Kong. Admiral Johnstone has commanded HMS IRON DUKE (a Type 23 Frigate) where he was engaged in the Atlantic
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
and the Adriatic, and HMS BULWARK (an amphibious assault ship and the Fleet’s Amphibious Flagship) where he undertook operations in the Northern Gulf, Horn of Africa and off Beirut. He was awarded a CBE for the Gulf Deployment and the evacuation of British Nationals out of Lebanon. During appointments ashore, he has worked in Directorate of the Above Water Battlespace and commanded in the Maritime Warfare School. Promoted to Captain in 2002, he served as the Fleet Programmer within the Fleet Headquarters and was involved with planning for Operations in Iraq, the Fire Fighters Strike, hurricanes in the Caribbean, the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Promoted to Commodore in 2007, he undertook a short tour as the Director Naval Personnel Strategy before joining the Ministry of Defence in April 2008 as Director of the Naval Staff and later in that year, Principal Staff Officer to
the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup and latterly General Sir David Richards. Admiral Johnstone is a Member of the Higher Command and Staff Course and the Royal College of Defence Studies. He is a Younger Brother of Trinity House and a member of the Royal Naval Club of Argyll. He is the President of the Royal Navy and Royal Marine Football Association and President of Royal Navy and Royal Marine Boxing. A proud Strategic Partner of the Royal Navy Royal Marine Charity, he assumed his role as Flag Officer Sea Training in July 2011. He and his wife Alison, a professional opera singer, live in Admiralty House with their two daughters. Whenever they can, they escape to their beloved cottage in Scotland where ‘Argyll time’ creates more space to spend on the family, boats, fishing and a chance to read.
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Commodore Alex Burton - Royal Navy balancing challenges and demands during later life. The early part of my Naval career was spent in a variety of warships in many theatres of operations: the Gulf twice during the late 80s, six months in the Falklands in early 1990 and two lengthy deployments on counter drug operations in the Caribbean, including a period providing disaster support to Montserrat following a volcanic eruption.
I attended ‘Castle’ between 83 and 86 enjoying three years of great sport at both the University and college level. Running was my forte and my chest still smarts when recalling those early morning training sessions under the crisp, clear North Eastern skies. My strengths were in cross country, with races competed throughout the country; the Hyde Park Relays, an undisputed high point with a fast flat race preceding a hard evening out in the city. It was the combination of the inclusive competitiveness of college sport and focussed competitiveness at University level that I found most compellingly unique about Durham. It offered me a useful template when
Since then, I have commanded three different warships: a mine countermeasures vessel involved operations in the Gulf and a period clearing ex-Soviet minefields in the Baltic States of Latvia and Estonia; a frigate deployed for seven months delivering Counter Terrorism Operations in the Eastern Mediterranean with a period east of Suez to support the invasion of Iraq; and mostly the Fleet Flagship and Amphibious Ship, HMS BULWARK, where I was the Force Commander providing security for the sailing Olympics and Paralympics in Weymouth. I have had two appointments in the MOD; the first in the Policy area where I assisted in the authorship of the Defence Strategic Guidance and led studies into the Armed Forces’ future force structure. The second was as the Military Assistant to a minister, spending 18 months advising him on issues such as: medical care, pay and conditions and advising him on operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
I’ve spent seven months in Baghdad as the Senior Advisor to the Vice-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces during the US surge, expanding my list of travel destinations to Tikrit, Fallujah and Babylon amongst others. From 08/10, I undertook a joint appointment within the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters leading the day-to-day operations for all three services in Iraq, the broader Middle East, counter piracy and global counter terrorism. Throughout my life, sport and Durham have played a major part. I’ve continued to enjoy the inclusive competitiveness of ship’s sport playing hockey, football and watching rugby from the side-lines; but continued to be a competitive runner, racing for the service in the London Marathon. As for Durham, I return whenever I can and have been fortunate to have been up frequently over the past two years as my ship is affiliated to the city. The ship has been thrashed at rugby by the "college barbarians" and I saw for myself, the strength of character and commitment of the new generation of undergraduate captains, who spent two days onboard discussing leadership. I gained much from my time at Durham and hope I can share, as a mentor, some skill-sets and experiences with an undergraduate stepping forward into his/her future.
“Why I would like to be a mentor? I gained a huge amount from my time in Durham particularly in representative sport and am keen to offer something back; I have recently been hugely impressed by several engagements I have had with some of the University’s current athletes and feel development and mentoring in this area is one means by which I could contribute to the success of future Durham Graduates.” Captain Alex Burton
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Edward Rash
Vice-President Legal, Burberry Limited of lawyers worldwide, ensuring that legal risk is effectively managed and strategic objectives are met. Ed is married to Emma and has two children, Henry and Poppy. Ed lives in London, and whenever they can, they escape to the beautiful seaside village of Polzeath, Cornwall or spend time in the Lake District. Ed remains a keen sportsman, is a member of St Enodoc Golf Club, and has completed five London marathons, raising in excess of £20,000 for Alzheimer’s Research.
Career Ed Rash is a graduate of Tonbridge School, Durham University and the College of Law. After leaving law school, Ed joined the major international city law firm Simmons & Simmons and qualified as a corporate lawyer. Ed spent 5 years at Simmons & Simmons before joining the international news agency Reuters as in-house legal counsel advising the company on all aspects of commercial and corporate law. After 8 years at Reuters, Ed joined Burberry, the international luxury British fashion brand where he is currently VicePresident Legal, leading a team
Memories of Durham I look back at my time at Durham (St.Hild and St.Bede) and know what a privilege it was to be part of this wonderful University and the foundation that it provides for future life. Whether it be the multiple opportunities to participate in team sports of the highest standards or the deep and lasting friendships that are made, or simply studying in a stunning environment where you feel part of a community, Durham provides it all, with a strong work and team ethic, installing fundamental core values that have been of tremendous benefit for my life and career.
In terms of sporting events, I fondly recall the XV’s rugby trip to Sicily where we played the national side. Despite stifling heat, Durham overcame the Sicilian national side, 167-0 (at times it felt like an unopposed training session!). I was lucky enough to play alongside Greenwood and Stimpson (England World Cup centre and England full back, respectively), who were even at that time, stars in the making. I also have great sporting memories of the incredibly hardfought games and rivalry between Hatfield v St.Hild and St.Bede in the college rugby finals; ultimately Hatfield winning on at least two occasions by the last kick of the game. However, my overriding memory of sport at Durham was the team spirit and professionalism amongst the players and it is these values that continue to resonate in business life today. I made a huge number of friendships and contacts in the Durham sporting field, which I continue to benefit from. I very much hope that as a mentor I can provide advice, guidance and support and transfer some of the values and benefits that Durham provided for me.
Brendan Baxter
Natural Sciences, Rugby, UK Senior Legal Counsel, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty I graduated in Natural Sciences from Hatfield in 1991, after which I attended law school and then qualified as a solicitor. The bulk of my legal career to date has been in London private practice, specialising in insurance litigation. In 2008 I moved in-house and became UK Senior Legal Counsel at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, a leading global insurance company, based in its London office. My role involves advising the business management on both insurance and corporate related matters. At Durham, I was lucky enough to make my debut for the University 1st XV during my first term playing at tight head prop. The game was against Tynedale, which ensured I had an extra warm Geordie welcome from the opposition front row!
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
University rugby tours to Canada and Zimbabwe followed and provide fond memories in addition to those gained in the North East. The strong friendships built on and off the pitch remain an important part of my life today. For me, key parts of playing rugby, in the front row or elsewhere, are the reliance on teamwork, with necessary personal responsibility and accountability, and developing leadership ability. I believe these attributes have also served me well in my professional career. I look forward to giving whatever support I can, and that might help any future mentee in their current university life and in dealing with what lies ahead. I also look forward to what I will learn from the process, as I see this scheme as very much a two way experience.
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Gordon Wood
The sporting events which I participated in at Durham have everlasting memories, and all of them gave me tremendous benefits for dealing with future life, whether it was sporting or business. But the memories start off with the countless times I ran up (Alex) Henderson’s Hill whilst training at Maiden Castle! The most memorable game that I recall was the BUCS semi-final match we played at the racecourse against Loughborough. They had Fran Cotton and Stevie Smith (England prop and scrum half respectively) among other stars, and we greeted them with a bitterly cold wind, slanting rain and sleet one February afternoon in 1972 in one of the toughest matches I ever played. Our team spirit and "never say die attitude" saw us win 9-7. Perhaps the saddest event which I experienced was the subsequent final against Bristol. The record books show that we lost 16-17. In those days though, there were no substitutes, not even for injuries; something which today’s players and coaches would find inconceivable with the tactical substitutions which occur, and our team lost our stand-off, Nick Dawson, in the first half. Apart from the disruption to this key position, it meant playing over half the game with one man short, when everyone had to be fit enough to last the full 80 minutes and still have enough energy to make up for the man short. They scored a try out wide in the last minute of injury time, and it was clear to everyone there, including the Bristol players, that the best team had not won. The following year, I had a knee injury which kept me out of rugby for the whole season. Our team coach, Mike Weston, the then most capped England stand-off, arranged for me to see the Sunderland football club physio, Johnny Watters,
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
on a regular basis for three months. For him it was first come first served, a fact to which he strictly adhered. 1973 was rather a good year for Sunderland, who were in the second division (now the Championship) and they kept winning in the FA cup, and I remember lying in the physio room with both Ian Porterfield and Jim Montgomery. Somehow they got through to the final where they played red hot favourites Leeds United (the then equivalent of Manchester United). Porterfield scored the only goal of the game and with five minutes left Montgomery made a magnificent double save to keep Leeds out. And my lasting memory? When the cup was being taken round the ground, the BBC cameras zoomed in on a man standing at the side looking on with tears in his eyes. The commentator said, “There is Johnny Watters, the Sunderland physio”. I had seen for myself the unassuming effort that he had put in to get the players onto the pitch. That is what sporting commitment is all about, proving that underdogs can go on to win. Athletics then was confined to the summer term, which is also when we also had to do exams! I had learnt early what was necessary to be done, after the test exams at the beginning of the January term in my first year. My law tutor had written on my paper “If this represents the sum of your knowledge, then I suggest you start again”. So I did, and passed!
My business career has always been in commercial property, meeting people and giving advice on all property aspects from lettings, rent reviews and lease renewals, to acquisitions of offices, shops and industrial units for clients such as Land Securities, Amec and Threadneedle, as well as private individuals and family trusts. Perhaps the most well known properties for which I am responsible are the IKEA stores and retail parks at Bristol and Nottingham. Yet the contacts and friendships are often based on sports, so I became the Chairman of The National Surveyors Sevens. This has raised over £400,000 since I became chairman, for charities including British Diabetic Association, Kids Kidney Research, Debra, Aspire, Chase, Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre, Suzie Lamplugh Trust, The Wooden Spoon and The Royal Star & Garter Home for Disabled Soldiers Sailors and Airmen, and often concentrating on those charities, which are small but are so worthwhile and which benefit to a greater extent, such as The Diamond Centre, Elifar, Unicorn, and The Three Little Miracles. I trust that I will be able to pass on as a mentor some of the benefits which Durham gave me. Gordon Wood Rugby England Schools Under 19 England Under 23
In my last year, Durham continued to have good rugby players at all levels and it was evidenced when we won the BUCS sevens at Rosslyn Park in 1974. The interesting aspect was that in the final there was no quarter given by our opponents, the Durham University 2nd VII, the first time that this had ever happened!
Durham Palatinate and Cambridge Blue Barbarians
Other memories? Attending the Debating Society and going to lectures on Palace Green in such historic surroundings; knowing the Polar Explorer Jock Wishart, who was at Durham at the same time; having the benefit of advice from the Registrar, Ian Graham and Master of Hatfield College, Tom Whitworth; and going to the Hatfield Formal where we danced to The Troggs, who had a top 10 hit which younger readers will only know the follow up version – "Love is all Around" by Wet Wet Wet! Oh, and meeting my future wife Rosemary, who was at St. Aidan's doing Economics and Politics!
Great Britain Junior International
Harlequins & London Scottish (Captain) Chairman National Surveyors Sevens for 20 years Athletics All England Schools 400m Hurdles winner Twice 200m BUCS Champion Durham Palatinate and Cambridge Blue Career Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Chartered Valuation Surveyor Has own practice in Central London (Dexter Wood & Partners) dealing with commercial property investment, asset management, valuation, lease renewal and rent reviews.
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Gordon Wood
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Sporting Season Review
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Sporting Season Review
Hockey Season Review
Sophie Davies Durham University Hockey Club Captain
Nine golds, four silvers, three bronzes, three fourth places and just one competition finished outside of the top four slots. The success of this year has been, in many ways, unrivalled in DUHC history. This truly was a season of magnificent firsts... For the first time both men’s and women’s 1st teams reached the BUCS final, where they were joined by both 2nd XIs in their cup finals. For the first time, the men’s and women’s 1s and 2s all won their BUCS leagues. For the first time in North East history, a team (our men’s 3s) completed a perfect season, not dropping a single point in their 22-game haul. For the first time in North women’s hockey, a 3rd XI competed in a regional league. Again, for the first time, DUHC won three BUCS Cups out of four and six BUCS leagues out of eight. Setting these records is a testament to the standard of hockey being played at Durham, the hard work that the players put in, both at training and in matches, the quality coaching that is received and the support that we get from Team Durham. This season has seen a level of success that could not have been predicted at
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
the start of the year. Students have worked tirelessly on and off the field to ensure the smooth running of the club. The support that we have received from Peter Warburton, Quentin Sloper and Helena Stolle from Team Durham has been fantastic, and the coaching structure, including Mike O’Neill, Ben Howarth, Cameron Henderson and Jon Kantor was integral to the success of all teams. However, the influence of one man has been felt throughout the club, whose passion for Durham, need to win and work ethic have rubbed off on all who have been coached by him. We are sad to say goodbye to Gavin Featherstone, Head of Hockey, this year. Gavin has been with the club for seven years, achieving university, national, regional and county success every year. His commitment to the game and to the University is evident to everyone who meets him. Having coached both the men’s and women’s 1s each weekend, as well as the remaining six sides each week at training, Gavin has performed the role of at least two men, and the success that he has achieved has been incredible. We wish him luck in his future coaching career in the United States, and are sure that he will be
able to achieve the success over there that has characterised his coaching roles in England. Women’s 1s DUHC W1s achieved BUCS gold in 2007, but have since been disappointed to fall at the last hurdle on two occasions, achieving the silver medal in 2008 and 2010. Having won the BUCS league by a considerable margin, five points and twenty goals clear of reigning BUCS Champions Birmingham, there was a feeling amongst the squad that this was our year. Having sailed through the knockout stages beating St. Andrews 14-0, Bristol 3-1 and, until this point, unbeaten Exeter 5-0 in the semi-finals, the team went to Sheffield with the passion to win following our 2010 disappointment at losing to our opposition Birmingham. We were cautiously confident that in this re-match we would go one step further than we had in previous years, replicating the success of 2007. With one field and one penalty corner goal in the first half, the 2-0 lead going into the break was much needed, as Birmingham came back fighting in the second half. The team learnt in this game that you don’t have to play pretty hockey to win. We defended tightly, put
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Sporting Season Review
pressure on the opposition and fought to the end. As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 2-1 and Durham were crowned BUCS champions. The National League brought a similar stream of high scoring games. Having lost just one match all season, the team failed to win the league by just two points. A crucial game against the eventual champions Beeston, in which a controversial last minute goal awarded the opposition a draw, ultimately decided the league standings. Beeston were to finish top with Durham second. Following this disappointing result, the league was out of our hands as we waited for Beeston to slip up. Although able to continue the rest of the season unbeaten, unfortunately Beeston did the same and we were unable to do the triple: winning the BUCS League, BUCS Championship and the National League. Nevertheless, finishing top in both universities competitions and runners-up in the National League is a set of results that could never have been predicted at the beginning of the year. This truly was a season to remember, with success that most of us could not have dreamed of when we arrived at preseason on August 22nd. Men’s 1s Like the Women, the men’s 1st XI won the BUCS Premier Division, beating rivals such as Loughborough and Birmingham on the way. In an identical display to last year’s success, the boys have made a habit of winning premierships and making it to BUCS finals. The road to success this year was paved with highscoring games, including a 5-1 win
against Brunel in the last 16 and a 10-1 against Oxford Brookes in the Quarters, as well as closely-fought contests where Durham’s superior fitness, technical and tactical display outshone their opponents in the last minute. One such game was the semi-final against old rivals, Birmingham. Having won the match in the final play of extra time last year, the team knew that their opponents would put up a much harder fight than the sides that they had faced up until this point in the competition; however, no one expected that they would be 2-0 down in the first five minutes. The shaky start was rectified with some of the best hockey that was played all season, and as seventy minutes were completed, this year there was no need to go to extra time as Durham walked away victors in a competitive 5-3 game. This success followed the women’s victory against Exeter, making DUHC history; both the men and women had made it to the BUCS final. Facing premiership team, Exeter, the Durham side displayed great passion, coming back from behind on two occasions, to make the score 3-3 with not long to go. Unfortunately, luck was to go Exeter’s way, as a final goal for them left the score at 4-3. Two BUCS silver medals in as many years is quite an achievement, and with a maximum of two players leaving the squad at the end of this academic year, there is every reason to believe that the side will go one better next year, bringing home the BUCS gold. In the National League we finished in third position, 12 points clear of the next placed team. This was a tough
league to be a part of, but the impressive results ensured that Durham, along with Brooklands and Sheffield Hallam, moved away from the pack, proving themselves to be one of the best sides in North hockey. Two losses to eighth placed Preston meant that winning the league would be very difficult, but the determination shown in the second half of the season, which meant that the side went unbeaten, demonstrates the class of hockey being played here at Durham. Men’s and Women’s 2s Having been relegated from their BUCS leagues last year, both 2nd XIs were tasked with the difficult job of gaining immediate promotion out of their leagues. With nowhere to progress in their Saturday leagues, having already attained the highest available position for any 2nd team, the aim for both sides was to win their BUCS league and Championship. Neither team disappointed. As both squads went unbeaten throughout all universities competitions, Durham hockey was shown to be of a superb standard. The women’s 2s were in a class of their own; the only possible exception being the W3s, the only team to take points off the 2s all season. They won the league with 13 points more than the next placed university, with score lines of 4-0, 5-0, 10-0 and 11-1 throughout their league campaign. Ultimately beating Liverpool 1s in the final, DUHC 2s should be proud of their BUCS achievements this year, and have a BUCS gold medal and league championship to show for it. The men's 2s also won their league by quite some margin, six points clear of the next team and with a superior goal difference of 22.
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42 With results including 7-0, 6-0 and 5-0, it is unsurprising that this team too reached the finals, and beat MMU Cheshire to take home their very own gold medal. In their Saturday league, the Northern Premiership, the 2s face teams on the verge of the national league. Facing opposition with aspirations of reaching the top leagues in the country, each week is a tough contest. The men's 2s scored highly throughout the season and attained the target that was set for them of coming third in the league, behind two 1st XIs and ahead of a further seven. The women's 2s, who experienced a significant amount of disruption through players moving up and down, did well to finish at the lower end of mid-table, and without a single finalist in the side, will benefit from continuity next year and hopefully finish further up the division. As double BUCS champions, the men’s and women’s 2s did the club proud. Men’s 3s and 4s The men’s 3s and 4s, like all aforementioned teams, have had league success, winning the North East Premiership and the BUCS league respectively. The men’s 3s completed a perfect season, with 66 points out of a possible 66, 122 goals, and wins of 13-2, 12-0, 8-1 and 7-3, all against 1st XIs. Although the team had also won this division in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, with an average of a 5-1 win in every match over the last five years, this year they made history, as no side has ever gone the whole year without dropping a point. In their BUCS league they finished third, falling behind DUHC men’s 2s and Leeds Met 1s. The men’s 4s won their BUCS league, despite being the only 4th XI in the side, gaining promotion for next season.
Sporting Season Review
They too play in the North East Premiership for their club hockey in which they finished fourth. The only sides to place higher were 1st XIs and our unbeaten men’s 3s. In true DUHC style, the men’s and women’s 3s and 4s are surrounded by 1st XIs in their leagues, and also characteristic of the club, they have managed to outplay these sides, finishing considerably higher than would be expected of any other 3rd or 4th team. Women’s 3s and 4s Having both won both of their leagues last year, the 3s and 4s entered new leagues on Wednesdays and Saturdays, facing a standard of competition that was new to them. It was unheard of that a 3rd XI would play in a regional league, and there were doubts at the beginning of the season as to whether they would be able to hold their own in a league in which the other 11 sides were, without exception, 1st XIs. As tends to the be the case with Durham hockey, all doubts were cast aside as the team registered 13 wins and finished the league in an impressive fourth place. The 4s entered the Durham Premiership this year, a division that they had been relegated from just two seasons ago. Demonstrating the level of improvement in the standard of hockey here each year, the team finished second, with the highest goal difference and most goals scored of any team. Finishing second should lead to promotion into the league that the 3s sit in, which would make further history as the first ever 4th team to enter the league. As only one team is permitted in each division, however, the team settles for their place in this league, and will be back fighting to claim the title next year. In terms of BUCS, the 3rd XI finished
second to our W2s, losing just one match all season, and this was to the 2s. The 4s had a tougher time in BUCS, but were able to achieve a fourth place finish. Individual Success The success of this season has been reflected in the selection for the Great Britain Super League. Oliver Clarke, Anthony Wilson and Adam Miller represented one of the English squads, while George Scott played in the Scottish side and Ollie Davies in the Welsh. Similarly Steph Elliott, Anna Thompson, Cherry Seaborn and Jo Lane were in one of two English squads and Lucy Thayer and Sophie Clough represented the Welsh side. Every year more and more players represent their national sides from the Durham set-up as the University is recognised as one of the best hockey environments in the country. In the last 12 months, Mark Galloway represented England U21, Sophie Hawkins, Anna Thompson, Steph Elliott, Cherry Seaborn and Jo Lane have represented the women’s U21 side, Sophie Clough and Lucy Thayer played for Wales U21 and George Scott for Scotland U21. In addition to this lengthy group, Sam Driver, Oliver Clarke, Adam Miller and Antony Wilson are participating in trials to enter the England U21 side. DUHC top-scorer, and current Durham University Sportsman of the Year, Danny Coultas retains his place in the full Scottish team. He represented Scotland Seniors in the Senior Celtic Cup, The Champions Challenge and The European Championships, and is currently training with the squad for potential World Cup qualifiers in September. We wish all of these individuals all the best in their international endeavours and are proud of their achievements. Contributions to the Club I would firstly like to thank you, the reader, for your interest in Durham University Hockey Club. We really appreciate the support that we receive from parents, Old Boys, friends and members of the local community, both at our games and through the interest that they take in following our progress. I would like to mention a few groups in particular. Our sponsors, Accenture, who have supported the club for a number of years, have continued to sponsor us this season, and have also agreed to do so next year. As our main sponsors, the contribution that they have given to DUHC has made it possible for us to compete at such a high standard throughout the club.
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Sporting Season Review
You really can achieve more at Accenture. We are a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company with more than 223,000 people around the world. Together, we work with some of the world’s most successful organisations - including energy multinationals, Hollywood studios and not-for-profits. The exciting, complex projects we work on, turn innovation into effective business solutions. Helping take our With so many teams travelling by coach around the country, and with high affiliation and pitch-booking fees, without their support we would not be able to continue in the manner that we are. Other sponsors that have been invaluable to us have been Hillsidegroup, who have provided thousands of pounds worth of pitch-side banners free of charge, and the many individual sponsors in the matchday programme who have contributed to the club. Finally, I would like to thank the parents who have contributed both financially and through support at our matches. We often have good side-line support at matches across the country and this does not go unnoticed. Friends of Durham Hockey is the best university hockey Alumni network in the country. The September Dinner this year was well-attended by Alumni, and our student representative, Harith Aldeghather, returned with tales of various antics, enticing everyone to the January weekend. Kicking off with a Saturday night social in London, the January event was as good as ever. The Sunday matches saw the Ravens/Devils defeat the Maidens, Jesters beat the current DUHC M4s, and a 1995-2005 side (made up of Wizards, Dun Cow Vagrants, Ghosts and Knyghts) lost to a post-2005 side (Alchemists and Unicorns). The 1st XI Old Girls lost 2-1 to the W1s, while the 1st XI Old Boys lost 5-2 to the M1s. The club truly values the Old Boys, who provide incredible financial assistance as well as support and interest in the sides throughout the year, as was witnessed by the huge turnout at the BUCS finals.
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I would also like to thank the Exec. and Captains, who have worked all year to ensure the smooth running of the club. With no deducted points, very few fines, more members getting qualified as umpires and increasingly well-attended socials, the Exec. this year have surpassed all expectations and have been a pleasure to work with. I would like to particularly mention our nonstudent President, Andy Nix, who is always available for help and advice. As the men’s and women’s 1s Manager, Andy devotes every Saturday and Sunday throughout the season to the club, travelling across the country to ensure the smooth running of National League matches. My role would have been far more difficult without such a capable Exec. and without the support of Andy. As I leave Durham this year, I will be sad to say goodbye to so many good times, but the success of this year and the fun that was had, have given me great memories to take with me. Nine league/cup titles, four silver and three bronze medals is an incredible feat by any standard, which is made all the more enjoyable because of the friendships that have been formed along the way. Large crowds at many matches, whole club socials every week and a number of successful one-off events, such as an acoustic night, formal dinners and Old Boys events, ensures that DUHC spirits are always high. An incredible season, both on and off the pitch. It has been a pleasure to be club captain.
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Sporting Season Review
Cricket Season Review
Quentin Sloper Head of Sport, Music and Theatre have beaten us during the league season. The BUCS final was to be first and on this occasion it was our turn to bowl first. 40 overs into the match, we looked to have our opponents exactly where we wanted them to be and a total of more than 220 was unlikely. However, as we know, the perceived advantage in cricket can shift in a matter of seconds and this was the case on this occasion with Cambridge throwing caution to the wind and coming out the right side of their ambitious attempt to grasp hold of the match. A final total of 280 was always going to be a difficult one for us to chase and this proved to be the case as we fell 40 runs short of our total.
Seren Waters
Subject: 1st team cricket Despite one of the worst early summers in living memory, we ended up having one of the most successful cricket seasons in recent history. Our First Class games were, as always, a privilege to be part of. Our performance against Durham CCC was a much publicised ‘difficult day’ but in reality it was simply our turn to be on the wrong side of a freak result. Our performances against Middlesex and Nottingham, where we worked very hard for wellearned, but admittedly weather-assisted draws, proved that we had a very strong squad and that, once against our peers, anything was possible. Our BUCS season got off to a relatively straightforward start with a win against Southampton Solent. The rain impacted upon the next month in a significant way with very few matches being played across the country; we all became very good at revising for exams in cricket pavilions, with the pouring rain outside our only distraction! When we finally did get back onto the field, an away win against Leeds/Bradford was enough to edge us towards the semi- finals where a potentially difficult trip to Cardiff lay ahead of us. It was at this point where our season kicked into first gear. The week of our BUCS semi-final
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
against Cardiff fell right next to our MCC Universities showdown fixture with Loughborough, the winner of which would progress to the MCC final at Lord's. Having played very little cricket, we now had a period of five days where our season was ultimately going to be defined. First up was Loughborough in the two-day game. Rain once again impacted upon the length of the match but once out there we were able to establish an early stranglehold on the fixture. Despite some anxious moments towards the end of our innings, where we debated the merits, or otherwise, of declaring with a few overs to go, we ended up making the right decision and posting a total that quite clearly daunted our opponents. Just over two hours later Loughborough’s wickets had fallen and we were once again heading back to Lord's for the MCC final. Without any time to travel home, we made the trip further South to compete against Cardiff in the one-day BUCS semis. We batted first again and made it count, putting pressure on Cardiff to score runs from the off. Once again it was an ask too far for our opposition and we progressed into the final with something to spare. Both finals ended up being against Cambridge, the only university side to
Despite the disappointment, we had to pick ourselves up immediately and travel to Lord's to compete against the old enemy against just 48 hours later. This time it was our turn to bat first and we managed to turn the tables, recording a lofty total of 316 off our 50 overs. It was always likely to be a score that would not be hunted down and the pressure of chasing the big total was evident from the early stages as wickets fell and the result was never in question. In what are currently relatively familiar surroundings, Durham picked up another national title at Lord's, ending the season in perfect style.
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Durham University Cricketers out in force at the Home of Cricket On Friday June 22nd, Lord’s Cricket Ground was host to Durham University’s top men’s and women’s cricket squads for the MCC Universities Finals’ Day. The MCC funds and administers six university cricket academies in England and Wales, the MCC Universities (MCCUs), which give young and talented cricketers the opportunity to continue playing cricket at the highest national level, without having to sacrifice higher education for their sporting careers. This programme compliments “the distinctive education offered by Durham”, described by Vice-Chancellor Christopher Higgins, which places “emphasis on academic excellence and non-curricular opportunities for personal development”. Following the MCCU league fixtures, Durham men’s squad travelled to the Home of Cricket for the third consecutive
year; this time their challengers were Cambridge MCCU. Simultaneously, Durham’s women competed with Loughborough MCCU on the neighbouring Nursery Ground.
before challenging their Loughborough rivals. The start of the match was delayed because of a wet outfield and a damp wicket, and therefore it was reduced from fifty overs to thirty-five.
Lord’s Cricket Ground has a place in any cricketer’s dreams, but the strong winds were more suited to those of a kite surfer. Old Father Time, the iconic weather vane perched over the main ground, had a busy day of energetic swivelling in front of rapidly moving alabaster skies.
Durham University lost the toss and were made to bat on the slow Nursery Ground wicket. With the format of the game dramatically changed and the weather conditions still uncertain, the Palatinate opening batsmen, Cecily Scutt (Captain) and Helena Stolle, had to apply themselves to the new situation.
In this weather-beaten season, the players and spectators could breathe a collective sigh of relief, with both matches providing results and some exciting cricket. The Women’s Final – Durham MCCU vs. Loughborough MCCU The overnight rains meant that the Palatinates were left on tenterhooks
At first, the sluggish bounce created difficulties for the timing of the openers’ shots. However, watchful batting from the Palatinates, along with regular wayward deliveries from the Loughborough opening attack, allowed Scutt and Stolle to set a solid foundation for Durham MCCU’s innings.
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Sporting Season Review
required only four runs to win. A superb fifth ball, fired at the off stump with pace, met no defence from the bat and victory was within Durham’s grasp. Loughborough were the victors with a single on the final ball of the game. Congratulations for the impressive opposition ensued and Durham huddled on the square, comforting each other, before reluctantly leaving the wicket at Lord’s. Let’s hope Durham return next year to prove the benefits of this experience. The Men’s Final – Durham MCCU vs. Cambridge MCCU The men’s final started promptly on the hallowed (and better covered) turf.
The scoreboard, in between being battered over by regular and powerful gusts of wind, recorded the opening pair’s opening century partnership. Scutt, who now looked comfortable at the crease, was the first to record a half century. The match was firmly in Durham’s favour in its opening stages. But, as Loughborough’s Danielle Peart seemed only too convinced, cricket finals often come to reveal various vicissitudes. Having trapped Scutt LBW for 58, she also sent Durham no. 3 back to the pavilion with the following ball with the stumps splayed by a fast and full delivery. The Loughborough bowler was kept at bay by Durham no. 4 for her hat-trick delivery, but only temporarily; buoyed by her two wickets, Peart pumped more impetus into the Loughborough attack by taking her third wicket in the over. Helena Stolle could only watch the destruction of her team’s innings from the non-striker’s end. She had nervously been approaching her half century, but concerns for her own tally paled into insignificance as the Palatinates hopes now came to rest with her. She took on the responsibility courageously, using the sweep shot to good effect. She was out for 70, having increased the Durham run rate and steered Durham towards their total of 174 off 35 overs. It was certainly a competitive effort, but the advantage was ambiguous at this stage in the game. Loughborough did, however, have the benefit of knowing the target on this slow pitch and Durham’s women, were going to have to fight hard to hold off the chase.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Elysa Hubbard took the new ball for the second innings and soon had her first Loughborough wicket of the day. Still, Loughborough did not stall under the pressure of this early downfall. The runs started to flow and concerns for the sufficiency of the 174 total were prevalent in the Durham camp. Loughborough’s Lauren Winfield looked increasingly threatening at the crease with some elegant shot-making. Chances were few and far between for Durham’s women and perseverance was crucial at this stage in the game for the Palatinates. Indeed they met the task, defending their total with resilience in the field. The Loughborough run rate was successfully restrained by some accurate spin bowling in the middle of the innings and, by the 21st over, they had only reached a total of 89. This build up of pressure came to fruition when Cecily Scutt claimed the second wicket of the innings. Winfield remained at the crease, however, and she dragged the Loughborough run rate up with her. By the 32nd over only 17 were required from 18 deliveries and with eight wickets in hand, the odds were stacked in Loughborough’s favour. The Palatinates were seemingly not dispirited by such a test. Encouragement abounded from the fielding side and their palpable optimism was perhaps the most impressive spectacle of the match. A run out in the penultimate over seemed to be a natural extension of their enthusiasm and competitiveness. The last over was bowled by the first wicket taker, Hubbard, and Loughborough
The much-vaunted Durham pair, Luc Durandt and Christopher Jones, walked out to the crease with a useful amount of knowledge of what to expect. They had both represented Durham on the Lord’s wicket in the 2011 final and had also obtained experience of the waiting bowling attack the preceding Wednesday, when they made 50 and 30 respectively against Cambridge in the British Universities final. They took their guards between the iconic red brick pavilion and press box, before setting off with strong intent. They were watchful against accurate bowling with the new ball, but similarly alert to the opportunities to score, offered parsimoniously by the Cambridge pace attack of Turnbull and Woolley. Having successfully seen off the new ball, Durandt fell to the seam bowling of Sadler for 40. A worrying sense of déjà vu was in the Durham camp at this stage. Fingers were crossed for Jones and Durham no. 3, Seren Waters, as they attempted to dispatch this albatross around their neck. However, it appeared that Jones was unruffled by these concerns. He continued through to fifty, looking increasingly relaxed at the crease. Some confident front foot play against Cambridge leg spinner, Poysden, boosted Jones towards his fifty and it injected momentum into the Palatinates’ innings. Although Jones occasionally gave the Cambridge camp glimmers of hope – the edge was beaten a few times by Poysden from the Nursery End and there were nicks down to third man off the seam bowling of Park – luck stayed on the Durham University and Somerset County batsman’s side. As he headed through the sixties and seventies, tentative edges became confidently
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guided shots to third man to keep the scoreboard ticking over. A highlight of the day was Jones’ raised bat to the pavilion and a congratulatory embrace from his supportive partner. A hundred at Lord’s undoubtedly stays etched in the cricketer’s mind, and, as it was printed on the Lord’s scoreboards overlooking the field of play, it was a daunting sight for Cambridge MCCU, along with the total of 204 – 1 off 38.3 overs. The dismissal of Jones for 107 brought about the end of a fine captain’s innings and the beginning of another crucial stage in the game. Rishab Shah joined Seren Waters at the crease and this nervous period for the Palatinates, was shown by some panicky running between the wickets. From uncertain beginnings, however, this would prove to be the second decisive partnership of the innings. Waters and Shah seemed to thrive on each other’s success. Aggressive stroke play and clean hitting, from these two and also from Sangha in the last few overs, allowed Durham to reach the substantial score of 316 off their fifty overs. Waters and Shah notched up 70 and 49 respectively. The Palatinate opening bowlers, Bertram Blackwell and Jonathan Salt, had surveyed their team mates’ successes from the players’ balcony, but now it was their turn. A flashed cut shot from Cambridge batsman, James Johnson, was snaffled by Luke Blackaby off Blackwell. Cambridge were on a football score of 1 – 1. But Durham’s hubris was not to be permanent; the game still had various vicissitudes to reveal yet.
Benjamin Ackland, Johnson’s opening partner, had been Durham’s undoing in the midweek game, scoring 129. He looked disconcertingly confident from the start of his innings and, accompanied by the less dominant, but grittily determined Dean Bell, they rose from their early fall. With Ackland looking at ease against the Durham seam attack, captain Jones brought on slow left arm spinners Freddie Van Den Bergh and Nat Watkins to bowl in tandem. The change had an almost immediate impact. Some guileful bowling brought the downfall of Ackland - a final flighty delivery from Watkins tricked the danger man and broke through the stumps. Resistance was still to come from the Cambridge middle order. Bell salvaged the Cambridge innings, along with some
impressive attacking play from Zafar Ansari, who sent a few deliveries from the Durham spinners soaring. However, as the sun came out later in the afternoon, the challenging required run rate gradually imposed itself on the Cambridge middle order. Their attempt to prevail against the Durham spinners proved to be an Icarian flight. Watkins and Van Den Bergh were joined by the off spinner Ajay Sangha and subsequently they brought the Cambridge tail end to the wicket. Cambridge could offer little to the scorecard, except for improving Sangha’s and Watkins’ bowling figures (6.5-0-39-4 and 10-0-52-3 respectively). The Durham MCCU team won the match by 71 runs and was crowned champions for the 2012 season.
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Sporting Season Review
Durham University Cricket Club 2nd XI 2012 season review Following last season’s relegation, armed with a new captain and some fresh faces, the 2nd XI was determined to get promoted again. The side also had their sights set on a successful run in the cup competition. However, due to a combination of bad weather and a lack of availability (we were unable to field the same side twice), this aim was not achieved. In the end it was a frustrating season for the 2nd XI. We enjoyed a good pre-season with two challenging outings against Durham County 2nd XI and Durham County Academy. We came up short on both occasions, but, having played two high quality sides, we felt confident going into the first BUCS league game against Manchester 2nd XI. However, the game was called off without a ball being bowled, and the same happened 3 days later when we were due to play Manchester 3rds. The rain only relented two weeks later and we had our first competitive game of the season at home to Leeds Metropolitan 2nd XI. Durham won the toss and decided to bat. The Durham openers, Cox and Hobson, appreciated some wayward bowling from the visitors and put on 110 for the first wicket, scoring 51 and 74 respectively. Some good cameos from the middle order, including Patel (36), helped us to reach 241 from our 50 overs. In reply, Leeds got off to a good start, but Matt Green (2-19) bowled quickly and tightly. Leeds reached 150-5 in 40 overs, following some tight middle order bowling from Lomas and Stevens. Patel (2-38) and Legget (2-53) helped clean up the Leeds’ tail and they finished on 219. We were disappointed to allow them to get so close, but we were pleased to start the competitive season with a win. Two days later, we played a rearranged fixture against Liverpool 1st XI. Having won the toss again, a Durham side with 6 changes elected to bat first. This time they endured a tough start. Struggling at 27-3, Rowett (80) played a superb counter attacking innings to get us to 160-5 at 40 overs. The ‘finishers’, Legget (32*) and Griffiths (50), scored 92 in the last 10 overs to get us up to 252. Some tight bowling, again from Green and also Willet (10-5-13-3), left Liverpool 37-
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
5. The Palatinates were rightly optimistic at this stage. Subsequently Rowett followed up his batting performance with 2 wickets and Lomas (3-32) and Oughtred (2-19) helped bowl out Liverpool for 107. The last league game of the season was already upon us - the Palatinates faced Sheffield 1st XI at home. Once again, a much-changed Durham side won the toss and batted first. Durham suffered a difficult start against a strong swingbowling attack. After 15 overs, the palatinates were in trouble at 41-2. However, a superb partnership of 174 between Hobson (105) and Lowe (83) put us in a great position at 215-3. Again, good cameos from our middle order, Richer (16*) and Grant (27), got us up to 260-6. Sheffield’s reply started well with 40 on the board in the first 7 overs. Nevertheless, once Wallis (8-1-27-3) made the first break through, wickets fell with regularity, no thanks to some dropped catches from the Palatinates. Legget
(2-27) and Lomas (4-33) helped bowl an ordinary Sheffield side out for 123. Ultimately we finished top of our league, but, due to so many games being cancelled across the leagues, it was decided that there would be no promotions or relegations. Unfortunately our victories were in vain. Our cup campaign started and ended with a trip to Edinburgh. A muchdepleted Durham side won the toss and batted first. 73 all out was never a sufficient score and Edinburgh knocked off the target within 20 overs to end our cup aspirations. Overall it was a frustrating season, with the weather meaning we only managed 4 competitive games. Neither batters nor bowlers were allowed to establish a run of good form. We will return next season with hopes for better weather and the ambitions of promotion and a good cup run. Jimmy Lomas – 2nd XI Captain
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Sporting Season Review
Durham University Cricket Club’s 3rd XI season review An exciting season lay ahead of Durham University Cricket Club’s 3rd XI, with a well-organised set-up producing a competitive and well-balanced squad on paper. We embarked on preseason with an intensity that augured well for the summer. Unfortunately this summer never arrived and what could have been an impressive season for the 3rd XI was a wash out with only two completed games. Our first scheduled game against York St. John' showed an extremely promising start, as a tight spell from academy bowler and French International, Tom Liddiard, resulted in York being 6 wickets down with only 80 runs scored. However, the forecasted rain subsequently came down in buckets and the game was abandoned. Our first full game was played against Hull. Late on in the British Universities’ season and with exams already begun,
Durham had a number of absences and it was clear from the outset that our bowlers were out of rhythm and practice. Hull’s batsmen capitalised on loose deliveries, but later in the innings they were challenged by the spin bowling of Henry and Oughtred. Durham restricted a strong batting line up to 216. However, Durham's batting also suffered from a lack of cricket with talented openers, Evison and Richer falling cheaply. They were soon joined in the pavilion by most of the middle order. When the inevitable rain finally came, we were 110 for 8, needing 107 more to win. In the end, the rain took ten overs from the game and consequently the Palatinates needed only 74 runs to win in this shortened format. The task seemed beyond us, but an almost incredible last wicket partnership between Tyler Ibbotson and Tom Harvey got us to within two runs of the total.
Tyler felt the sweep was the best way to get us over the line and sadly fell to an LBW appeal. The game ended agonisingly, but nonetheless it was a great effort from the two lads. Our final game was against a strong Leeds team, who bowled first and restricted us to 172 on a spinner’s wicket. An inspired spell from off spinner Henry (4-39) from ten overs gave Durham hope, but Leeds made it over the line, ending a disappointing season for the 3rd XI. The season did not pan out as expected and the weather can be partially blamed. However, it did offer plenty to learn from. In particular, we can be pleased with the consistent batting of Tom Harvey and bowling from spinners Matt Henry and Jack Oughtred. Hopefully we can take this forward and push for promotion next season. 3rd XI Captain, Matt Henry
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Sporting Season Review
Women’s Cricket DUWCC Annual Review
Cecily Scutt Durham University Club Captain DUWCC made a good start to the season when we placed second in the BUCS Indoor Cricket competition, losing to Loughborough in the final at Lord’s in January. Following our performance at this competition, we were confident about the upcoming outdoor season. However, the relentless rain strongly affected our campaign for a place in the championship. We managed to squeeze in a warm-up game early in preseason against the Durham County girls, whom we beat convincingly, with strong performances from the whole team. Our first BUCS match was against a half-strength Loughborough team. We scored 155 on a tough pitch in constant drizzle, largely thanks to Holly Colvin working hard for her 80. However, the rain got heavier and the match was called off after tea, with Loughborough yet to bat. Both of our games against Birmingham University and one against Leeds Met were cancelled due to rain. However, we travelled down to play a very strong Loughborough team and, again, Holly Colvin’s 70 ensured we made a respectable total on a difficult pitch. We left Loughborough needing 135 to win and despite some great bowling from Alice Driscoll, Elysa
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Hubbard and Holly, Loughborough won with three overs remaining. We were really disappointed having come so close but we gave them a good game. Knowing we may not have any more opportunities to rearrange games, we realised we needed to beat Leeds Met, and beat them convincingly to give ourselves the best chance of finishing in the top two of the league. We bowled them out for 53 and knocked it off in 10 overs, again with positive batting from both Holly Colvin and Helena Stolle. Fortunately, we were placed above Birmingham University in the table and were therefore through to the championship. Our semi-final was against Exeter who proved to be a strong opposition. Once again runs and wickets for Holly Colvin allowed us to advance to the final at Lord’s against Loughborough. The final was reduced to 35 overs due to rain but Durham batted first and scored 184, with 70 from Helena Stolle and 58 from Cecily Scutt. An early wicket for Elysa Hubbard provided a good start but the Loughborough girls played well despite some good bowling and pressure from the Durham team throughout the innings.
It turned out to be a very close game, with Loughborough needing four off the last over but they crossed the line with a leg bye off the last ball to win the game. We were disappointed to have lost in the final but all the girls played so well. Considering the rain-affected season we have had, we are encouraged by how close the final was. Loughborough outplayed us at the indoor competition but we have given them two great games outdoors, which is excellent motivation for next year’s winter training.
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Rowing Annual Review 2011/12
Franz Imfeld Durham University Boat Club President
The 2011/12 season has been a quite different year to those past, with the completion of the new facilities at Maiden Castle. These ended up being put to good use throughout the winter season with, all bar one race being cancelled in the first term. However this allowed us to focus on building a good base to our strength and fitness for the rest of the year. The start of the season also saw Tristan Mayglothling joining the coaching team as lead women’s coach. He was following on from his success at women’s Henley, where he coached our Durham girls to a win in 2011. He set the squad up well and managed to recruit the biggest women’s squad at Durham, despite the squad being vastly reduced at the end of last year. The Men embarked on their season with Wade Hall-Craggs as the sole coach. The winter was only punctuated by one race, the BUCS Small Boats Head in which Durham saw much success coming away with two golds, a silver and a bronze. From then on, with several cancellations, our next race wasn’t until after Christmas at Quintin Head where both the women’s and men’s Squad competed. The men’s first eight finished fourth followed up by the seconds in thirteenth and the thirds in seventeenth. The women’s eights finished fourth out of the women’s crews and seventh. BUCS Fours and Eights Head marked the start of the real competitive season where the whole club competed in both fours or quads and eights. This was also the first race of the year for the Freshers’ Squad, who had only started to row at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately once again, this race was blighted by problems with half of the beginners’ races cancelled on the first day. However despite not being able to race their target boats DUBC Freshers still finished the day with two golds in men’s eights and women’s fours. The wet and windy weekend was rounded off with the senior races where the men’s squad won one gold, five silvers and two bronze and two golds, a silver and three bronzes for the Women. This race was our preparation race for the Heads in London and a little more work to overhaul the other university first eights was
seen to be needed. This was helped by a series of match races staged in London against the University of London which saw the men’s squad racing side by side up the Boat Race course as well as several shorter pieces. The Women did some work against Thames Rowing Club seen as being one of the top contenders for the headship this year. With these under our belt the club felt ready to take on the Heads in March. The Women rounded off their training with some work at Molesey Boat Club before racing at the women’s Head of the River where they just pipped Newcastle to the Intermediate One Pennant, but losing out on the University Pennant to Reading. Their overall position was eleventh, an improvement on last year’s result with the 2nds also moving up to thirty-first from sixtieth, a vast improvement! The men’s squad saw a big improvement too on their past performance, recording the second highest placing ever of eighth, winning the University Pennant. This was tempered by losing to Newcastle and UL’s full student crews, as well as a non-student crew from Oxford Brookes. The 2nd eight
posted the highest result for many years with both a 3rd and Fresher eight racing. A week later the whole club travelled out on camp to Gravelines in Northern France in preparation for the start of the regatta season. This was a vital part of our training as the next race for us was BUCS Regatta, one of the biggest events of the year. Our success there was completely dependent on converting our endurance pace to sprint racing and Gravelines was the ideal location to do that. Luckily the weather held out and we had summer early, very conducive to hard training! Returning to Durham we fine-tuned our crews before setting up camp in Nottingham for another tough weekend of racing. BUCS Regatta was the usual windy affair with upsets, excitement and satisfaction. The highlight of the weekend was from James Colley, who after only six months training smashed beginner singles, winning gold. James has shown a lot of potential and will no doubt be a big asset to the squad in the coming years. The women’s intermediate eight picked up one of the only golds of the weekend clinching victory
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2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Sporting Season Review
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Sporting Season Review
from Newcastle by 0.8 secs. Another notable performance came from the men’s 1st eight who came second in Championship Eights, the highest ranking since 2008. For the ninth year running Durham won the Victor Ludorum and won the most BUCS Championship points. As exam season set in, training became more individual within selected Henley crews with our focus on the men’s eight and women’s double. Met and Marlow saw success for the men’s eight and fours with both the 1st eight and Prince Albert four winning their respective events at Marlow. With Durham Regatta cancelled, the Women had to rely on their previous experience as their only race after BUCS Regatta was women’s Henley. The Henleys proved to be tricky beasts, much affected by the weather, the women’s second crew, an eight, reaching the final to be knocked out by Cardiff; and the top crew, the double, did not even qualify at Henley women’s. For the Men, with the decision taken to focus on the eight, the biggest opposition were the Americans, as the Marlow result showed us to be the fastest British university crew in the competition. Harvard proved to be our undoing, losing to them by a length on the Friday. The Fresher Squad managed to qualify a four into the Prince Albert alongside our senior crew; unfortunately both were knocked out in the first round. Our second crew a coxless four, in the Visitor’s Challenge Cup, fared the best of all crews, reaching the semifinals, to be beaten by a Dutch crew from Nereus. The most successful result of the week was from Angus Groom, competing in his U23 GB composite quad, who reached the final against Leander losing by two and a quarter lengths.
On the international scene, Durham had its fair share of success with Charlotte Jackson being selected to cox the U23 World Championships women’s eight for GB for the second year running, as well as Angus Groom stroking the U23 quad. John Ford, Barney Stentiford and cox Franz Imfeld are currently in the squad for the World University Championships in September and are training through the Summer to prepare to compete in Kazan, Russia. While Will Fletcher has recovered from a season of illness and injury to be in contention for the European Championships in lightweight four. Through the year there have been several events that have been well attended by both current students and Alumni, from the Boat Club Ball in November, which saw speeches from James Harris, current GB rowing coach and Tom Hill working with LOCOG. The Olympic theme was continued in the table names, each named after a Durham Olympian. This was followed by the Annual Alumni Races once again held at Mortlake Anglian and Alpha in London. This was a huge success with a large contingent of Alumni joining the current club for the day to race in a knockout style event on the Thames. We will be running this once again next year and hope to see even more faces, old and young alike! Lastly, the two Henley Drinks on the Friday and Saturday saw many old friends meeting once again and hopefully helped ties to be kept strong between the current club and Alumni. The club has seen not only changes in the facilities, but also a vast improvement across the fleet, with both the men’s and women’s first eights being replace with new boats from Hudson Boat Works.
On top of this the men’s racing coxed four was replaced with a custom built Filippi and an Empacher was bought to provide a racing coxless four for the Men. With a grant from Sport England, two new sets of sweep blades were purchased along with a full quad set of sculls. These allowed the club to function at a far higher capacity than last year, without having to scramble for oars. Unfortunately despite these improvements, our fleet was hit by the loss of two coxless fours, which having just been refurbished, were stolen from London at the women’s Head. Despite this, with the ability to keep all boats indoors the whole fleet is now being far better maintained. A further development for this season was the return of Deloitte as our lead sponsor. We are very thankful for their continued support and look forward to working with them in season 2012/13. With so many cancellations through the year, as well as unforeseen set-backs because of equipment, the weather, illness and injury, this year has been quite a disrupted one. The club has seen a transition however with full use of the new facilities and is now settling into a new stage. We hope to see the club reaching a new level of competition in the coming year. President - Franz Imfeld (St.Hild and St.Bede) Vice-President - Francis Highton (St. Cuthbert’s) Secretary - Lewis Weaver (Collingwood) Treasurer - Chris Thomas (St.Hild and St.Bede) Men’s Captain - John Ford (John Snow) Women’s Captain - Rachel Martin (Collingwood)
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2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Sporting Season Review
Sporting Season Review
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2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Sporting Season Review
Rugby Season Review
Joseph Binns Durham University Rugby Club Captain
It would be fair to say that few could imagine the success of last season could be repeated by DURFC this year however, it would appear that as a club we have surpassed all expectations. In 80 games of rugby, the club has won 71 and lost only 9; a phenomenal accomplishment across all four teams. These sorts of results under the ever watchful eye and exceptional coaching techniques of Alex Keay have meant that the club as a whole has put in one of its finest performances in recent times. This season saw the first time in the club's history that we have entered a fully functioning 4th XV into a BUCS league and this side has gone from strength to strength, under the tireless leadership of Ed Nixon, 4th XV captain, who has really impressed players and coaches alike in how he has managed to unite an eclectic group of players, many of whose allegiances initially lay with their respective colleges. Once again the start of the season saw a relentless four weeks of preseason that has become so synonymous with the DURFC success and unrivalled fitness levels. Intense weight, fitness and speed sessions left the boys in peak condition that meant we really hit the ground running. This was also the largest preseason ever held by DURFC, with players from 1st to 4th XV participating
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
and all gaining equal exposure to the high levels of coaching now available to the players. Preseason was capped by a very physical encounter with a Tynedale side composed of a combination of 1st and 2nd XV players and who were already well into their National League season. The problem with having the season that the 1st XV did in 2010-11, is that it means every team you come up against is keen to take the scalp of the champions. This was a problem that the 1st XV experienced all season as the winning tally grew and grew. The boys dealt with this fantastically all year however; the side growing in confidence as the wins seemed to come thick and fast. Although many of the results do not appear to reflect it, all of the games were tough and physical but when you are putting 50 points on a team it is hard to remember just how high a standard the opposition are. The league was well on its way to being wrapped up by Christmas for the 1st team as few clubs in the Northern Premiership seemed to have any sort of an answer to the high paced, relentless nature of the team's playing style. Notable performances were in both games against Loughborough, especially under lights in front of a 1,000 strong Loughborough home crowd, a crushing win over the Cambridge Blue at Grange Road and the semi-final against Bath University, which really was a fantastic spectacle of running rugby from both teams.
The Finals' Day held on the 28th March at Richmond and Twickenham really has to go down as one of the proudest moments in the club’s illustrious history. A 'never say never' attitude of the 2nd team on that hot day in March has to be one of the finest 2nd team performances ever played in a Palatinate jersey and was a thoroughly well-deserved end to their season. The team was captained fantastically all year by Tom Spencer, who should be rightly proud of everything he and his team achieved this year. That afternoon saw the "Palatinate Army" descend on HQ to see the 1st XV, unbeaten in 38 games, take on Hartpury College. For whatever reason, it was clear relatively early on into the match that it just was not going to be our day. Hartpury had done their homework and cut our attack down quickly in the backs, not allowing us to exploit our pace and skill out wide. This was combined with a large aggressive pack who were an equal match for our boys upfront. The result seemed somewhat unfair and an unfortunate end to the playing careers of many of the boys at Durham.
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An opportunity came to make amends for the Twickenham defeat about a month later when the Palatinates came up against the boys of Hartpury in the BUCS Sevens Championship finals. Needless to say the boys from Durham went a long way to proving the result at Twickenham had been nothing more than a slight blot on the blotting paper as they went on to thump Hartpury 40-12. Other notable 7s results included Durham winning the invitational tournament the Skofic Sevens and the Jarrovian Sevens. The 2nd XV had one of the most successful seasons it has ever had; this year seeing them win the national Plate Knockout competition at Richmond the morning of the 1st XV final at Twickenham and finishing second in their league a mere three points behind the recently relegated Nottingham University. In a league dominated by 1st XVs the 2s always have a tough year and this year was no exception. Some fantastic performances against Loughborough and various teams in the knockout competition will mean this season will go down as a truly vintage year for Durham. A special thanks must go to Tom Spencer for his fantastic work as captain both on and off the field; he has done a truly remarkable job in bonding this group of players and leading by example. One of the main challenges of a 2nd XV is the fact you are often seen as first reserve for any injuries in the 1st team and having your best players pulled out at short notice can often be incredibly frustrating.
The strength in depth though across the whole club has meant that thankfully the 2’s have not been hit too hard in this department this year. The 3rd XV also had a fantastic second place finish in their league this season, under the ever watchful eye of captain, Josh Taylor. Bishop Burton proved to be the only nemesis for the 3rds this year with many of the winning margins they turned in being well over 50 points. This is testament to the exciting running rugby that has become so synonymous with the 3rd XV and a mentality that has been instilled from ex-Palatinate turned coach, Dave Stodell. A Northern Conference Cup win capped off the
season nicely for the boys and the lads look set to continue their success into next year. The 3rd XV has always proved an excellent breeding ground for future stars in the Palatinate jersey and this crop of players look no different. 2011/12 also saw the first year in the club's history that a fully functioning 4th team has competed in a BUCS league, replacing the increasingly redundant Development Team that was its predecessor. Captained by Ed Nixon, the team has performed far and beyond the expectations of players and coaches alike with initial concerns over player commitment and availability due to clashes with the college system being
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
58 quickly put to bed. A huge goal difference of 301 points at the end of the season again shows the fast paced, exciting rugby that Durham now chooses to play across all four teams. We must also note the success of Durham players beyond the Palatinate jersey; this year saw Rob Malaney, Tom O’Toole and Paul Loudon gain Blues honours for Cambridge in the Varsity match against Oxford, special mention must go to Rob Malaney, who has been selected as Captain of the Blues for their 2012/13 season. Josh Beaumont, Fred Stonell, James Hallam, Mathew Steele, Andrew McCulla, Jak Pattinson, Mike Ward and Tom Shiel were all selected to represent England Students this year in a number of fixtures, gaining rightful recognition for their hard work in their rugby, not only at Durham and for a number of years. Our close relationship with Newcastle Falcons has meant a number of players being selected for their A-League team: Josh Beaumont, Fred Stonell, Jamie Bache, Mike Ward and Sam Rupar. James Hallam went one step further this year and has been offered a professional contract with the Falcons, a fantastic achievement. Despite an unfortunate end to the 1st XV season at Twickenham, it would be hard to imagine this year going much better for the Rugby Club. Once again the trophy cabinet is well stocked, the DURFC spirit is as strong as ever and the talent and commitment of the players means the club is well positioned heading into next season. September will undoubtedly see a new set of challenges, both on and off the field but I am confident that with the continuing support of Alumni, parents and friends of the club, alongside the professionalism and dedication of coaches and players, DURFC will remain on its path of greatness and continue to make history as one of the finest amateur rugby institutions anywhere. The DURFC Executive Committee Club Captain - Joseph Binns 1st XV Captain - Josh Bayford/Mike Ward Treasurer - Josh Beaumont Social Secretary - Chris Hughes Social Secretary - Tom Shiel Fixtures Secretary - Thomas Yaxley Press Officer - David Haigh Webmaster - James Hallam Sponsorship - Sam Rupar Sponsorship - Jamie Thornton
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Sporting Season Review
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Sporting Season Review
Fencing Season Review
Reggie Chamberlain-King Durham University Fencing Club Captain Men’s 1st Team The men’s 1st team were ably led for a second season by Simeon Quigg. In a challenging Northern Premiership League, the team performed well with some very close results. The team finished fifth in the league, setting up a play-off match with promotion hopefuls, Birmingham. However, in an incredibly tense match, Durham prevailed, defeating the West Midlands side 107-105 with a thrilling performance in the crucial final Foil bout by Benjamin Bickers. Elsewhere the men reached the quarterfinals of the BUCS Championship, where they too faced Imperial College, London, following a solid win in Glasgow. Women’s 2nd Team Captained by Jessica Craske, the women’s 2nd team had a respectable season, finishing fifth in their league. Their match of the season was a comprehensive 135-58 victory against Leeds Metropolitan University’s 1st team. The team also played in the first round of the BUCS Trophy, where they faced Dundee.
Annual Review – Durham University Fencing Club This has been an exciting season for Durham University Fencing Club. Several of our top fencers from last season returned, and with a strong intake of Freshers, Durham was well-placed for a challenging and ultimately rewarding season. The biggest development was the opening of our new fencing salle at the Graham Sports Centre, as part of the ‘Centre for Sporting Excellence’ project. This purposebuilt venue features four full-length metal pistes and four training pistes, all with overhead wiring and end-of-piste scoring boxes. This is a unique facility, and quite simply the best of any university in the country. Naturally, we are most grateful to Team Durham for providing us with this facility. The season began with a preseason training week at the end of September. Sixteen fencers new and old came to the week-long session, giving us a chance to train together, to meet new fencers and to
focus on the season ahead. Following three friendly matches against the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, we began the season in earnest in October. The club entered a record five teams into BUCS competitions; the joint highest of any university in the UK, and this season saw some impressive performances from individuals and from whole teams. Women’s 1st Team Special mention must go to the women’s 1st team. The team of Rachael Lewis (captain), Kira Roberts, Anna Miles, Anna Miller, Felicity Moon and Emily Todd, dominated their league, particularly in the Sabre. They notched up some impressive wins, including 135-47 against Manchester, to finish in first place and undefeated. On top of this, they came runners-up in the nationwide BUCS Championship (Knockout Cup), facing reigning champions Imperial College, London in the final. Several of the team will still be at Durham next year, ensuring that their formidable reputation and performances will continue next season.
Men’s 2nd Team The newly-promoted men’s 2nd team were led this season by Paul Farrar. This year they were faced with some long journeys to universities, including Keele. Nonetheless, they picked up some well-deserved wins, including 134-101 versus Bangor and finished fifth in the table. Their time in the BUCS Trophy was shorter, however, as they were defeated in the first round following a long five-hour train journey to Aberdeen. Men’s 3rd Team This season saw the debut of our men’s 3rd team. Captained by Henry Fazakerley, this team contained a mix of experienced fencers and beginners. They quickly proved their quality as a side, however, winning all but two of their matches in the Northern League 2B (including a hard-fought 122118 victory over Bradford) and finishing third overall. On top of this, the team reached the semi-final of the BUCS Conference Cup, before losing to a strong Newcastle 1st side (the eventual winners). With most of the team staying in Durham next year, their second season promises to be every part as successful as the first.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
60 Individual fencing Our fencers continue to perform outstandingly on an individual basis. Kira Roberts has once again fenced Sabre for the Great Britain team, including at competitions in London, Ghent and Moscow and she has also won gold at the BUCS Individual Championships for the second year running. Wheelchair fencer, Gemma Collings, has been selected to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Elsewhere, Emily Todd won the Leeds, York and Merseyside Open competitions in Sabre and Rowan Edmondson won the York Open in Epée. Novices This year’s Freshers’ Fair saw over fifty complete beginners, a record number, signing up for our novices' programme. As a result, we ran two groups for the first time, on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Several of our beginners fenced on university teams as well. Thanks go to our Novice Rep, Helen James and to all the experienced fencers who helped out with our beginners.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Sporting Season Review
Speaking now from a personal point of view, my time as club captain has been immensely rewarding. Not only has it been exciting to see so many fencers progress this year, but it has also been a valuable learning experience for me. In this respect, I am most grateful to my mentor, James Lloyd, for his help, support and advice throughout the season. Thanks must also go to our head coach, Professor Laszlo Jakab, who has brought his wealth of coaching experience (thirty years, including sixteen at Durham), to coach us as a club and individually, as well as always being on hand to offer us support. As a final note, I wish to thank my Executive and Committee, and wish the best of luck to the 2012/13 Executive and Committee, and in particular my successor George Lane Fox. I am confident that Durham University Fencing Club can look forward to a successful season in 2013.
The Durham University Fencing Club Executive 2011/12 Club Captain – Reggie Chamberlain-King and Felicity Moon Men’s 1st Team Captain – Simeon Quigg Women’s 1st Team Captain – Rachael Lewis ecretary – Emily Todd Treasurer – Yuanqin (Sissi) Ju Novice Rep – Helen James
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Sporting Season Review
Men’s Lacrosse Season Review
Richard Topham Durham University Men’s Lacrosse Club Captain up to the mark, winning all but one of their league games and lost out on the title due to head-to-head rules. This was a bitter disappointment and the team could have easily fallen apart at this point but once again the squad rallied together and concentrated all of their efforts on the knockout competition which they won. They came up against York in the final of the National Conference Cup and dispatched them easily, winning 13-3. This was a huge boost for the club as 2nd team success was one of the main aims of the season. Achieving this was a very proud moment for Durham Lacrosse.
Once again the men’s Lacrosse team has exceeded all expectations and achieved their most successful year to date and I am proud to have been able to lead the club this season. Upon joining the club as a Fresher, there was only one team but now the club boasts three teams, all competing in BUCS, making Durham the biggest and strongest university in the country for men’s Lacrosse. ‘Durham has shown the rest of the universities the value of investing in lacrosse and now others are looking to follow.’ English Lacrosse Association The club hit the ground running with preseason training. This year a great deal of recruitment was needed to strengthen the club, due to the high number of graduates leaving in 2011. All the players put in the effort and we managed to enlarge our squad size to bigger than ever before. We entered three teams into BUCS, all with a good chance to improve on their position from last year. The key advantage to having three teams, a feat which is unrivalled by any other university, is that the 3rd team can act as a development squad for players
who are new to the game. Once again the 1st team competed in the Northern Premiership with the 2nd and 3rd teams taking part in Division 2. 1st Team This has undoubtedly been a hugely successful and record breaking year for the 1st team. Durham Lacrosse has reached an international level this year and the 1st team have not disappointed. The team secured the Northern Premiership with an unbeaten record and a goal difference of +126. When it came to the knockout competition, Durham glided through to the final and took on Manchester, securing a 17-0 win and the third successive National Championship. The 1st team was captained this year by Richard Topham, who has now played in every single national winning side and it was a privilege having him lead the team this year.
3rd Team This was the second season of the 3rd team’s existence and once again they achieved bigger and better things, building upon last year's improvements. Most of the players had little or no playing experience so the odds were against them from the beginning but they formed a tight- knit group after playing in some hard fought matches! It was agonising for the rest of the club to see them battle in such tough games and lose narrowly in so many but they can be more than satisfied at finishing ninth in the league, recording one win, one draw and seven losses. All of this success cannot go without mention of the coaching system that Durham Lacrosse has in place. It is easily the best set up of a men’s Lacrosse club in the country and something we are very grateful for and proud of. 1st team coach this year was Ireland International, Jerry Nevin. It is not easy coaching and leading a team of experienced American and English players but Jerry led by example this year, both on and off the field.
2nd Team The 2nd team has been the real success story for men’s Lacrosse this season. They lost some key members and at first glance, this year was going to be tough, but under the leadership of Jonny Bland they stepped
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
62 If it was not for all of the effort he put in, the team would not have achieved the success it has seen this season. The 2nd team coach, Chris Williams, also deserves notable recognition. A die hard,'no pain no gain' coach really gave the 2nd team what it needed this season. He sacrificed performances for the 1st team in order to coach the 2nd team and the rewards are clear to see with a second place finish in the league and a national Conference Cup victory. The 3rd team is the hardest coaching role within men’s Lacrosse, therefore a special mention needs to be given to Alex Walter. There is not much more that you can say other than he produced a side that achieved more than any other 3rd team and set a solid foundation for the players to move up into the 2nd team next year. One of the coaches last year, Jeremy Sieverts is now a professional lacrosse player in America and he has just begun his second season in the Major Lacrosse League (MLL) playing for the ‘Denver Outlaws’. We all wish him the greatest success for the future and it appears he is making a huge impact this season as he is currently the league’s top goal scorer. To add to this, one of our players this year, Alex Burkhead, has also been asked to play in the MLL for the Charlotte Hounds, resulting in two Durham graduates competing at the highest level of men’s Lacrosse possible. In addition to this, Jerry Nevin is representing Ireland in the European Championships this summer and Pierre Mcilwee is representing France. We wish them all the best success for the foreseeable future. Amsterdam International Tournament In early January, the club contacted several international lacrosse teams asking if there was any chance of participating in any friendly games and the response was superb. We were invited to take part in an international tournament taking place in Amsterdam. Durham travelled with an enlarged 1st team and played against the German U19 team, the Netherlands U19 team and Netherland senior team. The weekend was a great success and Durham came out on top as undefeated winners, beating the Netherlands Senior team, ranked seventh/eighth in the World, 16-8. This was a huge success for Durham men’s Lacrosse. It truly emphasised the ability and talent that is currently present here at Durham and it is something we are extremely proud of and want to build on in future years. Since coming back from Amsterdam, Durham played against England U19 and again produced a victory, cementing them as a force to be reckoned with within UK and European Lacrosse.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Sporting Season Review
I would like to extend the thanks of the club to our sponsors Ernst & Young. We are extremely grateful for the financial support they have provided us over the past two years; furthermore, I would like to thank parents for constant support and dedication throughout the season. We have welcomed parents from UK and the USA and long may this continue. Personally, since picking up my first stick in my first year, I have seen the club more than treble in size and have found this very rewarding to witness. I am extremely proud to have been club captain of men’s Lacrosse and my dedication to the club will continue after I leave Durham. I hope to continue my relationship with Team Durham and men’s Lacrosse and be involved in future recruitment of
young talent. The programme is going from strength to strength and I am extremely excited to see how it will grow and develop over the next year. Men’s Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and Durham University is a part of that.
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Sporting Season Review
Women’s Lacrosse Season Review
Hannah Lowther Durham University Women’s Lacrosse Club Captain With this loss came the reality that the National BUCS Championship title could not be defended, so attention focused on winning the Northern Premier League, a feat that had not been achieved for many years by Durham Lacrosse. Regaining motivation after a loss of such magnitude, with just that one goal margin, was always going to be hard. Tough fitness and weights sessions with Cameron Henderson and Jon Kantor prepared us to achieve convincing victories against Warwick (27-1) and Edinburgh (23-2). Success brought the motivation players needed in order to focus on the season’s penultimate match against our biggest rivals, Birmingham. The match ended in a very exciting 7-7 draw, enough to secure our Northern Premier League victory, a fitting end to the season.
After such a hugely successful 2010/11 season, every women’s university lacrosse team aimed to defeat Durham, the National BUCS Champions. It was undoubtedly going to be tough to remain at the top of the National League. With the arrival of our new coach, Rebecca Greenslade, a previous Syracuse University student and NCAA player of four years, aided by assistant coaches Jacquelyn Duggins and Leslie Foard, and by welcoming seven international first year players to the club, the season began with high expectations by all. Statistically, we were stronger than ever. Preseason saw a gruelling two-week selection process,
which also forged friendships across all three teams and year groups. Our 2nd and 3rd teams regularly compete against university1st teams, reflecting the unbelievably high standard of Durham lacrosse. The 1st team began their season successfully, defeating Manchester with ease 21-1. A victory away to Loughborough (17-3) soon followed, settling the team nicely in preparation for the upcoming BUCS Championship Cup challenges. One of the season’s highlights during the first term must be the home victory over Birmingham. Leading for the majority of the match, combined with some fantastic play from our American players, Madeline Dale and Leslie Foard, in particular, we came out deserved winners 9-7.
The 2nd team had yet another successful season, defending their Northern League title with ease. Despite a frustrating loss in extra time (7-8) against Newcastle 1st team in a tough BUCS Trophy semi-final, every other match was won convincingly with some outstanding scores. Defeating Newcastle 2nd team 26-0, and Sheffield 1st team 17-0 were certainly two of the season’s highlights. Special mentions
There followed a series of comfortable victories before the 1st team’s BUCS Championship Cup quarter-final against a ferocious Bristol University Lacrosse Team. This was undoubtedly their biggest test of the season, with all players aware that Bristol would target the team’s unity and ability to rise to a challenge. However, as with all sports, there can only be one winner and, to the disappointment of many, Durham were narrowly defeated (8-9).
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must go to Julia Stichbury and Jenny Hobbiss, whose skilful attacking and constant drive secured numerous goals, as well as consistent play from goalkeeper, Clare Vivian. With such a young team, there is the potential to build on this year’s success in order to come fighting back to regain our national title in the forthcoming season. For the 3rd team, another outstanding season was had, defeating all their league opponents apart from Leeds Met 1st team (4-8) in the BUCS Conference Cup semifinal. The team regularly scored over 20 goals in their fixtures, as well as totalling an outstanding goal difference of 96! We comfortably defeated Leeds University 2nd team (16-6) in the quarter-finals of the Conference Cup and managed to secure the highly commendable second place in the Northern 2nd League. Despite the hard training regimes, 3rd team captain, Zara Fountaine reflects upon most players’ sentiments, "The practices and matches offer a welcome release from my academic work. Lacrosse memories are well entrenched as some of my best, having enjoyed being able to socialise with girls in different colleges and year groups". Looking forward; although some disappointing end results have been evident this season, this is only fuel to prepare for September when we are able to prove that 2011/12 was just the beginning of national successes for Durham Lacrosse. Preparations to achieve our ambitious aim of three national titles in three separate leagues in the forthcoming season are already underway with regular strength and conditioning training, paired with game play continuing through the summer term. With the changing dynamics of our squads as finalists leave, we await our preseason training to assess the new talent arriving to further strengthen the Palatinates. Due to our Tier 1 club status within the Team Durham structure, as club captain I was assigned a Durham Alumnus to provide some outside support for my role. Sarah Hardingham, Head of Global Risk Management for InterGen, has been inspirational throughout the season. Sarah has acted as someone who can support and advise on any decisions I am required to make, putting my Durham life in the context of the real world, matching developing skills to career opportunities. The Team Durham Mentor Programme arranges termly dinners and meetings between mentors and mentees in London, a programme which I have found hugely beneficial and feel extremely privileged to have been a part of.
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We are extremely fortunate also to have such generous parents and Alumni. It is essential to support and further develop the coaching and provide vital equipment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous donations and continued pitch side support. Ernst & Young continue to support our efforts and we are very grateful to you for enabling Durham Lacrosse to flourish in the last 5 years. I am also extremely thankful to the current club Executive Committee for their
contribution this year and wish the Durham women’s Lacrosse team every success in the new season. Club Captain - Hannah Lowther Treasurer - Lucinda Hicks Sponsorship and Marketing Coordinator - Emily Bartle Social Secretaries - Sophie Marsden and Emma Pollock Kit Secretary - Caroline Mantell
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Basketball Season Review
Florence Glen Durham University Basketball Club Captain
The 2011/12 season has proven to be quite a historic year for the Basketball Club. Not only did we secure a league and national title (women’s 1st) and runners-up in final 8s (men’s 1st), our 2nd teams have gone from strength to strength and show substantial promise to continue developing next year. When all our BUCS points across all teams are combined, Durham is the number one university for basketball in Great Britain; an achievement we owe to the tireless work of our coaches, players and the support of Team Durham. Men’s 1st: by captain, Stephen Jones The 2011/12 season started superbly. The University continued its relationship with the Durham Wildcats, the latest team to join the British Basketball League (BBL). With a collection of newly recruited talent alongside some finalists, the men started unbeaten for the first half of the season. In these first five games we won all of our matches against all other teams by an average score of 25 points. Durham were the team to beat! Come January and Worcester once again spoiled the party. Seeking revenge from a heavy defeat at Queen's Campus, they returned the favour and left the two top teams in North Prem, deadlocked on points. This led to the final run of games. Having thoroughly beaten all other competition, it seemed like a two horse race. However Leeds Met, tough on their court and vying for third, deserved their win after a slow Durham start. That effectively wrapped up the
regular season and all eyes were on Sheffield and the Final 8s. The Final 8s were dominated by the northern teams, with all four quarterfinalists progressing to semis. Durham dispatched Middlesex 104-54 and were hungry for the semi’s versus local rivals Northumbria. Despite a valiant effort by Northumbria, who reached their highest finish in years, Durham progressed 76-50. This lined up the rematch of the 2011 Finals with Durham guaranteed a silver medal. Silver was not the colour we wanted but Worcester, another established BBL outfit, were coached well and marched on to another gold. Thanks must go to all those involved in the Durham University Basketball Club. It has improved over the last four years to become the most successful university club in the country. Women’s 1st: by captain, Katrin Hulme With only four returning University players, the beginning of the season was always going to be a steep learning curve. Thankfully, with the recruitment of four experienced Americans and one European player, our team was bolstered and had everything to play for. Following a National Championship third place finish last year and promotion to the premiership, high expectations preceded the start of the season. Up until Christmas we found we were still in the developmental stage, adapting to a new squad and a new coach. Although some good performances showed promise, a few key losses meant we were sitting in fourth place of North Prem going into the Christmas break. However, the key game in November did go our way, with a victory against defending champions, Leeds Met, in the final 16 guaranteeing us a place in the National Final 8s Championships in Sheffield in March. Whilst the BUCS season took a break for the holidays, the National League players continued to play games in Division 1 where competition raised the level of play. This allowed us to step up our game and improve team cohesion. This proved
pivotal in our successes at the start of the new year, with convincing victories over rivals Northumbria and Leeds Met. A particular highlight was the decisive game against up-and-coming Loughborough to clinch the league title. Up until the last 10 minutes, the game could have gone either way, with both teams trading baskets and forcing errors on both sides. Some clutch shooting down the stretch, coupled with composure at the free-throw line meant that we were able to pull ahead for the win. Having won the league, the next challenge we faced was tackling the seven other best teams in the country. Round by round we struck off Oxford, then Northumbria and finally UWIC in an emphatic 75-38 win! Credit must be given to Lee Davie (coach) and Jon Kantor (S&C) for ensuring we were in the best possible condition to play to our full potential. This was evident in our consistent and team-orientated performances, with a special mention to Rachel Baker who deservedly received the Most Valuable Player finals award for her outstanding contribution. We will be sorry to see our international postgrad players move on, but wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours. We look forward to defending our title next year! Men’s 2nd: by captain, Alex Harmer The men’s 2nds approached the 2011/12 season with excitement having been promoted last year. After a strong preseason, the camp was feeling quietly confident about the upcoming season.
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66 Unfortunately, we lost Andrew Bottger and Luke Watson before the season started and many young first year players had to step into big shoes. Losing our first four games made motivating the team all that harder, especially when it comprised of several finalists, who had heavy academic commitments. Coach, Colm Hickey, however remained confident and never gave up on the team, persevering for that elusive first win. After a long journey to Bradford and a dubious wait whilst the referees finished their pints down at the local pub, the men’s 2nds tasted victory. It was undoubtedly our best performance all year, with great contributions from everyone not just our regular stars, Adam Henderson and John Morgan. The second half of the season started promisingly with a narrow loss to champions Leeds Met; unfortunately this was short-lived, going down by 75 points two weeks later to the same team. This was undoubtedly a low for the boys, but we rallied back to beat Bradford again on home turf to remain in Division 2. Whilst the team loses eight players to graduation, including veterans, Chris Bridges and Ed Fox, the team has gained some promising first year players in Joe Queen and Stefanos Tyros. All in all, our first year in Division 2 didn’t go as desired but it has provided a solid base for next season.
Sporting Season Review
Women’s 2nd: by captain, Tess Dury The women's 2nds had quite a testing year. We started off with low numbers, but once the season was fully in swing, we were able to round up enough players to win a couple of games. We had a huge amount of potential, which was most apparent in our convincing victory against Teesside 1sts. Unfortunately we were unable to win our last couple of games, which meant we finished third in the league, and just missed out on promotion. However, it was a great year, with an amazing team, who, despite some tough games, never lost hope
or the will to go out and keep trying. A big congratulations to Flora Leung for her great leadership as our pointguard, and to Alice Gomersall, our most dedicated player. A huge thank you to Dima Smayra, for her immeasurable help in coaching us through some challenging moments, and to Kenya Peters for her amazing spirit. Looking forward: The future for Durham Basketball is very bright, with expectations higher than ever to continue to assert our presence on the BUCS scene in future years. In addition to all the amazing work of coaches Lee Davie, Dave Elderkin, Colm Hickey and Jon Kantor (S&C), I would like to acknowledge our Executive Committee, who has worked behind the scenes making sure that all the memorable experiences of this season were possible. A thank you must also be given to our sponsor, Citibank, for their support this year. It has been a pleasure to be the President of the Club and to see the massive improvements made across the board both on and off the court. Roll on next year! Executive committee: President – Florence Glen (Collingwood) Vice-President – Andrew Bottger (Collingwood) Treasurers – Jenny Boyd and Julia Wegner (St.Hild and St.Bede) Secretary – Isobel Coates (Van Mildert) Social Secretary – Sophie Norden (Collingwood) Local League Secretary – Munatsi Ziumbe (Grey)
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Sporting Season Review
Women’s Football Season Review
Anna Derrick Durham University Women’s Football
Durham University Women’s Association Football Club Our squad has grown immensely this year through the development of a 2nd team and the recruitment of several scholars. Running off the back of a successful 2010/11 season, DUWAFC were optimistic about their chances this year, and the season has proved to be a huge success for us! Our 1st and 2nd teams both remained unbeaten throughout the season, winning the BUCS Northern 1A and BUCS Northern 4B leagues respectively; gaining both sides promotion for next season. In addition to this, the 1st team won the BUCS Trophy Cup as well as the Futsal National Championships. Winning the BUCS Futsal National Championships is certainly one of the most notable achievements for DUWAFC this year. The team competed in two qualification stages before reaching the finals in March. After winning four out of four games, (including a win against Loughborough), DUWAFC met Northumbria in the final, beating them 4-2; testimony to the hard work and determination of the team. Lorraine Quinn comments "Being the graduate assistant player/coach of the squad, I praise the team's character throughout the year. It was a pleasure to coach and play with such a determined group". Not only has DUWAFC enjoyed success in university sport, but also in the Durham County League and FA Cup. It was the first season the club decided to enter the FA Cup and after progressing through the three preliminary rounds, the team reached the third round proper and were beaten by Preston North End 2-0. Our run in the FA Cup was a huge achievement for the club. We entered the competition not knowing what to expect, but we gave it our all and in doing so, ended up being the last university team in the competition.
foundation of our success", whilst Maeve Clarke, our 1st team captain notes, "This season has been our most successful to date and is something we hope to build on in the Premiership next season". The club is excited for the new challenges that lie ahead. If all players involved train and play with the same passion and attitude then I’m sure the club will be more than able to sustain their success next season. I have had such an incredible experience with the club over the past three years. I would personally like to thank all the members of DUWAFC, past and present. I would especially like to thank our 1st team captain, Maeve Clarke, and 2nd team captain and treasurer, Jess Walker, for all of their hard work and effort this season. The club would be unable to function without their dedication! On behalf of the club, I would also like to thank Richard Warburton, Graham Iriving and Lorraine Quinn, our technical coaches; Luke Southgate , our strength and conditioning coach and Cameron Henderson , our fitness coach, for their continued help and support throughout the season. Name: Anna Derrick Position: Club Captain College: Josephine Butler Year of Study: 3 Course: Combined Social Sciences
Name: Maeve Clarke Position: 1st Team Captain College: Grey Year of Study: 3 Course: Sport Name: Jess Walker Position: 2nd Team Club Captain College: Josephine Butler Year of Study: 3 Course: Sport Name: Emily Clark Position: Vice-Captain College: St.Mary’s Year of Study: 2 Course: Sport Name: Amy Wright Position: Social Secretary College: Collingwood Year of Study: 2 Course: Geography
Jess Walker, our 2nd team captain and treasurer comments, "The hard work, determination, dedication and attitude of the team has been remarkable and the
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Sporting Season Review
Tennis Season Review
Benjamin James Durham University Tennis Club Captain
DULTC Annual Sporting Review 2011/12 This has been a record-breaking year for DULTC, with huge success continuing to shine through both on and off the court. The success of last season was always going to be difficult to replicate, but playing performances have exceeded expectations, with four league titles, one cup title and two individual titles. The depth in our squads this year is undoubtedly the strongest of any university in the country, this has helped build a fantastic team spirit and the club has never been bigger, livelier or as dominant as we are today! This success has been made possible due to the hard work of all our postgraduate coaches: Reka Zsilinszka, who has helped coach the Women along with Sally Pearson and Lucy Scott, who joined us this year along with Slavko Radman and Ravid Hazi. They have been crucial in the development of the tennis programme this season. After lots of hard work and determination, DULTC has officially become a University High Performance Centre this year. This will provide us with vital support from the LTA and it puts us among just a handful of high calibre clubs nationally. This has been the most extensive coaching network in club history and has allowed for both individual and collective improvement across the club. This is largely due to the support of Team Durham and their sponsors PwC, so we must thank them immensely in helping us achieve this success.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
1st Women’s After winning the BUCS Championship last year, our women’s 1st team had a tough season on their hands, in order to try to surpass expectations. With Reka Zsilinszka and Kseniia Tokarieva coming over from the US to join our already dominant duo of Sally Pearson and Lucy Scott, we were arguably the strongest we have ever been and the Premier League results demonstrated this fact perfectly. 10 matches, 10 wins, and 10 points clear of 2nd place – our women’s 1st team simply destroyed any team that came against them. With the league title under their belt, there was little time for celebration as the reigning BUCS champions needed to defend their title. All was going to plan, and the Women made it to the Finals Weekend in London. The semi-finals took place after a long Easter break and this may be a factor in our disappointing loss to Bath, resulting in an early exit. Nevertheless, the Women put up a tremendous fight and only went out on a ‘tie-break shootout’; the same way we won the final last year. Reka, Kseniia, Lucy and Sally have all done a great amount for the club this year. Both their playing and coaching has been phenomenal and the club will sorely miss them next year. With a new team and a fresh start, next year looks to be very exciting!
1st Men’s This year was the debut season for the men’s 1st team in the BUCS Premier Division, and they did not disappoint. With new postgraduate recruits, Slavko Radman and Ravid Hazi, we were unsure of where we would be by the end of the season. The season got underway with an excruciatingly tight home draw to Stirling, losing both doubles matches by just two points we were unlucky not to take the win. As the weeks unfolded, it was clear that there would be little further competition in the league, Fresher Jonny Binding grew stronger and stronger each match giving us a ferocious team on court. With an unfortunate draw in the cup, the Men lost out to Stirling in the 1st round, however it was clear that the match was worthy of a BUCS final, as Stirling cruised to victory after that. In all, this was a testing season for our Men, but they overcame any weaknesses and have safely stamped their mark on British Tennis, ready to bounce back and win next year. 2nd Men’s and Women’s Both our 2nd teams sit in the Northern 1A Leagues, which is the second highest level of university tennis possible. Our Men found themselves in this league after a great promotion last year; inevitably we were going to find it tough as it was the league that the 1st team were playing in only last year. Led by myself, we played numerous 1st teams, all of which had vastly improved since last year so we had our work cut out. Our target was to stay out of relegation and in our final match, veteran Jack Brooker, stepped up to the plate and recorded his best win in his DULTC career, taking out the Sheffield number one and securing our future in the league. The women’s 2nd team were the tennis team of the year! It is hard to explain just how much this team have surpassed expectations, but I’ll do my best... As I write this article, they are on the train back from Stirling after successfully making DULTC history: the girls secured the Northern 1A title undefeated, and this led to their playoffs to enter the Premier League. Nothing would stop them on their mission and they triumphed over any 1st team that they came across, resulting in their promotion to the Premier League for the first time ever.
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the coming years, expanding the club and providing fantastic financial assistance. Socially, the club have seen our best turnouts ever for events, thanks to great hard work from our social secretaries, Sophie Worsman and James Wilson. They have worked tirelessly to bring both sides of the club together, as well as putting on events to involve our club members.
They are also the only 2nd team in a Premier league in the whole of Durham. This year has been incredible for the women’s 2’s, led by captain Rosie Jackson. Nobody could have predicted that it would be an abundance of Freshers, who are making up the rest of the team. This offers great hope for next year and I look forward to seeing how they get on in the Premier League – a fantastic year! 3rd and 4th Women’s This year the DULTC women’s 3s have had arguably one of their most successful seasons. The team, captained by Emma Jameson, played consistently well throughout the league, taking on some tough opponents and managing to come third overall. The Cup Final was, without a doubt, the highlight of their season. True dedication meant holiday plans and flights were changed to be available for the day in Lancaster. It was all worthwhile though as they won in an excruciatingly close final, concluding in a tense tie-break shoot out, which saw some great singles from Sophie Worsman, who beat a tough opponent in her singles, and some incredible doubles points from Catherine Cooke and Georgie Jefferies. The 4th team had a tough season. With several teams pulling out of their league, it was hard to find consistency in matches, however they did extremely well to finish third overall in a league full of 1st and 2nd teams. With the depth of girls in the team this year, I am sure next year will be a promotion possibility. 3rd and 4th Men’s The 3rds and 4ths have had a large intake of Freshers this year so the depth of tennis in Durham is incredible and many of the players would comfortably sit in 1st teams in other universities. Ravid Hazi, one of the postgraduate coaches, has taken charge of both teams and I must thank him for doing an incredible job. The majority of the opposition in the leagues of our 3rd and 4th are actually 1st teams, but
this didn’t stop anybody. Our 3rd team, led by Chris Whight, destroyed every team it came across. It was clear to see that Chris did not want to miss out on promotion again this year. In a similar fashion, Tom Newman, the incoming DULTC President , led the 4th team to 100% victory in their league. These promotions will be fantastic for the players next year; we will sit in the highest four leagues of university tennis in BUCS, and this is credit to the hard work of all coaches and players in the club of the past few years. Individual Success This year the BUCS Individual Championships were held in Sheffield, and there was definitely a domination of Palatinates in the tennis centre that weekend. Slavko Radman performed outstandingly, reaching the semi-finals of the men’s singles, as well as making the quarter-finals of doubles with Fresher, Jonny Binding. Durham had the largest number of women in the main draw of any university, but it was still a huge surprise to see all four of our 1st team still in the singles at the quarter-final stage; an incredible achievement and a great sight of Palatinate purple on the tennis courts. However, our Women wanted some silverware. I was ecstatic to hear that the finals were an all-Durham affair. In the singles final Reka defeated Kseniia, and they paired up in the doubles final and lost out to the formidable duo of Sally and Lucy. This is the highest level tournament of university tennis, and to win in this way is something I will never forget!
I must thank all of the coaches and the executive committee. This year has seen tremendous change for DULTC and everyone has gone beyond what is expected of them to help the club transform into one of the best performing, fastest growing and most sociable clubs in Durham. I am truly proud to have been a part of this club and I am confident that I am passing it on to a fantastic Executive Committee, who have many exciting challenges ahead of them as next year looks set to be just as busy and successful as this year! EXTRA INFO Benjamin James – DULTC President College of St. Hild and St.Bede 3rd Year Mathematics Main Executive Vice- President (Female)-Georgina Jefferies (St.Hild and St.Bede) Vice- President (Male)-James Wilson (Grey) Treasurer-Alec Laing (Hatfield) Mentor Scheme I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Alumni Mentoring Programme this year, and it was an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime. I was paired up with Charles Honnywill, a Partner Ernst & Young, and his enthusiasm to help me was hugely beneficial. Throughout the year, I have been able to meet up with Charles on several occasions. He has helped me overcome a few problems I was facing and he has also helped me shape my future career, for which I must thank him. Overall, the programme is hugely rewarding, and the events that I attended were inspirational, due to the hugely successful people surrounding me.
Off the Court The Executive Committee and captains have worked tirelessly to ensure that the club continues to thrive. This year we developed a new club membership to allow staff and students to receive coaching in a social environment, which has been a roaring success. Each weekend the courts are full and I am sure this will continue in
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Sporting Season Review
Women’s Rugby Season Review
Claire Hobson Durham University Women’s Rugby Club Captain Unfortunately, the 1st team was knocked out of the BUCS Championship Cup in the quarter-finals, in a tough away match against Exeter, losing 12-0. However, following this defeat came the best result of the season, only four days later when the team faced Leeds Metropolitan, away. The team needed to defeat Leeds Metropolitan in order to secure second place in the league, however it would not be an easy win. At this point in time, Leeds Metropolitan sat comfortably in first place in the league, undefeated in the 2011/12 season and undefeated at home for three years. With all odds against Durham 1sts, the team had to pull together and be more focussed and determined than ever to secure a 20-29 win and that allimportant second place. Without a doubt, this was the performance of the season from the 1st team, a culmination of all the hard work throughout the year and a testament to the dedication and passion of 1st team captain, Kate Langham. For the 2nd team, the 2011/12 season has been their very first season and so the main focus was towards developing the squad. The team was not in the BUCS league system this year, however, they have played a number of local teams throughout the season in friendly matches. The 2nd team had an excellent away defeat over Newcastle 2nds as their first fixture of term, winning 17-0. They then went on to incur two losses, one draw and a further defeat over Sunderland, Ashbrooke. It has been a season of change for DUWRFC, with our 1st team facing the new challenges of the Premiership and the expansion of the club through the establishment of a 2nd team. The 1st team has battled their way to an impressive second place in their first year in the Northern Premiership, winning nine games and losing only three. One of our main aims this year has been the development of women’s rugby at Durham through expanding our squad and strengthening the link with the collegiate women’s rugby system. At the beginning of the season, we hosted a development day to which players
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
of all levels were invited and an attendance of 130 was achieved. From this, we have been able to create depth in our squad to allow us to sustain the high level of rugby being played at 1st team level. We also have a closer link to the college teams, giving us the opportunity to foster talent found at this level. For the 1st team, the 2011/12 season has been challenging, facing a step-up to the Northern Premiership after two years of winning the Northern 1A league. Highlights include wins against two well-established premiership sides, Loughborough and Leeds Metropolitan, whom Durham 1st team beat 16-5 and 20-29 respectively.
The team will benefit next year when they are entered into the BUCS league system as they will have more matches, gain more
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experience and be able to improve further on this year’s achievements. The exceptional hard work of 2nd team coach, Sarah Sheehy and captain, Maddy Gardner has been vital to the incredible potential shown this year, creating a solid foundation on which to build next season. Looking ahead to next season, DUWRFC are aiming to continue the strong focus on developing women’s rugby, through maintaining a close link with the collegiate system and also to continue improving as individual 1st and 2nd team squads. A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved with DUWRFC this year, in particular the Executive Committee and team captains, who have worked exceptionally hard throughout this transformational season for the club. Further to this, we are extremely grateful
for the efforts of our coaches, Cameron Henderson, Tom Beaumont, Sarah Sheehy and also Harrison Collins, who has taken the 1st team for strength and conditioning this year. Without a doubt, DUWRFC would not be in the position it is in today without the dedication of these coaches, especially Mr Cameron Henderson, who has been committed to DUWRFC for an incredible twenty-nine years. Thanks must also go to our sponsor, RBS, who have helped us to fund the expansion of our club this year. Executive Committee 2011/12 Claire Hobson John Snow Club Captain Kelsi Butler St. Cuthbert’s Society Club Secretary
Kat Conway Grey College Treasurer Lilian Knight St. Cuthbert’s Society Development Officer Carolyn Wilson College of St.Hild and St.Bede Co-Club Captain and Publicity Secretary Costanza Scarpa University College Social Secretary Mia Raknem College of St.Hild and St.Bede Co-Tour Secretary Rachel Grovenor St. Cuthbert’s Society Co-Tour Secretary
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Sporting Season Review
Volleyball Season Review
Emma Blythe Durham University Volleyball Club Captain
Durham Volleyball has had yet another packed and exciting year. The elite team of scholarship players was successfully continued this year, with seven girls sourced and invited to play for Team Durham from the USA. Both women’s teams have been successful in BUCS. The 1st team having been promoted, have begun to dominate their new league. The women’s 2nd team came second in their BUCS league, comfortably ahead of the rest of the teams on points and lost only to one team. The men’s team have seen the most radical changes this year, with two elite scholarship players joining the team and an amazing increase in the commitment of players. They finished the year at the top of their league, a fantastic improvement on last year. This year we also submitted a men’s and women’s squad into the National Student Cup, which gave a chance for players who trained with the team, a chance to gain more game experience. The Exec. and the captains have worked tirelessly again to maintain and help expand the club. Special mention should be made of David Heller and his astounding
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
contribution as a player and coach this year. He ceaselessly helped to promote the club through the running of weekly recreational sessions which also increased team spirit. There was a real sense of team spirit in the men’s team and the men’s captain, Jiri Hozak, has really helped to make the addition of two scholarship
players, a smooth and successful transition. Katrien Wilmots has been very successful at improving the levels of commitment from the women’s 2nd team and will continue to do so next year. Frank Krauss, a lecturer at Durham, has again aided and encouraged the 1st team. Needless to say, the efforts of all the scholarship players
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and further members of the 1st team have helped the team blossom. Hannah Gary and Karlee Woodward co-coached the women’s 2nd team with tremendous success, getting the best out of the girls by injecting fun into all the training, even the early morning ones. To quote Katrien Wilmots, "We have made lots of progress this year and hopefully this will put us in an excellent position to build on in the years to come". The Durham Volleyball Club hopes to continue to expand as the Men will divide into two distinct teams next year, with a repetition of the successful recruitment of elite players again. The Higher Education Volleyball Officer role, held by Emma
Blythe, has continued to help the club develop further with a specific focus on getting more people involved in the sport. As part of the that, the club has received a £500 grant to spend on development and promotion, for which we are very grateful. There are high hopes for the start of college mixed volleyball next year and for more growth for Durham Volleyball. DUVC 2011/12 Executive Committee: Men’s Captain - Jiri Hozak (St. Aidan’s) Women’s Captain - Katrien Wilmots (St, Mary’s) Treasurer - Virginia Sutter (St. Mary’s) Social Secretary - Graeme Nail (St. Aidan’s)
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Sporting Season Review
Canoe Club Season Review
Charlie Jefferson Durham University Canoe Club Captain
Twelve months ago this review looked forward to a successful year with Durham University Canoe Club (DUCC) endeavouring to capitalise on its promotion to a Tier 1A sport, the appointment of a full time canoe coach and moving into our brand new boathouse. I’m pleased to confirm that as a result of all of the above, combined with the determination and hard work of the club's members, we have witnessed one of the most successful years in the club’s history! • 2012 BUCS Ladies Canoe Polo Champions. • Six athletes competing at international level. • Paddlers achieving exciting descents on British whitewater. • More people participating in canoeing than ever before. The club’s most recent event was the BUCS Canoe Polo Championships which took place at Hatfield Water Park, Doncaster in April. This year held great promise for both the ladies’ and men’s
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Canoe Polo teams, as every Durham competitor had been working hard on technique and fitness over the year, culminating in a pre-BUCS training camp in the week preceding the championship. Following a tough competition, the teams came home with the Ladies as champions and the Men in third position overall. A truly fantastic result! BUCS success was not confined to canoe polo however, with results in other disciplines also being very impressive. The cold waters of the River Washburn at the end of November could only mean the Wildwater Championships, which has traditionally been a strong event for the club and this year did not disappoint with the club finishing in third place overall. A large amount of credit for this result must go to our female athletes who secured all three podium places in the Ladies sprint event. The Slalom Championships returned to its home in Stockton this year and the club put in a fantastic performance finishing in fourth place, in what was the closest championship in some years. Club success has not only been restricted to the inter-university championships
however, with athletes also succeeding at international level across disciplines. Beth Barratt, sports scholar at Josephine Butler College; Matt Fletcher, Stephenson College and Scott Cresswell, John Snow College have all made the GB canoe polo squad in the last year, with Beth captaining the U21 Ladies team to third place in the 2011 European Championships. Alice Haws, Collingwood
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Sporting Season Review
Captain - Charlie Jefferson (St. John's) Vice-Captain - Chris Salt (Grey) Secretary - Ben Simmons (Trevelyan) Treasurer - Daniel Easom (Josephine Butler) Kit Officer - Heather Purshouse (Hatfield) Information Secretary - Matt Blount (Grey) Social Secretary - Chaz Pitman (Hadfield) Stockton Representative - Matthew Fletcher (George Stephenson) Stockton Treasurer - Andrew Rendall (George Stephenson)
College, has also competed for Team GB in the World Marathon Championships finishing sixth in Singapore this year. In slalom, Phil Dean, Ustinov College, competed for England at this year's Pan Celtic Cup. Sandra Hyslop, Collingwood College, has once again been selected to be part of the GB Wildwater racing team and while she leaves the club this year, we wish her all the best in the World Championships later this summer. Such a successful year does not come without the dedication and help of a lot of people. In addition to the hard work of the club’s members and Exec. Committee, the tremendous support afforded to the club through its Friends Group, has proved immensely useful. This year the club has also benefitted from the work of our new coach, Mark Ledger, who has managed to make a huge difference in the short time since his appointment. As Mark settles in his experience will undoubtedly help the club to achieve its full potential. Finally, the support offered to the captain by mentor, Gordon Wood, has been invaluable in an important year of many changes within the club.
The club has always prided itself on not only achieving competitive success but at introducing people to paddlesport. This year has seen many new students joining the club, with record membership, and also the wider community becoming involved, thanks to the Team Durham Outreach Programme and the hard work of our student coaches. The club has had a great year of recreational paddling from the Fresher’s Weekend in the first term with 50 people at Lake Windermere, to paddlers competing in the Morriston River Race last weekend where all Durham entrants made the final. Further afield, paddlers have been on trips to Uganda and Venezuela, with forthcoming adventures to the French Alps, the Pyrenees and Norway planned for summer 2012.
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Sporting Season Review
Netball Season Review
Katie Worthington Durham University Netball Club Captain
The 2011/12 season, at first glance, was going to be tough for DUNC. Having lost many key members of the 1st team squad, the 2nd team remaining in a difficult league and the addition of a 4th team based on the Stockton Campus, this season was set to be the most challenging but exciting one yet. With the 1st team finishing an impressive third place in the BUCS Northern Premiership last season, it was a top priority to try and match that position this year, whilst attempting to go one step further in the cup and securing a place in the quarter-finals. The season got off to a flying start with an emphatic win over local rivals, Team Northumbria (39-17). However, with disappointing losses against Manchester, Loughborough and Leeds University, the 1st team were in need of a spot of luck. This came in the quarter-finals of the cup against Brunel University. After narrowly losing to the same side last season (31-29), revenge could not have been sweeter with an extra time victory of 28-27. Advancement to the semi-finals, where the team faced Leeds Met and just missed out on a place in the final (46-40), positioned the squad as one of the top four university netball squads in the country. This, coupled with a top four finish in the Premiership, meant that the 1st team had their most successful season to date. The squad, captained by Megan Ellery, boasted three (past and present) Super League players; two of whom will sadly be leaving us this year. May I take this opportunity on behalf of the club to thank player-coach, Marie Ewing, and this year’s assistant coach and former 1st team captain, Abi Ryan, for all their hard work and dedication to DUNC during their time in Durham.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
In previous years, the Northern 2B League has posed difficulties for the 2nd team and the first half of the season seemed to reaffirm this with tough fixtures against the likes of Sheffield Hallam and Hull University. However, the post-Christmas period produced a very different story. The team, led by Bethan Thomas, were in fantastic form and secured notable victories against Leeds Met 3rds and Sheffield Hallam 1sts (54-43 and 39-38 respectively). It has been excellent to see such a talented squad, made up of many new and promising Freshers, grow and improve throughout the season. The latter half of 2012 proved that DUNC is a club with great strength and depth and hopefully key members of the 2nd team will be competing for 1st team positions for the coming season. I am also confident that the squad has the capacity to be able to challenge for promotion next year. It has been another outstanding season for the 3rd team. Confidence was high after unequivocally gaining promotion last year, without dropping a single point and the expectation was for more of the same this year. The squad did not disappoint. They achieved back-to-back promotion, not losing a game and scoring 401 goals whilst conceding only 81. The dominance that this team, captained by Becky Marsh, has enjoyed over the past two seasons has certainly as led the club to expect even greater things in the future. A tough draw in the cup has meant that knockout success has eluded the 3rd team but this is an area where success is bound to come in the future. This season the club has expanded further and has become the first university sport to set up a team, which participates in BUCS, that is based on the Queen's Campus in Stockton. This latest edition means that during my time as a member of DUNC, the club has doubled in size and in my opinion has become a much stronger club in the process. The 4th team, that were trained once a week by other members of DUNC, were thrown into the deep end and entered in the BUCS league immediately. The club was quick to realise that this was by no means a gamble as the squad produced outstanding results
all season, winning nine out of nine and destroying some teams by over seventy goals (81-9 against University of Teesside 3rds). Promotion was easily secured and I am confident that the 4th team can repeat the success of our 3rd team and dominate League 7 next year. My thanks must go to their captain, Charlotte Evans, for aiding the establishment of a DUNC team in Stockton and ensuring the smooth running of the squad. DUNC also has a strong presence in the community, playing a large role in the establishment and continued running of the Junior Palatinates. We are working towards becoming an England Netball recognised Silver CAPS Club and supported by Team Durham, Megan Ellery has become a qualified Level 2 coach, with Erin Bamber and Olivia Hovington hoping to gain the qualification ready for the next season. The club also coaches Durham Ladies’ Netball Club once a week in order for members to complete their volunteering hours. In June, 24 members of DUNC undertook possibly the greatest physical challenge of their lives so far by attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest netball match ever. The 72 hour match was
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Sporting Season Review
the largest fundraising event the club has held to date and raised money for Help for Heroes, the Team Durham Sport in Zambia project and the club itself, to allow us to secure a full time coach for the foreseeable future. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the club’s gratitude to the generous donations received from parents and other family members. Your support is very much appreciated by every member of the club and we strive
every year to ensure that your contributions have the greatest impact on the greatest number of players. DUNC has indeed proved that it is a high performance club which trains incredibly hard during gruelling fitness, weights and court training sessions and enjoys contributing to the community. It is the fact that the members of DUNC are such great friends that we are able to create
such a fantastic team spirit. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a member of DUNC and have been incredibly proud to lead the club this season. I am confident that the club will continue to achieve success on the court and I am excited to become a member of the Alumni so that I can remain involved, albeit off the court, with netball at Durham.
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Sporting Season Review
Golf Club Season Review
Ben Hayden Durham University Golf Club Captain
The 2011/12 season has been one of great progression for Durham University Golf Club. In contrast to previous years, DUGC’s level of golf has been edging its way back to top form. The season has seen the 1st team crowned BUCS Trophy Champions for the first time since 2005 and also saw them miss out on being promoted to the BUCS Northern Premier League by the narrowest of margins. Alongside this, the 2nd team also just missed out on promotion to BUCS Division 1A, finishing second place in their league. Despite these promotion disappointments, it is clear that DUGC once again has the potential and the desire to compete at the highest level in university golf. The season started very positively for the 1st team with five consecutive victories in the league. This involved away wins against the University of Central Lancashire 2nd team and Leeds University 1st team. At home we convincingly won all three matches, beating a strong Newcastle 1st team (relegated from the Northern Premier Division the previous year), the University of Central Lancashire 3rd team and a good Teesside University team. Alongside the BUCS league matches, DUGC competed in the BUCS trophy, beginning their campaign against one of the toughest teams in the whole competition. At the end of the day, DUGC emerged victorious against the R&A funded Stirling University 2nd team, defeating them 3.5 – 2.5. A special mention to Simon Doherty, who sank a 45 foot putt on the 18th hole to gain a crucial half that would see Durham win the match. In the next round Durham drew another
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Scottish Premier Division team; this time in the shape of the R&A supported Strathclyde 1st team. Again the players were not intimidated by the quality of their opponents and produced a convincing 4-2 victory to move into the quarter-finals against Newcastle 1st team. This was to be the closest match of the season. Durham had looked dead and buried after nine holes of golf with only one player leading his match, but a late turn around saw DUGC pull out a 3:3 tie. Great credit was due to James Wright, who made a crucial birdie at the 17th hole to take command in his match, and to Club Captain, Ben Hayden, who lead from the front all day. The 3:3 tie led to a sudden death play-off on the par 3, 10th hole, where one of DUGC’s strongest players, Lewis Kuhler, after virtually holing his tee shot, made a fantastic birdie two to take Durham through to the semi-finals. Meanwhile in the league matches …. the second half of the season played out quite differently to the first half. Durham remained unbeaten at home but lost two away matches. Fortunately, due to their excellent performance at the beginning of the season, they maintained a high enough position in the league to gain a promotion play-off opportunity. However, despite winning the first leg of the play-off at home, Durham were unable to match a very impressive Nottingham side on their own track and just missed out on promotion with three of the six matches going to the final hole. Returning to the semi-final in the cup, Durham faced another extremely tough opponent in R&A funded Birmingham University. However, having travelled to Birmingham the day before, a "no-show" on the day from Birmingham University, meant Durham were awarded a walkover from BUCS and were through to the final at Ganton Golf Club, where they took on Bournemouth University 3rd team (yes a fourth successive R&A funded opponent). The format of the final was foursomes in the morning and singles in the afternoon. In the morning all six players played well, however Durham came in for lunch 2-1 down, needing a "tour quality" performance in the afternoon to have any chance of
winning. The boys did not disappoint and won five of the six matches to secure a victory of 6 – 3 and to crown themselves BUCS Trophy champions 2011/12. We look forward to defending this title next year. Over all it has been a good year and a strong platform to build upon. With DUGC’s recent inclusion in the Durham University Tier 1 Sport portfolio, our aspiration is to break into the top five golf institutions in Britain. Throughout the BUCS Trophy run, we have demonstrated that we already have the ability to compete against some of the very best golf institutions in the country but recognise that we are still very much the 'new kids on the block' in terms of developmental funding. Consequently, the requirements to attract substantial external funding and to deliver a strategic recruitment programme have never been higher on the agenda. Here we firmly believe that if we can add two elite players to a programme which already attracts talented players on an annual basis, then DUGC has every opportunity of achieving this objective within the next three years. We look forward to an early start and a successful recruitment programme for 2012/13! Stop Press: We are delighted to announce that the R&A have recognised our outstanding performance in this year's BUCS Trophy Competition and have awarded Durham University a one-off discretionary grant of £5000 to further develop golf at Durham. We are once again indebted to the R&A in their support of student golf and look forward to making even more progress in the coming year.
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Sporting Season Review
Cycling Club Season Review
Matthew Wilson Durham University Cycling Club Captain number of talented individuals, certainly more than previous years, but still lack the numbers we had hoped for. In addition to the increased intake of members, we have seen a number of very talented riders join the club this year. After returning from a year abroad, Holly Page has proved an incredibly strong and versatile athlete, turning her hand to any discipline required. Another exceptional talent has been found in Matt Rossiter, who turned to cycling due to a back injury. In his first year of competitive cycling, Matt has not only won multiple regional races, but also stormed past many experienced riders in the 10 mile time trial, coming second only to an elite, sponsored rider. His successes are reflected in his promotion from 4th to 2nd category in British Cycling’s rider categorisation system. In addition, we have had many other talented riders, and they have all contributed to the success of the club.
DUCC has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Starting out as a small club, it has grown into a body that represents the University regionally, nationally and of course in BUCS events. Having finished in the top three in the BUCS cycling league table before, this was one of our main aims for the year. The club got off to a terrific start in October at the hill climb, achieving two individual silver medals, men’s team silver, and women’s team gold. This momentum and enthusiasm from our athletes continued, with excellent performances in both the team time trial, where we achieved women’s silver, and the 10 mile time trial, where we secured a men’s individual silver. This places us third in the BUCS cycling league.
This year saw the continuation of the January preseason training camp in Spain. Unsurprisingly, the chance to escape the British weather meant that 13 riders made the trip to Valenciana, providing an excellent start to the season's training. We also held the BUCS Cyclocross event again this year.
Over 70 BUCS cyclists competed in the event held on the racecourse; certainly making it a spectacle to see. In addition, the BUCS race was twinned with a regional event, attracting riders in junior, youth and senior categories. Particular thanks go to the executive committee, who has guided the club through the trials and tribulations of what has been a very successful year. This year’s road captain (Andy Miles) and women’s captain (Kat Broadbent) have been ever enthusiastic faces on local rides, even when the weather has been, shall we say, less than perfect. All in all, 2011/12 has continued the trend of increasing successes for the cycling club; successes that show no signs of slowing any time soon. Executive Committee: President - Matthew Wilson (Van Mildert) Vice-President and women’s Captain Katharine Broadbent (St.Hild and St.Bede) Road Captain - Andrew Miles (St. Aidan’s) Mountain Bike Captain - Callum Foden (Collingwood) Secretary - Alexander Humphries (Van Mildert) Treasurer - Tom Sparks (Collingwood)
However, BUCS cycling is only a small part of our competitive performance. We have had a very strong regional presence this year, sitting second in the North East British Cycling league. Achieving this has not just been due to exceptional individuals, but a strong team ethic. This has stemmed from a larger intake of new members this year than in previous years. Women’s cycling has always been an area the club has struggled to promote. This year we have had a small
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Sporting Season Review
Badminton Season Review
Helen Sanders Durham University Badminton Club Captain
It has been another good year for Durham Badminton. The women’s 1st team have secured yet another year in the Northern Premiership, winning the two key matches against Manchester, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the championship. The men’s 1st team, unfortunately blighted by injury, finished fourth in Northern Conference 2B. The men’s 2nd team finished third in Northern Conference 4B, while the women’s 2nd team achieved a third place finish in Northern Conference 2B. This year has been the first full season under the new, larger executive committee. Comprising of eight members instead of six to accommodate the new responsibilities of the club, the new positions of Development Squad Coordinator and College Officer have proved to be very successful. For the second year running, the University club have organised and administrated the College badminton leagues and knockout competitions. Tom Hall, elected College Officer, also started a new informal mixed league. This proved to be a great success,
David Macmillan – Men’s 1st team
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
and we hope to establish this second mixed league permanently and more formally into the College system next season. This year has also seen the Development Squad continue into its second year. Co-ordinated by Lisa Turner, this programme has qualified Level 1 and 2 coaches from within the squad, running weekly coaching sessions for all levels. Training sessions have been well structured throughout the season. Coaches Pete Higman and Matt Train have been in charge of Sunday morning training at Queen’s Campus, and these sessions were supplemented with further training organised and delivered by captains Grace Ollivent and Mike Piggford. The BUCS Individual Championships in Nottingham were the highlight of the social calendar. Social Secretary, Sarah Webber, organised a fantastic weekend, bringing all four teams together to support each other towards the most successful individual results in recent years. Many of our players reached the third round in a very strong field, with the majority eventually losing out to seeded opponents.
Strong links with Durham County Badminton Association have also been developed this year, with nine players representing the county across 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams. Next year the squad will face the challenge of replacing a significant number of finalists, who will unfortunately be leaving us this year. However, with a good intake of Freshers we can hope for another strong year. Executive Committee 2011/12: President – Helen Sanders (Van Mildert) Men’s Captain – Mike Piggford (St. Aidan’s) Women’s Captain – Grace Ollivent (Collingwood) Treasurer – Ed Moss (Van Mildert) College Officer – Tom Hall (Collingwood) Development Squad Coordinator – Lisa Turner (Van Mildert) Social Secretary – Sarah Webber (University) Club Secretary – Danni Hainsworth (Josephine Butler)
Matthew Kinloch – Men’s 1st team
Jenny Salisbury – Women’s 1st team
Helen Sanders – Women’s 1st team
Mike Piggford – Men’s 1st team
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Sporting Season Review
Squash Season Review
Benjamin Bryant Durham University Squash Club Captain the neck, leading the league for the majority of the first term until their top of the table clash with arch-rival Newcastle, whom they had already beaten earlier in the season. In a thrilling encounter, Newcastle ran out as narrow winners and went on to claim the league title leaving Durham second. For such a young team coming second in the league, our best position in several years, is a great achievement and with some work during the offseason the team looks poised to make the league title their own next season. As previously mentioned, the Ladies entered a 2nd team and in a tough league including multiple 1st teams, they lost only once and achieved one of the results of the season. Travelling to league leader, Leeds, on the final day of the season, they came away with a win to put them joint top and only goal difference denied them a league title at their first attempt.
As a club we always knew that the 2011/12 season could prove difficult, with the entirety of the 2010/11 men’s top ten having left and a single girl remaining from the Ladies' squad. A year of rebuilding the squads and starting again seemed on the cards. It turned out that we were half right. After a gruelling preseason where our few remaining veterans were whipped into shape by stalwart coach, Bill West, we headed into Fresher’s week needing a large infusion of numbers and talent. We weren’t disappointed; new recruits Jemma Ockwell, Hannah Blythe and Zoe Taylor formed the backbone of a highly successful girls' team and club numbers swelled to record highs. The club was able to enter a 2nd Ladies team into the BUCS
competitions for the first time in several years, as well as running four men’s practice squads and, for the first time ever, two squads for complete beginners. Such a rapid expansion was only possible thanks to the dedication of Bill, who committed more of his time than ever before whilst remaining his always helpful and cheerful self, and our team of club members who helped train the lower squads, especially club fitness guru, Ben Harrison. Thank you all. With membership double that of last year, morale and club spirits were high and with the help of social secretary, Cole Sims, everyone bonded well and was ready to get down to playing some squash. The Ladies' 1st team, ably led by Kathryn Beeson, exploded out the blocks to take the BUCS Northern 1A by the scruff of
Sadly for the Men things went less smoothly, despite a large intake of solid squad players that bode well for the future, the 1st team were missing just one or two real quality players at the top of the order and despite some close defeats went without a win on their way to relegation in BUCS. The 2nd team, bolstered by new faces Walter Kerr, Andy Ankrah and Tom Withers struggled at first but developed all through the season winning their last few matches. In the final game of the season they easily overcame ancient foe, Newcastle, but fell just one game short of the required 5-0 score line and were undeservedly relegated on points difference. The 3rd team commendably held their own in a division of 2nd and 1st teams and are poised for a run at promotion next year. So, a mixed season, but the future looks bright. Both Ladies' teams look on the brink of a title and, with an extra year of experience and players returning from abroad, the men's teams should be able to retake all lost ground and then push on from there. We may not have laid the firmest of foundations but next season looks like it will be an exciting one.
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Sporting Season Review
Sailing Club Season Review
Edward Harrison Durham University Sailing Club Captain
The 2011/12 season has been a sensational year for the Sailing Club, with teams achieving their best ever results in all three disciplines. DUSC is now in the top 10 university sailing clubs in the country and in the top five for both team racing and match racing. On top of some excellent performances, this year saw the club's future placed on a firm foundation with the purchase of a new fleet of boats. Team Racing All three of our teams were placed in the top six at the Northern BUCS qualifier, with both the 1st and 2nd teams qualifying directly to the national finals, and the 3rd team qualifying for the playoffs. This in itself was an big achievement for our development team, but was rapidly exceeded by a truly outstanding performance at play-offs, where they became one of just two 3rd teams to qualify for the national final. The BUCS final itself was hosted by Liverpool University and brought together the best 32 university teams in Britain and Ireland, with Durham and Southampton the only universities to have qualified three teams. It was a tense week of racing for the 2nd team, who just missed out on their aim of being in the top 10 and a fantastic week for the 3rd team, who gained some excellent experience for the future. The 1st team enjoyed an outstanding week. Placed in the top three going into the final day of the event, they qualified for the knockouts for the first time in three years. Disappointingly they were drawn against the Irish Student Champions and lost 2-1. Ed Fox graduates this summer after three years on the 1st team. For this team to go home from BUCS ranked fifth is a testament to the club's training programme, since five of the six team members had done no team racing before university! Match Racing and Yachting This year has also been exceptional for keelboat sailing. Match racing veterans, Simon Kitchen and Ed Harrison, both returned to Glasgow for the Scottish
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
Student Championship and Northern BUCS qualifier early in the Michaelmas term. Both Durham teams completely outclassed the other universities present, Ed Harrison's team won undefeated, with Simon in a close second place overall. The BUCS final was held in the Easter term at Queen Mary Reservoir and both teams looked to be strong contenders for the overall title. Despite windy weather the 1st team placed fourth, losing out on a podium place by a tiebreak, with the 2nd team close behind in sixth. The yachting branch of the club has grown dramatically again this year, with more students sailing at the Christmas training and the annual "Tankbuster" event with the Alumni. This has become our largest on the water reunion, with roughly 15 Alumni and a similar number of students all out racing. This year also marked the first student victory over the Alumni, with the 1st team beating Dave Miller's Alumni by just one point! The British University Sailing Association (BUSA) nationals itself was a rollercoaster ride of a week. After achieving two podiums on the first day, it was disappointing to finish the event twelfth, even though this was our best performance to date. We are very fortunate to be losing just one person from this squad at the end of the year, so the yachting team could well be the one to watch in 2013!
Both the Yachting and Match Racing teams would like to thank Jock Wishart, recently seen on BBC1 rowing to the North Pole, for giving up his time to coach at both events. Without his assistance, it is unlikely that any of the teams would have been as successful as they were. Club Development 2011 also hailed the much anticipated purchase of new boats for the club, representing the culmination of fundraising and planning by Commodores dating back to 2005. The boats, six Fireflies constructed to a special team racing design, were built in 2009 and were purchased from Tonbridge School for nearly ÂŁ25,000. Our old boats have already been delivered to their new home at Portsmouth University. Members of the Sailing Club would like to express their gratitude to the Friends of Durham Sailing, who have collectively raised nearly ÂŁ8,000 towards the project over the past few years.
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Sporting Season Review
Waterpolo Season Review
Andrew Maxwell Durham University Waterpolo Club Captain
The 2011/12 season has been another fantastic one for Durham University Water Polo. As a club, we have continued to build on the development of previous years, with the advantages of training in Freeman’s Quay quickly showing. With a number of key members leaving Durham, it was always going to be difficult to replicate the success of the 2010/11 season, however the club as a whole has performed magnificently with admirable performances in all BUCS leagues.
out at that late stage. The men’s team has never looked so strong and we look forward to the continued success in the coming years.
Out of the pool, the strong club spirit has been undiminished and Alumni links being reinforced further though various occasions, including a very successful preseason event in London. The Executive Committee this year has worked tirelessly and particular mention should go to our captains, Josh Brown and Emma Christie, who have led their teams brilliantly both in and out of the pool.
Women The Women came off the back of two successful seasons, reaching the BUCS trophy semi-finals and gaining promotion into the Northern Premiership. Under the tight combination of coach, Will Betts and captain, Emma Christie, the Women played valiantly despite losing their opening two matches to Edinburgh and Newcastle. In their final BUCS fixture, Durham beat Leeds Met 13-5 to ensure they remain in the top league. This in itself is a fantastic achievement and demonstrates Durham’s position as one of the top water polo universities in the country. With a number of the girls graduating this year, the upcoming season will be a huge challenge and the experiences of this season should be invaluable next season.
Men’s 1st The men’s 1st team reached the BUCS semi-finals for the second season in a row, secured with a tough away win against Leeds. The team, made up mainly of players who reached the same stage last year, played tirelessly and gave everything in a difficult group but were unable to overcome strong opposition, losing narrowly to eventual finalists Bristol and Manchester. The squad showed great spirit and at times played fantastic polo. A significant sign of the progress the team has made in the last few years showed with the disappointment of being knocked
Men’s 2nds The newly established men’s 2nd team had an encouraging second season. The development of this team has greatly increased the strength of the club as a whole, with players coming through to play for the 1st team. The 2nds again competed in BUCS and despite not making it out of their league, they put in some fantastic performances against a number of very good 1st teams. Durham is one of only a small number of universities to boast two competitive men’s teams and the continued advancement of the 2nds is very exciting for the club.
Other Exec: Men’s Captain - Josh Brown (Collingwood College) Women’s Captain - Emma Christie (St. Mary’s College) Club Treasurer - Patrick Bennett (Grey College) Social Secretary - Alex Gabriel (Van Mildert College) Social Secretary - Bex Yue (Ustinov College) Women’s Coach - William Betts (St. Mary’s College)
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
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Our offer to you... 9 + ! , .0 +" 0$! 3+.( 7/ (! %*# ,.+"!//%+* ( /!.2% !/ *!03+.' * !*&+5 0$! !*!60/ 0$ 0 +)! 3%0$ 0$ 0 9 +.' %.! 0(5 3%0$ %# * )! (%!*0/ 3$!.! 5+17(( #!0 0+ #.%,/ 3%0$ 0$! 2 (1! 0$!57.! (++'%*# "+. 5 #!00%*# %*0+ 0$! !0 %( 9 .+2% ! * !*2%.+*)!*0 3$!.! 5+17(( ! (! 0+ !4,(+.! *!3 +,,+.01*%0%!/ 0+ $!(, 5+1 #.+3 * 6* 5+1. *% $! 9 %2! 5+1 !// 0+ 0$! !/0 (! .*%*# * !2!(+,)!*0 .+1* 2!.5 #. 1 0! !*&+5/ /0.1 01.! .!!. ,.+#. ))! * ) *5 &+%* .!!. , 0$/ 0$ 0 %*2+(2! /01 5 0+3 . / ,.+"!//%+* ( -1 (%6 0%+*
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The PwC deal $% $!2!. .! +" 0$! 1/%*!// 5+1 $++/! 0+ &+%* * 0$!.! .! ) *5 0+ $++/! ".+) (( .+10!/ +""!. 0$! / )! ! ( ,,+.01*%0%!/ 0+ #.+3 / * %* %2% 1 ( 0+ 1%( ( /0%*# .!( 0%+*/$%,/ * ) '! * %), 0 %* ,( ! 3$!.! ,!+,(! -1 (%05 * 2 (1! )! * !2!.50$%*#
Ways you can gain work experience + ) 00!. 3$ 0 5! . 5+17.! %* 0 1*%2!./%05 3! $ 2! 3 5/ 5+1 * (! .* )+.! +10 1/ 10 )+/0 %),+.0 *0(5 )+.! +10 5+1 +1 * (! .* 3$!.! 5+1. /'%((/ %*0!.!/0/ * .!!. #+ (/ 3+1( !/0 60 5 /,!* %*# / (%00(! / +*! 5 3%0$ 1/ +* * */%#$0 5 " 5+17.! (++'%*# 0+ ) '! (+*#!. 0!.) %*2!/0)!*0 5+1 +1( 00!* 3!!' %*0!.*/$%, +. ,!.$ ,/ * )+*0$ 1/%*!// ,( !)!*0 07/ 3+.0$ '*+3%*# 0$ 0 ( /0 5! . +2!. +" +1. %*0!.*/ /1 !//"1((5 .! !%2! "1(( 0%)! &+ +""!. 0++
How to apply !7.! ,.+1 /! +* 0$! +,,+.01*%05 3! +""!. 0$ 0 /01 !*0/ $ 2! 2+0! 1/ 0$! *1) !. +*! #. 1 0! !),(+5!. %* The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers Survey "+. 0$! ( /0 *%*! 5! ./ + 3$5 +*70 5+1 0 '! 0$! +,,+.01*%05 +" (%"!0%)! * &+%* * !),(+5!. "+ 1/! +* $!(,%*# 5+1 .! $ 5+1. "1(( ,+0!*0% ( www.pwc.com/uk/careers www.facebook.com/PwCCareersUK
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Team Durham Sponsors
Team Durham Sponsors Team Durham has benefitted from an increased partnership with PwC. This sponsorship which has supported Experience Durham and Team Durham has enabled students to participate in non curricular opportunities in sport, music, the arts and volunteering. Through this sponsorship, students have been able to excel in their
chosen area to develop their skills while enjoying the diverse extra curriculum Durham offers. This partnership has also provided an opportunity for students to understand what careers opportunities are available at PwC. We wish to take this opportunity to thank PwC for a very successful year.
PwC is a popular choice for Durham students when looking to begin their careers. Steve Simpson, Director of Assurance Practice at PwC, graduated from Grey in 1982, and received a full Palatinate for cricket. Steve shares his biography as an example of his career path and highlights the transferable skills he acquired on the sports field in Durham.
S J Simpson
Team Durham Profile
Steve Simpson Degree: Economic History College: Grey Years: 1979-1982 Sport at Durham: Football – University 1st XI 1980/81, 1981/82 Cricket – University 1st XI 1980, 1981 (Secretary, Full Palatinate and UAU winners), 1982 Cricket – England Universities 1980, 1981, 1982 Rugby – College 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82
PwC Career: Leeds 1982 – 1987 Sydney 1988 – 1989 Leeds 1990 – 1994 Hull 1995 onwards
of the runs. I wasn’t required to bat in the final, but helped get us there by scoring 51 not out in the semi-final against Bristol at Harrogate (my own club ground) when we were in a spot of bother.
Current role: I’m a Director in the Assurance Practice at PwC. I’m responsible for a portfolio of clients engaged in a wide variety of industries, based in the Hull and Humber region. I’m also responsible for recruitment in to the Hull office.
In 1982, my final year, we played Loughborough in the quarter-finals in front of a good crowd at the Racecourse. It was a real cliff-hanger of a game, which we ultimately lost by one run. Afterwards, we all drowned our sorrows in the Dun Cow.
Favourite memories: All three years at Durham University were great fun and provide many happy memories; my favourites being our UAU cricket experiences. In 1980 we drew Exeter in the quarter-finals. It took us all Friday to travel down, then it poured down overnight, we lost the toss and were bowled out for just over a hundred on a wet wicket and they knocked them off by tea – it couldn’t have been much worse! Their county players, Paul Downton and Richard Ellison, both of whom played for Kent and went on to play for England, out-performed ours, Steve Henderson (Worcester) and Simon Hughes (Middlesex), on the day - and it took all Sunday to travel back to Durham!
Learning from experience: Many of the experiences I enjoyed (and many of the ones I didn’t enjoy, like losing to Loughborough) have helped me in my professional career with PwC. In particular, a group of people working hard, striving to be as successful as possible as a team is just as relevant today as it was when playing cricket at Durham. Similarly, taking personal responsibility for my performance is just as relevant. The opportunities to meet different people, not just at Durham but by travelling around the country to play against a variety of different teams, helped me develop my people skills, which continue to be important in my role at PwC, almost 30 years later!
In 1981, we enjoyed great success, beating Manchester by seven wickets in the final at Rugby School. Simon Hughes (now “The Analyst” and presenter on Channel 5) and Gordon Lord (Warwickshire) took seven wickets between them and Tim Curtis (Worcestershire) and Robin Ian Henry Bembow Dyer (Warwickshire) scored most
Why Durham?: I was born and bred in Harrogate and wanted to go to the best university in the North of England - and I’d been “approached” during an England schoolboys cricket trial!
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Coaches’ and Athletes’ Focus
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Coaches’ and Athletes’ Focus Coaches: The success of Team Durham is due to the talented and committed athletes along with the coaching structure. Team Durham is fortunate to have the committed coaching staff who work with our student athletes to ensure that they achieve their goals and ambitions. We would like to introduce a couple of our coaches to you, through interviews conducted by Career Development Scholars, Hugh McDowell and Holly Page.
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Interview with Head of Sport, Music and Theatre, Quentin Sloper What is your role in Team Durham? That is a harder question to answer than you might imagine. Peter Warburton, former Director for Sport and Dean of Student Experience and I have just changed roles, so effectively I am Head of Sport. I oversee the running of the sports’ department, from a collegiate perspective, which is about the competitive college sport programme and trying to get as many students involved in physical activity and our performance programme, which is now becoming a combination of trying to do as well as we can in British Universities competitions, trying to develop international athletes and also seeing how far beyond university level we can take some of our sports clubs.
Could you expand on the aim you mentioned of raising Durham University sports teams beyond “university level”? There are certain sports that we feel we can compete at higher levels than in university leagues. Of course there are some sports where this would not be possible. It is hard to see our men’s football teams competing at a higher national level, for instance. There are other sports, however, where we could do ourselves justice in higher, even professional national leagues. This has been evidenced by our men’s Basketball team playing in the British Basketball League. I believe women’s football is a sport that we can do exactly what we have done with basketball. There is a Super league and it is on TV and there are some professional players. Our performances in the women’s FA cup this year demonstrates that we are capable of competing at the highest national level, as well as leading BUCS competitions. The future of rugby at Durham is interesting. You would never see a university side competing at the top level in England, but
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
I think it is feasible that Durham University Rugby can compete just below the top level. This is demonstrated by Loughborough now and we can hope to follow their lead.
Looking to the future, in rugby we are not formally partnered with the governing body, but this is one relationship that we might like to foster.
These are some of the possibilities. In cricket we’re already a MCC University Centre of Excellence. Universities will always be seen as centres of development in this sport.
What are Team Durham’s responsibilities in its partnerships with governing bodies?
With rowing, we need to consider how we can build a programme to reflect the fact that Durham’s rowers not only make up the best student team in the country, but also that they are some of the best rowers in Britain. BUCS remains our number one strategic priority for performance sport, but actually there are some sports that we can improve. That’s one of the many exciting challenges now facing my colleagues and I, to see how we can do that.
Could you tell me a bit about the various partnerships Team Durham sport clubs share with governing bodies? They are vital. Ultimately, doing things in isolation will only take you so far. One of the key things to making a university sports establishment successful is the students it recruits. The ability to recruit talented students is often tied to coordination with government bodies. For funding also, our partnerships are very important. We have been and continue to be heavily supported by the governing bodies in rowing and cricket but also we have duplicated that across our new performance sports; we have partnerships with the Lawn Tennis Association, British Lacrosse, British Canoeing, the MCC and British Rowing. We are a regional junior development centre for hockey and I like to think that we make a contribution to national hockey that at least matches the university centres of excellence.
A dominant feature of the partnership is increasing participation. Team Durham works in the community, effectively developing a hub for fostering junior talent. We go into schools, coach a sport, get the people keen and interested and then host weekly clubs at our sports centre, which means the most keen or talented have the opportunity to develop. We also have a responsibility for developing our high performance programme. We take in students at the age of eighteen and look to improve them by the time they are twenty-one. We work with the governing bodies’ strength and fitness teams to develop the athletes for the top level. As a result, we get really successful teams and they have a source for top athletes.
How would you describe the relationship between “performance” and “participation” in sport at Durham University? 92% of people play sport at Durham. This is mainly because we have effectively harnessed college sport. However, performance level sport also serves to encourage college sport. Two years ago we brought in a coach to breath more life into our University Lacrosse Club, which had 1st men’s and 2nd women’s teams. Now we have 18 college teams, three University men's teams and three University women’s teams. I strongly believe that the best way to get people interested in a sport is to be good at it, thus, the profile of the sport is raised. When our University men’s Lacrosse team plays, people come to
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watch and decide that they would like to try it. We have development squads to capture that fresh inspiration. While we might talk about university sport more, in terms of time spent, college sport is what we are about. On a normal weekend, we might have 47 football matches and 20 rugby matches being played. This requires substantial effort from the administration and the ground staff. They are as important as each other and they help each other.
How has being affiliated to Team Durham helped sports clubs? It has changed dramatically during my time here. About six years ago, student captains ran clubs without a great deal of support. However, now a lot of clubs will have coaches in place and support from us. This does not mean that the role of students has diminished. I’d say their role is more important because there is more at stake. Their role is to sit in the middle of the structure and facilities that we provide them with and pull it all together. I believe Durham students are some of the very best in the world and therefore
what defines DU Sport is that it is based around some of the brightest, most gifted and most determined students you will ever find. However far we professionalise it, with coaches, facilities and a larger administration, the establishment relies on our students being brilliant. They still play a massive role in running our clubs and they still play a role in coaching and volunteering. Durham students are unique, which makes the establishment unique.
What characteristics would you want to instil into people who don’t go on to the highest levels of their sport? We want employers to know that a student athlete at Durham leaves with a certain set of skills. We are quite a way off defining what exactly these are, although I believe a transformation does take place. From a Durham University student athlete, one can expect exceptional time-management, communication and potential leadership skills. In addition, there is a distinct dynamism that becomes embedded in students, who find themselves at the heart of thirty-odd sports clubs working very hard week in, week out. This is an ethos I believe becomes translated into later life.
The substantial investments in facilities at the Graham Sports Centre have recently come to fruition - what is next on the agenda? We would love to create a “sports village” situation here, but a main priority at the moment is an indoor tennis centre because the growth of our tennis programme demands it. We are also keen to build an all-in-one performance venue, for sport, music and the arts. It could provide much needed extra sports hall space, but it could also be used for orchestras, theatre companies and even professional basketball or Super League netball fixtures. We would be working with the Durham City Council, if this were to happen. The University and the city would benefit from a modern, iconic venue for performance.
Why do you enjoy working for Team Durham? Working with students is what I enjoy most now. The cycle of the work keeps you fresh. If I ever got bored, I would soon find myself being challenged by a whole set of new students. Whenever I drop my work I am not done, merely taking a rest, because there is never an end to it.
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Alex Keay Interview
Alex Keay Durham University Senior Rugby Coach 1. You have now been in post for two years at Durham University. During those two years, the club has won the BUCS final and won the 7s tournament twice. This is an impressive record. Can you share with our readers what you attribute to this success? The performers are always the key factor when you are successful . If you don't have good players, it is unlikely you will succeed. We had very good players last season - eight England students plus good players in all the lower teams. They have also had a good attitude and culture to drive that desire to achieve; hence the success of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th XVs. We need students to realise and understand that when they come to Durham to study and play, they are coming to the very best and have to react and behave accordingly. 2. Your coaching success and rapport with the team have contributed to the last two years’ success across the club. Can you share with our readers a little more about your background as a coach and a player? I have coached as a Level 4 Coach in the top leagues of the game for over 20 year, after five years as Captain of Saracens. In each of the places I have played or coached, I have won leagues and cups and I think that creates respect from the players because you are speaking from experience. I have to say the Durham students are great guys to coach; they want to learn; they listen and they want to win. That makes a great starting point for any coach. 3. Team Durham has three strands: Performance, Participation and Outreach. It is clear that the Rugby Club has achieved its goals in terms of performance. Can you tell us more about how many students are members of the Rugby Club and how many teams you field along with any possible links with the Colleges (Participation) and the Community (Outreach)? We now have a pyramid system including the Colleges with the University 1st XV at the top of
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the pyramid and the Colleges providing a hugely important base at the bottom of that pyramid. This provides a continuum of rugby from College B right through to the top. We have established a College/University Rugby Board to manage all aspects of College Rugby and make sure all levels of players are catered for and developed. It really is quite unique and means that we all work together with nearly 40 men's and women's teams playing rugby at Durham University every week. That is nearly as many as some counties have in total. We are just developing our Community programme by qualifying with the RFU coaches and referees who go out to local schools, colleges and clubs to help deliver the Rugby gospel. In addition, we have run our first summer courses for children this year, with over 80 children from 8-14 joining in. We hope this will grow even further and we will develop more courses for both participation and excellence for players, referees and coaches in the community. 4. The Rugby Club has a strong Alumni base. Can you tell us a little bit more about the links you and your club have formed and how this benefits the club? We have an Alumni steering group who help look at strategy, fundraising and development for the club and meet three times a year. In addition, a weekly email goes to the Alumni in term time with an update of results and events of the week. We also have a major fund raising / Alumni dinner in February 2013 in London and that will provide a great focal point for the Rugby Alumni. Most importantly we are in the process, with the RFU, of developing an Old Boys’ Club based in London, which we hope we will be able to launch in the next 12-18 months. 5. What are the challenges that face the players at Durham University? I know it's a cliché but we will have to keep running hard to stay at the
top of the pack. Our recruitment will have to be better, particularly with entry getting harder. We will have to increase our funding to fund scholarships and develop our rugby programme and we will have to keep working hard as players and coaches to maintain our position at the top of the tree. 6. Are there any success stories of individual players you would like to share with us? Rugby is the ultimate team game and I would be reluctant to point to any individuals - obviously the eight players who played for England Students this year (Beaumont , Steele , McCulla, Pattinson, Hallam, Ward, Shiel, Stonell, and it should have been more !!!! ) but perhaps the best success story is that of James Hallam, who has just completed his Masters at Durham. In his first year, he played Colleges Rugby, in his second year, he played 3rd XV Rugby, in his third year, he played in the 1st XV, and in his fourth year was capped by England Students and has now just signed a professional contract with Newcastle Falcons. Now that is a fantastic SUCCESS story for the University. 7. What have been your highlights? There have been so many in such a short time it is hard to say. Obviously Twickenham in the home dressing room was very special, winning by nearly 50 points at Loughborough last year, a big score against Cambridge in January - all great highs - but probably the best performance was the 2nd National 7s title. We won the tournament not only by playing technically superbly but with comfortable margins in every game. We never looked like losing a game at any stage, with a squad that was missing a number of the so called star players. I was incredibly proud of the boys and the way they played that day.
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Wade Hall-Craggs Rowing
Hugh McDowell interviews Durham University Senior Rowing Coach
Wade Hall-Craggs is one of several Team Durham coaches who have also studied at the University. He rowed for Durham University Boat Club as an undergraduate and as a Masters student. After his career as both an Olympic rower and an Olympic rowing coach, he has settled back in Durham as Head Coach of the University Boat Club. I asked him why he has repeatedly chosen to work and live in Durham. “One of the biggest rewards of working with people at the University is the calibre of people you get to work with. As a result, Durham is a compelling place. “Our family has no regrets with moving out of London. We do not see why Durham should not match what is going on in the south. “I also want to help make sure that the sporting legacy and tradition of Durham University Boat Club continues. As the sport evolves, I want to make sure that sporting provisions allow current students to achieve what their forbearers did”. Anyone involved in the Boat Club will tell you that Wade has contributed both his talent and his determination to it. He and the club have recently received a massive reward through the development of a rowing tank and a new boat house at Maiden Castle. I asked him how he would justify the time, effort and money that are put towards the rowing programme. “The big investment in sporting facilities at Durham University is long overdue. “It is ranked as the top sport in the University. Our students and coaches, myself included, have a lot of work to do to match this status. However, our Alumni have raised a really significant portion of the money that has gone in to developing the new facilities. They obviously feel it is worthwhile and we are grateful for their support. “British Rowing has also recognised the quality of the programme and the students we have at Durham University. They have contributed to the finances for the new facilities and they fund two of our coaches. Our part of the bargain is to find athletes and get them to the standard where they can represent the British team.
Wade Hall-Craggs Durham University Senior Rowing Coach
“Also we are very lucky that the ViceChancellor has decided to recognise sport as an important part of the curriculum at Durham.”
Alongside performance and participation, working with the community is a third strand to Team Durham’s work that runs through DUBC.
Having witnessed both BUCS Head Race and BUCS Regatta last year as part of the University Fresher’s rowing squad, I have witnessed the aura Durham University Boat Club holds amongst its counterparts, but also that the competition is becoming increasingly fierce.
“Durham University Boat Club has had a long-established relationship with Tyne United Rowing Club. This partnership has produced a senior GB rower in Keiran Emery and a GB trialist in William Fletcher.
“We have been University champions for the past nine years, but we are now under a lot of pressure from other establishments, who have upped their game. “If we are going to stay competitive we need to continue to train hard, if not harder than we have done in the past. Our local rivals are doing very well; they are the best they have been for a while and we are definitely going to have to review our programme because of the pressure that they are putting us under.” The Dean of Experience Durham has emphasised how harnessing college sport at Durham University and the consequent exceptionally high participating rate has contributed to our sporting excellence. “In the future we are looking to improve our relationship with the colleges and the new facilities are going to help a lot with this. We are hoping to run a ‘Learn to Row’ programme for the colleges next year and this, we hope, will receive a helpful bounce from the Olympics. “I hope to maintain rowing as one of the most popular sports at Durham. When people come to the University I hope they would like to try it. “Then again sometimes in the past, the enthusiasm for rowing has been too much for the student-run clubs to handle, therefore we are hoping to work with the colleges, both in the new erg (rowing machine) gallery and in the tank, in order to make the college clubs’ lives easier. “We will also be looking at who is talented in the colleges. Naturally college clubs will want to hold on to their best rowers, but at Durham we offer our students the opportunity to be the best they can be.”
“Our work in the community is going to be aided by the new facilities. “The erg gallery and the rowing tank allow young school children from the local community to have access to facilities that they don’t have in their schools. “The students are also involved in coaching and mentoring in the community projects and I am pleased, although not surprised, to see how fulfilling they have found it. “Going forward, we are hoping to make a structure through which these facilities can be made as accessible as possible to the community. This will also allow the students to express themselves through coaching and mentoring local talent.” As a product of Durham University Boat Club himself, I asked Wade what he gained from rowing for Durham University and what characteristics he hopes the rowing programme at Durham will instil in its students. “We need to be aware that with the new system, which is highly tuned to the needs of our athletes, that it does not make them think it will do the work for them; they are not on a conveyor belt. They need to have drive and desire. Regular goal setting between the coaches and the students and review sessions are needed. “What we have with our students is huge talent and the lessons they learn in juggling their priorities are absolutely integral to success later in life. “I would like to see their confidence grow: confidence in themselves and what they can achieve, so that they know if they put their minds to and work hard at something, they can achieve whatever they set out to do.”
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Gavin Featherstone Hockey
Gavin Featherstone Durham University Senior Hockey Coach The club is nearly 100 years old and Gavin has played a part since the 1970s when he was a student at Durham University, winning the BUSA title under his captaincy. The BUSA title was then only won once more between then and when Gavin arrived as coach in 2005. He describes Durham hockey as “a sleeping giant”, saying that the intake was always strong, as many public school students had played a lot of hockey at school. Gavin suggests that before his arrival, the players only took their game seriously when they were on the field but apart from that there was “a Corinthian attitude of lots of public school boys”. Gavin made it his mission to focus the hockey team on a serious attitude and he now has players coming to Durham to get a top class degree, play top class hockey and, of course, have a good time in the process. “You’re only young once” says Gavin and he is a great advocator of a balanced lifestyle, with full participation in college life. In fact, when he became coach he actually reduced the training from six days a week to four days a week so that the body and mind could recuperate in order to perform at a good level. Rest is as important an aspect of performance as play. Hockey is possibly the only sport where fixtures are played Wednesdays and Saturdays with nearly 40 fixtures a season, leaving very little time to regroup and giving a very match orientated programme. Gavin puts great emphasis on pre-season training and in the second half of the season in early January, the squad trains in Norfolk and in August the girls go to America and the boys have training camps in Sussex. Prospective students are invited down to join these camps in England so that the recruitment of high quality players is increased. “Team Durham has helped enormously, in the sense that it has the back-up of physiotherapy, strength and conditioning and the general back-up and emphasis that Peter Warburton has given to all the sports”. Hockey was only seen as an elite club before Gavin’s arrival but only because of participation levels, rather than the standard of play. “I’ve turned that around. Sometimes I’ve had to be
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
the coach who the students love to hate but the word is still love, as they know that what I’m doing is right for the development of the players and the development of the teams.” With a background in international Olympic hockey, Gavin describes some of the methods he uses as strong but he believes that it is beneficial to pass this on to the higher level players. In the women’s side there are five players playing National League hockey and 18 in the men’s, so from the club, there are over 30 players who have left within the last three to four years who are still playing high level hockey with clubs in the National League; so still at the same level as the University if not higher. There is a huge league structure spanning from the National League at the top level down to smaller regional leagues. Under the Premiership are three leagues North, South West and South East. Durham has won the Northern League four times in the last five years. Having won this league so many times, one wonders why they are not playing in the Premiership. The answer is that the play-offs are the week before the University’s final exams. “This is hardly conducive for top performance from us”. Last year, having the same points as two other teams, the men’s team failed to qualify for the Premiership on a one goal difference. Durham has twice been runners-up of BUSA with the Women, has won BUSA with the Women and last year finished runners-up to Loughborough with a close score line of 2-1 having beaten them in the league. Durham has the same team on a Wednesday and a Saturday and there are only two other National League student teams; one is Birmingham and the other is Loughborough, however at weekends they are open clubs so Alumni and people training in the area can play in the National League side. “We’re the real McCoy. We’ve kept our integrity as a student team and we get a lot of respect because of that”. There are 4 teams for both Men and Women. The 1st and 2nd teams are the “performance group” and the 3rd and
4th teams play in the North East Division and the local Durham League respectively. The 2nd teams play in the Northern Premier League which sits below the National League so is still a high level. The 1st and 2nd teams train together so as to improve internal competition. Gavin trains the 1st teams, both the Men and the Women, along with his assistant coaches; one employed by the students (as opposed to Gavin being employed by the University) and the other is a 3rd Year student. Some funding for the coaching structure comes from Alumni, for which we are grateful. Former Durham hockey players meet annually in January for games at the Westminster Sports Ground. In the evening it is interesting to note that around nine out of 10 people there are former hockey players, demonstrating the strength of the Alumni bond with the University. Having been to six World Championship and Olympic finals as Head Coach, Gavin describes himself as “unique, a one-off”.
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Graeme Fowler Cricket
Graeme Fowler Durham University Senior Cricket Coach After retiring from first-class cricket in 1994, Graeme Fowler (St. Hild & St. Bede, 1978) continued coaching and in 1996 started Durham University's Centre of Cricketing Excellence. The Centre has since produced a number of first-class players in both the men's and women's games, and boasts county captains and England players (including, of course, past captain - Andrew Strauss) among its Alumni. Graeme's approach has always been to ensure that his players not only recognise
their own potential, but also know exactly what they must do to achieve it. "If I do my job properly then they will know how to coach themselves" says Graeme, adding "very few players can rely on pure ability". A number of the innovations Graeme has introduced in Durham have been recognised by the MCC and replicated in its other Centres. This has seen approaches to coaching the game that were unheard of during Graeme's days as a first-class player. "There's not a better system out there; even most
County academies fail to work as well" Graeme states. Indeed this sentiment is borne out by this year's results, with Durham's men's team winning the MCCU Final at Lord's, while the ladies' team reached the BUCS Final played the same day, also at Lord's. When asked if he would swap his position at Durham with the opportunity to run a County side, Graeme's response is unequivocal - "No chance!".
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Laszlo Jakab Fencing
Laszlo Jakab Durham University Senior Fencing Coach Laszlo Jakab is the Head Coach of Durham University Fencing Club. Since he came to work in the North East in 1996, he has overseen the development of one of the finest regional fencing centres in the country; Durham University fencers and fencers from the community contributing to its outstanding reputation. In his past career, he has been director of national fencing establishments in China, Hungary and Austria, he has coached the Iraqi and Thai national teams and he has even coached a Hungarian Olympic champion. In a fascinating interview with Laszlo, which took place in the new world-class fencing suite at Maiden Castle, or “heaven” in the interviewee’s words, he told me about his time coaching students in the North East; his experiences of spreading his passion for the sport around the world to the young; the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, and even the retired; and his philosophy in teaching the technical and psychological requirements of fencing. “Now we are a proper fencing club because we have got a home,” Laszlo said after enthusiastically showing me the six new fencing pistes and the electronic scoring equipment. “It is fantastic to see other teams come in for their BUCS events here. They look around and say ‘Wow’!” He is obviously delighted with the new facility that has been provided, so I asked him about his passion for the sport. “In Hungary, where I am from, fencing is a lot more popular than in England. We have a long established record of success in the Olympics. “Also, in my case, I grew up in the North East of Hungary in a small, but very famous village called Eger. In 1552 there was a big fight between the Hungarian and the Turkish invaders (the Siege of Eger). There were about 40,000 Ottoman fighters against approximately 2,000 defenders of Eger Castle. The Hungarians won and the
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news of this defeat spread across Europe. There is a statue in the village centre of a strong man holding up a sword and as a boy I used to play sword fights with my friends in the ruins of the castle.” Laszlo later told me, “It is the most difficult job to coach young children. They have an image of it being all swash and buckle. They come in fighting like 'The Pirates of Caribbean'. We have to make lots of games that are similar to fencing for them to appreciate that the sport is not quite what they imagined. It is not an aggressive sport: the piste is not a battlefield and your opponent is not your enemy. We try to make them love fencing and stay and make the sacrifice to fence at a high level. Coaching children is a beautiful job and I like it very much.” The technical aspects of the sport (handwork, bladework, footwork, coordination and tactics) are the groundwork for beginner fencers, but his role as a coach of elite fencers at Durham University and in the North East, he stated, is also to give them the professional attitude and commitment required for fencing. “You have to influence their lifestyle. They have to have a professional attitude. For example, if a student is invited to a party before an event, he needs to make sure he gets an early night and he certainly should not go out drinking before training. It is difficult coaching fencers at Durham University because they have so many other things they like to do: work, music, partying… However, I do get many students who are very talented and commit to fencing.” Since being in the North East he has coached Durham University past students, Claire Bennet, Beth Davidson and Angela Bilardi, and current student, Kira Roberts, to achieve places in the Great Britain fencing squad. “They have been some of my best students. With regards to my young fencer, Kira Roberts, she is very committed and although she was disappointed not to make the Olympic
team for Great Britain this year, she will do very well I am sure, if she carries on training this hard.” On the topic of his own fencing career, Laszlo was modest about his achievements: “In my late twenties the fencing in Hungary was very strong. I was in the top twenty (no mean feat in a country where fencing is as popular as cricket is to the English) but I was not good enough. “In 1956, while I was still competing, I also began to coach. I soon realised that if a fencer whom I coach achieves a good result, it makes me happier than my own successful performances. “I started coaching at a club with lots of good coaches. I watched and learned from them.” Laszlo admires fencing as an art form and he sees himself as an artist. Indeed he compared a fencing coach’s role to the quotation from the great artist and sculptor, Michelangelo: “The statue is in the rock and you have got to remove it". "Everyone can fence, you just have to find the way to uncover it. People are different. You can find one method for one person, but this might not work for someone else. You have to find your own style; the fencing style cannot be forced. Obviously there are principles, but you always have to find a compromise. My job is to help people achieve happiness with the sport, whether they are Olympic winners or not.”
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Dave Elderkin Basketball
Dave Elderkin Durham University Senior Basketball Coach Dave has been connected with Team Durham basketball for around five years but has only worked directly with them for a year and a half. When Dave arrived, Durham was in the bottom division of men’s Basketball and the Wildcats team was in the bottom division of the National League. Now the University team plays in the Premiership where it finished second last year, winning the Northern Conference, and the Wildcats are now playing in a professional league. “There is an absolutely massive partnership,” enthuses Dave. The University and the Wildcats are now linked to County Durham so are “working together to produce good young players on our doorstep, as well as bringing recruits into Durham University”.
In Dave’s time at Durham, the clubs have expanded and there are now both men’s and women’s 2nd teams playing in the BUCS championships. The college programme has also expanded with there now being around 14 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams playing collegiate basketball on a Saturday night. The majority of the coaching done with the colleges is carried out by the postgraduate students. In the men’s squad there are 16 players this year, which means that with five players in a team sometimes Durham can field three teams. Of those 16 players, 11 are registered with Durham Wildcats showing a very strong Durham University presence in this top flight team.
The Durham Wildcats are currently in the top BBL league and are now working to be competitive in that league. Last year, the men’s team finished second and the aim this year is obviously to finish top. Last year they finished champions of Premiership North but when North and South came together for the final 8, Durham lost out to Worcester in the final. The women’s team finished third overall and have now been promoted to the Premiership so they’ve got a tough job this year to beat the likes of Northumbria and UWIC, who have perhaps the strongest team the BUCS league has ever seen. The Women have already qualified for the final 8 and the Men have to play Glasgow in February in order to reach the final 8.
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Richard Warburton Women’s Football
Richard Warburton Durham University Women’s Football Coach Richard is now in his fourth season with the Durham University Women’s Football team and very much enjoys his role. He studied at Leeds Met, which is at the heart of women’s football in Britain”. When he arrived in Durham the team was “a participation side; come along, have fun and enjoy it”. Both Richard and the girls were very keen to push for the status of a Durham University performance team. Both the men’s and women’s sides are completely separate entities. He suggests that it is much more difficult to recruit for men’s university football than for women’s, as potential big club players are in Academies from an early age, whereas in women’s football, the new professional super league, for example which was created last year, comprises around 50% students across Britain.
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Last season, Durham entered the local county league. Having played very well last year they unfortunately had to turn down promotion to a higher league because of the early start dates being incompatible with Durham’s term dates. So the team finds itself once again in the Durham county league and remains unbeaten so far this season. Durham plays in this league so as to be able to play in the FA cup, which is not otherwise open to student teams. There is no existing connection between the University side and college football, apart from the open trials at the start of the year, which a number of college players often attend. “This year we’ve created a 2nd team so we’re really trying to open it up to as many people as we possibly can”. There are 27 players in the club and it
would be happy to have more but after the initial trials very little is done in terms of recruitment. When asked for his thoughts on the future of women’s football in Durham, Richard says that “for me there is only one place we can be and that is the number one team in Britain; we’re not a million miles away”. He hopes that the team will be promoted to the Premier League this year so that the girls will be playing at the top level of student football. Leeds Met, Loughborough and Birmingham are the three biggest sides and they all play in the North, so Richard hopes that Durham will be playing them next year. “Realistically if we carry on doing what we’re doing, we will be up there next year; we will be the top two or three teams.”
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Marie Ewing Netball
Marie Ewing Durham University Netball Coach Marie Ewing is a member of Team Durham’s graduate coaching staff, filling the role of Head Coach for Durham University Netball Club and playing wing attack for the 1st VII. Under Marie, the 1st VII has cemented their place in the top four of the BUCS Northern Premier League and they beat Loughborough to win a place in the BUCS Championship semi-finals this year. Before I was invited to interview, I had already been working with the Durham University Netball Club for two years. When the opportunity came up, I thought that I had to grab it so I could continue the development of the club that had already been set on its way. I am doing a part-time Masters course in Education, which has helped my employability. This is complemented by the work with the community allowed by my job as a Team Durham coach.
Every working day I go to either primary or secondary schools throughout Durham City, to encourage enthusiasm and talent amongst young netballers, and to feed our junior netball club, which was set up three years ago. Ever since, it has gone from strength to strength and we now have three teams of local community netballers who train on a Thursday night in our facilities at Maiden Castle.
The club, as a whole, has seen noticeable improvement over the last few years. In my opinion, this grows partly from the squad environment that is now well established. This means that even if you are in the 2s and the 3s, you know that there is a chance to move up the ranks. Everyone is therefore working hard to try and become a 1st team player and the club as a whole keeps improving.
I have been also working alongside the other coaches in Team Durham, who have been generous in sharing their knowledge, gained from experience, with me and this has improved my ability as a coach a lot. I have learnt a great deal from the girls too, who have got plenty of good ideas that they are willing to share with me. We have a good collaborative partnership in the Netball Club between Freshers, senior players and myself.
My own confidence has also grown during my time with D.U.N.C. Every player really loves her netball and everyone really wants to learn and develop. I am proud to say that the University Netball Club is one of the friendliest and I have benefited from this and I have recently been appointed as a Sports Teacher at Redhouse Independent School, Stockton.
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Student Leadership and Experience Career Development Scholars The Career Development Scholarship programme is now in its fourth year. The scholarships provide an ideal opportunity for students to gain valuable experience working alongside Team Durham staff. The scheme provides employment opportunities for students and also enables them to gain hands-on experience in diverse fields that enables the students to develop a portfolio of work which they can add to their CV. The scheme is open for all students, whether they have a sporting interest or not. There were 16 Career Development Scholarships awarded in 2011/12.
Sponsorship Scholar David Eaton was awarded the Sponsorship Support Scholarship and worked alongside the Team Durham Sponsorship Manager. This was a crucial role as sponsorship for athletic clubs has seen a steady increase. This income is vital for the clubs and ensures the clubs can develop and offer opportunities to all. This is what David had to say about his role. David Eaton – Career Development Scholar - Sponsorship supports Since assuming the role of Sponsorship Management Scholar in October 2011, I have met with potential sponsors and discussed their requirements, composed a number of sponsorship proposals,
organised and helped to deliver recruitment events in order to fulfill the agreement of a sponsorship contract, and provided support throughout the alumni games weekend. I found their sustained support, constructive feedback and assistance invaluable, and believe I have greatly developed a number of transferable skills, such as those of presentation, co-operation and organisation, and would thoroughly recommend anyone to apply for the Scholarship as a means of fostering skills and qualities essential in any workplace.
Experience Durham Career Development Scholar Hugh McDowell Athlete Focus Career Development Scholar Durham students are some of the most able, creative and motivated individuals from diverse backgrounds and from all parts of the world. They benefit from a rigorous academic education in their departments and from non-curricular opportunities for personal development in sport, music and the arts. Durham students have unique opportunities to excel at whatever excites them and develop leadership skills, time management, entrepreneurship and communications skills that will help them in later life. This is perhaps why Durham, despite being a small university in a small city, was rated amongst the top 15 universities in the world, from which the world's 5,000 blue chip employers most wanted to recruit graduates.
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This year my role has been to interview various Team Durham athletes, coaches and administrative staff, and to produce articles for the Team Durham website and this Annual Sporting Review. The main focus of my work has been ‘Athlete Focus’, interviewing athletes to give you, our readers, an insight by Durham University’s outstanding student athletes. First of all, I have appreciated meeting athletes and coaches of different Team Durham sports’ clubs and hearing about their achievements. This gave me the opportunity to engage with some interesting characters and I have been impressed and inspired by their passion for their respective sports and their outstanding levels of commitment. It has always been a refreshing experience,
supported by the consistently friendly and helpful nature of the interviewees. Aside from this, I am more aware of the role of the interviewer. My listening abilities have certainly improved and I am sure that this will help me in life beyond university. In particular, I feel that this will aid me in job interviews. It has also been enlightening to work alongside Team Durham Head of Marketing and Communications, Chantelle Dingley. I have learnt a great deal and the scheme offered an effective means of work experience that ran simultaneously with my studies. I was, and I still am not sure whether I want to pursue a career in media, but I am more cognisant of what it would involve.
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Holly Page
My Role as Experience Durham Scholar Holly Page Career Development Scholar Journalist for Experience Durham Holly Page was awarded a scholarship as part of the media team to highlight some of what is being achieved in Durham. Holly was also one of our top athletes this year, achieving BUCS Individual bronze medal in Cycling Hill-climb, and we are proud of her achievements. This is what Holly had to say about her role this year and what she has achieved in sport. My Role as Experience Durham Scholar I am the first person to have undertaken the role of Experience Durham Scholar as this was created at the beginning of the academic year. However, after overcoming the initial difficulties of embarking upon a largely undefined role, I feel that it has been a hugely worthwhile experience, both for myself and for the Experience Durham organisation as a whole. It was decided that my role would consist largely of conducting interviews with both students and staff involved in the make-up of Experience Durham; that’s to say, music, drama and sport. I have therefore been privileged to meet some outstanding individuals who work extremely hard in their domain to improve the overall Durham experience for students. An experience which Durham University is proud of, as its students not only leave with a high quality academic degree, but they also leave as well-rounded individuals who have benefitted from the plethora of extracurricular activities on offer. I have found it interesting to discover different areas with which I was not previously familiar. Although having taken part in music, drama and sport. Before taking on this role, I had never interviewed anyone in my life and I remember being slightly daunted by my first meeting, though I very quickly relaxed and got the hang of it. I hadn’t ever considered journalism as a career path but this role has certainly opened my eyes to the opportunities which such a career presents, and with the valuable experience I have had this last year, I believe that my employability skills have been greatly increased. All in all,
I have really enjoyed the role. It has been such a great opportunity and I am sure that it will not be the last time that I am involved in journalism. About Me I am a 4th Year Modern Languages student from Collingwood and I feel that I’ve definitely made the most of the opportunities on offer here in Durham. Here’s a little bit about what I’ve been up to during my time here. In my first year, I decided to get involved in as much as possible so as to meet new people and get a taste of as many different areas of university life as I could. As well as being a member of the University Athletics Club, I joined the college football team and Boat Club. I also took part in the college musical and played the violin in the Palatinate Orchestra throughout my first two years. I then decided to start taking rowing more seriously and joined DUBC, winning an individual British silver medal in the autumn of my second year, soon after taking up the sport. In my second year, I also took over the management of the college coffee shop, where I had worked throughout my first year, which was a demanding but worthwhile managerial experience. In terms of other executive roles, I was also the secretary for the University Athletics Club and the social secretary for the College Football Club which was great fun. At the end of my second year I also worked as a leader in the DUCK three peaks challenge, guiding students and encouraging them up Britain’s highest mountains in 24 hours, which again was a fantastic opportunity to develop my leadership skills.
gold medal in the British Universities’ Hill Climb championships last autumn. I was also introduced to the sport of duathlon, and finishing fifth in my first ever duathlon at BUCS, I have decided to concentrate on this sport, and have recently qualified to represent Great Britain at the World Championships in September. I also recently competed in the BUCS 5000m in the Olympic stadium which was certainly an unforgettable experience! On a college level this year, as well as continuing my work in the coffee shop, I have also captained the college football A team which has been a great opportunity, leading the team to victory in both the women’s cup and floodlit cup! And in between all of this I have managed to squeeze in a lot of work, honest! Looking to the future, I will spend the summer competing in mountain running and cycling events in Britain and abroad, as well as picking up my music again, which has unfortunately taken a back seat recently due to academic and sporting commitments, before hopefully heading off to travel the length of South America in November! My time at Durham has been truly exceptional. I’ve had unforgettable experiences, made some lifelong friends and learnt so much both academically and in terms of real life skills. I would recommend Durham to anybody. It’s really given me the opportunity to strive to be the best that I can be in all I do. There are so many opportunities to get involved at all levels and it is this, in my opinion, that makes Durham Britain’s best university in producing well-rounded, talented individuals.
In my third year I went abroad as part of my course, splitting my time between work in the Alpine haven of Annecy in France and Spain’s vibrant capital, Madrid. Returning to Durham, as well as continuing my running and having bought a road bike in my second year, I began to take cycling more seriously after winning a silver individual and team
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Coaches’ and Athletes’ Focus Athletes Focus: There are many outstanding athletes at Durham. Hugh McDowell has interviewed some of our top performers to give us an insight into their lives, training and success. We hope you enjoy reading through the following interviews.
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Coaches’ and Athletes’ Focus
Hugh McDowell Career Development Scholar responsible for "Athlete Focus" articles and interviews
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Canoe Club Charlie Jefferson Durham University Canoe Club Captain
Durham University Canoe Club, a Tier 1a sport: an interview with the club captain, Charlie Jefferson. Charlie Jefferson is a 2nd Year Geography student and he is also the captain for Durham University Canoe Club. Here is what he had to say about his time as captain and the recent exciting development of the club: "I came to Durham with ideas of doing loads of different sports, but I started paddling and got hooked. I decided to apply for the captaincy simply because I had really enjoyed my first year with the club. The previous captain had really motivated me and I wanted to do the same for others. “Perhaps the greatest challenge, but one of the highlights of my experience as captain, has been taking 50+ people and kayaks on our Freshers’ weekend away in the Lake District in the first term. It was not the warmest trip we have ever had, but it was great fun and it is great for making new friends, as well as inspiring some people to continue paddling. “As captain, that experience, as well as many others, has improved my ability to deal with the unexpected. My organisation skills have improved and I am well supported by the club’s student exec. “This year has been one of major development for the canoe club. We have been upgraded by Team Durham to Tier 1a rank and we have now got a full time coach,
Mark Ledger. I cannot think of another university canoe club that enjoys this privilege. He has done a lot to get people involved in the last couple of months. Having someone who is dynamic, experienced and talented gives us the support deserved by the student input of the last few years. I hope the club can return this generous reward by consistently being placed in the top three of BUCS Championship events in Canoe Slalom, Polo and Wildwater Racing.
can be a complete novice at, but can appreciate top quality coaching and facilities. I believe that it will be possible for us to welcome beginners in their first year and coach them into being GB competitors by the end of their time here. We already have several GB paddlers and as a Tier 1a sport I would hope the club will add to them."
“I would encourage anyone to come along. There are not many sports you
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Josh and Harrison
on the development of a cohesive and hard working Rugby Club under head coach, Alex Keay knew the quality of the team, so I wasn’t remotely nervous. “It was certainly a new mental challenge for us this year with our previous success, but we are still striving for that perfect performance.
Alex Keay (far left), Josh Bayford (second from left), Harrison Collins (second from right).
Josh Bayford (3rd Year, Van Mildert College) and Harrison Collins (2nd Year, Hatfield College) were both part of the Durham University 1st XV that won the British Universities Rugby Championship in 2011. Josh plays prop and has been captain of the side this season, while Harrison is a back row forward and pack leader in Josh’s current absence due to injury. Although they could not repeat their crowning moment from last season at Twickenham, the club is the most competitive it has ever been, with the 2nd and 3rd teams winning their respective cup competitions as well. (Josh) “People were saying how much pressure there would be to captain a side that had such a successful past season, but in the back of my mind I already
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“I have tried to define in my mind what has brought the side together: I think winning has helped! “Also, there is a great deal of competition but also respect for one another in the club. The 2nd team is pushing very hard, which has been really good to keep the 1st team grounded. We suffered quite a few injuries this season, but 2nd team players have always been ready to stand in and step up to the opportunities. It just goes to show that the 1st team is strong because of the strength of the club as a whole.” Harrison also attributed the cohesion and achievements of the club to the input of Alex Keay. Alex has been Durham University head coach for Rugby for the past two seasons, following a career as coach of National League 2 side, Preston Grasshoppers. (Harrison) “Our coach, Alex Keay, has an attitude that suits the side: he is very positive, but grounded at the same time. Certainly there is always something that we can improve on and I feel that it is this ethos
Josh Bayford and Harrison Collins
and the hard graft that we commit to each training session as a whole club, which is central to the strength of the current side. “When I arrived as a first year in September 2010, I was immediately swept into threeand-a-half weeks of full on fitness training. I had never experienced that much hard work in rugby before. “He has brought a really hard-nosed attitude to the club; the attitude that you need to have in National League rugby.” Although both players did not seem to lack determination and ambition when talking about the club as a whole, as well as the notorious team they are both part of, when I asked them about their personal ambitions in the sport after leaving Durham University, they both conveyed the realistic, unconceited attitude that the new coach seems to have imposed on the club. (Harrison) “You always aim as high as you can, but you have got to remain realistic and be aware that some things can go wrong.” (Josh) “As long as I keep enjoying it I will play for as long as I can. When I was younger, I set myself a lot of goals, I put too much pressure on myself and I ended up not really enjoying it very much. One thing that is certain: I have never enjoyed rugby as much as I have at Durham.”
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Kate Langham Women's rugby
Kate Langham
Kate Langham is a 3rd Year Geography student from St. Chad’s College and she is fly half and captain for Durham University Women’s Rugby 1st XV. The side was only promoted to the BUCS Premier League North last season, but Kate led what is now a “much more committed” side to second this year. In her interview, following the team's monumental victory over Loughborough Women’s 1st XV, Kate was clearly excited about the prospects of women’s rugby at Durham University:
"I started playing when I was fourteen and I forced my form tutor to set up a women’s side. Any girl from a sporty background can pick it up; they just can’t be too afraid. “One of my main roles as captain is to praise my players; if you know you’ll get praise when you play well, you will want to do it more - people like their successes to be recognised.
“The club is also aiming to develop the 2nd XV and the college teams through development days, with Newcastle Falcons players coming to help the expansion of women’s rugby at Durham University. Hopefully next year Durham will have an even stronger side because of our efforts to recruit new players.”
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Oliver Gill Men’s Football
Oliver Gill
Oliver Gill is a 1st Year in St. Cuthbert’s College studying Economics, who plays centre back for the University 1st XI football team. In the 2010/11 season, he was named Manchester United ‘Reserve Player of the Season’ and he was in the 1st team squad for Premier League and Champions League fixtures. The promising, 21 year old centre back made the remarkable choice of leaving a potential career in top-flight football to get a degree at Durham. Here is what he had to say:
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“It was a great experience travelling around the world playing football with some amazing players, but although I had a very nice lifestyle with Manchester United, you do have to make a lot of sacrifices, and it came to the point where I had to decide, ‘Do I want to be a professional football player, or do I want to go to university and find a career along that path?’
“You have got to do what is right for you and I feel I made the right choice in coming to Durham. I like the fact that you are more independent, you meet lots of different people, you have a good time and hopefully learn a lot as well! It has got a reputation for being a top university and the balance it provides between studying and sport is what attracted me.”
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Richard Topham Men's Lacrosse
Richard Topham
None of the athletes or coaches I have interviewed this year have been lacking in passion for their sport. However, Ric Topham, captain of Durham University Men’s Lacrosse, seemed genuinely excited to have the opportunity to talk about his favourite pastime for half an hour. In our interview, he regaled me with stories of the club’s successes in BUCS and beyond, which have emerged from relative obscurity. Ric is one of the few British players in the men’s 1st team and from this position, he is able to appreciate the effect the American lacrosse scholars have had on Durham University’s Club, and also University Lacrosse in general. “When I arrived at Durham University and told the Lacrosse Club that I had some experience of the sport already, they were surprised and delighted. It was, and is rare for a Fresher to come to Durham having played before. Even while I was at my school, they decided to scrap boys lacrosse and play football,” he says with a tone of disgust. However, Ric is also much more hopeful for the future of the sport in England. “Although not everyone is aware of it, the Lacrosse World Games were held in the United Kingdom last summer. Since then I have seen a noticeable growth in the sport’s popularity. “Durham University’s programme also really contributes to this, both amongst students and local community school children. While I would like to see more English men in the 1st team, thanks to the American lacrosse scholars, the squad has grown from approximately 15, to one that can field three teams in BUCS competitions.” Ric argues that the Americans are in no way damaging to the university leagues. “They are doing a great thing for the division because it forces everyone to step up. The people we play against
are competitive and so they are inspired when they see how good some of our university players are.” According to Ric, they also act as an inspiration for the increasing number of Durham University students who want to take up the sport. “The Americans are always happy to take new players to one side and give them coaching advice. The support we get from them is outstanding. No other university has three coaches. They are also real athletes and so, people who previously have not taken the sport seriously, give it a new respect.” “On top of the help they give our beginners, they also venture into the local schools and also to Northumbria University where they spread the word of the sport and give valuable advice on technique in the early stages of a player’s progress.”
become “notorious”, to the extent that they were invited to an international tournament in Amsterdam this season. More impressive were their results: victories against the Holland and Germany U19 teams and also the Netherlands’ senior national team. More recently, the club beat the England U19 team and it looks forward to even greater heights if they can persuade the England Senior team to give them a game when they come up to Durham for a training camp later on in the summer. The popularity of men’s lacrosse is growing and I have been assured by Ric (and Durham University’s exceptional results) that Durham is leading its march to prominence.
Ric Topham has now won three BUCS Championship gold medals with the 1st team. Due to the club’s impressive performances, they have apparently
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Rory Johnson Athletics and Cross Country Club
Rory Johnson
Rory Johnson is a 2nd Year History student in St. Cuthbert’s Society. After a first year of training and competing with Durham University Athletics and Cross Country Club, he felt compelled to take on the responsibility of captaining its men’s cross-country section. The student run club shares a valuable partnership with Durham City Harriers and Athletics Club, which, in return for use of the University running track, provides students with high quality coaching and training programmes. On the cold winter’s evening when the interview took place, one could still find lots of runners down at Maiden Castle, warming up (or keeping warm) before they were set their evening’s exercise by the experienced local coaching staff. “At the top end we have two GB athletes and county champions, but other students who want to get involved in a Team Durham sport can come along and find someone of similar ability and fitness. In training we split into groups according to ability and discipline. This is now complemented by the two week training programmes that our coaches set us, tailored for our specific events or aims. “It is very impressive what they do: standing out in the cold, cheering you on. What’s more, it is all voluntary. As a result a really strong spirit runs through the two clubs. “A lot of the University runners have actually joined Durham City Harriers, when they find themselves up here in the holidays. We get free membership and it means you can race in all the local leagues. It is a real testament to how the University runners appreciate
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the local coaching staff. They want to give something back for what the coaches have given them by performing in the local events as well as the usual BUCS ones. “I find that the club has a good social aspect to it as well. Because it is so large, we have been able to
set up Facebook groups, so people can arrange to go out for runs together when they please. “While the club is only a Tier 2 sport in Team Durham classifications, I believe that we out-perform our funding, both in terms of performance and participation.”
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Laura and Gemma Women’s Football
Local footballers return from the States to their home in the North East for study and to play football for Durham University Laura Stockdale, 28 years old and Gemma Nortcliffe, 23 years old are postgraduate students playing centre midfield and striker for Durham University Women’s Football 1st XI respectively. They both grew up in County Durham and then went to the United States as football scholars. Now they have returned to their home city to combine their passion for football with part-time Masters’ courses at the University Business School. Here is what they had to say: (Laura) "Coming back to study at Durham University was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. The Durham University Women’s
Football Club is like a family; everyone fits together really well. Our team is just as good as the teams I played with in America. This season we want to win the BUCS league and go as far as possible in the FA Cup." (Gemma) "It is a real privilege to be back studying at Durham, as well as playing with the University Football team. The style of football in England is very different to the game in the US. Here it tends to be a lot more physical, which is a good experience for me. Also, thanks to the Team Durham Community Programme I am now teaching football at my old college (East Durham College) several times a week, which is really rewarding."
Gemma Nortcliffe
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Steph Elliot Hockey
Steph Elliot
Steph Elliott is a 2nd Year in Collingwood College and is studying Sport. Steph captained the England U21 hockey team during the summer and is now captain of the Durham 1st team. She recently accepted the privilege of carrying the Olympic torch on its Durham leg of the tour of the country. Here is what she had to say: “Since I’ve been with Team Durham I have grown in confidence through playing hockey. My game has improved
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and I now control my game a lot better, which is vital to my captaincy. “Some teams we play against play a lot of hockey and don’t seem to enjoy themselves but I’ve made friends for life here and playing sport with friends is so much more rewarding. “Playing as part of Durham University Hockey Club is how I managed to get into the England set-up, which has
been simply amazing. My coach, Gavin Featherstone, ex- England hockey captain and Durham senior coach, has helped me enormously and I have a lot to thank him for. “I can’t believe that I was even considered to carry the Olympic Torch, and it’s down to everyone around me – my family, friends and coach – who helped me achieve these things. Hopefully I’ll manage it without embarrassing myself.”
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Coaches’ and Athletes’ Focus
Loulou Rowlands Women's lacrosse
Loulou Rowlands
Loulou Rowlands is a 2nd Year Natural Sciences student in St. Hild and St. Bede College. She is an accomplished athlete, having competed as a middle distance runner in the U20s National Championship in 2010. She also plays for Durham University Women’s Lacrosse 1st team and has represented the U19 and Senior National Lacrosse teams. Here is what she had to say: “At university I was keen to play a team sport, which is especially the case with lacrosse. I also enjoy it because it is so exciting.
“I played for the U19 England side and then got promoted to the senior squad, who I toured with in the summer. However, at the moment I just want to focus on Durham University Lacrosse.
“Our new coach, Rebecca Greenslade, has been important in getting the new side to blend. Morale is good and everyone works so hard at training that you know you are never going to have an easy session!
“I really want to help the team to an unbeaten season. There are only four players from last year’s British Universities Championship winning side in the team now and the rest are all new but they are all excellent players; several have represented England Under 19s and some have played a lot in America.
“On top of our own training, we have done a lot of coaching with primary school children. I really felt like I was giving something back to the sport. I think the children enjoyed it as much as I did because they were eager to come back each week to improve.”
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Community Outreach
Community Outreach Team Durham focuses on three core strands of performance, participation and outreach. The Community Outreach team is responsible for the third strand and the department continues to go from strength to strength. Our international work continues in Zambia and this year we celebrate the tenth year of this collaboration. Durham continue to lead an ever-expanding programme. In April, Durham Theatre Group went to Zambia for the first time. Our partners include the Universities of Loughborough,
Bath, UWIC, Northumbria, St Andrews and Stirling, UK Sport, the International Netball Federation and the Netball Federation of Zambia, helping to develop netball throughout Zambia. Each year a large number of students are placed in Zambia throughout the year, involved in supporting sport delivery, coaching, building projects and nursing. As you will read from Sarah Harding’s report below, the difference this experience has made to so many of our students has been worth the last ten years’ work.
DU SHINE (Durham University strengthening the hearts in the North East) is a project working across Durham and Wear Valley to increase physical activity participation in those aged 40 - 74 years.
There are currently 250 participants entered in the programme and accessing the wide variety of activities.
Back at home our major projects all aim to improve the lives of many disengaged groups in the North East. 2011/12 has been a successful year for the project, but also a very challenging one with the number and variety of projects we are managing. With over six full-time members of staff and several apprentices, along with over 200 student volunteers, we regularly deliver on the following projects.
Intense Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP)
DU SHINE
This year’s activities have included: cycling, aqua aerobics, Nordic walking, spinning, indoor bowls, golf, Zumba® and New Age Kurling. In addition to the weekly programme, a number of seasonal events have been on offer, such as a recent Easter Egg Hunt and previously a Summer Family Fun Day.
Emma Hall-Craggs Head of Student Experience Community Outreach
Two Durham University scholarship students attached to this programme, have had an extremely hands-on experience, planning, preparing and delivering sport activities and events.
The ISSP programme is part-funded by Sport England and has been working with Positive Futures. It is a programme for young offenders who are, engaged with the criminal justice system. Participants have gained the following awards through informal learning: Wind Surfing Level One at Derwent Reservoir, and UK Youth, ‘Take Up The Challenge Award’. This is a huge achievement for some of the participants, as many will leave formal education with no qualifications.
KICKS The KICKS project aims to build safer, stronger communities through the development of young peoples' potential. This allows young people the opportunity to engage in positive activities which deters them from anti-social behaviour. KICKS is a group for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, with funding from Sportivate. The young people have been receiving lacrosse coaching from a member of the Durham University Lacrosse Team. This experience has also encouraged a lot of cultural awareness, as the coach was from the USA, which the group found fascinating.
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Community Outreach
Women’s Group Funded by Sport England, the group meets two mornings a week in the fitness suite. The women are drawn from across County Durham. The local NHS health trainer has also been referring women to the sessions and offering health MOT to the existing members. A variety of physical activities are offered to them including Zumba, step-aerobics and circuit training.
Youth Service Sports Day Team Durham Sports Day for Durham Youth Service, is part of working with the wider community. The day included the opportunity to try a number of sports with coaches to assist. Sports included dodgeball, badminton, rounders, basketball, and hockey. Each Youth Group also entered a team into the football tournament. The DERIC (DERIC Durham Education Resources in the Community) youth bus also attended and helped with a BBQ and soft drinks. The Army provided a number of team-building, problem solving and fun activities. Over 100 young people attended. The Youth Services are keen to deliver this day again.
Vulnerable Adults' Sports Sessions This year, Team Durham has linked up with local hospitals and support organisations, to offer a wide variety of sports sessions to patients with mental health illnesses, working in partnership with the Waddington Street Centre and Lanchester Road Hospital. Clients are offered the opportunity to attend Maiden Castle and participate in a variety of activities on offer, including gym, football and badminton. These sessions are very popular and have a regular attendance of 16 participants. The aim of the session is to create a fun and social atmosphere, where everyone is welcome regardless of ability. Sessions are organised by our
student volunteers, who plan and deliver all aspects of the sessions and also join in and build positive relationships with the participants.
2nd Chance We deliver weekly sporting activity sessions to adults 16 plus, who are not in education, training or employment. Participants are referred onto the programme from a host of partner organisations, including drug and alcohol recovery centres, homeless organisations and the probation service. Drug Intervention Programmes are an integral part of the Government’s strategy for tackling drug addiction. Adults identified by Drug Intervention Outreach Workers attend both Queen’s Campus Stockton and Maiden Castle Durham once a week to take part in the programme. As well as other more challenging activities including canoeing and mountain biking, participants have the opportunity to try their hand at football, fencing, tennis and boxercise. The sessions are a great opportunity to develop the skills of the Team Durham Volunteer students
who take on a variety of roles from sessional coach to project leader. Debra who works for ‘Foundation UK’ said: “Since coming to Maiden Castle we have noticed a considerable change in some of our customers. They are eager to come and take part in the sports and excel at some of the challenges. They particularly like the engagement with the staff and students.
The customers regularly talk about what they have done and look forward to the next session. We have noticed that those who attend regularly have increased in self confidence, not only in the sessions, but in their everyday lives. It is an opportunity for them to meet socially with other people and learn about new activities and cultivate ideas.”
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112 The first Sport University North East England (SUNEE) and Igneous Sport Academy Durham University piloted the first ever SUNEE Academy this year, working with a newly formed partner Igneous. Igneous is a national organisation and is the largest provider of the government’s flagship work programme.
Indoor Rowing Over the course of the year, Team Durham Community has taken every opportunity to utilise the University's fantastic new sports facilities. The ergo gallery and indoor rowing tank have been greatly appreciated by the local community. The Durham University Boat Club students have delivered a series of coaching sessions to vulnerable community groups and school children. The Junior Rowing programme has been running for the last five weeks. The scheme has given local young people the chance to try their hand at rowing for free in six weekly sessions. It has proved
Debating The 2011 Second Chance debate drew to a glorious conclusion on Friday 9th December, after eight weeks of hard work by the students and participants. During this time, a group of Durham University students delivered a series of workshops to a group of people from The Cyrenians. The Cyrenians is one of the country’s leading and most progressive homeless charities. Changing lives, building futures we offer an holistic approach to tackling the needs of vulnerable and socially disadvantaged people. The organisation offers support and accommodation to people in need, helping them to make sustainable, positive changes in their lives. The fantastic final debate followed a sumptuous black-tie reception and meal in the Durham Castle Senate Suite. There aren’t many more impressive surroundings in which to dine and it seemed as though some of the Second Chancers were naturally overawed as they took their seats, however, no-one could have guessed that when the proposers and opposers rose to speak in the chamber. Skillfully-constructed conclusions followed well-argued points as the two sides exchanged blows on the motion that
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Community Outreach
The project gives Igneous service users an opportunity to attend a series of workshops and physical activity sessions, which aim to improve self esteem and confidence, whilst improving health and well-being. Student coaches also got involved in the delivery of sporting activities, adding to the students' experience of working with members of the community.
Everyone who attended the project completed a Community Sports Leaders and Street Swords qualification. Two have also secured sports apprenticeships and will attend college to gain further qualifications, as well as working in the community. On the back of this success, SUNEE Academies are scheduled to commence at other SUNEE Universities.
to be a very successful project, with both participants and instructors (Durham University Boat Club members) benefiting greatly from the experience. The sessions have involved work on the ergs and the indoor rowing tank, while the participants have been coached on their technique and fitness. By the end of the programme, it is clear that the hard work all the participants have put in will have paid off! For the past few years now, Durham University has been host to the county and regional Junior Indoor Rowing Competition and the new facilities and programme has certainly given Durham youngsters the edge with a record number of gold, silver and bronze medals.
"Christmas does more harm than good". The topic itself was chosen by the debaters. While for many of us, it may seem that there isn’t really anything to contest here (of course Christmas is a good thing!), for people who have seen the worst side of the holiday season, the motion evoked passionate and emotional responses. Having seen first-hand how far all the participants in the Second Chance programme have come from their very first meeting, what has been achieved by all those involved is truly incredible. A transformation from a feeling of wariness and apprehension into a new-found confidence had taken place. As many of those there were quick to point out, standing up and speaking in front of over 100 people is something only a small percentage of people would be willing to do and for that alone, praise was in order. The qualities of perseverance, determination and courage exhibited by both students and participants do great credit to the University and The Cyrenians. An extra gloss was put on an already special occasion with a congratulatory speech and presentation from Cyrenians Board Member, Mike Parker. Each debater received a pack containing a certificate of achievement, a photo-montage of their time on the programme and other mementoes, which it is hoped will provide evidence to prospective future
employers of confidence, commitment and an ability to work with others. The Second Chance debate has been running for five successful years and I, for one, am already looking forward to the 2012 programme. It really is a groundbreaking scheme which gives fantastic opportunities to people who really need them and can, on the back of such opportunities, begin to turn their lives around. Tom Winstanley December 2011
Leadership Champions Durham University, working in partnership with County Durham Sport has now introduced The Leadership Champions. The Leadership Champions are a group of experienced young leaders, who have travelled through the Step into Sports ranks and are now an elite group of Sports Leaders. Over the course of the past year, participants have completed coaching awards, organized sports sessions, learned about fitness testing and had talks with professionals from various sporting backgrounds. They have participated in Sport Event Management workshops, which have provided them with the knowledge to be part of some of the county’s largest sporting events of the year.
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JHPA In its fourth year in 2011/12, the Junior High Performance Academy is designed to provide essential guidance to a group of 28 talented Year 9 local young people from across County Durham. These pupils may have the potential to be elite sports performers, needing support to develop their talent, or be seeking a career within the leisure and sport industry.
The ultimate aim will be to develop pupils’ strengths to become more confident in pursuing their career paths, finally resulting in positive contributions to their chosen field. This will be done partly through raising their aspirations and therefore expectations by heightening their awareness of higher education and employment opportunities available to them. The course will also aim to improve their physical and mental performance and well-being,
Staff Walks
This year we have launched a new programme with Durham City School Sports Partnership to offer the opportunity to Durham University students to gain hands on experience of sports event management.
Each walk is led by a qualified walk leader and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Monday’s walk is a gentle walk along the river, starting and finishing at Baths Bridge, whilst Tuesday involves a more strenuous hill walk, starting across from the traffic lights at the New Inn. These walks can increase the general fitness of those involved in a social and enjoyable environment.
It has been a great year for College led projects. St. John’s has set a great example with their Lunch Time Mentoring project. This is the second year that the College has sent its students into a local primary school during lunch times. The student volunteers deliver a variety of games and enrichment activities for the school pupils, providing opportunities for safe play and are positive role models. Given the success of this project, the opportunity has been offered to other local primary schools and colleges. St. Aidan's has just commenced their Lunch Time Mentoring project working with St. Margeret’s Primary School with 15 eager students already signed up.
The course will cover diet and nutrition, strength and conditioning, leadership and communication skills, Paralympics sports and fitness testing. The pupils will have the opportunity to use state of the art software and learn how to digitally analyse performance and try out a multitude of health and fitness related lab tests at the University’s new sports science lab.
Student Event Management Team
The weekly staff walks are held every Monday and Tuesday in Durham City.
Lunch Time Mentoring
through education in training methods to condition their bodies.
Over the course of the year, 10 selected students have attended and supported a number of school sporting events, each time gradually taking more responsibilities and duties, culminating in the group being solely responsible for the planning, preparing and management for the Annual Zambia Fun Run.
Children fundraise for Zambia at School Sport Cross Country Event On Friday 2nd March 650 children from schools within the Durham City area participated in the Zambia Run; a cross country running event organised by Durham City School Sport Partnership (DCSSP) & Durham University. The event helped to raise money for the University Zambia project and also provided the Durham City qualifying competition for the county cross country event.
students to gain invaluable experience. Working alongside DCSSP team has provided them with the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the school sports structure. Overall, we estimated that we have raised over £1,300 towards our Zambia project today" This funding will provide the children of Zambia with sporting equipment and coaching resources, enabling the Zambian volunteers to continue their Sport for Development programme throughout the year. Please link to attached site to learn more about the positive work which is going on in Zambia. www.sportinaction.org.zm
For the first time in the history of the Event, DCSSP has worked with a group of Durham University students and guided them through the process of organising school sports events, bravely handing over the coordination, planning and delivery of the entire fun run. Katie Metcalfe, Partnership Development Manager at Durham University said: "This has been a brilliant opportunity for University
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Charity Challenge Annual Charity Rugby Match
For this year’s annual charity rugby match local rivals Northumbria took to the field in an effort to put an end to Durham 1st XVs extensive winning streak. Right from the kick-off Durham asserted their dominance, with strong attacking lines and some superb defensive organisation. The team were no doubt spurred on by an electric atmosphere provided by the large numbers of supporters and diverse forms of entertainment.
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When the full-time whistle blew with the final score standing at 72-5, Durham added another game to their unbeaten run, and in quite some style! It is important however to remember that the real purpose of the night was to raise money for Sport Zambia, and thanks to the large numbers of spectators a nice sum was raised. If it hadn’t been for a group of generous volunteers, the night would not have been possible. Thanks therefore must go to them, and as ever Durham City Rugby Club for hosting the fixture, allowing it to remain as a headline event for the student population.
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Sport in Action 2011 Zambia report The Zambia project was formed in 2006 in a unique union between a UK Sport initiative and a selection of UK universities, led by Durham University, who collectively make up the Wallace Group (the Universities of Stirling, UWIC, Bath, Durham, Loughborough, St Andrews and Northumbria). The partnership selects and trains specialist sports and media students from the seven universities who travel out to Lusaka, (the capital of Zambia), where they spend the summer weeks working with local volunteers, organising and delivering school PE lessons, community sports programmes and health awareness workshops within the deprived areas of the city’s compounds. Through the provision of UK Sport, the International Development Through Excellence Leaders and Sports (IDEALS) Project aims to focus on the positive impact that sport can have upon impoverished communities, which are often affected by high levels of unemployment, crime, exclusion and many health risks, including HIV and AIDS. By encouraging children and young people to attend sessions, it is hoped that sport can be used as a medium to develop motivation, self development and self reliance and help improve the quality of their lives. Every year this project gets bigger and better and the 2011 IDEALS group were certainly no exception to that. Again the project was complemented with the addition of Northumbria Construction team, who this year built a multipurpose sports facility at a community school, contributing a great deal to the local community. We had two fantastic team leaders, who not only did an exceptional job of leading the team but also went above and beyond their duty, leaving a lasting mark on Zambia. Sarah Todd and Tom Grant were tirelessly enthusiastic team leaders. During their time in Zambia, Sarah led and delivered many netball coaching and umpiring courses and coached netball teams across Lusaka. Tom was the Media Team Leader, working loosely with the media students to document the project, while simultaneously working alongside the constructions boys to successfully finish their project. Both Sarah and Tom maximised their time spent in Lusaka and on many occasions their enthusiasm and passion inspired all the IDEALS students.
The students representing Durham University this year, Sarah Harding, Ellie Woodcock, Emily Chesbro, Flo Glen and Lucy Bell, really made the most of their time in Zambia. In addition to their coaching placements, Durham students also volunteered within special needs schools, baby clinics, tennis clubs and supported Zambian teachers during lessons. Sarah represented the Sport in Action netball team, travelling to the West of Lusaka Province to play matches. All the students this year faced challenges, not only in terms of the language barrier, which could at times be tricky, but also with local cultural differences! One of the placements that the Durham students were involved with was at Fountain of Hope, an orphanage in Lusaka. A project which ran across the 2nd and 3rd placements was the re-painting and decorating of the classrooms. This was started by Sarah and Rob Grainey in placement 2, and was finished in the 3rd placement. Fountain of Hope was unbelievably grateful for this contribution and all students involved were pleased to have made a lasting contribution to the daily lives of the children who attend FoH. During the 2nd placement, the new toilet and shower block at Fountain of Hope was finished and formally opened. The project had been funded by The Perfect Day Foundation, which is a charity led by former students who have been out to Zambia as part of the Wallace Group. The national media and local dignitaries attended the opening ceremony, filled with symbolism emphasising the uniting of a community. This was a really remarkable event to be a part of and highlighted the simple needs of running water are, to some, not so simple! Durham University is leading a food programme at Fountain of Hope that aims to feed seventy street children every day for three years. After each placement, the IDEALS students organise and run the Wallace Tournament. This is a multi-sports tournament where all the placement teams and communities unite. All the Wallace Tournaments were successful, with all teams demonstrating extremely high levels of sports performance in football, netball,
Sarah Harding IDEALS Student Volunteer 2011
basketball and volleyball. For the IDEALS students, this represented a final showdown of their efforts, with the placements becoming very competitive! The mere presence of the students at the sessions not only inspire the children to participate but also offers the motivation for the Zambian volunteers to stay involved and continue the fantastic work they do throughout the year. Through using the placements to educate the peer leaders and volunteers, knowledge transfer is symbiotic. As for the personal development of the UK students, the quotations below leave no doubts as to the magnificent benefits they receive: “The IDEALS project was, without doubt, the most amazing 5 weeks of my life. It has been life-changing in terms of altering and improving my perspective in relation to everyday factors such as endeavour, challenge, perseverance and hard work.” “Throughout my placement, I learnt so much from the individuals from SIA and Fountain. I have become good friends with them and have so much respect for them.” “My placement has completely changed my outlook on life. The things you take for granted in the UK pale into insignificance with the struggles that the people I met have to deal with, with a smile.” “Zambia in reality was nothing like I had planned, I had no idea what to expect. But it surpassed anything that I have ever done in my life and the memories I have will remain with me for life.” The partnership has seen new developments in 2012 with Durham University introducing a drama group whereby Durham Student Theatre recruited a group of students who spent their Easter holidays in Zambia, delivering drama workshops to street children. This addition was hugely successful for both partners and students and has much potential to become bigger and better with each year. Durham University is also working alongside UK Sport to deliver a netball coach and officials education programme for the whole country. Having recently completed the training week, there are currently many students from across the UK becoming very excited about commencing their ‘life changing experience’. Good luck to the Durham students going out this year: Ben Gibbons, Maria Eracleous, Rob Hodkinson, James Wilson and Katie Houghton.
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Interview with
Dr Andrew Cattermole Dr Andrew Cattermole Staff Volunteering
At Durham, every member of staff has the generous offer of being allowed to volunteer for up to five days a year during normal working hours.
What value does volunteering bring to the Durham workforce? With departments under various stresses and workloads increasing, there are issues around staff morale and how staff feel about the jobs that they are doing. The fact that we offer volunteering and community engagement work is often something that can release people from the day to day monotony of things. We also find that for departments and managers that volunteering and team challenges are offering staff and team development as many activities are carried out together as a group from a department or a college for example. Team challenges have increased, with 25 last year. These groups can do a variety of activities such as digging a garden or painting a house. There are a lot of departments where the staff do not know each other and thus, such activities bring people together. With the moving of staff out of Old Shire Hall into the new building, there will be a change from the small office environment to large open plan areas and in this respect staff volunteering will really help to integrate everybody. Sometimes staff are unable to leave the office and in such cases, activities are brought in. One example is making resources for local toddler groups. The kit is brought into the office
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and staff will work together to produce paper shapes...it sounds a strange concept but it brings everyone to the same level; the secretaries are doing the same job as the senior managers. There are also a lot of staff members who volunteer individually, often as an extension of volunteering that they partake in outside of work hours, for example needing a day to take a local Scout group on a trip or needing time to help in a local school for which they are a governor. Even people who don’t volunteer say that they like the fact that Durham offers volunteering opportunities for staff, as this makes them feel better about the organisation that they work for and consequentially really helps with staff retention. If you see a group of Durham staff out doing something worthwhile in the community, then this reflects well on the organisation. Research has been carried out and demonstrates that with regards to staff volunteering, Durham is the best in the UK. Durham has the most generous offer to staff and consequently the highest uptake of staff with well over 10% of staff members currently involved in volunteering at Durham.
What is the relationship between staff and student volunteering? Until two years ago, they were two completely separate entities, though we have now moved into the same building at Maiden Castle and are working together to organise team days which involve staff and students, which really helps with integration.
Examples As well as on-site activities, such as the creation of resources already mentioned, often staff volunteering goes physically into the community to help out. The Durham walled garden was a project for both students and staff involving garden maintenance. Last year the senior management of the university went to Broadgate Farm to do some work in a sensory garden to help with clients with mental health issues.
Future The students have been volunteering for much longer than the staff through SCA (Student Community Action) and we are hoping to include many more student and staff projects in our programme. The wider Experience Durham agenda is to include students, staff and their families so more or less everything we do, whether it be sport, arts or volunteering should be a much more involved and community activity. Obviously for volunteering the aim is to continue to increase staff participation. I would like all members of staff in the University to have at least considered volunteering as an option and to therefore be a part of annual reviews when a member of staff reviews their career progression and, of course, for Durham to be the best university!
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Student Volunteering “Durham has such a successful volunteering programme because it has great students and the University strongly supports the programme. There is a great deal of community engagement, which has been built up over a long period of time.” Emma Hall-Craggs
Organisation Regarding staff members who help to organise the volunteering programme, Durham has two SCA sabbatical students and an administrator, three sports development officers, one partnership development manager and various roles and programmes include supporting volunteers, running courses, as well as partnership development work.
Opportunities Durham offers a whole host of projects in which students can get involved. There are sports groups organised for people with mental health issues; there are gym and multi-sport sessions for ethnic minorities and women’s groups and refugees, who otherwise may not be encouraged to participate in any form of physical activity. A lot of students are involved in organising sporting events and coaching in local schools, which really gets them engaged in the community and is greatly appreciated by the teaching staff within the schools, the parents and the students.
Helping the Young Aside from the sporting side of things, students are frequently involved with
the tutoring of students, often in a subject that they themselves are studying at university. For example, there is one to one tutoring of GCSE and A-Level students at Egglescliffe School, which is both hugely beneficial to the child receiving the tutoring and also a great experience for Durham students, especially those looking to apply for teaching positions in the future. Durham students organise music, drama, foreign language and even environmental clubs at local schools.
Supporting the Elderly and Animals But young people are not the only ones who benefit from Durham’s student volunteers; there are activities organised for the elderly as well. Projects include gardening and decorating for elderly residents in the community and students who regularly visit older people to play games and chat with them, which is often the only human contact they will have all day and is therefore really appreciated by the elderly members of the community. Tea parties also enable these people to leave their homes and meet other people in a friendly and supportive environment and computer classes familiarise them with the high-tech and often confusing world we now live in. There is even a dogwalking programme in which students will take an elderly resident’s dog for a walk if they themselves are physically unable to do so. With regards the animal world, there are also students who help out at Deerness Dog Kennels, helping with abandoned and mistreated dogs.
Employability Skills Volunteering is looked upon very favourably by employers due to the wide range of skills which students gain. It is practical experience that is hard to get outside of an employment situation. Durham offers challenging placements, working with some of the area’s hardest to reach groups, which gives the students a chance to really challenge themselves, build their confidence, and develop their leadership and organisational skills. There is a distance travelled survey tool, which unequivocally proves that the majority of our students develop their transferable skills during their volunteering placement at Durham.
Partnerships The Outreach Programme is currently working with Team Durham, Student Community Action (SCA) and Durham Student Organisation (DSO) colleges, as well as supporting those non DSO colleges that want to run a volunteering programme. A good example of that is the supported programme “Grey in the Community”, which has been extremely successful. Benefits are that the Outreach Programme can support with policy and procedure, helping to stay on top of national legislation and advise accordingly. It offers training and support and the staff have years of expertise to offer.
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Alumni and Reflecting on the past
Alumni and Reflecting on the past Durham's educational community doesn't end at graduation. Friends made in Durham remain friends for life. Durham Alumni are members of the University's extended family, who offer each other support in their lives and careers. We are proud of our engagement with Alumni. Sport plays a valuable part in providing opportunities to Alumni to reunite, and engage with current students. Durham students benefit from Alumni volunteer support through the Advisory Group who have helped shape our vision and have
tirelessly fundraised to help meet the needs of many of our sports teams development. The Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme continues to be one of our most successful schemes offering one to one Alumni to student mentoring to our club captains and team players. The Friends of London Steering Group organise two main Alumni vs Durham games per annum. This has grown from strength to strength and 2011 saw the introduction of the first Alumni men’s lacrosse vs. Durham men’s lacrosse Match. The Hockey Club continue to dominate this event, fielding four Alumni sides.
I am sure you will enjoy the photographs and reports from the weekend. We welcome all these events, and it is wonderful to see families of our Alumni participating. On behalf of all our students we wish to thank our Alumni for supporting at Twickenham, Henley and Lord's. What could be more motivating than full stands of Durham supporters. Finally, without the financial support of so many of our Alumni we could not continue to sustain and develop. Thank you. We hope you enjoy a few articles leading you down memory lane.
Hockey Old Girls and women’s 1st XI
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Hockey, Netball and Lacrosse Alumni Games Report Early this January it was time again for the Alumni Games. This year saw the hockey, netball and lacrosse teams take part in matches that saw students take on teams made up of Durham University Alumni from past years. As ever, the hockey team brought a huge number of players to the pre-competition social event at The Boat House in Putney. Alongside members of the lacrosse teams and netball teams there were well over 150 people in attendance and the atmosphere was great as students, both past and present, caught up others they had known from their time with their clubs. It was particularly good to see such strong engagement of the Alumni with the students, with conversation flourishing. As the night drew to a close there was a raffle drawn before people started to head off to where they were staying to rest for a big day of competition. At around noon the next day, at the University of Westminster sports ground, members of each of the teams started arriving alongside members of their families, children and friends. The hockey matches were the first to start, and with huge numbers of spectators present Alumni took on current students in the battle for the Alumni Games trophy. Unfortunately for the Alumni the current hockey club teams proved too strong and despite a great contest, the students triumphed in a thrilling set of encounters. Alongside these slightly more serious encounters, some more light hearted games took place on the neighbouring pitch, where those past members of the club were able to enjoy a quick hit around. Slightly later on that day, the netball teams lined up to face each other. Again the support was great and through some strong team work the Alumni team battled to a victory to put forward their case for the Alumni Games Trophy. Here it was clear how well the Alumni got on with the current students, with one of the Alumni commenting on how good it was to get to chat with the students.
Pre-event Social at the Boathouse, Putney: Emily Creek, Laura Tetlow, Amy Gilfellon, Katie Sykes, Emma Wilkinson, Laura Johnston and Emma Tidman.
Netball Old Girls XII: Laura Williamson, Penny Boyd, Laura Duckworth, Caroline Chilton, Heather Tillman, Emily Creek, Charlotte Booth, Helen Gemmell and Lauren Johnston.
At around the same time the lacrosse team played an entertaining game, where it was obvious that the friendships that had been formed whilst at Durham had not faltered, whilst some of the skills on show were quite incredible. Again the Alumni put on the pressure and managed to come out with a very satisfying win. This left the Alumni-Student scores tied at 2-2, and after such great contributions given by the Alumni to make the day so enjoyable, it was decided to award them with the trophy to look after until next year and the next rounds of competition.
Lacrosse Old Boys and men’s 1st squad
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Men’s Lacrosse
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Netball
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Rowing On the 8th January, DUBC past and present met at Mortlake’s Anglican and Alpha Boat Club for an afternoon of catching up with old friends, making new ones, and of course, racing. A total of 56 current students and Alumni teamed up into mixed VIII’s to take to the Thames in a 650 metre sprint. The combination of youthful energy coupled with the experience of our Alumni made for a series of close races, as seven crews battled it out in six races throughout the day. From the Club House balcony, each crew was spurred on not only by cheers of ‘Come on Durham!’ from present DUBC members, but also by husbands and wives, children, and in some cases even the family dog. Also cheering from the balcony was Kieren Emery, world record holding LM2- world champion. Kieren had come along to ‘see old friends and catch-up with new ones’. Introduced to rowing by Wade in 2000
at the age of 10, he trained with DUBC before being selected to represent Great Britain. He now trains three times a day, seven days a week, and calls ‘the river my office’. He described the new boat house and tank as ‘incredible, out of this world’, and talked about how much he enjoyed ‘growing up with such great, determined students’ at Durham. He reiterated what everyone else already knew ‘Durham is a strong squad’, and claimed that if it wasn’t for preparing for 2012, he’d still be in Durham.
and Alumni taking home medals. However, an enjoyable day of the river was had by all, and Alumni and students alike were grateful for the opportunity to be able to interact with each other, hear stories about the club’s past, see it’s present, and look forward towards its future.
Also supporting when he wasn’t on the river himself was DUBC Alumni Rich Buckerdye, class of 1974. His second Alumni games weekend, Rich spoke of the ‘excellent’ support he received during his time rowing for Durham, and how the weekend was a great opportunity to be able to interact with the club. He described his fondest memory of the club as simply ‘being able to row alongside such talented athletes’ With the day's racing complete, the red team saw victory, with its mix of students
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Alumni Tony Gray (1967-1970 Hatfield) Tony coxed for Hatfield and was Hon. Treasurer of HCBC. Tony has dug out a great photo of his mixed crew from 1967-1970, and shares a few memories from his time at Durham rowing and his inspiring motivation to create the first mixed crew.
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"I collected annual subs of 7/6d, organised the Boat Club Dinner and any other wheeze that might provide some diversion. The idea of the mixed eight was inspired by some very pretty St. Aidan's girls asking if they could keep their oars in our boat house - and borrow one of our clinker fours: their college didn't have a boathouse - or a boat.
“It occurred to me that a rather good way of getting to know them would be to suggest an outing in an eight with my crew, followed by dinner in college. I think I was a little in love with their three, a first year anthropologist with a wonderful smile. The outing was a great success, but sadly (for me), the attraction was largely unrequited."
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DURFC 1991 Zimbabwe Tour Squad The DURFC Zimbabwe squad at the end of the "100 beers barman" tour taken at Harare Sports Ground in August 1991 just before the last game against Harare Sports Club. Standing l to r: Simon Stilwell, Nick Canning, Brendan Baxter, Justin Yeldham, James Dakin,
Daniel Sibson, David Bickle, David Horsley, Jon Bunn, Bobby Harris, Nick Keller. Sitting middle row l to r: Graham Morris, Andy Morris, Richard Brearley, Toby Harris, Chris Key (Tour captain), Jonny Calow, Mark Durden-Smith, Justin Priestley, Andy Webster, Pete Bell.
Sitting front row l to r: Ian Bamford, Nigel Beattie, Tim West. Not in photo Charlie Waller RIP, sadly missed in life as well. He was actually asleep in a wicker chair about 50 yards to the right of the photo having just made it back to the clubhouse from the night before. He will always be remembered as a great man and top tourist.
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Following on from 2010/11 (reflecting on the past) article with letters from the Master of Grey College, S. Holgate and Mr Leach. See Chapter 2 below;
Upper Shagdale Rugby Football Club Don’t Rub Them, Count Them
Leach and Hooker: Lawyers Serving the Front Row since 1970
December 8, 2011 Re: Mystery Publication – Unauthorized Release of Personal Information Dear Mr. Simpson, Further to the email from our Mr. Leach of earlier today regarding the above noted subject, Mr. Leach has been in verbal and visual communication via Skype with Mr. Michael Stirling to obtain clarification on the exact nature of this mystery publication. We now understand that it is in fact a prestigious sporting publication produced by the University of Durham and that Mr. Leach’s image and personal documents from the Grey College National Archives in Canada have now found their way into the public domain in the United Kingdom, through this publication, without the prior written approval of Mr. Leach. We assume that you are aware of the criminal nature of this action. After careful deliberation, and in view of your previous lack of a criminal record (excluding your sending off against Stow-on-the-Wold 3rd XV in 1984 for head-butting their 67 year old loose head prop after he had side stepped you and beat you with speed on the outside), Mr. Leach has graciously decided not to press charges, provided that you forward to him one copy of the publication to his home address: 2024 Lake Bonavista Drive SE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2J 4B5 Furthermore, our offices did this afternoon convene a teleconference call with the Upper Shagdale Rugby Club Selection Committee to discuss your recent behaviour in this matter. Although your selection at inside centre for the Club’s 2nd XV has been somewhat automatic for the past 29 years, the Committee wishes to stress to you that your recent behaviour may have jeopardized this "automatic selection". In addition, the Committee has decided to impose a sanction and fine on you, such that effective January 1, 2012, you will be required to attend a maximum of one training session per month through to the end of the 2011/12 season, and you will be required to purchase a minimum of two rounds of drinks for the team after every home and away game through to the end of the season (as opposed to your usual miserly half of shandy and a packet of crisps for your personal consumption). Subject to your compliance with the aforementioned sanction and fine, and receipt of the publication, our Mr. Leach will consider this matter closed. Mr. Leach also wishes to emphasize that this atypical lapse in judgement on your part will in no way adversely impact his long and deep friendship with you. He remains a long time admirer of you immense, albeit one dimensional, rugby talent. For and on behalf of Upper Shagdale RFC and Leach and Hooker: Lawyers. Mr. Geoffrey Simpson Release of Personal Information
December 8, 2011 Leach and Hooker/Upper Shagdale RFC
Bryan Leach. Grey College RFC Archivist (period 1968-72) Upper Shagdale RFC Committee Member Leach and Hooker: Lawyers, Managing Partner
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Jock Wishart
A Commitment to Broadening Horizons
In an interview with maritime-polar adventurer and Durham University alumnus, Jock Wishart, Hugh McDowell hears about his various accomplishments and his long-lasting relationship with Durham University.
Jock’s Proudest Achievements (in chronological order) • Competitor in the ‘Americas Cup’ representing Britain. • Round Britain Record in a power boat.
It would be foolhardy to write of all Jock Wishart’s achievements in one article. If your eyes have already been averted by the accompanying list you probably agree. Initially I had expected my interview to be with Jock the adventurer. His most recent expedition – an unprecedented trip rowing a boat to the North Magnetic Pole – was the first item on my agenda, having watched him and his crew mates negotiate 500 miles of ice fields and fog to reach this far-flung destination, on BBC 1.
• Head of PR for Rugby World Cup (1991). • First "unsupported walk" to North Geomagnetic Pole. • European Dragon Boat Champion. Jock Wishart on top of Trident Ridge in South Georgia while attempting to re-enact Sir Ernest Shackleton’s courageous trip across the island. They undertook the mission wearing the original clothes of the time.
But instead, Jock immediately directed conversation to another mutual interest; before I could record a word of our interview, I was convinced of this man’s enthusiasm for Durham University.
His natural ability as a raconteur, his candour and warm-hearted affability make him a pleasure to interview, as well as to spend a few hours with on a sunny afternoon.
Throughout my subsequent talks with Jock, this topic has competed successfully for air time with the tales of a born adventurer. It has, however, become clear that the same characteristics and values of the man underlie his passions for challenging exploration and for Durham University.
Eager to understand the origins of Jock’s adventurous spirit and also his palpable ardour for Durham University, I asked him about eighteen-year-old Jock Wishart, who arrived in Durham in the early seventies.
It was a shock to hear my name being called with a Scottish lilt from fifty yards down the road in Richmond-Upon-Thames. Jogging to catch up with my stocky and striding new acquaintance (who now happened to be heading in the other direction), I was trying to gauge this unusual first meeting: ‘Has he got time for only a few sound bites?’, ‘Is this peculiar greeting an indicator of further eccentricity to come?’ Packed timetable and eccentricities there certainly are, but once we were set on track to our planned activities (a pint of ale, some lunch and an interview in his local pub), Jock is engaged and animated, giving the impression that he has plenty of time to talk.
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“What on earth is going on here’?”, was apparently his initial reaction. He left school simply knowing that he wanted to row and to escape from his mother (“She was a very clever woman,” he recalled with pride, “She served in Intelligence Services during the Second World War on Montgomery's staff, so she was good at keeping tabs!”). At the time it was quite rare for a Scottish student to study in England, but Jock was keen to stretch his boundaries. He was shocked and deeply impressed by the wealth of opportunity and talent he came to discover in Durham. “I thrived in this new situation”, he remembered, and particularly in the field of University sport it seems. He represented Durham University in rowing, canoeing, sailing, weight-lifting, swimming and shooting, winning medals in various British
• Member of Bid Committee for London Commonwealth Games. • Rowed the Atlantic. • Holder of Round the World Power Boat Record. • Record Breaker in Row from London to Paris. • Winner of World 12 Metre sailing Championship. • First to Row to a Pole.
The Adventurer:The radically designed, fuel efficient, 120 ft powerboat which Jock used to break the Round the World Powerboat Record. Its design has since been copied by the US Navy in the form of their first littoral class warship the USS Independence.
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Universities’ events, while also taking on roles as President of Durham University’s prestigious Boat Club for one year and then President of Durham University Athletics Union the next. He recalled that at University he developed “a reputation as a man who could get things done”. The vague outline of this “man” would later be coloured by stories of his sporting achievements and exceptional adventures. For that moment, however, I understood that at Durham his eyes were opened wider to what he could achieve if he set his mind to action. “What Durham students must realise is that they have this marvellous opportunity when they are young,” he urged, “I want to see them coming out of Durham feeling that they have made the best of their abilities, whatever these may be.” Soon after he left, he became a grinder on “Lionheart”, the British challenger in the 1980 America’s Cup, and then spent two years sailing large yachts around the World. This was until Debbie, Jock’s now “longsuffering” wife pointed out, “Isn’t it about time you got a proper job!” For students wondering enviously how he has managed to live life as an exploreradventurer, this would perhaps be painting too romantic a picture. He pursued a career in Public Relations and, one can see from his achievements in this field that he was ambitious and successful in the City. However, he reflected, “There is always another idea on the horizon. I have these wonderful ideas that I store in my mind,” he said dreamily, as if he was thinking at that moment of arriving with his crew mates at the North Magnetic Pole, or travelling through the Suez Canal on a record-breaking power boat, “… and I wait for the right moment to use them”. With gravitas, he elucidated that since university he has always been “a meticulous organiser” - “When I want to get something done, I want to get it done properly”. What is for most people unthinkable or at best a vague dream, is an idea for a plan to action with Jock. It was fascinating to hear how his most recent and spectacular brainchild, ‘The Old Pulteney Row to the Pole’ expedition came to be a success. The six crew members rowed away from Resolute Bay, with a handful of sceptical looking Inuits as their modest send-off party and the discouragement of the Head of the Scientific Logistics unit, Polar Shelf, “You’re crazy… completely nuts! You know we might not be able to get you out of there if your boat is crushed by ice”.
Jock said he could not describe the intensely emotional moment of departure. Having conceived of this remarkable voyage himself, he and fellow crew member/alumnus, Billy Gammon, raised the necessary £0.5 million “in cash and kind” to fund the voyage. He was also involved in the design of ‘The Old Pulteney’, a row boat specially crafted with an innovative hull designed to be pulled over ice and a Dutch "leeboard" to help the boat make headway into the strong Arctic winds. It also contained the accurately described “coffin bunk”, which allowed crew members to rest in safety on the water, as opposed to on land where they were under visible threat from polar bears. When it came to the trip itself, Jock stated, “I had every confidence in the men I was working with,” and he pinpointed their ability to function as a highly effective team as being at the heart of their success: “Not a cross word was said between us,” which is astonishing in light of the herculean task they undertook. “I get a real buzz from teams”, he told me, and it appears that this enthusiasm has run throughout Jock’s various adventures; regardless of his desire for new challenges, he said that he has, and never will do an expedition on his own. Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Anglo-Irish explorer renowned for his polar-expeditions and his abiding care and protection of the men he worked with, “Is quite the hero of mine”. He predicts that their achievement will come to greater prominence in the future, with the expedition and its documentary being primarily concerned with the effects of climate change. It was made possible by the second greatest summer ice-melt on record. Moreover, as well as their spectacular demonstration of climate change’s effects, one scientist crew member was able to gather valuable water temperature and salinity readings to support research into these significant changes, which would have otherwise required an Icebreaker at ridiculous cost. “It may be the end of the earth, but what it means for the rest cannot be ignored”, concluded the commentator and producer Mark Beaumont.
otherwise relaxed and sunny July afternoon, that students and alumni should see their relationship with Durham University as perpetual and reciprocal. His old university friend and Dean of Experience Durham, Dr Peter Warburton stated: “He is constantly pushing us to look at new ways of improving opportunities for our students… and has worked tirelessly behind the scenes, giving freely of his time for years. He has been a continual support and for all the right reasons has been a constant thorn in our sides.” Jock is particularly proud of his central involvement in the 2007-8 alumni events, which celebrated Durham University’s 175th Anniversary. They saw 1,200 alumni meet in the city in June 2007, as well as several gatherings across the UK which "touched" a total of 20,000 separate alumni. He hopes that the spirit, from which this massive celebration derived its success, will maintain the alumni’s special relationship with the University. Personally he regards himself as “part of the furniture” at Durham now, but he does not see any banality in the talents and opportunities embodied in the North East’s oldest University, which still impress him as much as they did when he first arrived. Regardless of where his ideas take him, I can imagine he will always spare a thought for Durham University.
“Jock thinks we are going to be attacked by bears…it’s not going to happen”. These were almost one crew member’s famous last words when he risked escaping from the “coffin bunk” on board ‘The Old Pulteney’ for a more comfortable sleep.
‘The Old Pulteney’ and crew members “on ice”.
Jock expressed to me vehemently his belief, “that if you take something out you are expected to put something back”. He has demonstrated this with his commitment to the environment and his expeditions and, also, with the pleasure he has derived from and the support he gives to Durham University. He was forceful in his pronouncement, on that
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Henley
Henley Mr Andrew Riley generously supported the Durham University Boat Club Alumni drinks at Henley again this year. It is always a fantastic opportunity to re-engage with Alumni and support current DUBC crews. This most generous gesture is greatly appreciated by students and Alumni.
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Thanks too to Stephen Porter for the annual use of his car park and his support. We hope you enjoy the photographs from this year, along with a few from the recent graduates DUBC Alumni event at the Henley Cricket Club.
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Team Durham wish to acknowledge and thank Official Photographers: Yoursportsphoto T: +44 (0) 7540 446 700 E: andrew.bennison@me.com Lord’s cricket photographs by Matt Bright
Contact Details: Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager The Graham Sports Centre Durham University DH1 3SE T: +44 (0)191 3342192 M: +44 (0)7983 408967 E: chantelle.dingley@durham.ac.uk Visit our website: www.teamdurham.com
Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate at the time of going to press in September 2012. However, changes may occur and Durham University reserves the right to amend or change any information contained in this review at any time. Copyright © Durham University 2012 Durham University and the Durham University Logo are registered trade marks of the University of Durham trading as Durham University. All rights reserved. ® Produced by Team Durham, Durham University with hpmgroup.
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