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Team Durham
Team Durham wish to acknowledge and thank Phoenix Photography - for providing the photographic images from the Palatine Dinner Birdman Photography - for providing the photographic images of DUBC Essence of Light (Jed Wee) - for providing the Sports photographic images throughout the brochure
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing & Sponsorship Manager Durham University The Graham Sports Centre Durham DH1 3SE Tel: 0191 334 2278 Mob: 07983 408967 Visit our website at www.teamdurham.com. Durham University ranked fourth in the 2011 overall BUCS points table
Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate at the time of going to press in October 2011. However, changes may occur and Durham University reserves the right to amend or change any information contained in this brochure at any time. Copyright Š Durham University 2011 Durham University and the Durham University Logo are registered trade marks of the University of Durham trading as Durham University. All rights reserved. Ž Produced by Team Durham, Durham University with hpmgroup.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Contact Details
A Sporting Review
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Contents VICE-CHANCELLOR’S FOREWARD
2
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE
34
COMMENTS FROM THE DIRECTOR
4
SPORTING SEASON REVIEW
39
TEAM DURHAM PRESIDENT’S REVIEW
8
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
82
EDITORIAL
9
NEW FACILITIES
88
PALATINATE BALL AND AWARDS
11
ALUMNI SPORTS DAY
INTRODUCING THE NEW TEAM DURHAM PRESIDENT
16
REFLECTING ON THE PAST
100
COLLEGE SPORT REPORT
16
ANDREW STRAUSS HONORARY DEGREE
104
TEAM DURHAM INFRASTRUCTURE
18
SPORTING ALUMNI – WHERE ARE THEY NOW
107
FRIENDS OF DURHAM (LONDON) STEERING GROUP
20
STUDENT THOUGHTS
121
ALUMNI SPORTS MENTORING SCHEME
23
FRIENDS OF DURHAM SPORT ACCOUNTS
124
90
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Vice-Chancellor’s Forward
Vice-Chancellor’s Foreword Shaped by the past - creating the future At Durham University we take pride in the distinctive education we offer our students with emphasis on academic excellence and opportunities for personal development. I don’t need to remind our sporting Alumni, students, parents and sponsors that Durham students are some of the most able, creative and motivated individuals from all walks of life, and from all parts of the world. They benefit from a rigorous academic education in
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
their departments, and from noncurricular opportunities for personal development in sports, music and the arts. Durham students have unique opportunities to excel at whatever excites them and develop leadership skills, time management, entrepreneurship and communication 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 last year from which the world’s 5000 blue chip
Professor Christopher Higgins Vice-Chancellor and Warden
employers most wanted to recruit graduates. This is also perhaps why a higher proportion of Durham graduates appear in Who’s Who than those from any other university in England, and I am sure you will all enjoy reading the various interviews and comments in this publication from our Alumni in “Where are we now” and “Alumni news”. Our students do excel – in the areas emphasized in our strategy – sport, music the arts and volunteering. Despite being in the top three or four universities in the
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Vice-Chancellor’s Forward
UK for academic entry standards, our students also excel above all normal expectations at sport. Durham has been University Rowing Champions for the last seven years, a fact often overlooked amongst the hype which surrounds a certain televised boat race on the Thames. In addition Durham has changed the face of university lacrosse this year with both the men and women winning the National Championship, and the Women's 2nd Team retaining their National title for the fourth year in a row . Also, for the first time in 50 years, the Women’s tennis secured the National Championship title. One of the highlights of my year was watching our Rugby 1st XV win the National BUCS title against UWIC by a very close 25-23, in the final minutes a penalty sealed Durham’s position as champions. The crowd, a sea of Palatinate, erupted. This day was not only memorable because Durham shone, but also because of the support that we saw for the team at Twickenham with Alumni, parents and current students, dominating the stands. Will Greenwood and Will Carling (both former students) presented shirts to our players, and Will Greenwood’s encouragement of the players in the dressing room highlighted what a remarkable place Durham is, bringing the past and the future together. Durham has also been at Lord’s this year, beating Loughborough in the final of the league programme to secure their place in
the final. Also, in the Long Room in April, I was fortunate to award the England Captain and Alumnus, Andrew Strauss, an honorary degree. A very special occasion during which Andrew took part in a question and answer session with former England player, Alumnus and current coach to our 1st X1, Graeme Fowler. Andrew also spoke of how his academic (and non-curricular) endeavours at Durham between 1995-98 shaped him, not just as a cricketer, but as a leader: “In my time at University I learnt about the game and about myself. W ith the help of Foxy [Fowler], the other coaches and my teammates, I instilled in myself the ambition and the values that I rely on today - on and off the field.” Among our current students, Seren Waters played in the recent Cup opening the batting for Kenya, and Holly Colvin has already had an Ashes winners’ medal and a World Cup medal under her belt; and Greg Smith topped the England firstclass batting with an averages of over 90! Our current students will clearly not be allowing Andrew to rest on his laurels. At Durham we still pride ourselves in having the highest participation level in sport of any university in Britain. This has been inspired by the excellent sporting structure in place, which has been driven by our Director of Sport, Dr Peter Warburton OBE and his staff. W e also have the largest inter-collegiate sports programme in Britain. Our outdoor facilities are arguably among the best for
any university. We have recently added to this, with the recent completion of the Robert Gillespie Boat House at Maiden Castle, and I was delighted to welcome David Tanner, Head of Performance rowing for Great Britain, to its inauguration. The new facility will hold seven VIIIs, twenty one IVs, thirty two pairs and sculls, as well as sixty canoes and is a great addition to our capital builds of recent months. What has been evident at Twickenham, Lord’s, and the opening of the new boat house, is that 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. The support we receive enables us to continue to provide the educational and life opportunities that many of us ourselves benefitted from as Durham University students, and ensures we can continue to provide the opportunities to our talented students. To close, I would like to quote our Chancellor, Bill Bryson, who perfectly captured the essence of Durham, of which the University is a proud part: “Durham, I have come to realise, has a capacity to astound out of all proportion to its size. I don’t know any place that manages to be more intimate and infinite at once.” Professor Christopher Higgins Vice-Chancellor and Warden
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Comments from the Director
Comments from the Director In last year's report, I stated that 2009/10 had been the most exciting year of sport at Durham in my time. This was merely a prelude to this year of sport. Our British Universities points score will evidence that this is officially our most successful year since University Sport moved from England, to incorporate the whole of the United Kingdom. W e crashed through our previous record score early in the year, and so may I place on record, my congratulations to all the students who represented Durham in 2010/11 - you have been simply amazing! For all of us at Durham, it has been a very special year where so many things seemed to work for us and I thought it might be appropriate to spend some time reflecting on a year where momentum never seemed to desert us. It all started at the end of the cricket season of 2010, as Greg Smith topped the first class batting averages with an average of 93.14. This was a quite remarkable achievement for an undergraduate studying in his second year at Durham. In the first week of the BUCS championships in mid October, our women's badminton took on Loughborough at home and recorded a brilliant 4-4 draw , which many months later was to ensure their premiership survival. This was followed a week later, with our netball team taking on Loughborough and for the first time in our history we came away with a victory. The final whistle and the final score 36-35, all but lifted off the new roof of Maiden Castle. It was results such as these which drove the momentum of the year but, more than that, it was the number of matches that went our way in the dying moments that could so easily have gone the other way that really made the difference. What of the men's hockey semi-final in BUCS when we were, for once, completely outplayed by Birmingham and yet we somehow found an equaliser as the ball limped over the Birmingham line with five seconds left on the referee’s watch. This was followed by a very one-sided period of extra time, with Durham again struggling to get a foothold in the game, only for the Palatinates to get a short corner on the final whistle and to smash the ball into the right hand corner and march into the finals.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Our women's soccer played the unbeaten top of the County League needing to win to keep their promotion dreams alive. 2-1 down with four minutes to go, a ferocious shot was parried by the keeper but fell just under the bar. Four minutes into injury time and a replica of the shot, the parry and the ball under the bar, was followed by half the Palatinate team in the opponent’ s net celebrating one of the most improbable results of the year. We needed seven hits in the sabre and Oxford needed one to get into the semifinals of BUCS as our scholar, Kira Roberts, defended rather than attacked but somehow, amid unbearable tension, took seven from seven. The basketball semi-final against the super power London Southbank saw Durham trail throughout the game, that is, until the final thirty seconds, when the Palatinates drew level and went on to win in extra time among huge celebrations. These were just some of the memorable moments but the momentum and close finishes continued into our final encounters. It is some years since Durham won the Women's Lacrosse Championships and they faced Cambridge, unbeaten for three years. Cambridge pulled the score back to 8-9 with thirty seconds to go on the clock and until then, I hadn't quite realised how long thirty seconds is in a game of lacrosse, as Durham played possession to hold on: cue yet more mass celebrations! The tension of lacrosse paled into insignificance against the Women's Tennis final. With the scores level at 6-6, we went into a play-off of two singles and a doubles, 1-1 after the singles and 8-5 down in the doubles with the first to ten winning, led to huge tension. Five consecutive points to the Palatinates, huge celebrations and the end of an eight year reign for London Met was the final outcome. Defending our own rowing title for the eighth time was always going to be a major challenge and so it proved. Forty points in front after day one and seventy in front after day two, meant the Championship could still be lost in one race. A magnificent final day saw the Palatinates home but it was the women's
Dr Peter Warburton OBE Director of Sport
championship coxless four that yet again reflected the momentum. I was actually standing on the line as I watched Durham hunt down Newcastle from 500 metres and with the very last stroke of the race the Palatinates moved their bow beyond a disconsolate Newcastle. But of course all the close finishes become nothing when one mentions Durham rugby and the story of the ‘Great Escape'. It started in the quarter-final with the game long into injury time, and then to the last play with Durham three points adrift of Leeds Met. Five scrums and five penalties later, the Palatinates crossed the line to secure the most unlikely of victories. On then to the semi-final - outplayed and 205 down at half time, maybe it should have been many more and into a second half where, from somewhere, we found the strength to move to 20-20. Extra time and the rest is history, as Twickenham and UWIC beckoned. Outplayed in front of a sea of Palatinate and 23-12 down at half time, led to an amazing second half in which from somewhere, and six minutes into injury time, Durham found the penalty kick that was to send the Durham followers wild! Of course you couldn't repeat that but three weeks later the final of the rugby sevens saw Durham score with virtually the last play of the game to beat UWIC again; this time 29-27. These are snap shots of a remarkable year where we won 24 of our 55 leagues and took an unprecedented five Northern Premiership Titles. In 2011/12, we will be in 16 of 23 premier leagues as men's tennis, women's basketball and women's rugby move up into their respective Premierships. Loughborough has 21 Premiership sides with Durham, Bath and Birmingham next on 16. Golf lost all their league games before Christmas and won all their league games after Christmas. Women's volleyball and basketball finished the year with top three rankings. Cycling and fives kept the points flowing. Men's hockey won the National North title and women's basketball won National two.
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Comments from the Director
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Comments from the Director
lead an ever-expanding programme in Zambia, where the partners now include the Universities of Loughborough, Bath, UWIC, Northumbria, St. Andrews and Stirling and UK Sport. Between us all, we have large numbers of past and present students placed out in Zambia throughout the year, involved in supporting sport delivery, counselling, building projects and nursing. More recently, we have been working with UK Sport, the International Netball Federation and the Netball Federation of Zambia to help with the development of netball throughout Zambia.
As well as winning the British University rowing regatta, the Boat Club topped the medal tables, at both the small and large boat heads. Our women got back to winning ways at Henley with an excellent win in the Intermediate Fours despite, only finishing fourth in the initial time trial. A win by half a canvas is good enough and fits with our year as a whole! There were other British Champions who didn't leave it to the last minute as men's lacrosse and women's 2nd team lacrosse won their respective national titles with neither side losing a game all year - quite remarkable. Women’s cricket missed out on the final four and had to go to the last 32 of the trophy competition. They simply destroyed everyone, winning yet another national title and bowling Southampton out in the final for 35, before scoring the runs in less than six overs. There were individual gold medals for Iva Saric in tennis, Kira Roberts in fencing and Sandra Hyslop in canoeing. Holly Colvin was voted Player of the Tournament as England defeated India, New Zealand and Australia in the world twenty20 series. The highlight for men’s cricket was another successful return to Lord's, having taken Loughborough apart in our final two day game. Whilst the Palatinates had a great day out, they will have been disappointed to have fallen 27 runs short of Cardiff’s total. We had an amazing year with the bat and pride of place goes to Chris Jones, who in the two day University games scored 100 against Leeds/Bradford, 252 against Oxford and 212 against Cambridge. The middle score is a record for the Centre of Excellence teams and Chris, at that stage of the season, broke our all-time scoring
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
record for Durham, only to find that Luke Durandt was to later overtake him, taking the record for himself. First class hundreds came the way of Tom Westley and Luke Durandt. Moving away from our performance sports, this has been a difficult year for outdoor college sport, as deep snow and freezing temperatures, caused havoc mid-season. Nevertheless, with the exception of a slightly reduced soccer programme, all leagues were successfully completed. Yet more sports were introduced into the programme this year and with the fabulous new build at Queen’s, our opportunity to do more has made a real difference. This has been a year where we have played more sport than ever before and huge thanks goes to the many hundreds of officials and administrators at college level who make this possible. Many universities struggle to put on much of an inter-mural programme and this year at Durham, we have had 83 separate leagues across our colleges resulting in opportunities for all. The points table for college sport has added a new dimension to the programme and the finish couldn’t have been more exciting with the result in doubt until the last day. The top four finished as follows: St. Hild and St. Bede 2871, V an Mildert 2803, Collingwood 2781 and Mary’s 2431. Congratulations to St. Hild and St. Bede on taking the overall title and to St. Mary’s on recording the best point average per student. The third strand of our work in sport is our Outreach Programme and this continues to go from strength to strength. Our international work continues in Sri Lanka and Zambia. Durham continue to
Back at home our major projects with HEFCE, the Football Foundation and Northern Rock are all coming to an end. These projects have seen us placing our students into projects helping with drug rehabilitation, the homeless, looked after children and many other hard to reach groups. We are however moving on with new projects, the largest of which is our partnership with Street League. In this partnership, we will be working with homeless people using football as a vehicle to improve health and to get individuals back into work. We have various other projects funded by Sport England and the County Sport Partnership, through a partnership with the Primary Care Trust. These projects will see us working with harder to reach groups, the over-forties and, within a different strand, we will be supporting some of the top young athletes in the region through our sport science team.
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Comments from the Director
Local schools remain a major focus of our work and we have major projects in netball, lacrosse, basketball and tennis. We have formed our own junior netball club and have our own lacrosse academy for local schools. Our tennis programme will involve over 1,000 local school children this year and all the time we are providing our own students with a wonderful opportunity to widen their own skills within coaching and administration. As I said in the opening, this has been a magnificent year where our performance sport has been tremendous, where more students took part in our college programme in more sports than ever before and our Outreach Programme exceeded its targeted outputs considerably. It is, of course, time to say that much of our success is down to all those who have helped. Our staff team has as always gone the extra mile, at every level, to ensure that our students are given the opportunity to excel. The University has supported us with the introduction of two magnificent new builds. Our new build at Queen’s Campus has been a wonderful addition and has made a huge difference to everything we do. We are looking forward to the new build at Durham opening in September. We also have a new rubber crumb surface and a new boat house at Maiden Castle. This year the support from parents and Alumni has been very special and our
thanks go to all who have helped us. Large numbers of Alumni, parents and friends have supported us pitch side all over the country this year, with a memorable turn out at Twickenham. We have received wonderful financial support through donations from parents and Alumni, which has made much of the above possible. I would like to offer sincere thanks to you all. Thanks also to our many sponsors who have supported us in so many ways and to the Governing Bodies of sport who have supported us at Durham. In particular
special thanks go to British Rowing, the MCC, the Lawn Tennis Association, England Lacrosse, British Fencing, Badminton England, the Rugby Football Union and England Hockey. In closing, you will not be surprised to know that we are already well into our planning for next year. We are expecting our best ever sporting intake and with relatively few athletes leaving across our sports, we are all extremely excited about 2011/12! Dr Peter Warburton (OBE) Director of Sport
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Team Durham Presidents Review
Team Durham President’s Review
Kat Henderson Team Durham President 2010/11
Durham’s fourth position in the overall BUCS points table demonstrates the highest position we have ever achieved and illustrates that Durham has had its best year in sporting history. To win a premier BUCS league in a year would usually be a remarkable achievement; to win five premier leagues is simply outstanding. Huge congratulations must go to our Premier League winners: Men’ s Basketball 1sts, Men’s Hockey 1sts, Men’s Lacrosse 1sts, Men’s Rugby 1sts and Women’s Tennis 1sts. In addition to these Premier League wins, there have also been a further eighteen Durham teams which have won their leagues this year; indicative of the wide-ranging dedication, passion and ability of Durham students.
This year we have also seen a record number of teams attend the BUCS championships held in Sheffield, where Durham once again proved they were a dominant force by becoming national champions in both men’s and women’s lacrosse and also women’s tennis champions in an absolutely nail biting final. In the same weekend our women’s lacrosse second team also became trophy national champions. One of the highlights this year was watching the Men’s Rugby 1st XV achieve national victory at Twickenham. Their extraordinary achievements this year, winning every single game throughout their season, yet putting their spectators through nail biting games where you were never too confident Durham were going to win, has really added to the excitement of the year’s games. Praise must be given to their new head coach, Alex
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Keay; the club captain, Joe Burnett and their 1st Team captain, Rob Malaney, who have all put in huge amounts of time and effort to achieve an historic year.
university clubs, who helped to run their sport on the day; it simply couldn’t have run without them all.
Again for the eighth year in a row , the Boat Club are also national champions, winning the BUCS regatta in arguably their most challenging conditions so far. They managed to hold off Reading, Newcastle and Imperial, with a huge number of wins including Fresher boats, demonstrating the impressive depth of the club this year . Again boats put spectators through a few nervous races with the women’s coxless four beating Newcastle to gold on the very last stroke.
The large, intra-mural collegiate sports system, alongside our 90% participation rate makes Durham truly unique, in comparison to other universities and this has made my year truly special. Students have a passion for sport here at Durham and it’s that passion and driving force which gives Durham huge depth in sportsmen and women, large participation, a commitment to volunteering and the edge allowing them to succeed in national competitions.
These national champions in all sports really validate Durham’s position as one of the top sporting universities in the country. It also made naming Durham’s club sportsman and sportswoman of the year a truly difficult task, as there were just so many nominations to consider and many of these, in any other year, would have won hands down. The Palatinate Ball, which was held on the 7th June, brought together all the sports clubs on one evening to celebrate this success, and was the biggest ball we have ever held, with many more hopefuls on a waiting list, due to reaching maximum capacity. For me, this shows that we are TEAM Durham, and although individuals are tremendously proud of their own clubs achievements, they are also proud of what Durham has achieved. I can only imagine how Durham will build upon this success and how Team Durham will evolve.
Being elected as Student President for 2010/11 has meant a great deal to me. I was incredibly passionate and enthusiastic about sport as an undergraduate and even more so, having this year in office. I am exceptionally proud to wear the Palatinate colours and represent them in any form; being fortunate enough this year to still compete myself. Although there have been some challenges throughout the year, such as fifty fixtures cancelled on a W ednesday, as snow engulfed the country, to be rearranged within twenty four hours, I am truly proud to have been a part of T eam Durham’s success this year. Through BUCS success and participation, volunteering within the community, officiating and refereeing, and college sport there is something for everyone and thank you to all who have put time and effort into sport at Durham.
2010/11 has seen a vast amount of college sport being played, despite the hurdles that challenged us: extreme weather conditions, snow for weeks on end, followed by rain and then winds preventing safe goals. Additional leagues and new sports have been added, including college rounders in the summer term, a great success. Despite the difficulties, the vast majority of leagues and knockouts have been completed which is down to the commitment of students, their flexibility and willingness to get games played. We also held the College Festival of Sport on the 9th June, followed by the College Champions Dinner, and there were a huge number of entries, with a large variety of sports being played. Thanks must go to college sports officers who helped to coordinate their college entries and to the
Finally, I wish Helena, next year ’s President, the very best of luck for 2011/12. I hope she enjoys her year and that she has a fantastic year, as I had.
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Editorial
Editorial Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
Team Durham’s mission is to maintain Durham University’s status as one of the leading sports universities in the United Kingdom. So how do we measure our achievement in this? For many our fourth place in the BUCS league is the best indicator of our success, particularly in view of Durham's academic entry requirements, academic standards and relatively small size. For others, it is DUBC securing its title as the best undergraduate rowing club in the country by securing the BUCS championships for the eighth year running. While for others success is represented by a 90% sports participation rate, the largest collegiate sports structure in Britain, 1,000 hours of student volunteer time, 20 community projects, and a Community Program providing sports programs for more than 6,000 school children throughout our community. For me, the measure of our success is not only the continued support from our Alumni, parents and sponsors, but also the individuals that Durham University Sport has supported and the opportunities it provides for them to develop and succeed. In the words of W ill Greenwood: "If I had to give something back in a Faustian Pact to ensure immortality and I had to choose between returning my W orld Cup medal or having my memory of three years deleted from existence, there is no contest. The medal is in the post. The three greatest years of my life were spent on a rugby field at Durham University ."
Sarah Cowburn (Rowing) and Sam Rupar (Rugby) were both awarded 1st class degrees this year. Sarah also won a silver medal at the Rowing World Cup in the women’s coxless IV, while Sam played in the BUCS championship-winning side at Twickenham in April. Holly Colvin, another current student, played in England's Ashes-winning women's side, and you can read more about what Durham means to Holly and others among our outstanding athletes on pages 121 and 107-120. The success of our students past and present has only been possible through the sound support structures of Team Durham. We are fortunate in having support from our Alumni and parents, through a number of support groups, who advise and sustain our structure. Pages 18-25 introduces many of these members and what they do. Our Sports Club and Team Captains have again had the opportunity of being mentored by some of our alumni who participated in sport at a high level while at Durham and are now leaders in their field. Page 25 introduces some of our new mentors. This review offers Team Durham an opportunity to thank all of you who have contributed to another successful year for Team Durham. We are indebted to so many of you who voluntarily support us from advising and mentoring to funding. Your kind donations ensure we have
coaching support for our High Performance Teams, Colleges and Community programmes, and enable us to maintain our status as one of the leading sports universities in the United Kingdom. We are excited about our new building, and we have a brief report and photos to show the progress on pages 88-89. As we look forward to the year ahead with these new indoor and outdoor facilities, it promises to be yet another exciting year for Durham University Sport. All key dates and fixtures will be featured in our weekly e-mails from Dr Peter Warburton, and can be found on our website www.teamdurham.com. We will also be tweeting “Super Wednesday” matches. Please log on to the website and follow the matches on Twitter and Facebook. I would like to express sincere thanks to current student, Richard Topham (Geography, St. Mary's) and 2011 Economics Graduate Charlotte Cooper (Collingwood), both Career Development Scholars for their assistance in compiling this review, and coordinating this year's Alumni events. You can read more about the work of the other Career Development Scholars on page 34. We hope you enjoy the various reports from our teams. Thank you for all your support, and we hope to see you at our Alumni events and back at Durham watching some of the best university sport in Britain!
Participating in sport at a high level, while completing a degree at one of the top universities in the country is not easy , and to be awarded a first class degree at Durham already sets you apart. However, our students add to that: a rigorous sports training programme, home and away matches and the pressure of preparing and playing at the highest levels. Many of our students achieve this, and it is no wonder that Durham graduates are among those most sought after by the world's top 5000 blue chip companies.
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Editorial
Durham 4th
in 2010/2011 BUCS league! POSITION
UNIVERSITY
POINTS
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th
Loughborough Birmingham Leeds Met Durham Bath Edinburgh Nottingham Exeter Manchester Oxford Bristol Cardiff UWIC Cambridge Newcastle
5342 2984.5 2934 2842 2489.5 2428.5 2224 2200 2137.5 1872 1802.5 1793 1727 1716 1702
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Palatinate Ball and awards
Palatinate Ball Summary
Kat Henderson Team Durham President
Dr Peter Warburton
Professor Tim Burt & Sophie Vellacott
Team Durham Life Membership - Recognises the success of our international athletes. All athletes who represent their nation at international level whilst they are studying at Durham will receive this award.
The Palatinate Ball is a well-established annual event, recognising Durham University’s excellence in Sport. In 2009/10 Durham finished in sixth position out of 152 H.E. institutions in the British University Sport rankings and the pace at which we are developing leads us to believe that Durham has a chance of breaking into the top three institutions within the next two years. This prestigious event is about celebrating and rewarding achievements and excellence of the students over the year. Over 300 students attend from all of the Team Durham University Sports Clubs. A crucial part of the evening is recognising the successes and contributions individuals and clubs have made to help Durham remain one of the top-ranking sporting universities in the UK. Currently the following awards are presented on the evening:
AWARDS
We honour our top sportsmen and women each year, awarding Half and Full Palatinates to those who have contributed significantly to sport at the University. The awards are notoriously difficult to achieve and differ from the awarding of colours by other Universities, in that a Palatinate is not awarded merely for representing the University. The awarding of Palatinates is decided by a committee which is appointed each year.
Full Palatinate – Highest award, given to those who have represented their country whilst at University and have, at the same time, also made a significant contribution to their club. Half Palatinate - Awarded to those that have either competed at a very high level, but not made a significant contribution to their club, or held a position of responsibility but lacked the necessary standard of sporting ability. Honorary Palatinate - These awards, presented by the Vice-Chancellor, recognise the success of ex-Durham students, who have gone on to greater things within the field of sport. In recent years, Honorary Palatinates have been awarded to sportsmen such as Nasser Hussain, Jonathan Edwards and Paul Hawkins. Sportsman of the Year - This is awarded by the President to the male athlete who is deemed to have achieved the most within the past academic year. The award is based on performance and the success of the athlete, for the University and beyond, is taken into consideration.
Director of Sport Award - The prestigious award is given to the student who has contributed the most to University sport within the past academic year. The award cannot be received by a member of the current Student Sport Executive. Bailey Club of the Year - Bailey is our own unique brand of sports clothing and the Club of the Year award includes a generous ÂŁ500 donation by our clothing supplier. The award is in place to recognise the club that has contributed the most Durham sport within the past academic year. Performance is a consideration but the emphasis is on the contribution and the impact that clubs have made upon Durham sport. Official of the Year - This award is in place to recognise the individual who has made the greatest progress, or contributed the most, in a refereeing or umpiring capacity. To be eligible for the award the student must have officiated regularly within the University or College programme.
Quentin Sloper & Paddy Harman
Sportswoman of the Year - This is awarded by the President to the female athlete who is deemed to have achieved the most within the past academic year. The award is based on performance and the success of the athlete for the University and beyond, is taken into consideration.
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Palatinate Ball and awards
2011 Palatinate Awards
FULL PALATINATES CLUB Boats Boats Boats Cycling Fencing Hockey Lacrosse - Men's Lacrosse - Women's Rugby Union - Men's Rugby Union - Men's Rugby Union - Men's Skiing and Snowboard Triathlon
FIRST NAME Sophie Phil Sarah Alex Rowan Edmondson Daniel James Katie Rob Tom James Alexandra Samuel
SECOND NAME Vellacott Congdon Cowburn Clayton Coultas Prescott Sloane Malaney O'Toole Dennis Emerton Hatfield
COLLEGE John Snow Grey Collingwood St. Chad's Collingwood St. Cuthbert's Collingwood St. Cuthbert's St. Cuthbert's Josephine Butler University St. Aidan's Trevelyan
FIRST NAME Owen Richard Juliet Matthew Jamie Stuart Steve John Jenni Edward Daisy Ben Charlotte Jennifer Thomas Michaela Lorraine Ben Rachael Holly Helena Richard Boya Cosimo Helen Rachel
SECOND NAME Walpole Kapustynskyi Carlisle Rossiter Watson West Winship Ford Stephenson Sidgwick Colsell McAll Jackson Arnold Kelley Gardner Koller Simmons Bullock Colvin Stolle Abraham Wang Codacci-Pisanelli Thomas Bull
COLLEGE St. Mary's St. Mary's Trevelyan St. Cuthbert's Hatfield Hatfield Hatfield John Snow Ustinov Trevelyan St. Cuthbert's Hatfield St. Cuthbert's Grey Hatfield St. Mary's Grey Trevelyan Josephine Butler St. Mary's Collingwood St. Chad's Ustinov Grey Josephine Butler Trevelyan
HALF PALATINATES CLUB Athletics and Cross-Country Badminton Badminton Boats Boats Boats Boats Boats Boats Boats Boats Boats Boats Boats Canoe Canoe Canoe Canoe Cricket - Women's Cricket - Women's Cricket - Women's Cycling Fencing Football - Men’s Football - Women's Football - Women's
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Palatinate Ball and awards
HALF PALATINATES (Continued) CLUB Golf Gymnastics and Trampolining Gymnastics and Trampoling Gymnastics and Trampoling Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Lacrosse - Men's Lacrosse - Women's Rifles Rifles Rugby Fives Rugby Union - Men's Rugby Union - Men's Rugby Union - Mens Rugby Union - Men's Rugby Union - Men's Rugby Union - Women's Sailing Sailing Sailing Shotokan Karate Skiing and Snowboard Squash Squash Swimming Tae Kwon Do Tennis Tennis Triathlon Triathlon Ultimate Frisbee Waterpolo Waterpolo
FIRST NAME Simon Alanna Lisa Timothy Sophie Tom Adam Ellie Paddy Peter Instone Simon Scott LouLou Edmund Angus Charles Tom Chris Joe Robert Guy Carolyn Simon Ross Hugh Robert Gregory Dominc James Thomas Carlo Ross Michael Andrew Edward Catherine Toby Emily
SECOND NAME Collins Orpen Broadbent Pepper Davies Whitworth Williams Cliffe Harman Clapham Pryor Rowlands Johnson Wilson Legget Dugarin Wright Burnett Fleming Sears Wilson Kitchen Palmer Selka Tedora Newman Pollard Crawford Bill Hill Adams Herbert Stevenson Brett Ashton Gomersall Haslett
COLLEGE Van Mildert Josephine Butler Grey St. Cuthbert's Van Mildert Grey Hatfield Josephine Butler Hatfield Hatfield Van Mildert St. John's St. Hild and St. Bede Collingwood Trevelyan Grey St. Cuthbert's St. Cuthbert's St. Cuthbert's St. Cuthbert's St. Cuthbert's St. Hild and St. Bede Grey St. Hild and St. Bede Trevelyan St. Hild and St. Bede Grey Van Mildert St. Hild and St. Bede Collingwood Josephine Butler Collingwood St. Hild and St. Bede St. Hild and St. Bede St. Cuthbert's St. Hild and St. Bede Van Mildert Trevelyan
LEVEL SENIOR FULL U21 U21 FULL U24 U21 U20 U20 FULL FULL A FULL U23 U23 U23
SPORT Lacrosse Hockey Hockey Hockey Rifles Triathlon Canoe Rugby Rugby Men's Lacrosse Cricket Cricket Cricket Rowing Rowing Rowing
2011 HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP NAME Loulou Rowlands Daniel Coultas Adam Williams Sophie Clough Angus Wilson Samuel Hatfield Matthew Fletcher Duncan Finnie Josh Beaumont Mike McTernan Seren Waters Sharne Massood Khan Jamie Atkinson Matt Rossiter Jamie Watson Jenny Arnold
NATION England Scotland Wales Wales England Great Britain Great Britain Scotland England Counties Ireland Kenya Pakistan Hong Kong Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain
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Palatinate Ball and awards Honourary Palatinates
DUBC’s finest conquer the seas in record time 31 days, 23 hours and 31 minutes This time now stands as the W orld Record for the crossing of the Atlantic by a team of rowers. Six brave souls took on this mammoth undertaking: Durham graduates David Hosking (Grey, 1978), who skippered the attempt, Chris Covey (Trevelyan, 2007), Paddy Thomas (Hatfield, 2005) and Naomi Hoogesteger (St. Chad's), who is currently doing a PhD and teaches in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University. They were joined by Jack Stonehouse and Justin Johaneson. After eighteen months of hard training and logistical preparation, the team assembled in Tenerife last December before the journey began on January 7th. With three crew members rowing at all times, taking shifts of two hours on, two hours off, continuously for the duration of the trip, the adventure was a battle of both physical and mental endurance. The calories required to provide the power for the continuous rowing, outstripped the amount of food that was possible to transport in the boat so each member would lose around a pound in body weight each day. Pain killers were a must, to deal with the multitude of blisters and aching
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
muscles, as recovery time was non-existent under the brutal regime of rowing rotation. After days of dramatic sunsets over endless horizons, towering waves, pods of dolphins and weather extremes, the crew arrived in Barbados to complete the world record. Skipper David Hosking attended Durham as part of a now defunct Navy ‘Nomination scheme’, meaning that he was paid as a Sub-Lt throughout his studies. Rowing under the coaching of Eric Halliday with DUBC, David found great enjoyment in the training regime and with his technique improving year on year, he made the GB senior Lightweight VIII and won gold at the 1980 World Rowing Championships. Having moved on to a highly successful career in the Navy, now retired, David maintains his rowing and sculling, having previously tried and failed to break the Atlantic crossing record previous to this trip. Crew engineer, Chris Covey, learned to row at Durham as part of the DUBC Freshmen squad, before graduating to the senior squad and earning the prize for the fastest university crew as part of the 2005 VIII at the Head of the River in London. A successful university rowing career saw two victories in the Newcastle/Durham Boat
Race and also a Henley semi-final. Covey now coaches rowing at the Leys School in Cambridge. Paddy Thomas took on the role of crew medic, being a chiropractor by profession, having the world record row, as a break from his college studies. Paddy is a keen rower, having been a top member of DUBC, winning Henley Royal Regatta in 2005 with the coxed four. His interests in sports saw him, whilst coaching the Bournemouth University squad, move into sports rehabilitation and injuries within his study there. The lone female in the crew, Naomi Hoogesteger, began rowing at Durham. In 2005 she won a bronze medal at the W orld Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan in the LW4x, as well as representing GB in other International events. Having since turned to kayaking, Naomi also represented GB at the 2008 World Quadrathlon Championships in the Czech Republic. The crew undertook their row hoping to raise money for Combat Stress, a charity dedicated to providing help to those veterans suffering from post-conflict mental health problems. To date the team have raised in excess of £30,000.
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Palatinate Ball and awards Honourary Palatinate
Marcus Rose In October 1976, Marcus Rose matriculated as a member of the University of Durham in Hatfield College. He knew something of Hatfield and its sporting tradition by virtue of having been a member of the England School Rugby team who were “billeted” there prior to their match against Scotland the previous season. On that occasion the England side were made particularly welcome by the Master, Tom Whitworth, who happened to be the President of the University Rugby Club and also by the University Registrar, Ian Graham, who was Secretary of the Rugby Club. Whilst in Durham, five members of the England team were interviewed by the Master and two, including Marcus, accepted the place offered. The Registrar informed the University rugby coach that they had recruited one of the most outstanding rugby players of his generation. History was to show the accuracy of this judgement. However, Marcus brought much more to Durham and Hatfield than an outstanding rugby talent; he brought an all-round sporting brilliance which few others, before or after, have matched. He represented his College at cricket, hockey, tennis (playing with one arm in a sling), athletics and, on one memorable occasion, represented the University soccer side. He excelled at all ball games probably because nature had endowed him with a strong, powerful physique which was nurtured at Loughborough by his father, who lectured there in sport. The young Rose was able to hone his skill levels by listening to and playing alongside some of country’s outstanding sportsmen.
supported Leeds and Durham was out of the competition. In his 2nd year, Durham lost to a strong Loughborough side, 12-14. Match reports eulogised about Marcus that “despite kicking immaculately with either foot, fielding and catching with complete assurance, tackling bravely and linking creatively with his three quarters, Rose finished on the losing side.” Finally in his last year, Marcus was injured in what he has called a "vicious game" against Newcastle, which effectively ended his Durham career. Marcus had brought colour, excitement and belief to Durham; he had played for England Students, Durham County and England Under 23’s and, but for injury, he might have achieved full international status whilst in Durham. He left a legacy of creative running rugby, which was to bring extraordinary successes within a short period of time. Durham’s debt to him is similar to that afforded to Carling and Greenwood. On to Cambridge and three varsity matches: the first of which, because of serious injury problems, required Marcus to play with a shoulder injury that necessitated his left arm be strapped to his side. It sounds ridiculous but it gave Cambridge the benefit of Marcus’ experience and exceptional kicking skills but, as might be expected, Cambridge lost but found compensation in the next two years, winning on both occasions. In his second year at Cambridge, Marcus made his debut for England, with a win against Ireland. The match report reads that “it was the kicking of a newcomer Marcus Rose which decided the outcome.” Marcus was subsequently picked for the last
international, of the season and the first two internationals of 1982. For the next game against France he was demoted to the bench. In an incident after the game, the RFU reprimanded Marcus and excluded him from the team. Five years exclusion denied Marcus the possibility of another twenty five caps but weakened the composition of the national side. It was only when Mike W eston from Durham, who had watched Marcus in his student days, became Chairman of the Selectors, that Marcus returned to the international fold. He played in four more internationals and was in the England team which played Australia in the inaugural World Cup Competition. Receiving a high ball almost from the kick off, Marcus was, to put it crudely, “targeted” and played no further part in that game or any international rugby thereafter. His response to adversity has been to set himself new challenges, which famously featured participation in the English Super Star T.V. Competition, which he won in 1982. Similar determination and courage has helped him overcome the removal of a brain tumour and an associated temporary loss of memory. He says that the constant support of his friends helped him to come through these hardships and to return to his very demanding job as a high-powered Chartered Surveyor. We should thank him for his attitude to sport, which served as an example to his contemporaries in Durham, especially at Hatfield. We are proud of his achievements and the example he presents to us in his response to adversity. Written by Edward Wood and Professor Tim Burt
During his time at Durham, Marcus experienced injuries and disappointments. Times were very different from now. The University Rugby Club played between 2530 fixtures a season; the majority against the leading northern clubs but against whom the University more than held their own. University sport, particularly rugby, attracted extensive newspaper coverage. International selectors from Scotland and England could be found prowling the touchline at most home games. With Marcus in our ranks, Durham expected to win the U.A.U but luck did not favour Durham. In Marcus’ 1st year , the team lost to Leeds in a farcical game, when the referee limped off the field unable to continue. Durham appealed; the U.A.U.
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Introducing the new Team Durham President
Hello from the new Team Durham President Helena Stolle - Team Durham President 2011/12 I would like to introduce myself as the Team Durham President for 2011/12. Whilst at Durham, I have studied physical Geography. I am extremely passionate about sport at all levels and have represented the University at both cricket and hockey and have also played college netball. Over the last 2 years, I have captained the women’s cricket team and have really enjoyed working with Team Durham. I have taken on this post as I really want to improve the students’ sporting experience at Durham.
College Sport Report Looking at the college points table and seeing the thousands of points allocated only begins to illustrate the sheer number of college fixtures and amount of sport played over this academic year. Yet again we have seen the highest ever number of teams playing in the college leagues, with over 4000 fixtures, involving 7,500 students and 400 teams with over 92% of students participating in physical activity. Durham University is arguably one of the largest intra-mural programmes in the world. Over 16 sports are played including; lacrosse, badminton, basketball, football, rugby, hockey, netball, Ultimate Frisbee, squash, tennis, cricket, table tennis and for the first time a rounders league has been introduced in the third term, which has proved extremely popular.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
The highly contested College Points Table came down to a nail biting end, updated a week prior to the last week of term with 5 points between Collingwood and St. Hild and St. Bede at the top, who had both knocked Van Mildert from the top spot where the college had sat comfortably the past term. In a turn of events, the final league fixtures came through and St. Hild and St. Bede sit at the top with 2871 points, with Van Mildert second with 2803 and Collingwood third with 2781. Special mention must go to St. Mary's College who finished in fourth place with the most amount of points per student (3.27), therefore winning the Deputy Wardens cup for 2010-11. St. Mary's amazing position in the table can be attributed to their College Festival
Kat Henderson Team Durham President 2010/11
of Sport success. The Festival of Sport this year took place on the 9th June in glorious sunshine, which ensured over 2000 students turned up to take part in 13 sports, including smaller minority sports such as volleyball and rounders. There was a fantastic atmosphere on the day, and thanks must go to the University clubs who helped run their sports on the day to ensure everything went smoothly; the event would not have taken place without them! St. Mary's won the entire festival with an outstanding 950 points, miles ahead of St. Hild and St. Bede, who came second with 542 points. I believe St.Mary's owe a lot to their dedicated sports officer, James Brown, who ensured as many people took part on the day as possible from his college, and must have entered himself in nearly every athletics event on the day!
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College Sport Report
Every time I looked, he appeared to still be running round the track. The day was topped off with the College Champions' Dinner in the evening, which brought together league winners across various sports to be presented with their hard earned trophies, and thanks must go to Rosie Jackson, the senior college sports officer for this year, who organised the event. The college sports officers from each college have worked extremely hard this year to develop sport within their colleges, and act as the link between their college and Team Durham. This year we have had greater involvement and a superb working relationship as a college sports committee and this has helped to develop college sport for the future. A full college sports review was undertaken, looking at the various aspects of how each sport worked, in terms of its league structure, facility use and support given, and this has ensured we are providing the best possible sporting experience to our students, with changes to improve systems for next year. More and more college sports are also given qualified coaching support, and over seven hundred hours have been offered to college sides for the 2010/11 academic year. This will rise even further in 2011/12 with the introduction of a new volleyball coach. Due to the huge volume of fixtures taking place, a large number of referees and umpires are required. These are predominantly student led, highlighting the self sufficiency of the intra-mural programme. Refereeing societies have continued to expand, with over one hundred and fifty students attaining, and
using officiating qualifications this year. Although we have clearly highlighted the number of students playing sport this year , there have been many dedicated individuals who have put huge amounts of time into ensuring games are appropriately officiated. Thanks must go to Emma Wilkinson, who has developed college netball officiating to an extremely high level, the ever professional Rugby Referees Society, and May Millburn-Fryer who has worked endlessly to officiate both university and college lacrosse games, and work to develop intra-mural mixed lacrosse here at Durham. Finally, thanks to Tom Illingworth who has originated and lead the Football Referees Society for the past two and a half years, and was awarded Team Durham’s Official of the Year award at this year’s Palatinate Dinner; he will be sorely missed as he graduates this year.
in Ustinov’s women’s football this year, and they won their league and the Knockout Cup, dominating college football for 201011. Van Mildert women’s hockey also had an outstanding year, reaching the final stages of the Knockout Cup, despite being a division 1 side and beating many premiership teams. Grey College brought us great excitement in the Festival of Sport, when we slowly realised that we were going to have a Grey v Grey final, with their A and B teams both beating all opponents. This was a fantastic end to having already jointly won the college premiership league with St. Cuthbert’s. St. John's Ultimate Frisbee team won their premiership league this year, experiencing 13 wins from 13 games; their fast paced and tactical play has left many teams beaten by large score lines, and they must enter 2011-12 with confidence.
There have been many teams who have excelled this year in their leagues and trophy tournaments and I could list many successful teams, however there are some teams who have quite simply stood out in 2010-11. St. Hild and St. Bede men’ s football A team did the unthinkable and won the Premiership College League, the floodlit 11 a-side Trophy Tournament and finally the 11 a-side Knockout Cup, an achievement that no football team had done previously. Their successful year will be an extremely hard one to beat. Butler Badminton won the men’s top league, the women’s top league and the mixed league this year, dominating college badminton for 2010-11. When teams achieve this type of success, it really does highlight the depth of the sporting programme at Durham. Postgraduates proved their sporting prowess
College sport has played a huge part in my role as President, and I have immensely enjoyed being a part of it and organising many sports throughout the year. Every student, whom I have worked with involved in collegiate sport, is extremely passionate about his/her sport, and college, and I believe this is why we have such a large and thriving participation in intra-mural sport. This will continue to develop, and with the start of a Rugby Board this year , as an overall body for both University and College Rugby, this will lead the way in ensuring Durham students continue to play, organise, officiate and enjoy sport during their time at Durham. I am proud to have been a part of such a unique and unrivalled successful college sports programme.
COLLEGE BUCS POINTS TABLE COLLEGE LEAGUE
KNOCKOUT POINTS POINTS
St. Hild and St. Bede Van Mildert Collingwood St. Mary's Hatfield Josephine Butler Grey St. Aidan's St. Cuthbert's Trevelyan University St. John's Stephenson St. Chad's Ustinov John Snow
1659 1558 1757 1157 1640 1466 1498 973 964 970 781 632 666 409 415 471
670 829 666 329 369 426 143 150 336 248 137 400 170 69 206 89
FESTIVAL POINTS
TOTAL
COLLEGE SIZE
POINT PER STUDENT
542 416 358 950 302 280 130 276 84 126 340 128 0 206 42 0
2871 2803 2781 2436 2311 2172 1771 1399 1384 1344 1258 1160 836 684 663 560
1233 960 1046 745 813 865 811 988 1135 664 726 419 933 458 1582 816
2.33 2.92 2.66 3.27 2.84 2.51 2.18 1.42 1.22 2.02 1.73 2.77 0.90 1.49 0.42 0.69
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Team Durham Infrastructure
Team Durham Infrastructure Team Durham aims to be the leading sporting university in the country across the three areas of Performance, Participation and Community. This mission sets out to achieve the following for our students: • Develop GB athletes • Win national titles • Retain and improve our position in British University Sport, with the immediate goal of improving our placing to finish in the top 3rd.
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
To achieve these goals we need talented students, professional coaches, excellent facilities and a sound support structure.
coaching and equipment for many of our teams has all been led by our supportive groups.
We are fortunate in having support from our Alumni through a number of support groups who advise and support our structure.
We wish to take this opportunity to thank these groups for their most valued support.
The “sea of purple” which was evident at the recent 1st XIV at Twickenham, the many Palatinate blazers at the Alumni drinks reunion at Henley, the external Alumni Sports Mentors along the financial support which has underpinned the
• Sport Specific Advisory Groups
• Sports Advisory Group • Alumni Sports Mentors • Friends of Durham (London) Steering Group
• Develop leaders of the future
DURHAM SPORT ADVISORY GROUP Charlie Bott Managing Partner at BC Partners and Co Head of the Investor Relations Group Charlie Bott joined BC Partners in April 2009 from Goldman Sachs where he had spent 22 years in the investment banking division, most recently as Chairman of the Financial Sponsors Group in Europe. Prior to Goldman Sachs, he worked as a corporate finance analyst at Morgan Stanley. Charlie holds a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University .
College: Harvard & Stanford Lulu Bott Lulu was at St John's College and after graduating joined the John Lewis Partnership for six years followed by management consultants The Coba Group. Charlie and Lulu’ s daughter Tasha is currently in her first year at Hatfield College and is a member of the University 1st Lacrosse T eam.
Studied: Arts Combined Year: 1982 College: St John’s Philip English Chairman - Philip English International Finance Services Ltd Following 10 years as an ordained priest in the UK and Hong Kong, Philip English founded, and is now Chairman of, Philip T English International Financial Services Ltd, one of the longest established independent companies in the financial services sector.
Studied: Theology Year: 1962 College: St John’s Sport: Rugby & Cricket Robert Gillespie Partner - Director General of Takeover Panel Robert graduated from Grey College in 1977 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price W aterhouse in 1980. Following that he worked at S G W arburg, and was appointed CEO of UBS EMEA in 2004. Robert is currently on the University Council, is a member of the Sports Friends' Steering Group and is Vice-Chair on the Advisory Board.
Studied: Economics Year: 1977 College: Grey Sport: DUBC/Sailing Peter Harker Associate - Saffery Champness Peter Harker graduated from the Durham University with a BSc in Geology in 2003. During his time at Durham he was Captain of the Canoe club, and received both a Half Palatinate and the Director of Sports A ward in his final year. He then went onto do an MSc in Engineering Geology at Newcastle University graduating in 2004. Follow that he joined the Manchester office of Saffery Champness in September 2004, qualifying as an ACA in September 2007. He was promoted to Supervisor within the Private W ealth and Estates Groups in September 2008.
Studied: Geology Year: 2003 College: Collingwood Sport: Canoeing
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Team Durham Infrastructure
DURHAM SPORT ADVISORY GROUP (CONTINUED) Steve Harman Vice-President of Shell Steve was raised in a Durham mining and teaching family , and after Durham University (74-77) joined Shell in 1982. Steve has worked and lived in China, the USA, and Europe, and has run a range of Global Downstream businesses for Shell. He currently runs the Shell Group's Cost Transformation Programme. Steve has worked closely with governments, media, and a wide variety of external stakeholders. Steve was captain of Durham and English Universities Golf in 1977. Steve's son Paddy is the 6th generation Harman to attend Durham and is 1st Team Hockey Captain here at Durham (Hatfield).
Studied: Geography & Anthropology Year: 1977 College: University Sport: Golf Jill May Managing Director - UBS Investment Bank Jill May is a Managing Director at UBS, with responsibility for improving client coverage and driving cross business collaboration in EMEA. Jill is also Chair of All Bar None UK, the women's business network at UBS and is a T rustee of the UBS Pension Scheme.
Studied: Economics Year: 1982 College: Collingwood Sport: Athletics Tim O’Gorman Company Secretary VPS Holdings Tim is currently General Counsel and Company Secretary for Luminar Holdings after being General Counsel to the Carphone Warehouse Group from 1999 - '07. Tim previously played professional cricket for Derbyshire CCC from 19871996 and after retiring from the game started as a Solicitor for Ashurst Morris Crisp. He remained actively involved with cricket having being Chairman of the PCA Group within the Professional Cricketers' Association and served as a member of the General and Cricket Committees of the MCC and Chairman of the MCC Y oung Cricketers.
Studied: Law Year: 1989 College: St Chad’s Sport: Cricket & Hockey Elspeth Talbot Rice QC - XXIV Old Buildings Elspeth is a barrister practicing from Chambers in Lincoln's Inn, London. She studied law at Durham (Cuth’ s 1986-1989) and she played lacrosse for, and captained, the University, BUSA and England U.21. She also played the French horn in the University orchestra, rode for the University and rowed for a Cuth’ s IV which reached Senior 1 + 3 status. After Durham and bar school, she was called to the bar of England and W ales in 1990 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2008. At work she specialises in domestic and international trusts and estates litigation and business based disputes. At play, she plays lacrosse in the winter and polo in the summer .
Studied: Law Year: 1986 College: St Cuth’s Sport: Lacrosse, Rowing & Polo Michael C Roberts Director - Obbard Property Investment Michael has 20 years in commercial banking of which the majority was spent as a resident of the Asia Pacific region and included roles on the Regional Executive Committee for the W estpac Banking Corporation in Hong Kong, Head of Corporate Banking and Deputy Country Manager for Standard Chartered Bank in Indonesia, and Head of Corporate Restructuring for Standard Chartered Merchant Bank based in Singapore. Since then, Michael has been London based as a Director and principal of privately owned businesses engaged in property investment, corporate financial advice, specialist health services and insurance. DUBC President 1979-1980. DUAU President 1980-1981.
Studied: Geography Year: 1981 College: Hatfield Sport: DUBC James C Turley Former Managing Director & Global Head of Sales - Deutsche Bank Jim Turley is currently on sabbatical from Deutsche Bank where he was Managing Director and member of Investment Banking Board. Previous roles saw him manage sales across all Debt & Equity products globally , manage global Foreign Exchange trading and sales, manage Global Commodities trading and sales. From 1989-1995 he worked for Bankers Trust Investment Bank London & Tokyo where he was Vice-President trading Interest Rate derivates in T okyo for 4 years and Vice-President trading Currency derivates in London for two years. Since his Sabbatical he has become a partner in a luxury Ski Company, Apine Infusion and a property company in Meribel. He is also a founding partner of a sports teamwear and outdoor wear company. Jim was a former England Schoolboys Rugby Captain at Cranleigh School and also Captained the University Rugby Team here at Durham.
Studied: Geography Year: 1986 College: Hatfield Sport: Rugby
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Friends of Durham (London) Steering Group
Team Durham Infrastructure
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
Friends of Durham (London) Steering Group Name: Robert Gillespie Sport: Rowing College: Grey Year: 1974-77 Study: Economics
Name: Laura Charlesworth Sport: Lacrosse College: St. Aidan's Year: 2005-08 Study: History
Name: Mark Scholey Sport: Hockey College: St. Hild & St. Bede Year: 1996-99 Study: History
Name: Michael Roberts Sport: Rowing College: Hatfield Year: 1978-81 Study: Geography
Name: Tiffany Lake Sport: Lacrosse College: Hatfield Year: 2005-08 Study: Social Sciences Combined
Name: Tom Hughes Sport: Hockey College: St. Aidan's Year: 1998-01 Study: Psychology
Name: Maggie Paxton Sport: Rowing College: Hatfield Year: 2002-05 Study: History
Name: Peter Harker Sport: Canoes College: Collingwood Year: 2000-03 Study: Geology
Name: Toby Betenson Sport: Fencing College: St. Cuthbert's Year: 2006-09 Study: Theology
Name: Phil Evans Sport: Rowing College: St. Hild & St. Bede Year: 2003-06 Study: Economics
Name: James Kennedy Sport: Rugby College: Hatfield Year: 1990-94 Study: Education
Name: Katie Sykes Sport: Netball College: St. Aidan's Year: 2006-09 Study: Sport
Name: Vicki Mortimer Sport: Rowing College: St. Hild & St. Bede Year: 2003-06 Study: Geography
Name: Joe Thomas Sport: Rugby College: Josephine Butler Year: 2007-10 Study: Philosophy & Pyschology
Name: Dave Oldridge Sport: Tennis College: St. Cuthbert's Year: 2001-04 Study: History
Name: Jock Wishart Sport: Sailing College: St. Hild & St. Bede Year: 1971-74 Study: Combined Arts
Name: Lorna Hitchcock Sport: Hockey College: St. Hild & St. Bede Year: 2003-06 Study: History
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Team Durham Infrastructure
Sport: Canoeing Canoeing London Steering Group Members: Peter Harker, Charlie Dunkley, Will Coombs & Tom Stroud Lead: Peter Harker graduated 2003, BSc Geology, Canoe Club. Report: We aim to keep the current strong network of Alumni in touch with each other and also aim to support the current club in their activities by fundraising through various means. Dates for your diary: Tyne To ur Friends Group AGM - 4-6th November 2011.
Mike Roberts Funding sub-group section for Annual Report The funding subgroup have been concentrating on plugging an immediate gap in the sport's budget, where an additional £30,000 p.a. is needed to fund planned expenditures to deliver more sports participation opportunities for students and expand Community Outreach programmes for local children, as well as to support scholarships, coaching, and facilities for high performance student athletes. The group are hosting a drinks party for Alumni in London in October, where they will spread the word about their activities and how others can become involved. As a next step, the group will turn their attention to longer term strategic funding goals, including corporate sponsorship.
Sport: Netball
Sport: Tennis
FoD Representative: Katie Sykes
FoD Representative: David Oldridge
Durham Career: St. Aidan’s College 2006/09 BA Hons. Sport, Team Durham President 2009/10, Netball Club 2007/10
Durham Career: St. Cuthbert’s Society 2001/05, History BA and MA, Tennis Club President 2004-2005
Report: Netball’s Alumni base has grown much stronger in recent years and we hope to keep building on this by continuing to support the London Alumni weekend in January and the Durham Alumni weekend in June.
Report: Tennis currently has no official Alumni network and so our aim is to set up an Alumni database, coupled with a website, which can be used to keep Alumni informed as to how the current team is doing, as well as organising annual Alumni tennis events, including Old Boys'/Girls' matches.
Since moving to London, I have set up a social netball club ‘Durham Old Girls’ and we currently have two teams playing in mid- week evening leagues and entering tournaments. Any netballers living in London who want to join the club should contact me at: k.e.sykes@hotmail.co.uk. The netball club are in the process of collating all Alumni contact details which will enable them to send out a newsletter to keep past players updated. If you would like to be kept in the DUNC netball loop, please contact current Alumni secretary, Izzi Drummond at i_z_z_i@hotmail.com. Also join the Facebook group (DUNC Alumni).
Ad hoc events have taken place in the past but they will become a more permanent calendar fixture. This summer there will be an Old Boys' match at Queen’s Club on 9 July. We, therefore, need as much Alumni contact information as possible and so if you used to play tennis for Durham and would like to be kept updated with all things Alumni, then please do contact us (daveoldridge @hotmail.com) or join our Facebook group (Durham University Tennis Club Alumni).
Friends of Durham Hockey (London) Steering Group FODH London member: Laura Chung Years at Durham: 2001 - 2005 College: St. Hild & St. Bede Durham Hockey team: Women's 3s Exec roles in Durham: DUHC (Co) Social Secretary 2002 - 2003
FODH London member: Tom Hughes Years at Durham: 1998 - 2001 College: St. Aidan's Durham Hockey team: Men's 2s Exec roles in Durham: DUMHC Club Captain 1999 - 2000 DUAU Vice President 2000 - 2001
FODH London member: Gabby Foster Years at Durham: 2007 - 2010 College: Hatfield Durham Hockey team: Women's 1s Exec roles in Durham: DUHC Secretary 2008 - 2009
FODH London member: Mark Scholey Years at Durham: 1996 - 2000 College: St. Hild & St. Bede Durham Hockey team: Men's 3s Exec roles in Durham: DUAU Trophy Secretary 1998 - 1999 DUAU President 1999 - 2000
FODH London member: Lorna Hitchcock Years at Durham: 2003 - 2006 College: St. Hild & St. Bede Durham Hockey team: DUHC Social Secretary 2004 - 2005 DUHC Friends of Durham Secretary 2005 - 2006
The FODH ‘London’ group comprises 8 of Durham’s hockey Alumni, representing leavers from the last 15 – 20 years. Annually , we have a number of targets, including: • Hosting three key annual events (the January Alumni weekend, the June weekend in Durham, the September hockey dinner in London);
FODH London member: Ben Shorten Years at Durham: 2004 - 2007 College: Collingwood Durham Hockey team: Men's 1s Exec roles in Durham: DUHC Club Captain 2005 - 2006
• Raising £7,000 - £10,000 annually from the hockey Alumni for DUHC; • Managing the contacts and communications for Durham’s hockey Alumni; • Providing support, guidance and mentoring to DUHC, in areas such as club finances, auditing, careers and life after Durham.
FODH London member: Nick Edwards Years at Durham: 1992 - 1996 College: Hatfield Durham Hockey team: Men's 1s / 2s Exec roles in Durham: DUMHC Club Captain 1993 - 1994 DUAU Vice President 1994 - 1995 DUAU President 1995 - 1996 FODH London member: Katie Riddell Years at Durham: 2003 - 2007 College: Collingwood Durham Hockey team: Women's 1s Exec roles in Durham: DUHC Club Captain 2006 - 2007
We aim to achieve the above targets by understanding and representing the views of Durham’s hockey Alumni and by keeping the Alumni involved and appreciated. We are lucky enough to support and represent a passionate, energetic and generous group of previous students – Alumni who genuinely care about the state of Durham hockey.
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22 Friends of Durham Hockey 500 Club The FODH 500 club was set up in 2006 to recognise individuals who have contributed in excess of £500 to Durham University hockey. The 500 Board resides at the entrance to the water based Astro Turf and now recognises forty four contributors. Every year we aim to add at least five new donors who have kindly supported the development of hockey in Durham.
January weekend Every year Durham’s hockey Alumni act as the focal point for the Saturday night celebrations ahead of the Old Boys' and Old Girls' games on the Sunday. 2011 was the seventh annual Alumni weekend and we were happy to see 100+ hockey Alumni involved in the weekend. All the games were keenly contested, providing a perfect showcase for the sustained strength of Durham hockey (with the present generation edging it on the pitch).
June weekend The first weekend in June sees Durham hockey Alumni’s return to Durham for the annual summer 7s and the OBs' and OGs' weekend. The weekend follows a tried and tested formula – the Stella Express, Summer 7s, The Cow, Klute, OBs' and OGs' matches against the club and then a formal dinner on the Saturday night. We’ve traditionally been lucky enough to entice 60 – 80 Alumni back to Durham every year , with the promise of reliving the student days proving to be an attractive and enduring prospect.
Team Durham Infrastructure
HOCKEY 500 BOARD DONORS: SURNAME
FIRST NAME
DETAILS
Abraham
Stuart
A.E.N. WIZARDS; EST. 1994
Appleton
Karen
K.APPLETON; DUWHC; 1993-98
Atkins
Stephen
S.J.ATKINS; DUMHC; 1980-83
Babbe
Suzanne
S.M.BABBE; DUWHC; 1995-98
Bower
David
D.J.BOWER; DUMHC; 1966-69
Brazier
Simon
S.R.BRAZIER; DUMHC; 1994-98
Brenchley
Paul
P.J.BRENCHLEY; DUMHC; 1995-98
Bulgin
Duncan
D.R.E.BULGIN; DUMHC; 1992-96
Chapman
Stuart
S.J.CHAPMAN; DUHC; 2003-06
Chung
Laura
L. CHUNG; DUHC; 2001-05
Clegg
Phillip
P.J.J.CLEGG; DUMHC; 1987-90
Cook
Philip
P.A.COOK; DUMHC; 1994-97
Curry
Tom
T.J.E. CURRY; DUMHC; 1999-03
Eames
Andrew
A.D.EAMES; DUMHC; 1995-98
Edwards
Nicholas
N.W.J.EDWARDS; DUMHC; 1992-95
Featherstone
Gavin
G.D.FEATHERSTONE; DUMHC; 1972-74; COACH 2004-
Gresham
Pippa
P.D.GRESHAM; FODH; 1997-00
Gresham
Tobias
T.J.GRESHAM; DUMHC; 1997-00
Grounds
R
DR.R.M.GROUNDS; 2005
Hitchcock
Lorna
L.E.HITCHCOCK; DUHC; 2003-06
Hughes
Tom
T.A.O.HUGHES; DUMHC; 1998-01
Jameson
Thomas
T.E.N.JAMESON; DUMHC, 1966-69
Klimowicz
Paul
P.A.KLIMOWICZ; DUMHC; 1998-01
Lancaster
D
D.J.LANCASTER; COACH; 2000-
Law
Chris
C.W.LAW; DUMHC; 1994-97
Leaver
Richard
R.J.LEAVER; DUMHC; 1984-87
Mackay
Rowena
R.B.I.MACKAY; DUHC; 2001-04
Manito
Christian
C.L.MANITO; DUMHC; 1997-00
Mcbride
Lars
MRS & MRS MCBRIDE; 2006
Miller
David
D.MILLER: DUMHC; 1971-74
Morton
Nicholas
N.I.MORTON; DUMHC; 1993-95
Nichols
James
J.E.NICHOLS; DUHC; 2002-06
Newman
Matt
M.D.NEWMAN; DUMHC; 1993-96
Pearce
J.A
J.A.PEARCE; DUMHC; 1992-95
Potter
A
A.M.A.POTTER; DUMHC; 1994-97
The Friends of Durham Hockey 500 Board stands at the side of the water -based hockey pitch at Maiden Castle, and acknowledges individuals who have contributed over £500 to supporting hockey at Durham University.
Potts
Oliver
O.J.POTTS; DUMHC; 1999-03
Scholey
Mark
The continued support and generosity of the FODH 500 Board members is greatly valued, and it directly supports improvements in DUHC's infrastucture and performance.
September dinner In September, the Hockey Club Alumni converge in London for our annual dinner . Running since 1997, we’ve had dinners in various establishments, including a boat on the Thames and have tried out various event formats, including a Race Night and an auction. The dinner has attracted up to 135 in the past, with 80 to 100 attending every year. For £55 a head, the dinner includes a top quality location for the entirety of the night, three courses, wine and multiple boat races.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
RJP Ichibans
M.L.Y.SCHOLEY; DUMHC; 1996-00 RJP ICHIBANS; EST. 2006
Smith
D.J
D.J.SMITH; DUMHC; 1992-95
Sykes
Julian
J.P.W.SYKES; DUMHC; 1993-96
Taber
Matthew
M.J.TABER; DUMHC; 1994-97
Veary
Howard
H.M.VEARY; DUMHC; 1969-72
Wilson
Noreli
"N.J.WILSON; DUWHC; 1976-79 J.F.TULLO; DUMHC; 1974-77"
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
The Team Durham Alumni Sport Mentoring Scheme is now in its second year. The scheme pairs Durham University sports club captains or team captains 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 balancing the time commitments of sport and academic work. They also have the opportunity to discuss future career choices with the leaders in their field. The first meeting of mentors and mentees took place at Queen's Club in London. Richard Topham (Career Development Scholar), gives us an insight to the event:
Team Durham Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme Queen’s Club Meeting October saw the first formal introduction of the 2010/11 members of the Mentoring Scheme. The Queen’s Club, London played host to the event; a suitably fitting setting, steeped in sporting success and then filled with a host of Durham talent past and present. The select group of team and club captains fortunate enough to be involved in the Mentoring Scheme travelled down from Durham for the chance to become acquainted with their new mentors. As a group of some of Durham’s top athletes, those attending face many of the same challenges and concerns as their peers in their respective leadership roles. The event provided the chance for the students to interact with those in similar positions to them from different sports, learning first-hand about alternate methods and experiences. As the Alumni
mentors arrived, the groups divided up with respective mentors/mentees pairing up and beginning the process of personal introduction and sharing experiences. Though for some mentors, this isn’t their first year with the scheme, the rematching of partnerships with new students meant the night was a great opportunity to begin getting to know their mentees and their plans for the year ahead. With the Alumni mentors keen to catch up on the University life today and what changes have occurred in recent years, the conversations were soon in full flow . The great enthusiasm of the Alumni towards Durham was instantly noticeable and with passionate students eager to talk about their experiences thus far as well as hear of what once was, all were in high spirits. With students and mentors circulating around the room, the discussions allowed all present to engage across various sporting and business backgrounds. Dr Warburton, Director of Sport, briefly paused the discourse for a moment to welcome all to the scheme. Durham’s Alumni are of vast importance to the University far beyond their time of study and the Mentoring Scheme provides an excellent chance for that connection to be strengthened directly through reinteraction with the current student body. Playing sport at Durham is to many a significant highlight of their time at the University. The friendships made through teams are often cited as being the strongest that remain long after graduation. Each of the mentors has risen to great success in their chosen field of employment, and for their mentees, they hope to highlight the important role that skills provided through sport, can play in later life. The leadership experiences facing the students in their time at Durham offer key opportunities for
Richard Topham St. Mary’s College, Geography, Career Development Scholar
developing important employable skills. By utilising the knowledge of the Alumni mentors, the guidance that they provide will look to prepare the students for the challenges within their leadership and out into later life. “I thought the evening was a great success. It provided a great chance to not only meet our own mentors but also the other mentors and students who are part of the scheme. I foresee the scheme being of real use the mentors will almost certainly have faced similar problems/challenges to those that we may face over the coming year so their advice and support will be invaluable.” Ed Sidgwick, President of DUBC 2010/11 “Simon Thorp, my mentor, was really helpful. He was extremely interested in hearing how the tennis team was doing and very keen to support me throughout the year. As a tennis player, it is brilliant having a contact at Queen’s Club, and it was very exciting be able to visit the club for the meeting! Simon is now a very successful lawyer, and although I am not considering Law as a career, he was able to offer me advice in many other areas of work. Overall, I found the meeting very worthwhile and I look forward to keeping in touch with Simon throughout the year.” Ross Adams, Tennis Club captain 2010/11 The valuable opportunity that the Mentoring Scheme provides, in terms of exposure to figures who have had similar experiences through sport and otherwise, is a unique one for all those involved. It was evident from the conversations at the Queen’s Club that a great deal of pleasure is to be had, by both mentor and mentee, sharing interest and experiences. With introductions made and friendships forming, the Queen’s Club event set this year’s scheme off to an excellent start.
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Alumni Sports Mentors Tim O’ Gorman
John Capaldi
Sarah Hardingham
Paul Hawkins
Law
Music
Physics
Cricket
Tennis/Lacrosse
Boats
Natural Sciences
Hockey
Pathway Capital Management
Director Global Risk Management Intergen
Boats Inventor of Hawkeye
Hatfield, 1980
St. Mary’s, 1976
Grey, 1993
Mark Ware
Jeremy Wilson
Martin St Quinton
Elspeth Talbot Rice
Economics and Politics
Combined Arts
Economics and History
Law
Rugby
Vice Chairman of Barclays Corporate and Non Exec Chairman of Bloomsbury Publishing.
Golf/Rugby
Barrister QC
Company secretary VPS Holdings
Boats
Director of Corporate Affairs Vitol Group (Energy trading) Hatfield, 1979
Grey, 1968
Lacrosse/Boats/Polo
Gloucester Rugby Club,Vice Chairman
St. Cuthbert’s, 1986
University College, 1976
Robin Fenwick
Simon Brazier
James Lloyd
Graham Seeley
Sport
Economics and French
Economics
Rugby/Cricket
Hockey
Economics and Politics
Director of Right Formula
Fund Manager Threadneedle
Hockey
Hatfield, 1999
Hatfield, 1994
Director of Quintain Technology Solutions (Asset Finance and Management)
Director of Marketing and Business Development of Mayfair Capital Investment Management
Golf
Grey, 1974
St. Hild and St. Bede, 1982
Ian Nunn
Simon Thorp
Robin Hindle-Fisher
Charles Honnywill
Economics and Politics
Geography
Politics
Outside Law (Partner)
DUAU Rugby Club
Economics and Economic
Golf/Cricket
Tennis/Golf
Recently resigned as Eurostar Finance Director
Hatfield, 1992
(Partner), Business Coach
University College, 1976
St. Hild and St. Bede, 1982
Robin Dyer
Charlotte West
General Arts Second Master
M.Eng Hons in Manufacturing Engineering with Management
Wellington College
Rowing/Polo
Cricket
Durham University, from 1978
Vice President at J.P.Morgan Cazenove Hatfield, 1998
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Governance for Owners LLP
History Rugby Senior Partner Ernst & Young St. Hild and St. Bede, 1982
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Introducing two new mentors
Profiling two new mentors for the Alumni Sport Mentoring Scheme
Howard Veary What did I learn from my sporting experience? Determination- particularly when facing the old enemy Newcastle and when faced by opposition of international calibre. Loyalty and Teamwork- this came through a recognition that I relied on the team and they on me. Although we had individual responsibilities, we were most effective as a team. The sum of all parts had to be greater than the parts themselves. Friendships- there is a great reward in longstanding friendships which still endure, that all begins with important networking.
"I read Classics occasionally at Durham between 1969 and 1972, achieving a 2:2 which, in Hatfield at that time, was close to a miracle! I managed to squeeze into the hockey 1st XI in my first term and played throughout my university career, being awarded a Palatinate in my final year.
Mentoring- helping new and younger players fit into the team and bringing out the best in them. I was also active in college darts, shovehalfpenny and some University 2nd XI cricket. After leaving Durham, I trained as a Chartered Accountant, becoming a partner in Deloitte, from whom I have recently retired, to concentrate on my golf career .
The benefits of my Durham sporting experience hugely influenced my career. The same skills run through into employment: Determination- firstly to qualify, and then to continually develop my career. Loyalty and Teamwork- these are key aspects in serving clients and working with colleagues. Friendships- extended to work colleagues and clients, making work-life so enjoyable. Mentoring- supporting younger and less experienced colleagues, bringing out the best in them and making my firm the ‘best-of-breed'. Throughout my career, I have been involved in graduate recruitment and staff mentoring. I get a real buzz from seeing young people, not only achieving, but exceeding their expectations. I am continuing this in post-retirement, advising students at Hatfield, my sons’ contemporaries and pupils at Wellington College, where I am a Governor."
Susie Wakefield Partner, Taylor Wessing LLP
Susie graduated from St. John's College in 1993 with a BA in Geography . Upon graduation she attended law school in London and subsequently joined the law firm Cameron McKenna. She has recently returned to London following ten years abroad - a seven year stint practising law at LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae in New York and a further three years at a law firm in Bermuda. Susie is now a partner in the
Insurance and Reinsurance group at Taylor Wessing LLP, where she advises international clients on a variety of insurance and reinsurance disputes. Susie played University 1st Team hockey and also captained the University 1st Team tennis during her time at Durham. Studied: Geography Year: 1993 College: St. John's Sport: Hockey and Tennis
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Alumni Sports Mentoring continued: A few of the mentors and mentees share their experiences of the scheme below:
work gets done on time and to a high standard. We can of course add to this the small matter of securing a job after graduation.
JOE BURNETT mentored by Martin St Quinton
The Mentoring Scheme is a facility that certainly wasn’t available when I was the captain of a Durham University team in 1979 and had it been, I suspect I would have made far fewer mistakes.
I was delighted when it was announced that Martin St. Quinton would be my mentor, whilst club captain. For someone so successful and experienced in areas I was only just starting out in, to be so willing to offer advice and provide support, was a great privilege. Despite being away in South Africa for six months, Martin regularly took time to stay in touch and to offer invaluable advice at a couple of challenging times. It was great that he was able to attend the BUCS final at Twickenham and to witness first- hand, the progress that the club has made this year. I hope that the scheme wasn't a completely one way process and Martin felt that he gained something out of the relationship too. However, from a personal perspective, the Mentor Scheme was a real eye -opener showing that the characteristics and skills we develop as student sports men are easily transferred to the "real world" and will be invaluable as we embark on a wide range of careers.
MARTIN ST QUINTON mentored Joe Burnett I was honoured to be approached by Dr Peter Warburton to help with the Durham sports programme by mentoring Joe Burnett. I believe there is a strong link between leadership in sport and leadership in one’s career, whether it be in business as in my case or politics, teaching, finance or any other sphere. It was a pleasure to meet and work alongside Joe, captain of the University Rugby Club, in a year where Durham have had the most success in recent history – a fact which will stand Joe in good stead for the future and certainly make an excellent addition to his C.V. It is a tough balancing act for Joe to commit so much time to an organisation as complex as the University Rugby Club whilst ensuring his academic 2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
I hope my advice was of help to Joe and I wish him continued success in both his sporting and academic endeavours.
MARK WARE mentored Steve Winship I very much enjoyed my year mentoring Steve. Steve is a very driven and focused sportsman and clearly threw all his energy into being captain of rowing and gaining success for Durham. While I was unable to give him any practical rowing tips, I did encourage him to delegate as much as possible and not to take on everything himself. We kept in regular touch by email, phone and quite frequent meetings in London, usually accompanied by beer and curry. This allowed us to build up a strong relationship and mutual trust; something that needs to be the cornerstone of any successful mentoring programme. I got a lot out of my time with Steve and I hope that I was able to provide some practical advice or support. He is a delightful guy, refreshingly straightforward and I very much enjoyed the times we spent together. All best wishes to him for the future.”
STEVE WINSHIP mentored by Mark Ware As part of the Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme, I was paired with former Hatfielder and Durham cricketer, Mark Ware. Despite our sporting interests lying at opposite ends of the spectrum (cricket being a game and rowing a sport!) I knew from our first meeting that Mark had a lot more to offer me than simply sports chat. Following on from our first meeting in London, Mark and I bounced emails back and forth every few weeks. I was keen to
share with Mark the successes of the Boat Club and to seek advice regarding my captaincy. Fortunately during the first and second terms I travelled frequently between Durham and London for races on the Thames, allowing me to visit Mark and catch up over a pint or bite to eat once every five or six weeks. Having discussed my career plan and interest in teaching Mark immediately put me in touch with a number of friends and associates whom he felt could help. Although Mark's area of expertise was oil/energy and not teaching, he still endeavoured to assist me in any way he could. On paper Mark and I probably could not have been more different! However, I feel privileged to have been part of the Mentoring Scheme and could not have asked for a more helpful, supportive and genuinely interested Durham Alumnus. Mark was always generous with his time and buying the drinks! I am very grateful for his friendship over the last year .
SARAH HARDINGHAM mentored Jo Fitzsimons and Jasmine Cronje I am thoroughly enjoying mentoring the Durham Sports captains of Women’s Boats and Netball, respectively; Jo for nearly two years and Jasmine this last year. It is a privilege for me to be involved in this way and I am very willing to share experience and advice in whatever way is of most benefit to them: moral support, general encouragement, wins/ losses, future life beyond Durham. A highlight for me was to attend the January 2011 Alumni games in west London, as spectator rather than as participant. I should add though, I was encouraged in a role reversal to jump into a boat next year…. It was very rewarding to see Jo and Jasmine in action on the water and on court and I would strongly recommend that mentors consider supporting this event in 2012. In short, I am keen to continue my involvement, and both my mentees know how to find me when the need arises, which is the key to the whole T eam Durham Mentoring Programme.
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
JASMINE COYNE mentored by Sarah Hardingham Before this year I was unaware that Team Durham ran an Alumni Mentoring Scheme and I felt lucky, as a club captain, to be a part of it. I was most honoured to be partnered with Sarah Hardingham, who is the Director of Global Risk Management Intergen and it was clear that we had been well matched because at our first meeting in London, we spoke non-stop throughout the evening. It was fascinating to have an insight into the life of somebody in her position. Sarah made it clear that she was happy to guide and assist me with any problems that I might encounter as club captain and in other areas of my life; even though I didn’t have many issues to discuss, it was nice to bounce new ideas off someone from a different walk of life and get a different perspective on things. We met for a second time at the January Alumni weekend as Sarah kindly braved the cold to come and watch me play against our Old Girls. It was nice to see her again and to update her on the development of the club and my progress in final year. Overall the Mentoring Scheme has been a great opportunity and Sarah’s support has been reassuring. I hope to stay in contact with her after this year and into the future.
SIMON THORP mentored Ross Adams Acting as a mentor to Ross and being involved in the Durham Mentoring Scheme more generally has been an enjoyable and rewarding process. I have fond memories of my time at Durham, whether sporting, social or academic, and many of the skills and friendships I developed at Durham are still, 15 years on, very significant to me. The Mentoring Scheme has allowed me to give a little bit back to Durham and, in particular, to Ross from both a career and sporting perspective. Through the scheme, I have reacquainted myself with Durham once more, culminating in an Old Boys tennis match at The Queen’s Club in London. I wish Ross all the best as he launches
his career at Detica and I hope that he is able to continue to play tennis and other sports to a high level.
ROSS ADAMS mentored by Simon Thorp This year I have been mentored by former Tennis Club President, Simon Thorp, who has been a tremendous source of advice and support throughout the whole scheme. It has been great getting to know Simon, since we both share the experience of having captained the Tennis Club at Durham and therefore have something very unique in common. Between us, we have organised an Old Boys' tennis match in July , for which he has spent much time locating the Durham greats of bygone years and it promises to be a great occasion! Simon has been a great person to talk to about careers and although I have chosen quite a different career path to the one he took, he has been extremely supportive and I am sure that we shall keep in touch for a long time to come. ‘The Mentoring Scheme offered me a unique opportunity to access guidance and build a relationship with someone who was in my position fifteen years ago and has since become extremely successful in Law. Although I have decided not to go into law but rather into consulting, Simon has been extremely supportive and is always willing to provide advice about companies and has even provided some contacts for me. He is a great example of someone who has clearly enjoyed his time as President of the Tennis Club and also benefited from it. His law firm deal with many clients in the world of sport and as a member and former captain at Queen's Club, sport remains a very significant part of his life. He is very easy to talk to and has no problem making time in his busy schedule for a chat. I am sure that I will keep in touch with Simon after I leave Durham.’
ROWAN EDMONDSON mentored by James Lloyd This year I was fortunate enough to be selected for the Team Durham Mentoring Scheme. I was aptly matched to James Lloyd, Investment Manager at Mayfair Capital.
During his time at Durham James was strongly involved in the hockey club and whilst not a fencer himself he has developed a keen knowledge of the sport through his five children, each of whom compete in the sport to a high level. I have been able to keep in regular contact with James , who is always quick to respond to emails and who has taken a genuine interest in the success of the club throughout the year. My time as captain has been made much smoother by having such an interested, capable contact outside of the club who was willing to listen to new ideas and problems as they arose. As well as being happy to act as a sounding board, James has always been ready with new ideas for the club such as starting annual tours, the first of which is now already being planned. He has also taken the time to share some of his extensive marketing experience to help us begin our search for sponsorship. As well as helping put a strong proposal together, James has advised us on how best to approach companies and follow up on communications. As well as regular email contact I have had the chance to meet with James both in Durham and London throughout the year. Our first meeting was at a Mentor evening at Queen's Tennis Club organised by team Durham. The evening gave me the chance to talk to several highly successful Durham Alumni who were all ready with excellent advice regarding my career after university. The Mentoring scheme has been a great help throughout the year, not only to myself but also the club. I would like to thank both James and Team Durham for the opportunity to be involved in it.
JAMES LLOYD mentored Rowan Edmonson I have been thoroughly impressed by Rowan Edmonson as my mentee for this year. He has shown leadership and dedication in his role as Captain of Durham University Fencing. At the start of the year he was quick to build up interest from the Freshers, this was particularly difficult without the use of a fencing Salle but he managed to arrange alternative facilities in Durham. The situation will be much improved next year with the opening of a new Salle at Maiden Castle.
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28 Whilst the results this year have not been as good as in recent years, some of the best fencers from recent years having left the University, Rowan managed to retain the enthusiasm and training regimes within the club to build for the future – this hard work, I am sure will pay dividends for the next captain. Added to this Rowan has worked hard a putting together a sponsorship package to raise much needed funds for the Club. Whilst this project is still in hand, I wish him & the Club success in securing sponsorship. I have found Rowan a very honest, reliable and dedicated individual and I hope the Fencing Club continue to build on the foundations that Rowan has clearly put in place over this year .
HELENA STOLLE mentored by Tim O’Gorman This year I have been mentored by Tim O’Gorman and have found this to be invaluable. We initially met at the Queen's Club event held by Team Durham and have since communicated regularly via text and email and met up twice. During the Christmas vacation, we met for a cricket net, which thankfully was inside, given the large amount of snow at the time! Tim not only threw a large number of balls at me, but also shared some of his knowledge of the game and gave me some very helpful coaching. From a captaincy perspective, I have spoken to Tim about ideas on recruitment and any arising issues, his ideas and advice have been a lot of help. Aside from cricket, Tim has also helped and advised me a great deal about careers and my plans post Durham. Whilst he was in the North East in February, we managed to meet and this was a great opportunity for me to discuss the prospect of running for the position of Team Durham President. The Team Durham Mentoring Scheme has been of undoubtable benefit and I would like to thank Tim for all the time he has given up for me this year and for all his support and guidance.
Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
TIM O’GORMAN mentored Helena Stolle In reading what Helena has written above, it is clear that she appreciates the benefits of the Mentoring Scheme and it is reassuring that she has found it useful. It is reassuring because since neither of us had been part of such a scheme before, we have largely made it up as we have gone along. We did not operate according to an established structure or agreed plan and actually this hasn't been a bad thing at all. In practice, our approach has allowed us to operate in a flexible way throughout the year. We have responded to various situations in the way we felt was most appropriate at the time. Although a 'flexible' approach could risk being a euphemism for 'disorganised' what prevented this, was that very early in the scheme, Helena had a minor setback with one opportunity and as part of her response to it, she sent me an email which said: ".... I know I have lots of opportunities but I'm not sure which ones are the best to take". The optimism of youth is surely refreshing for us all and it was this 'sentiment of opportunity' that became the foundation of our communications. While it was always likely that opportunities would arise for Helena throughout the year, our aims became: to identify them; to consider their merits and then try to find the best way to maximise them as they developed. So, we looked to progress these opportunities on four fronts: • the first was Helena's development as a cricketer; • the second was her role as a captain and team leader; • the third was her participation within the Team Durham programme; and • the fourth was preparing for her career after leaving the University. This year, Helena has achieved considerable success in all of these areas. For the record she has: • scored her highest score ever (131);
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
• captained a team that has won the Universities Trophy competition; • been elected as President of Team Durham for 2011/12; • earned a 2.1 in her geography degree; and • gained valuable work experience that will help progress her chosen career of working in the environmental sector. She can justifiably, be proud of these achievements. As a mentor it has been extremely refreshing to help a mentee, who is both talented and motivated. It is axiomatic that assisting people with these qualities is somewhat easier than doing so where talent and motivation are in short supply but it is always important to remember that the motivation to seize and progress the opportunities that have arisen, has come from Helena. She is the cricketer who wanted to develop her skills as a player. She is the captain who believed she could offer leadership to her team mates that would make them a successful eleven. She is the undergraduate who stood for the Team Durham Presidency because she believed that she could provide a service to her fellow athletes throughout the University and she is the one who wanted to explore careers in the environmental sector. Working with this level of talent and commitment is extremely rewarding for any mentor and if our experience this year is indicative of how well the scheme has operated, we have all benefited from being part of this programme. While there are never any short cuts to gaining experience, we have found the Mentoring Programme beneficial because it has allowed Helena to consider new opportunities, to discuss them in detail and to gain from some of the experiences of her mentor. It is perhaps this state of affairs which justifies the Mentoring Scheme and is where a mentor can add the most value. Based on her successes this year, Helena has indicated that she wants to continue the programme next year. This is good news and it is a given that she can call on me as her mentor for as long as she considers it to be of value. She has set high standards this year. She has attained some notable achievements and our challenge now is to maintain or surpass these high standards. Roll on next year!
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HANNAH SHAW mentored by John Capaldi The start of a new academic year brought the responsibility of club captain and an exciting season ahead. The news that I would be one of the few students lucky enough to be selected for the Mentoring Scheme was very exciting and I was looking forward to meeting my mentor. My assigned mentor was John Capaldi. We had been suitably matched both having interest in sport, music and travel among others. The mentor system ran smoothly with regular contact throughout the year via email, telephone and face-toface meetings regarding our progress. It has been a real honour to have John Capaldi as my mentor and it has been lovely to share our experiences of Durham, both on the sporting field and academically. John has provided me with a lot of advice about managing minor issues and has shared experiences of his life both at Durham and in his careers. In particular, we had discussions about how to keep the team motivated right
up to the end of the season when the workload increases. John has always been available to talk and replies to emails so we are able to keep in contact throughout the year.
of being captain and how to work with individuals within the club, Charles's advice was invaluable. I was also very pleased to see Charles had taken time to come and watch the final at Twickenham.
The mentor system is exactly what you make of it. Having someone to help me through the busy year has been extremely valuable. Overall the experience has been hugely valuable and I hope to stay in contact with John Capaldi over the next few years, as I believe his advice and guidance will be invaluable.
In terms of future choices, it was great to hear an opinion,other than those of my immediate family and of someone who themselves has been so successful. I now feel very reassured about my choice to continue with education next year, when at the start I was definitely unsure. Additionally, although I would like to pursue a career in law and not finance/accountancy, Charles has offered the chance to let me shadow him at Ernst and Young and has also offered to introduce me to a senior figure at Norton Rose.
ROB MALANEY
mentored by Charles Honnywill My mentor was Charles Honnywill and I thought he did a fantastic job. I met up with him on quite a few occasions throughout the year, both in Durham and in London. I found him to be very useful as an extra source of advice, in both my role as captain and when discussing my future options. Particularly at the beginning of the year , when I was getting used to the pressures
For these reasons, I think the scheme is a real success. Not only did I receive guidance in my time here at Durham but I've also been put in touch with a fantastic contact for my future business life. Charles has not only been a great mentor but a great guy, who was always very approachable. I hope to keep in contact with him in years to come.
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1992/3 BUSA Tennis winning Durham team. Front row (l to r): Ian Baggett, Andrew Mills, James Acheson-Gray Back row (l to r): Paul Davis Jones, Simon Thorp, Ed Bowyer
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Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Profiling a few of our Alumni Sports Mentors
Simon Thorp on the Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme
Simon Thorp (Hatfield, 1995) is former BUSA winning tennis player and 1st Team captain during his time at Durham. Since graduating, Simon has worked for some of the top London law firms before, in 2005, co-founding Onside Law. The firm specialises in businesses and individuals in the sports and entertainment industries, with Simon as Head of the Corporate Commercial Division. Keen to become involved in the Sports Mentoring Scheme, Simon’s mentee for this year was tennis club captain, Ross Adams. “I felt the Mentoring Scheme was an opportunity for me to give something back to Durham after they gave so much to me”, Simon explains. “I thought this acts as a more heartfelt gift, more tangible”. With various members of Durham’s top athletes in leadership positions being assigned Alumni mentors, the scheme
aims to provide guidance for the challenges ahead in both in sport and later life. Simon sees the programme as “giving the students a window into the working world”, through conversations with Alumni who have succeeded in their chosen field of employment. In terms of the sporting difficulties ahead in the students’ respective roles, Simon feels that it’s good to have an independent source of advice, “from those who have seen the issues before”. For life after Durham, the opportunity to view the working world through the experiences of the Alumni mentors is, Simon believes, a useful tool in planning a future career, whatever that may be. “This scheme would have been very helpful to me when I was a student. I was always focussed on academic and sporting success; a career never got much thought”. Team Durham has undergone many changes in recent years, with both facility and support improvements advancing greatly. The Mentoring Scheme is a key part of this. “I’m really impressed with how professional sport is at Durham now”; something Simon felt was missing from his time here. Sport was a key part of Simon’ s Durham experience; “It was something I took great joy in whilst at Durham”. Winning BUSA in his first year with a strong side, featuring some excellent postgraduate players, Simon refers this more to the luck of the intake rather than any support structures in place. “Team Durham now offers much more help to enhance ability rather than let individual talent run itself”. Simon recognises the benefits that playing sport at Durham provided for him, both on
and off the court. “Sport helps you to deal with other people, those different to yourself and how it is necessary to accept difference in order to progress”. Being able to deal with diversity is, Simon believes, a key skill to have in the workplace. Referring to his mentee Ross, he suggests that “perhaps not realising it immediately but looking back, Ross will see the value of sport in dealing with similar situations at work”. For now, Ross is “developing the brand of tennis at Durham. This will lead him into selling himself as a brand, later on in the job market”, and Simon predicts that his experience in leading a team will stand him in good stead to develop further in the business world. Now practising with Onside Law, Simon is able to combine his passion for sport with his job. For Simon, working with governing bodies, brands and athletes, “having played sport to a reasonably high level, helps me to understand and to be understood”, making for more efficient client relationships. He explains that having an enthusiasm for the type of work you’re doing is the key to any job, if maximum performance is to be achieved. “The ability to combine a profession with personal interest is an important fusion to have and makes the whole thing far more successful and enjoyable”. “Durham offered me a perfect environment for both sporting and academic excellence. Durham undergraduates shared a common goal in doing well both on and off the sport's field and, importantly, in good spirit ....most of the time at least! These friendships and memories have survived and strengthened long beyond Durham.”
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Profiling a few of our Alumni Sports Mentors
James Lloyd on Sport’s Role in Education
accepting and dealing with defeat gracefully as having long term value, far beyond the formal education years.
Sport has always been a significant part of James Lloyd’s life (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1982). Hockey became James’ sport of choice during his time at Durham. Playing as part of a 1st Team that made the UAU finals twice and touring Barbados in his final year, sport proved to be an extremely enjoyable part of his student experience. It was an area in which he feels all students should take the chance to appreciate the opportunities available and make the most of them. Government policies in recent years have aimed to provide universal access to sport in schools and encourage both physical and social development from an early age. When asked about his thoughts on such initiatives, James described sport as “critical” to a child’s development. In an educational sense, he feels that sport provides multiple benefits to growth; the concept of “fit in body, fit in mind” leads on to the great significance of playing as part of a team in enhancing social strengths. The team scenario, James adds, fosters important skills by exposing children at a young age to the unique experiences of togetherness and interdependence. He feels that the aspect of competition with winners and losers is a vital component and abhors the current culture of ‘everyone’s a winner’, as an unhealthy and unrealistic environment. James identifies “learning to play fair” and “knowing what it takes to win and lose”,
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
James highlighted leadership as a key skill that can be developed through sports participation, particularly at university level where you are required to be much more specialised in your sport and work harder to compete at higher levels. He referred to university sport as the ideal time to hone skills in the teamwork environment, “it’s all about the team”. This includes understanding the role of different players in the dynamics of the team and realising where particular strengths lie and how to use them best in a game situation and beyond the university playing fields, in the setting of work and business; the knowledge that when working within a group, you as an individual have a particular role that you must fulfil for the overall success of the team is a powerful and valuable concept. Talking about his own sporting experiences, James describes sport at Durham as a “fantastic opportunity to play at a high level”; one that he was keen not to miss out on. Referring to the range of sports on offer at Durham, James says that the opportunity is there and “it’s what you make of it” that counts. He made the most of the chance to travel around, not only domestically in the university leagues but internationally as well. In his final year, in the role of Hockey Club secretary, in partnership with then vice-captain, Roger Wall, they organised a joint club tour to Barbados with the Newcastle team. The seven match visit saw them play a range of teams, including the Barbados national side at the Kensington Oval: a fantastic adventure for the players. For James there was yet more learning and experience to be gained from organising the tour. In order to fund the trip, he managed to secure half the costs from sponsors to be included in the tour brochure. This process greatly developed his confidence and ability to converse and coordinate with multiple organisations simultaneously to make the trip a success. James’ advice for current students is to make the most of what Durham sport has to offer, “You won’t get an opportunity like it again”.
One regular fixture that stands out for many Durham Hockey Club players is the game against Loughborough. James is no different, recalling Durham’s victory in the UAU semi-final over a Loughborough side that held the entire England midfield of the time, as an outstanding memory in his hockey career. At that time, Astroturf was just appearing at select sites around the country. Loughborough had one and, as such, had developed a style of play that suited the modern, smooth playing surface. Durham’s grass pitch then was a far cry from the Olympic-standard water-based Astroturf housed at Maiden Castle today. “There wasn’t a blade of grass on the pitch!” James reflects; the game style and skills needed were unique to such a challenging surface. Durham had the home draw and saw off a strong Loughborough attack, utilising their home advantage in an intense and fiercely contested game. Progressing through to the UAU final, Durham sadly lost out to Exeter, but the previous-round victory remains a proud moment for James looking back. From Durham, James joined the Army for four years before moving into the art world, where he built a successful West End dealership over twelve years. In 2002 James switched path to wealth management and now holds the role of Director for Marketing and Business Development in the investment management firm, Mayfair Capital. Currently, James continues to participate in sport himself, playing golf, tennis and skiing, and actively encourages others. As a father, he has five children, is fencing at county standard, and elsewhere is involved in the charity ‘Chance to Shine’. This charity works in state schools giving children access to cricket to enhance their education. The programme is a great success and has reached over one million children to date. This year James has kindly taken on a student mentee as part of Team Durham’s Alumni Sports Mentoring Scheme, where he has been offering advice and support to Rowan Edmondson, this season’s Fencing Club captain.
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Durham University Hockey Club Men’s 1st XI 1984-85 (James Lloyd, front row 2nd from the left)
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Career Development and Student Experience
Career Development
Quentin Sloper Assistant Director of Student Sport
Scholarship programme We developed our Career Development Scholarship programme three years ago. We felt that the scholarships provided an ideal opportunity for some of our very best students to make a very different contribution to Durham University Sport. Whilst the staffing structure at Team Durham continues to grow, we are always wanting to grow quicker - more events, better contact with our former students, more news stories on our website, greater strength and conditioning support, to name but a few.
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Our scholars allow us to continue to grow in a way that would not be possible without them. This is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that 2011/12 will see us work with eighteen student scholars - we started with eight. However we would really like to think that the growth is both ways. Our scholars have an opportunity to lead on projects, develop their own ideas and initiatives and, ultimately, develop a series of skill sets that help them to stand apart from the crowd. Over the years we have had an interesting mix of students. As you would expect some have been high performing athletes, whilst
others have been studying on the Postgraduate Programmes. However, we have also had scholars who have never played sport before but just have a desire to be involved and use their skill sets in a different way. With this in mind,not only have our scholars enabled us to achieve more, the programme has also enabled Team Durham to work with students who would not normally have had any contact with the Department.
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Student Leadership and Experience Featuring Career Development Scholars Strength and Conditioning Scholars Amy Robinson Sport (2nd Year) St. Cuthbert’s Society What did your role involve? Working with sports teams to help deliver training programmes. I learnt how to coach strength and conditioning to teams through the use of weights and circuits. It has taught me the different requirement of each sport and how to safely build and administer sessions. I have also been involved with fitness testing athletes and recording their test data. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? As I want to go into sports physiotherapy , the scholar position will help me greatly with my understanding of appropriate sports exercises, and working with elite sports teams, which is something I would not ordinarily get to experience. What will you take from this experience? Working as part of a close team and a much greater understanding and appreciation of strength and conditioning.
Michael McTernan MA Financial Management Van Mildert College What did your role involve? Provide guidance to athletes in the high performance gym. Over the course of this past year, I worked with the Netball, Rowing and Volleyball teams, respectively.
Charlotte Cooper Career Development Scholar, Collingwood College, Economics
1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? The opportunity to manage athletes has been an invaluable opportunity and has allowed me to hone my leadership skills.
Eleanor Ross Combined Honours in Arts (2nd Year) St. Mary’s College
What will you take from this experience? A broadened understanding of strength and conditioning.
What did your role involve? I helped to put together the cricket review, found prizes for the Alumni January Games, helped to locate prizes for the Cricket Dinner (Conferral of Andrew Strauss’ Honorary degree) and helped to put together the second cricket review.
Alumni Communication Scholars Charlotte Cooper Economics (3rd Year) Collingwood College What did your role involve? I compiled all the dates, images and layout for the Sporting Calendar and sourced a company to design and print them. I also helped organise and facilitate the Alumni vs. Durham Event, producing promotional material and booking venues before the event and helping with the overall running of the event when it took place in January. I have assisted Chantelle Dingley with the running of the Parent Campaign for Tier 1a and 1b sports, preparing sponsorship proposals and collecting and collating information from clubs and events in preparation for the Annual Sporting Review 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? My communication skills have definitely improved as a result, having to gather information from many sources and then relaying this to different people through a variety of means. This I believe is excellent experience for working life as good communication is so important in any environment. What will you take from this experience? I have really enjoyed working as a Scholar for Team Durham, the experience has been very rewarding and I have learnt a great deal. It has also shown me the crucial role that the Alumni play in Team Durham and the support and opportunities it offers for current students.
1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? I have learnt how to interview people concisely, which will help with my future career as a journalist. I have negotiated with people about providing auction prizes, which has meant developing my skills of persuasion. What will you take from this experience? I have enjoyed learning about roles that I didn’t know existed in the university, and getting to know the cricket team more intimately. It has been a pleasure to work for Chantelle Dingley, and she has been incredibly supportive.
Richard Topham Geography BA (2nd year) St. Mary’s What did your role involve? I research famous Sporting Alumni who have either gone on to greater success in the sporting or business worlds. This involves interviewing Alumni, creating profiles and articles to contribute towards Team Durham publications like the Annual Review.
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I have also worked on collecting information for the ‘Where Are They Now?’ section of the Team Durham website, updates of which are included in Dr Warburton’s twice-weekly sporting emails. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? I believe that the greatest thing that I have learnt from my Scholarship experience is a new confidence. This has grown from talking to influential Alumni at length; having the courage to approach them and engage in conversation when previously my nerves would have got the better of me. Also with so many Sporting Alumni, attempting to track them all has forced me to improve a work ethic of prioritising what is feasible and most useful to my work, managing my work to be more efficient and successful in what I achieve. What will you take from this experience? I have had a fantastic time working in the Alumni area of Team Durham, with each Alumnus providing a different and interesting story from their experiences. From both researching and talking to Alumni from such diverse graduate paths, I have gained a greater appreciation of what skills are important in order to achieve success. A focussed determination has emerged as a key theme throughout all those successful graduates that Durham has produced. I have really enjoyed finding out the vast spread of Durham Alumni around all areas of sport and business, achieving greatness in so many fields. I have seen the huge potential that studying at Durham University opens up and it is an exciting prospect to be part of that growing network.
Events Scholars Emilia McAllister Jepps Theology (2nd Year) St. John’s College What did your role involve? Helping organise and promote Team Durham sports events on a weekly basis for Super Wednesday and for big events such as the Charity Rugby Match. In Michaelmas Term we began our Super W ednesday campaign to encourage bigger crowds to BUCS Premier League fixtures. The Charity Rugby match and Charity Fun Run took place in Epiphany Term both raising a significant amount for Sport in Action Zambia.
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1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? Co-ordinating with various groups of people both inside and outside of the university and bringing them all together will definitely be a useful skill to have learnt and practiced over the year. What will you take from this experience? Communication is the key to getting things done.
Jon Zhu Accounting & Finance (2nd Year) Stephenson College What did your role involve? Promoting Team Durham Super Wednesday events in Queen’s Campus and managing the organisation, publicity and delivery of these sporting events. In the first term, I organised the opening ceremony of the new Queen’s Sports Centre, with the VIce-Chancellor and various other senior university staff as well as several hundred student attending. Subsequently, I manage and promote Super Wednesday basketball games at Queen’s. I work with various JCRs, societies and sport teams to increase student participation and to integrate sports in the university’s new sports centre with Team Durham. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? Working in this role has improved my logistical thinking, and taught me how to organise large events. I’ve developed my marketing and publicising skills, and this role has really raised my time management. What will you take from this experience? Overall it’s been a really fun experience; thinking of ideas to draw crowds, working with new people and designing posters. It’s a great feeling when you have a packed out sports hall with several hundred people watching a sports game which you helped to put together. It’s great to be part of the beginning of Queen’s Sports Centre too.
Media Scholars Mei Leng Yew English (2nd Year) Grey College What did your role involve? Attending team Durham events, producing articles and uploading them onto the team Durham website. I also keep the website up-to-date and I’m currently building photo galleries so participants can go online and look up photos of themselves. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? I went to the Second Chance workshops each Tuesday and put together a poster for each participant. I also made a CD of photos for each of them. I’ve been attending the Junior High Performance Academy workshops and have been taking photos for them.
Michael Mather Medicine (2nd Year) Stephenson College What did your role involve? Keeping alumni up to date with Team Durham via social networking sites. Also working on the calling campaign. I started and maintained the Team Durham Facebook network. I am currently looking into extending this to Twitter. I also contributed to the construction of the Team Durham calendar, and will be working on fundraising and Alumni relations through the calling campaign. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? Experience of carrying plans through to tangible results, working with a large group of people and improving time management skills. What will you take from this experience? An appreciation of the importance of doing work as it arrives; i.e. not putting it off. Also recognising how to effectively carry out plans.
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Press Scholars Peter Vickers Sport (2nd Year) Collingwood College What did your role involve? Regular match reporting for crucial Team Durham fixtures, production of a weekly round-up for the Durham Times and to generally increase publicity for Team Durham. I spent every Wednesday following selected sports teams; interviewing players, captains and coaches and then reporting on their matches. I also provided a weekly round-up for a local newspaper, which covered all the teams results for that week. I also regularly provided information and reports for the student newspaper, Palatinate. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? I got to watch a lot of different sports so learnt a lot about sports I wouldn’t have usually watched. This definitely made me a more versatile journalist. I also had the opportunity to conduct post-game interviews, which taught me about ‘live’ journalism and the skills necessary for that. What will you take from this experience? I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity as I think that this scholarship is a fantastic insight into the world of journalism. It showed me how demanding and pressured journalism can be but also how enjoyable and rewarding it is at the same time.
Sarah McGuire Sport (2nd Year) Josephine Butler College What did your role involve? Watch and report on up to three university matches per week which are then uploaded onto the Team Durham website. Write a roundup of the weekly results for The Durham Times newspaper. At the end of last term I had to write an end of term review for the Women’s Football Club and the Lacrosse Club. I also attended the BUCS Championships in March were I reported on numerous matches over the course of the weekend.
1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? Working to tight deadlines and working with a large team of people. What will you take from this experience? An improved knowledge of many sports, a greater love for sport journalism and new friendships.
Podium Scholar Jessica Regan Sport (2nd Year) Van Mildert College What did your role involve? Teaching events management to students from Gilesgate Sports College. I meet a group of Year 10 students every Tuesday for 2 hours. They help organise the large scale charity events Team Durham put on. I give them specific tasks that need completing before the event. For example, they are currently working on the Rugby Charity Challenge and have organised a Raffle and prizes, the food for the evening, risk assessment of the area etc. This is quite a practical session. I also meet a group of Year 11 students every Wednesday for 2 hours. This is a lot more theory based, and is always in a classroom on computers. The group have been split up and are organising events of their own choice from start to finish. Before this event takes place, they must complete a portfolio with extensive information about the event. I focus on a different aspect of the portfolio each week, for example a contingency plan and financial plan were completed in one session. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? I think generally working with children of different abilities on a regular occurrence has helped my people management skills, leadership and communication skills (which will be vital for any job). I also think the chance to teach in a classroom situation, leading on my own from the front has been a brilliant experience in terms of employability for my chosen career (secondary PE teacher). What will you take from this experience? The experience of spending significant time working in a school at only 19, and working with other members of staff has been very valuable. I have learnt a lot about motivation techniques, and how to get results out of children who want to give up. I have gained so much confidence in my abilities in this field.
Student Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Fenelon Economics (3rd Year) St. Mary’s College What did your role involve? Responsibilities include: helping with the recruitment of volunteers, acting as a mentor for volunteers, sending out the weekly email, getting involved with the projects. This year saw the start of the mentor programme for volunteers. For new volunteers this meant short meeting with their mentor to find a project that was most suited to them and to ensure they were getting what they wanted from volunteering. I act as a mentor for quite a few of the new volunteers. Keeping the student volunteers up to date with the volunteering opportunities and the qualifications that are available to them on a weekly basis is the main part of my job. Each week we seem to get a good response, with many student volunteers taking part in the extra weekly activities as well as their regular projects. I have also designed a poster to help with the recruitment process and at the beginning of the year I was invited to attend the County Durham Sport A wards dinner as a guest with the Community Team, which I very much enjoyed. 1 or 2 highlights that you think will help with employability and skills? My experience has greatly improved my communication skills at all levels; in working with the Community Team, mentoring students, working on projects with children and vulnerable adults and in writing the weekly email each week. As a third year graduating this year , I have already been through the job application process. What struck me most was the genuine interest in the scholar job by potential employers in all of my interviews. I have been offered a job with KPMG working in Audit. What will you take from this experience? First and foremost, I have loved every minute of working with the Community Team at Team Durham. I have always enjoyed volunteering back at home, but it is fantastic experience to be more involved with the organisation side of things. Once I have qualified as an accountant, a job in the charity sector, where the rewards and the benefits to those you are helping are clear, is definitely on the cards for me.
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Sporting Season Review
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Sporting Season Review
Season at a glance BUCS 2010/11 and beyond
Quentin Sloper Assistant Director of Student Sport
Without question, the 2010/11 season has been another one to remember with fond memories. Statistically it was our best ever year. We came fourth for just the second time in our history but, perhaps even more excitingly, less than 150 points away from second. Without question more clubs have been successful than ever before. We are in an exciting phase, before one even considers the completion of our new facilities. When reviewing any year at Durham, our rowing programme always seems to stand out. National Champions for the eighth year in succession, developing a fifth of our international athletes and, once again, our biggest BUCS points contributor with their highest tally in three years. As always, the programme has led the way and been the benchmark for others to follow. Our Lacrosse Club was the second largest BUCS contributors. With both the men and women winning the National Championship, and the Women's 2nd Team retaining their National title for the fourth year in a row, they were unbelievably strong contenders for Club of the Year. However, this wasn't a normal year for Team Durham. Closely following lacrosse was our Tennis Club, who had the best season in their history, with the women securing the National Championship for the first time in over fifty years and the men reaching the semi-finals. In addition to this, Iva Saric, Durham's number one singles player, won the National Singles Championship and was runner up in the doubles with Lucy Scott. Richard W ire ensured that the men held their own with a runners-up medal of his own. They too had a right to believe that they could be Club of the Year but they were also to be outdone.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
The same applies to hockey, our fourth largest points contributor. A truly sensational year for the men saw them end up runners-up to Loughborough in BUCS but they went one better in National League North, winning the league. Luck was against them in the play-offs. A better goal difference of just one would have seen them promoted to the highest league in Britain but they will be stronger still next time around. The girls also had another strong year. A penalty flick quarter-final victory against Bristol was perhaps the highlight. The lowest point was probably the loss to Loughborough on penalty flicks in the semi-finals! Despite the great success stories, it was the men's Rugby Club who quite literally stole the show. When new senior rugby coach, Alex Keay, arrived at Durham last summer, it was clear that exciting times were ahead. However, few could have predicted the success that followed. An unbeaten season, characterised by dramatic, last ditch comebacks culminated with the team walking out at Twickenham against traditional powerhouse UWIC. The first half had gone how many of the others had - with Durham being outplayed. Thankfully the second half was also a mirror image of so many other games, with Durham drawing upon every ounce of belief in their bodies to secure victory with literally the last kick of the game. The support from our Alumni and students made the game even more memorable. However their season did not end there. The team cruised into the final of the BUCS Sevens, only to find themselves up against UWIC once again. Unbelievably UWIC dominated the early stages before finally going behind with just a couple of minutes left on the clock. Their second national championship victory earned them another visit to Twickenham to play in the Middlesex Sevens. It took the Senior Brazilian national team to finally break Durham's winning streak!
Thankfully Team Durham's success did not end there. Women's fencing had their strongest season in a while, reaching the BUCS semi-finals whilst VC Scholar, Kiera Roberts, won the BUCS Sabre title for the second time in three years. It was a coming of age season for basketball as well. A series of comfortable promotions to the BUCS Premier League saw the men competing at the highest level. They opened the new sports centre at Queen's Campus in front of over three hundred and fifty people with a win over Northumbria, and they went onto win the Northern Premier League. After a semi-final victory against London South Bank, the BUCS final itself was a little bit of a let-down with BBL connected Worcester proving to be too strong. The women also reached the semi-finals but were left with a feeling that they could have gone so much further had it not been for injuries and foul trouble. Men's cricket had a tough BUCS season with a lot going against them but this was made up for in the two day competition, where the team returned to Lord's for the
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second year in succession. Sadly back-toback championships was not to be, but few would argue that the two day season had been anything other than a great success. Women's cricket achieved a great deal. In winning the Trophy they were effectively ranked as the fifth best team in the country. However, as with women's basketball, the team ended the season thinking that they could have achieved a great deal more.
Netball also had their best season in over a decade and finished third in the Northern Premier League and, in doing so, finished ahead of Super League franchise university, Northumbria. Ultimately they also became one of our 'nearly' teams, losing out to Brunel by just a single point in the quarter -finals. Cycling and Canoeing also had very strong seasons as always. V.C. scholarship athlete, Sandra Hyslop, stole the show winning a string of gold medals but the
two clubs accumulated 135 points between them and this was a consequence of a great club effort on both accounts.It is, of course, impossible to list every single success story. 34 clubs won BUCS points this season, far more clubs than in recent years and a figure that grows annually. That hopefully helps to evidence that our programme continues to move forward. Developments in women's football and volleyball should ensure that they are also national championship contenders next season.
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Men’s Rugby Season Review
Joe Burnett Club Captain - Men’s Rugby
2010/11 was the year DURFC returned to its rightful place at the forefront of University Rugby. Fifty six wins and only eight losses is an unprecedented return: all the more remarkable, as this was supposed to be a year of transition. Alex Keay was brought in as Durham’ s first full time Director of Rugby, with the long-term goal of returning the rugby club to its former glory days. Few could have envisaged such quick and dramatic results. Alex joined the club from Preston Grasshoppers with an impressive track record and immediately set his stall out, ordering the troops back for pre-season a week earlier than ever before. A tough schedule of fitness, weights and pitch sessions left little doubt in player’s minds that nothing could be taken for granted. With competition in every position everyone was forced to take on a much more professional attitude. There was an air of apprehension going into the season proper, however this was short-lived as the side cruised to a comfortable away victory at Nottingham followed by another convincing win a week later at home to Northumbria set the ball rolling. Traditional power houses Leeds Met, Bath and Loughbrough were all felled and the side began to open up a lead in the Northern Premiership. Not even the winter cold snap could take away the momentum and a first victory over Cambridge in a decade meant the club went into the Lent term still unbeaten. The knockout quarter-final was the first time the sides character was truly tested. On a filthy day at Hollow Drift, Leeds Met sizeable forwards came out with a point to prove. Three times falling behind DURFC’s never say die attitude prevailed pushing Leeds Met over their line to score in the final play of the game. This was to become the story of the season. The league title was wrapped up with 3 games to go and now the entire focus could be on winning the championship. Bristol were up first in the semi-final.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
They, like Durham, were enjoying a resurgence and were sitting atop the Southern Premiership. In this clash of the titans Bristol exploded out of the blocks and after twenty five minutes held a 20-3 lead. Durham’s season was on the line. However, led by captain Rob Malaney, the forwards began to gain some dominance and claw their way back into the game. With two minutes to go a rolling maul forced its way over the Bristol line to tie the game up at 20-20 and send it to extra time. By now Bristol looked shot and a Dave Haigh try backed up by a Mike W ard drop goal sealed the most unlikely of victories and sent Durham to the hallowed turf of Twickenham. Regardless of the result the BUCS Championship final at Twickenham was always going to be a special day . Up against UWIC, three times defeated finalists there was little doubt of the daunting task ahead. An inspirational video message of support from Alumnus and World Cup Winner, Will Greenwood, as well as a visit from W ill Carling, set the tone for a memorable twenty four hours. Durham started well taking the lead however UWIC’s back three began to show their class and at half time UWIC had a 23-12 lead. Surely Durham could not do it again. As time ran down Durham became desperate. Cometh the hour
cometh the man, final year veteran Tom O’Toole sparked a move from behind his own try line which eventually led to Rob Malaney going under the posts. However with virtually no time left on the clock it seemed like too little too late. Durham pressed one last time and UWIC were forced to concede a penalty. Alex Graham stepped up and slotted the kick to spark jubilant celebrations amongst the vast Durham support as Durham completed their unbeaten season and won the BUCS Championship for the first time since 2004. To follow this up, two weeks later a young 1st VII squad travelled to Preston to compete in the BUCS VII’s championship. They again came up against UWIC in the final and to rub salt into the wound scored another last minute try to win 2927. The prize for this was an invite to the Middlesex Seven’s at Twickenham and the chance of an unprecedented treble. With such a remarkable season, it is difficult to single out individuals for praise. Captain Rob Malaney was inspirational and fly half Mike W ard marshaled the side expertly. This is a young side and a core of young Freshmen stepped up and were heroic in their efforts. With most of the side returning next year the future looks bright.
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2nd XV Being a 2nd XV player can often be a thankless and brutal task. Competing in the Northern Premiership B, the highest league possible for a 2nd XV, they regularly come up against larger more physical opponents. Combine this with a grueling travel schedule including Worcester, Birmingham and Loughborough and it can often take its toll on players. Not this year. After a disappointing start, losing to Sheffield Hallam away, the 2nd Team bounced back and victories over Nottingham 2nds, Worcester and a double over Loughborough were all highlights. Finally they seemed to have broken their hoodoo of being unable to win away . A final game victory over league leaders Nottingham Trent meant Durham finished second in the league. This was an incredibly impressive performance from a squad whose commitment and loyalty was unbridled and can reasonably claim to be the best 2nd Team in the country. In the county cup, the side cruised through to the final with victories over Durham City, Blaydon and West Hartlepool. In the final they came up against a tough Mowden Park side but
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The 3rd XV have been unfortunate this year that their coach returned to Australia half way through the season. This was a major setback however captain George Byrd has done a magnificent job of organizing and managing the squad. I view the 3rd XV as the heartbeat of the club and George has been brilliant at galvanising them through the cold winter and keeping spirits up.
their speed and superior skill prevailed meaning that they came away with silverware for all their hard work this season. Captain Chris Swainson should be congratulated on his sterling work alongside four year veteran James Dennis and Luke Hemsley. Together they created a team spirit that will by many be seen to be the catalyst of their success. 3rd XV After the disappointment of last year's relegation the 3rd XV were looking to bounce back straight away. A strong start saw them unbeaten until Christmas. However it was clear that another side, Hull 1sts, also had title ambitions and it soon became a two horse race. Unfortunately a slip up away to Leeds Met was to prove costly as when it came down to the crucial
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
fixtures against Hull, Durham were required to win both. As the fixture list conspired Durham had to play Hull three times in nine days and this ultimately was too much of an ask with Durham winning two and Hull winning one. At the end of it all Durham fell agonisingly short and will have to sit out another year in this division. One of the victories against Hull did however put Durham into the final of the Northern Conference Cup. Up against a sizeable UCLAN 1st XV they recorded a memorable victory playing an expansive brand of rugby. For many of the younger 3rd XV players this year is a development year as they become acclimatized to the demands of University Rugby. The skill level on display in the final demonstrated that many of them have exciting futures in the club.
Other notable highlights of the season have been a number of International call ups for club members. Duncan Finnie was selected for Scotland U20s against England and Josh Beaumont was selected for England Counties U20s. Josh was also selected for the prestigious Barbarians outfit in a game against Richmond. James Dennis was selected for England Students 7s. Sam Rupar, Tom O’Toole and Mike Ward have all represented Newcastle Falcons in the ‘A-League.’ It is also great to see a number of recent graduates succeeding. Congratulations should go to Richard Boyle on being offered a professional contract at Newcastle Falcons and a number of exPalatinates were on show for both sides in the Varsity game. There are too many thank yous from this season to mention everyone here. The support the club has received throughout the year has been incredible. However the greatest recognition must go to our President Fergus King MBE. This year has been a tough year for Fergus as he has battled a number of serious illnesses and sadly he is having to step back from his coaching roles next year. However, his dedication and love for the club and the students he coaches is inspirational, despite his poor health and his renditions
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put in place there is little reason to see why such success cannot be replicated in years to come. The DURFC Exec Committee Joe Burnett-Club Captain Rob Malaney- 1st XV Captain Tom Shiel-Treasurer Guy Sears-Social Sec Jonny Mills-Social Sec James Balfour-Fixtures Sec Chris Hughes-Press Officer
of “Johnny's lost his pinker� on bus trips home will be missed massively. He leaves a big hole to fill. W e must also thank Steve Colwell, who has been ever present as club secretary throughout the year. Despite work commitments and a young family, his support has been unwavering
and he does all this free of charge. Without people like Steve and Fergus the club would not be the institution it is. It will be always difficult to top such a year, however the club is well grounded and with such strong foundations being
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Rowing Season Review
Ed Sidgwick President 2010/2011
promotion. The event also provides a very useful fund-raising opportunity for the club and in years to come, it is hoped that we will be able to rely heavily on this resource.
This year has been one of exciting transition. DUBC is incredibly fortunate to now have access to not only one, but two, new boat houses. Alongside our new boathouses, the brand new rowing tank and ergo gallery with 28 ergos is set to be completed in the coming weeks, in readiness for next season. What has remained consistent through this time of change though, is Durham's continued dominance of university rowing. Durham clinched the V ictor Ludorum at BUCS Regatta for the eighth consecutive year in challenging conditions at Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham. The club has produced a number of athletes who will go on to compete for Great Britain at the U23 World Championships in Amsterdam. Durham came away from Henley W omen's Regatta with a win and at Henley Royal Regatta, Durham's top crew made it to the weekend, in what was a very competitive year for university rowing. This year, and we hope in years to come, almost the entire DUBC Senior Squad made the trip South to take part in the
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Alumni Races held annually in January and based out of Mortlake, Anglian and Alpha on the Tideway. I hope that it's fair to say that a great day was had by all in what was heralded as the most successful Alumni races yet. Crews were selected to include a set proportion of male and female students and Alumni, which made for some very tight racing. A record seventy-two took to the water in a knockout competition. Alumnus, Andrew Riley, captained his crew to the hotly contested victory.
After a trying few months, plagued by illness and injury, ice and inundation, DUBC finally reached its first climax to the year in Peterborough for the BUCS Head. The first day is dedicated to beginner rowing. The morning saw the Freshmen eight beat Nottingham by two seconds, to claim gold and the Freshwomen coxed four cruised to victory with a comfortable twenty-two seconds lead over Newcastle. In the afternoon, once again the Women proved their dominance clinching gold in the eight beating second placed Reading by four seconds. To come away with three out of the four available gold medals is a truly incredible achievement and demonstrates just how strong the Fresher Programme is at Durham. The second day is for senior athletes and our squad claimed gold in the men's and women's quads and the men's and women's intermediate eights. Durham also came away with silver medals in the women's coxless four and the men's coxed and coxless fours. Overall the event turned out to be a successful weekend with Durham topping the BUCS leaderboard, if not a little too close for comfort, with 121 points to Reading’s 119.
Introduced in January 2009 by incoming and outgoing Presidents of the Boat Club, the Winter Challenge Cup is a weekend of racing, targeting universities and clubs in the North of England and Scotland. It has been an instant success and we are hoping that it will grow quickly to become one of the leading rowing events in the North-East of England. The event provides a great chance for the club to pull together, with everyone chipping in to help run the event, whether driving safety launches or timing crews. In the coming year, we hope to secure sponsorship for the event and increase
BUCS regatta saw DUBC pit itself against all of the other rowing universities in the country. Holme Pierrepoint at Nottingham lived up to its reputation as being one of the windier places in Britain and crews had to survive the conditions and adjust to racing in substantial waves all weekend. On the second day the likes of Reading and Imperial were really asking questions of our club but on the third and final day, Durham's athletes stood up to be counted, making final after final and we came away relatively comfortable champions for the eighth year running. The two biggest results of the weekend
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came from Stu Innes and our women's coxless four. Stu won championship gold in his single in what was a fantastic race against stiff competition to add to his championship silver in the double with Angus Groom. Our women’s championship coxless four of Jo Fitzsimmons, Sarah Cowburn, Daisy Colsell and Jenni Stephenson rowed through Newcastle literally on the last stroke of the race to claim a well deserved gold ahead of not only our local rivals, but also Reading. Our lightweight women performed excellently all weekend and Flo Cox and Meghan McCarthy were delighted with gold in championship lightweight pairs to add to their silver in the lightweight women’s quad and coxless four. Other golds came for Phil Congdon and Stu McCluskey in the intermediate pairs and to Barney Stentiford and John Ford in the intermediate double. Our Freshers secured silver in the women’s coxed four and bronze in the men’ s eight, whilst also finalling in the men’s coxed four and women’s eight in an impressive display of our depth of strength in this squad. Every so often the DUBC Fresher squad produces a brilliant athlete. Examples include Stephen Rowbotham and Emily Taylor. The former with an Olympic bronze medal to his name and the latter ,
more recent leaver, challenging for a seat in the GB women's 8. Four years ago, Phil Congdon joined the Freshmen squad as an ex-golfer. Fast forward four years and Phil is challenging for a seat at the U23 World Championships representing Great Britain. This incredible achievement demonstrates the strength of the set-up at Durham from the grass-roots level of the Freshers' squad, right the way up to the cutting edge of GB representation. Phil leaves Durham this year to pursue his rowing career with Molesey Boat Club and we wish him every success in the future. On 26th of April 2011, David Tanner, team manager of the GB Rowing Team, was guest of honour for the opening of the eagerly awaited Robert Gillespie Boat House. That we are lucky enough to have facilities of this standard is testament to the fantastic support that the boat club receives, whether from the university as a whole, Team Durham or our generous Alumni. Later this year, the state-of-theart rowing tank should be finished along with our 28 ergo gallery. The rowing tank will prove invaluable for our Fresher programme as well as hopefully being of great use to the college boat clubs. Where in the past we have had to complete ergos in waves of athletes, often taking the best part of a day for everyone
to have had access to a machine, we will be able to train as entire squads simultaneously. This is going to have an enormous impact on the productivity of our sessions and the impact of the new facilities on the performance of the club should not be under-estimated. In an exciting three days of racing, DUBC’s crew of Rosie Minikin, Flo Cox, Adam Beake (cox), Jenni Stephenson, Rachel Martin and Tristan Maygothling (coach) came away from Henley W omen's Regatta with a very well deserved win in Intermediate Academic Coxed Fours. In their time trial, the crew posted the fourth quickest time and so knew that they would have to up their game should they come away with a much coveted Henley win. In their first and second rounds, they beat Kingston University and the Royal Vetinary College ‘easily.’ Next they faced Osiris and in a tense race, they crossed the line a canvas ahead. In the final the crew went on to beat King's College London by one length. Huge congratulations to the whole crew on what is a fantastic result. Next it was the turn of the men at Henley Royal Regatta. This year, Durham entered its top boat into the Prince Albert Challenge Cup for coxed fours. The crew of Franz Imfeld (cox), Phil Congdon,
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Cup in 2010. There was only one crew in the competition that would challenge Will's crew and this consisted of a Molesey and Oxford Brookes composite, which they faced in the semi-final. W ill's crew had what they described as the race of their life and in winning the race, they also set the course record. W ill went on to win the final comfortably, continuing his incredible achievement of four consecutive Henley wins!
Steve Jones, Callum McBrierty and Francis Highton was one of our most promising for a long time, with three of the crew holding Junior World Championships silver medals. The crew beat Goldie and the University of V irginia on its way to being the first 'weekend crew' that Durham has raced for a few years. In the semi-final we faced Oxford Brookes, who went into the event as the favourites. Our crew rowed their best race yet and led by a length to the halfway marker – a fantastic achievement. However, Brookes were able to find another gear and they got the better of us, rowing us down through the enclosures in what was a very fast race. Brookes set the course record and our crew posted a time faster than that of our arch-rivals Newcastle, racing in the other semi-final. Durham also raced two eights in the Temple Challenge Cup. Our top 8 faced a tough draw of the Dutch crew of the University of Groningen. In what was the fastest race of the day, our crew raced valiantly but ultimately lost out. Our second 8 beat Reading University on the opening day and succeeded in their goal of making it to the Thursday. However, they faced Harvard on the second day and were outclassed by a crew that went on to set the course record on the following day. Over the course of HWR and HRR, DUBC had a number of athletes racing in composite crews. At HWR, Sarah Cowburn raced in the GB U23 double and narrowly lost out to the Irish national team in the final. Char Jackson coxed the GB U23 women's eight at not only HWR but also HRR. In this campaign, the crew beat Princeton and Brown Universities but lost out to a GB composite crew and
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
the GB senior women's 8. Stu W est raced with his father in a W alton RC pair and not only qualified for this competitive event but also won his first race. On the second day they had the honour of racing GB's flagship crew of Olympic gold medallists Andrew Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed but needless to say, the race was a foregone conclusion. Stu Innes raced in a quad made up of half of his GB U23 crew and did extremely well to make it to the Saturday beating a seeded crew on the way. Finally, Will Fletcher, DUBC apprentice coach and student at the university next year, had another extraordinary Henley campaign. He raced in the GB U23 lightweight coxless four , three of whom won the V isitors Challenge
This year looks set to be one of our strongest years for International Representation in recent times. Despite there only being a maximum of three coxes seats in the GB U23 team, Durham looks set to have its name on two of them, with Char Jackson favoured for the women's eight and Franz Imfeld for either the men's eight or coxed four. Sarah Cowburn has been selected for the top U23 women's boat, which this year is a double with Rachel Gamble-Flint of Leander. Coming to Durham with a GB pedigree in sweep, Stu Innes has now been selected for the U23 quad. At the time of writing, Phil Congdon and Steve Jones are at Caversham taking part in final seat racing to decide crews for Amsterdam. W e will be following the racing in Amsterdam with great interest! Looking at the calibre of both the athletes staying on at Durham next year and those joining us at the start of the season, 20112012 is looking like a stellar year . Add to this the impact that our incredible new facilities will have, and next year looks set to be one that I will be sad to only be able to observe, as a proud DUBC Alumnus.
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Hockey Season Review
Sofie Davies Club Captain - Hockey
Once again DUHC has had a fantastic season as a club, with success and commitment being continually shown on and off the pitch. The success of the two previous seasons was always going to be difficult to replicate, but playing performances have exceeded expectations, with one hundred and thirty nine competitive wins, six league titles and three teams becoming double-league champions.
gave Durham confidence going into this match, which was fought with great determination to the last whistle. Unfortunately it was not to be, as Loughborough took the title with a 2-1 win. These achievements, however, were surpassed by their weekend success, claiming the National League title and a place in the play-offs for the Premiership. This three day tournament saw some of the best hockey of the season. Having lost their first match, all pressure was on Durham to win their two remaining games. Performances on the second and third day by the 1st Men’s did Durham proud, as they claimed all six points available. A surprise result on the final day between two of the other teams, however, meant Durham missed promotion to the premiership on goal difference, falling just one goal behind the side that was promoted.
Sides that gained promotion last year have consolidated their positions in their respective leagues and the one side that had been relegated stormed the league and gained immediate promotion back into the higher division. This success has been made possible due to the nine coaches, ranging from head coach, Gavin Featherstone, who once again took on the role of coaching two national league sides, to specialist goalkeeper coach, Jamie Cachia. This has been the most extensive coaching network in club history and has allowed for both individual and collective improvement across the club. Our sponsors, Accenture, have been integral to the club's achievements this year. I would like to thank them, as well as our other sponsors, including Bollingtons and Hillside Print, for all that they have contributed.
1st Men’s This was the 1st Men’s XI best ever season! Having won their BUCS league, beating Loughborough and Birmingham to it, they proceeded through the knockout rounds to take a well-deserved place in the final. Having dispatched Birmingham in the semis with a well-executed short-corner on the final whistle of extra time, Durham met Loughborough in the final. A victory over this premiership side earlier in the season
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1st Women’s The women also met Loughborough and Birmingham in their BUCS league, where they achieved second place behind reigning champions, Birmingham. An away draw against this side was a highlight of the season, as Durham once again took points from Birmingham with a short-corner as the final whistle blew. In the knockout stages, the side lost out to Loughborough on penalties in the semifinals following a goalless seventy minutes and extra time. In the National League, the young side had mixed results, including an eleven match unbeaten streak, but were unable to take essential points against the weaker teams. The season ended with fifth place positioning in the National League and firm grounding for next year. 2nd Men’s and Women’s The 2nd Women’s have had a big task this season: having been promoted last season, they join the men in the highest attainable league for any 2nd Team in the country. Finishing the season mid-table has laid a great foundation for the coming
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Sporting Season Review
season as this very young side matures. The men also finished mid-table and look to improve on this position next year . Without the possibility of promotion out of this league, the 2nd Teams have been able to concentrate on improving their collective and individual performances and have done very well. Both sides finished fifth in their BUCS leagues after a season of difficult fixtures at university level. This sees them in the lower league next year, where they will look for immediate promotion. 3rd and 4th Women’s The success of the 3rds and 4ths has been unrivalled in DUHC history. Losing just two matches between them throughout the season, it is unsurprising that all four leagues were won. Having won their Saturday league with two games left to play, the 3rd Women’s made the transition out of the county league into the regional league for the first time in DUHC history and gained the honour of being the highest placed 3rd Team in the North of England. Their brilliant form was replicated in the BUCS league, which they
also won, and the cup, where the team stormed their way to the fifth round, beating 1st and 2nd Teams during their campaign. This outstanding success was matched by the 4th Women’s, who conquered their BUCS and County league, losing just one game and achieving a goal difference of one hundred and twenty seven. This has been an exceptional season, with four promotions shared between these two sides. 3rd and 4th Men’s The 3rds and 4ths have had a large intake of Freshers this year, and after a hard fought season by both teams in the North East league, they will battle it out again next year to reach that top spot usually occupied by Durham. The 3rd Men’s showed much determination in their league campaign and reached a very respectable third position, and after achieving fourth spot in a tough BUCS competition, the team has retained their position in this league also. A developmental year for the 4ths too; they finished mid-table in their Saturday league, but unfortunately were relegated
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from their difficult BUCS league. The season, however, has witnessed the great maturation of such a young side, which certainly puts them in good stead for the upcoming year. The Palatinates This season saw the introduction of Durham University’s mixed team, the Palatinates. The team deservedly retained their unbeaten record throughout the season, reaching the quarter finals of the national competition, where they were only defeated on sudden-death penalties by a double-premiership club. This team has captured the true spirit of DUHC, bringing together men and women from all four teams under the work hard, play hard philosophy. This has been a fantastic inaugural season and it is hoped that they can continue to flourish and develop next year. Individual Success This year Durham hockey has seen a number of players progress to international level. Daniel Coultas has joined Jamie Cachia in the senior Scotland side. Daniel, the 1st Men’s MVP, was also the top scorer in the National League and has scored in all of his senior international matches to date. Additionally, Mark Galloway, Anna Thompson, Sophie Hawkins and Steph Elliott have also been included in the England U21 squads, while Adam Williams and Sophie Clough have been selected for Wales U21. Off the field The executive committee and captains have worked tirelessly to ensure that the club continues to thrive. National League awards of the best behaved male team and most hospitable female side have been given. Socially, first term saw great Wednesday night turnouts, while one-off events such as DUHC Live and Stealth in second term enabled the club to retain some balance between training and socialising. The club spirit has been evident through the pitch-side support shown for our teams, and the club turnout at the BUCS final drew many comments on the enthusiasm and atmosphere created by Durham. Furthermore, the efforts of individuals to travel to Cannock to support at the premiership play-offs during exam period shows the passion within DUHC. V ice President of the club, Mark Scholey commented, “I was very proud to be a member of DUHC at the play-offs, for the way the team performed, the reaction to the outcome and the volume of support from the sideline. I hope this continues to show England Hockey and other teams that the club is in good health”.
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Men’s Cricket Season Review
Jonathan Davidson AKA “Badger” Durham MCCU Scorer (2005-present)
Durham MCCU's 2011 season was as every bit as exciting as 2010. Success was so close, in all of the main competitions; however, at crucial moments, "the lads" fell short of expectations. The most pleasing aspect of the season, was that despite unavailability of mainstream players due primarily to degree commitments, (County call ups and the odd World Cup appearance might have been lesser excuses... apologies to Seren Waters!), the squad aquitted themselves to a point, literally, where a second successive MCCU title was almost achieved. The elation of reaching a successive Lord's Challenge (top two finish in the MCCU Championship) was only matched by the disappointment, over an
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
hour later on hearing Cardiff had snatched the title in a rain-delayed final fixture. A second successive season unbeaten in the MCCU 2 Day format for Durham, saw Cardiff, despite being well beaten at The Racecourse, win their remaining fixtures, whilst two draws saw the holders lose the crown by a solitary point. The BUCS campaign was very frustrating as performances were a little inconsistent. A fine win would be followed by an agonising defeat. Duckworth/Lewis was both saviour and devourer during the season. A highlight of posting 398-4 off 50 overs versus Solent/Southampton was quickly negated by a 2 run D/L loss against Cardiff, and so on. A record of three wins out of seven, could have quite easily have been six wins and one loss (Oxford only really being an all-round poor
performance). Fifth place in the group summed up the team's efforts. So near and yet so far without reward. The first class opposition saw Durham, Warwickshire and Yorkshire (who had Barney Gibson as the youngest ever first class debutant!) all grace the University's ground with strong squads. Despite defeats in all three fixtures, Tom Westley's 127, in his last first class innings for the MCCU against Yorkshire and Luc Durandt's maiden first class hundred versus Warwickshire were both innings of the highest quality. Bowling at some of the best batsmen in the country was always going to be difficult. However, accurate spells brought their rewards. Nat Watkins became the first Durham MCCU spinner to bag a first class 5 wicket innings haul, against
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Yorkshire. Alex Deuchar, bowling with good effect, claimed 4 wickets versus Warwickshire at good cost. T20 has become more visible in the public eye over the last few seasons, possibly to saturation point. It's ability to attract people for a good cause was still prevalent with the now annual T20 against good opposition. A strong Durham CCC squad facing Durham MCCU made sure there was plenty of entertainment, along with ruthless batting from Kyle Coetzer, to make plenty of money for the University's African sporting charity. The season culminated in a "mini tour", playing MCCU T20s in Loughborough before moving on to Lord's. The MCC run event proved, again, inconsistent as ever with one win, one loss and one abandoned game to show for our efforts, finishing equal third. Durham MCCU's form was to be the same at Lord's, as they competed in the side's fourth Challenge in the past seven seasons, chasing Cardiff's total of 255 off 50 overs, despite a good opening stand, wickets fell. Although, the lower order, led by a spirited knock of 62 by Jamie Atkinson, got the game to within an exciting finale, a late flurry of wickets meant the side fell short by 28 runs. Cardiff had won the double which had been Durham's, the previous season. Good weather throughout the season meant cricket was played on every day of the fixture list. Good pitches helped batsmen dominate bowlers with few exceptions. Durham had a couple of batsman reaching 1000 runs for the first time in its MCCU history.
Chris Jones had a formidable start to the season, culminating in 2 double hundreds, 210 v Cambridge and 252 not out against Oxford. This second knock, not only won him MCCU Cricketer of the Month for April, but won him the prestigious Walter Lawrence Trophy by scoring the highest ever score by an MCCU cricketer, since the inception of the award. Luc Durandt proved an excellent partner for Jones, as they consistently got the innings off to a good start. He surpassed Jones as leading run scorer for the season, scoring 4 hundreds as Jones did, and improving on his 2010 haul of 880 runs with 1138 at an average of 49.48. Other batting highlights included the unbroken 340 for the 2nd wicket between Jones and Greg Smith (101*), as Durham scored 441-1 in reply to Oxford's 421-9. The bowling department was not as successful as 2010. However, Nat Watkins seasonal haul of 41 wickets is comparable to any bowler, who has had good economy and accuracy. Alex Deuchar's 35 wickets, opening the bowling would have been more, had injury not curtailed his season. His ability to swing the ball, brought him a majority of wickets and his accuracy had batsmen struggling. His 10 overs for a miserly 19 runs at Lord's was a magnificent bowling spell on a batsman's paradise.
into positions vacated by seniors, who will go on to, hopefully, better cricketing futures. Chris Jones has set a standard as an opening batsman, in his first season which Luc Durandt went on to break, improving on his own record the previous season. Tom Westley has led the side through an unparalleled period of success. When he was available, Luke Blackaby took over the reins as captain with similar effect. Nat Watkins has become the main bowler, gaining good wickets with long accurate spells. His reward: being selected for the MCC Universities side, in the Second Eleven Championship, along with Luc Durandt. The majority of the team will be training again, under the guidance of coach, Graeme Fowler, for 2012. The ethos of Durham MCCU is, at present, at its most influential.
2011, albeit no trophies, was still a satisfactory season. New players stepped
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Sporting Season Review
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And so to Loughborough in the last 16, who were clearly after revenge! Dan Newton was the only Durham player to pass 30, scoring a gritty 71 but our total of 150 on a good pitch was well below par . Loughborough cruised to victory for the loss of 4 wickets in the 35th over . So that was the end of a very disappointing season. Performances were not of the required standard all season, as evidenced by our eventual relegation from Premier B. It will be important that we bounce straight back next season! Third Team Report Our season began with the first of five games with a tough test away against Sheffield Hallam, some pressure was felt early on, but the team managed to bowl Sheffield out for 183 after 45 overs.
The season for DUCC 2nd XI certainly did not turn out as planned. A very strong side on paper really never got going throughout the season and struggled to achieve the results or performances they should have against the teams they were up against. After a couple of very good wins against the Durham CCC Academy, the boys went into the first game against Leeds Met in good spirits. Unfortunately, the concession of thirty two wides (a problem throughout the season) allowed Leeds Met to reach 268-6. Despite good contributions from Durrell, Newton and Scarr, DUCC fell 34 runs short. The bowling performance was much better in the next game, away at Northumbria, restricting the home side to 213. At the change of innings, DUCC felt pretty confident this would get the BUCS season off and running. However, only Harvey (41), Newton (39) and Scarr (20) made double figures as we were bowled out for 138. The next game saw us away again; this time at Manchester. Unfortunately the curse of the wides struck again and Manchester were allowed to get up to 303. Lomas and Cox both picked up 4 wickets, but 303 was always way above par and left us an uphill task. The game was all but over when Alex Hunt walked out to join Max Scarr at 161-8. Hunt and Scarr put together an exciting partnership and with a short rain break reducing the target, an improbable victory was suddenly within sight. However Hunt played one shot too many and was bowled for 47, and we were bowled out for 237 (Scarr 53). Back on home soil and Loughborough 2s were our next opponents. 79 from Oliver Durrell helped us to a score of 185, which
in truth didn’t look like being enough. However, a remarkable spell of 8-3-9-7 from Jimmy Lomas saw Loughborough bowled out for 68 and our chances of avoiding relegation were alive! The relegation fight then really revolved around the home game with Leeds at the Racecourse. Batting first, DUCC made 283, with a valuable 86 from Ivo Hobson anchoring the innings. This really should have been enough to win the game and see us safe in Premier B, but unfortunately 51 wides from our bowlers kept Leeds in the hunt. At 191-1 and then 250-2 the game was all but over. However a late collapse from Leeds saw the last over start with the score on 278-6. 4 singles and a wicket followed from the next 5 balls, leaving Leeds needing 2 to win from the last ball. Unfortunately they managed to scamper through for a bye to the keeper to tie the game, and effectively seal our fate. And so to the last league game of the season, away to bottom of the table, Coventry. Following his last innings against Pakistan at the World Cup, the setting and bowling attack that greeted Seren W aters were somewhat different! Seren scored 69 and our other international, Jamie Atkinson, 66, but there wasn’t much else as we were restricted to 211-9. However , that was more than enough for Coventry, who were bowled out for 161, with W aters taking 3 wickets, Clarke and Atkinson 2 apiece.
A slow start put our middle order under some early pressure but the boys were able to bring the game home after 30 overs, winning by 3 wickets. Our next game had us paired against the University of Sheffield; this was the first home game of the season and with spirits riding high, the feeling was that this game was winnable. However the game was a tough test and we lost by just one wicket. Our next game saw us take on our main rivals: Newcastle University. We really rose to the challenge during the game, with some brilliant individual performances, we won the game by 3 wickets. This was one of our best performances of the season. Next in line was the challenge of Leeds University; we failed to capitalise early on and some costly errors meant that we were unable to post a big score and subsequently suffered a loss by 4 wickets. Our final game of the season against York St. John, gave us a shot at reviving the season, however , we failed to capitalise on what opportunities we had and subsequently suffered another narrow defeat by one wicket. This was unfortunate as this was another great performance from the team. We ended the season third, with 6 points. The season was epitomised by improving performances from the whole team. The highlight of our season was our superb win against Newcastle. Hopefully we can build on our successes from this season to take onto next year .
The draw for the last 32 granted us a trip to Edinburgh. Ivo Hobson (79) and Sam Evison (97) helped us to 261-4 from our 50 overs. In reply, Edinburgh were quickly 61-6 and out of the game. They managed to make it to 119 eventually, with Hunt, Lowe and Henry each taking 3 wickets.
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Sporting Season Review
Fencing Season Review
Rowan Edmondson Club Captain - Fencing
It has been yet another sterling season for Durham Fencing. Our Women's 1sts reached their highest ranking to date, making it to the national semi-finals. The Men's 1sts held strong in the Northern Premiership League and the Men's 2nds finished comfortably at the top of their league, lead by James Dix. This means promotion to the Northern 1A League for the squad. It was a tougher season for the Women's 2nds but they held their position, captained by Helen James. One of the exceptional individual performances was from Kira Roberts, who brought home gold medals in W omen's Sabre, not only from the BUCS individuals, but also the Commonwealths. It has been a year of strong growth for the club with a record intake of both experienced and novices fencers. We have also successfully re-launched the previously popular Christopherson Holdsworth Cup: Durham's very own national fencing competition. Men's 1st: Men's captain, Simeon Quigg The season started with two new fencers and a difficult opening match against St. Andrews, which they lost. The second match was against Manchester. It came down to the final weapon, epée and a narrow loss by 5 points. The season continued with a loss against Edinburgh, the previous year’s BUCS champions, followed by a win against the Northumbria team, 132-93. The next match saw St. Andrews at home, where the team were narrowly defeated by 16 points. Unfortunately, they also lost to Edinburgh and Manchester. This left the final league match against bottom of the table rivals Northumbria, which ended in a narrow defeat of 120-129. Laurence de Bruxelles and Braxton Worsham joined the team, alongside Tom Miller, Rowan Edmondson, Boya Wang and Simeon Quigg. Boya took on the unenviable task of fencing all three weapons and often put in a weapon winning performance.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
In the Knock-Out Cup, the team drew Bath and after a well-fought match, narrowly lost by 118-130.
took to sabre becoming a good team. Gavin Bewick also joined us. W e won the league.
Women's 1st: Women's captain, Elsa Oakley The Women’s 1st Team was very exciting to captain this year; unforgettable matches played and impressive results achieved.
The whole team this year, at home, has been very strong and didn’t lose a match. The most successful weapon was epee: Antonios Messinis, Jack Barrass and Alex Mosley, fencing very well against Hull and Newcastle.
In the Northern Premier League, Durham and Edinburgh vied for top position and as soon as the snow cleared, the journey up to Edinburgh was made for a muchanticipated match. Edinburgh came out on top, pushing Durham down to a close second place overall. Achieving second place in the Northern Premier League, with only a single loss, is a pretty impressive achievement. The Knockouts went equally well, with the team ending up against Imperial. The team did extremely well to gain as many hits as they did, but Imperial was a very strong side and went on to win overall. The sabre team, Kira Roberts, Emily Todd and Rachel Lewis turned around many matches. Fliss Moon also did an incredible job of having to take on the most important position in both foil and epee. The sabre team particularly showed their value against Oxford in the Knockouts, where Kira demonstrated her experience in preventing Oxford from gaining the final hit they needed to win the match in the final sabre bout. Overall, Laszlo’s description of ‘small but efficient’ sums up this team. Fencing with these people will be one of the experiences I will most miss (and most treasure) from my time at Durham. Men's 2nd: Men's 2nd captain, James Dix This year has been a very successful year for the Men’s 2nd Team, resulting in the team being promoted, up to the Northern 1A League; a feat that hasn’t been achieved by any other team in the Durham University Fencing Club. A few new fencers joined but the team severely lacked in people fencing sabre, so many of the team had to take up fencing sabre, as well as their normal weapons. Henry Fazakerly, a new member of the club, and Alex Mosley, a foil and epeeist,
Unfortunately, the 2nd Team was knocked out of the Northern Cup in the second round away against a strong Hull side. As we had particular difficulty fielding a team for this match, it wasn’t a surprising result. I wish the team and the new team captain, Paul Farrar, all the best for the new season. Women's 2nd: Women's 2nd captain, Helen James The Women’s 2nd Team had a strong start to the season: winning 134-100 to Leeds Met’s 1st Team. We went on to suffer a few losses to stronger, more experienced teams. However, training and hard work paid off and we finished a very respectable mid-table position in the league. In the Championship, our first match was against Lancaster who sadly knocked us out of the Cup. The 2nd Team started the season with only a few experienced fencers. Fortunately the club’s excellent novice programme meant that last year’s novices, notably Sissi Ju and Asha Luxmi, were able to compete for the team and they showed remarkable skill in sabre and foil respectively. More experienced members of the team helped by taking up a new weapon; early on Jess Craske was keen to fence epee, in addition to foil. Our other epeeist, Bryony Peters, also diversified, demonstrating an impressive aptitude for sabre. Later, the demands of study prevented several team members from fencing competitively. Sarah Bartram, a promising novice, stepped up to fence foil. Congratulations to her on her performance in her first match where, due to necessity , she fenced in all three weapons against Sheffield, the team which went on to win the league.
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Throughout the season, the Women’s 2nd Team has shown fantastic team spirit, and has been extremely successful this year and will go on to do even better next year . Future - written by captains elect, Reggie Chamberlain-King and Fliss Moon The coming season at Durham University Fencing Club promises to be very exciting. Fliss and I are both delighted to be taking on the role of club captains. The past season has seen good performances at all levels of the club, with outstanding team and individual
successes. We have had excellent training from our head coaches, Prof. Laszlo Jakab and Chris Farren, and brilliant leadership by this year's team captains. W e very much hope to continue this success next season. Currently, there are several exciting new developments at the club. We shall be moving into our brand new fencing salle at Maiden Castle in time for next season. Purpose-built, the salle will feature seven full-length metal pistes and will provide some of the best fencing facilities in the whole country. It will be a superb resource
for all of our fencers and will be immensely helpful in attracting new talent to the University. We are also raising the profile of the club regionally and nationally, and we continue to foster ties with other groups and clubs in the region. Overall, the future of the club is very promising. It is a time of great change, but also of great success and along with our new Exec. we look forward to another successful season.
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Women’s Lacrosse Season Review
Hannah Rose Shaw Club Captain - Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s lacrosse has seen its best season ever this year. This season has transformed the Lacrosse Club and I believe it will continue to grow from strength to strength over the next few years. Due to our successful recruiting programme, we were lucky enough to see the arrival of five new American players, one of whom, Chelsea, here last year, remained player/assistant coach. This motivated the team to grasp the National Championships in both the Premier League and the 1st Division. Preseason saw a gruelling two-week process, but with the addition of our new Freshers, two of whom had competed at
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
international level, the process of selection was difficult. The arrival of new coach, Jessica Adams, has seen Durham’s lacrosse transform this year. Jess has been a true inspiration to the team. Firm coaching has ensured that the teams reached their full potential in training and in league matches. Working with all three teams has enabled all players to benefit from structured training sessions and effective team strategies. Durham Women’s Lacrosse was here to prove that we would take home the National Championship title in both leagues. For the 1st Team, the season opened spectacularly beating old rivals, Newcastle three times in a row. Later the Palatinates, swept the formidable Loughborough aside with ease, achieving victory. The next tough challenge was against the reining BUCS Champions, Birmingham. This was a Super Wednesday fixture. The Palatinates first goal came in the first minute of the game and this set the precedent for the remainder of the game. This winning streak ended in the final match of the first half of the season, with an away game against Loughborough. Wanting vengeance for their previous defeat, they stormed away from the Palatinates in the first half of the match. Durham clawed its way back into the game and came within a goal of Loughborough.
Durham finished at the top of the Northern Premier League. In the knockout stages of the championship, the first team to face us was St. Andrews. Durham swept the Scottish team aside defeating them by a record-breaking 39-0. This victory placed them in the quarter-finals against Edinburgh, whom the Palatinates had played twice and defeated already twice. Once again Durham put on a spectacular home performance. The semi-final was against a strong Oxford team. However, training sessions had been going well and with the guidance and coaching of our fantastic coach, Jess Adams, we could have not entered the semi-finals more prepared. The plan of action was executed to perfection in the first half, with Chelsea Martinez scoring several times throughout the first half. Having studied game footage, the Palatinates were able to read their plays and hold off their attack with the Durham high-pressure defence resulting in a win. This was the furthest Durham had come in years. However, the opponents Durham were to face in the final were Cambridge, the team that had knocked Durham out twice. It had to be Durham’s third time lucky!!! Played at Sheffield on March 17th, the Durham 1st Team went onto the pitch determined to win. The game was close but the
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we were through to the next round. In the final against Sheffield 1st Team, who had beaten us twice in the league, we put up a fierce fight and and were proud to be runners-up. Another highlight of our season was the English National University Lacrosse Championship, held in Durham in February. After a troublesome first day and having suffered some defeats, we managed to turn ourselves around on the second day to become the Plate winners for the weekend. All of the 3rd Team members have gained huge enjoyment from playing lacrosse for Durham University. Finally, we’re extremely lucky to have such generous parents this year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their donations and continual support at pitch side. We are extremely lucky to have such a strong Exec. team this year and I wish the new team every success in the new season. Palatinates entered the second half four goals ahead having witnessed fantastic goals from Chelsea Martinez, Tash Bott and Christie Barnes. Cambridge clawed themselves to within one goal of the Palatinates. Outstanding goalkeeping by Durham’s, Cat Rowland, meant that Cambridge didn't equalise. With two minutes to go, the Palatinates were one goal up and went into their stall tactic: to maintain possession of the ball; however, determined Hannah Shaw drove for goal when she saw the opportunity and put the Palatinates two goals ahead. Yet, within thirty seconds Cambridge scored and put themselves within one goal of Durham. It finished: Durham 8, Cambridge 7! Ultimately this is what we deserved, having put in so much effort and hard work throughout the season, getting up for 7am practices was never easy but so worth it to be named BUCS Champions!
2nd Team in the BUCS Trophy Final in March. Durham took the lead from the first whistle and dominated throughout winning 13-6, with impressive goals being scored by Alexia Arts and Millie Beeston. It was a brilliant end to a very enjoyable season. The 3rd Women’s Lacrosse Team had a season of varied success. In many challenging confrontations with tough teams we pulled together with grit and determination to succeed. Overall we ended the season in 3rd position in the Northern Conference 2A League, but this doesn't represent our team's full potential. The 3rd Team reached the final in the Northern Conference Knockout Cup. A very tense match against Leeds Met 1st Team in the 2nd round left us hungry for success. This was a true display of our most effective lacrosse and Ali Robb scoring the final goal in extra time, meant
The Women’s 2nd Lacrosse Team had a very successful season resulting in Durham remaining BUCS Women’s Trophy Champions for the fourth successive season. The team included: Best Fresher Hannah Lowther, Most Valued Player Louisa Ingham and Most Improved Player Imogen Landers. We entered the knockout rounds with the confidence of being unbeaten winners of the Northern 1A League, and gained convincing wins against Newcastle 2nd Team and Leeds 1st Team. A position in the final depended on our semi-final game against Newcastle 1st Team. This was our most demanding challenge yet, but the team responded with some of the best play we produced all season, with memorable goals from our centre, Polly Borrows, ending in an impressive 16-10 victory. We faced Bristol
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Men’s Lacrosse Season Review
Scott Pryor Club Captain - Men’s Lacrosse
many ways to sugar-coat a season consisting of eight games-eight losses, but there is no denying the fact that they are the only developmental side in the country that gets to play regularly and, as such, develop far quicker than they would if they were at any other university. The overriding success of this club cannot be easily pinned down to one thing more than another; however, if asked what we could not do without, it would undoubtedly be the high quality training that our team of five coaches provide.
It has been a real privilege to be the club captain this year in what has undoubtedly been our most exciting and successful season to date. The year began back in September with much promise, as large numbers of men’ s lacrosse players descended on Maiden Castle to begin their pre-season training and the regular season hasn’t disappointed. Our numbers have swelled this year, so much that we have been able to field three teams into BUCS; an unmatched number by any other institution. The real advantage of this is that it enables the newly formed 3rd Team to get some much sought after game time; an option which is often unavailable for new players at different universities. Our 1st Team play in the Northern Premiership and our 2nd and 3rd Teams, by virtue of them being newly formed, play in Division 2. We are also extremely grateful for the financial support given to us by our sponsors, Ernst & Young. It has enabled us to buy club kit, greatly lowering the startup costs for our new players.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
From the 1st Team's perspective, everything has gone according to plan this season. W e won the Northern Premiership, winning all eight games and scoring one hundred and eighty five goals whilst conceding just seven. Throughout the knockout stages, we outplayed all our competition and ended the season with a second national championship. The 2nd Team have been the real side to watch this season, narrowly missing out on a promotion spot, in a group that was unfortunately artificially strong. They had some incredibly close games; in fact, if they had scored just three more goals, they could have come top of the group. Next year they look set to dominate their league and are real contenders for the Conference Cup. One of the many highlights of the season would have been the game against Leeds, in which a yellow ball had to be used as there was so much snow falling that the white ball became impossible to see. The 3rd Team have developed in leaps and bounds this season, with many players picking up a stick for the first time after the season had actually begun. There are not
The 1st Team coach, Mike McTernan, along with the assistant coach, Jeremy Sieverts, have helped shape a team that would be hot favourites if pitted against the English national side and certainly one that could hold its own against some US college teams. The 2nd Team have been moulded by their dedicated coach, Dave Bennett, to make them practically a shoe-in for promotion next year. This, aided by goalkeeping coach, Tim Cassi, has led to Durham boasting a 2nd Team that can, and has, regularly beaten other university 1st Teams! Finally, Terrence Nash, the 3rd Team coach, had the unenviable task of taking a group of players that had never even picked up a stick before and turn them into a team as quickly as possible. That said, he took on the role with ease and has enthused his players with a passion for the game, despite being so new to the sport. The training has been of such quality that, matched with a healthy degree of athleticism, some of his players saw themselves promoted to the 2nd Team before the season was out. Our Alumni relations are going from strength to strength. This year the club was
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visited by two internationally capped Alumni, Devin Blondes and Federico Galperti of France and Italy respectively, both of whom joined in a training session, with Devin kindly donating his France jersey to the club. I would also like to express the club's gratitude to the generous donations received from family members. Your assistance is certainly not taken for granted by the players; all of whom greatly appreciate your support. Outside of the club, I have been fortunate enough to be placed on the Team Durham Mentor Scheme. My mentor, Ian Nunn, has provided valuable advice, both academic and job related, especially regarding interview techniques, which undoubtedly helped me secure my graduate job in advertising next year. The scheme is very
much one in which you get out, what you put in and I, personally, feel that I have benefited greatly from it. It certainly helps that Ian only lives ten minutes round the corner. In all, the lacrosse programme at Durham is going from strength to strength, and with the creation of the Durham University Men’s Lacrosse Steering Group, aimed at recruiting the best of the British lacrosse talent, the future looks even better.
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Sporting Season Review
Basketball Season Review
Florence Glen Club Secretary - Basketball
Durham University Basketball Club has made a big impact on the T eam Durham scene this year. The postgraduate players recruited over the summer period have proven crucial in upholding a high standard of play , as well as integrating themselves firmly into the existing squads.
1st Women’s (Written by 1st Women’s captain, Katrin Hulme) This season has seen a complete turnaround for the 1st Women’s Team. From finishing joint third in Division 1 North last year, to being champions of the division this year, beating Nottingham Trent to secure promotion into the Premiership and finishing third in the BUCS Final 8s tournament. The injection of experienced and talented players from North America, as well as new players joining us from Europe, created a real mix of people, who all came together and gelled on and off the court. Valuable leadership and coaching expertise was provided by our player/coach, Leah Rush, who made an instant and lasting impact on the Durham University Women’s Basketball programme. Perhaps the most important game of the season was against Edinburgh in the Final 16s round before the Finals 8s tournament in Sheffield. The task was not an easy one – having drawn a top three Premiership team away from home. However, after a fast-paced and fairly balanced game, a great defensive fourth quarter allowed us to hold on to our lead and advance into the Final 8s. After a disappointing loss in the semi-final after giving Cardiff’s UWIC a run for their money, another match to
remember was the 3rd/4th play-off game against Northumbria, which saw us come back from a 12 point deficit at half-time to win the game and take home bronze. The team, as a whole, has seen a huge amount of improvement, but special mention should be given to Julia W egner and Tasslem Von Streng, who through their hard work in practices, came away at the season's end as tremendously improved players.
1st Men’s (Written by 1st Men’s captain, Paul Elderkin) Reflecting on our performance this season, it can be said that we almost achieved all the goals that we set ourselves. These were finishing first in the BUCS premiership and making it all the way in the Final 8s. These were achieved, however, we stumbled at the last hurdle and lost to W orcester in the final. Apart from that, I think our performance, week by week, was to a very high standard and considering the injury blows we suffered, we did better than expected. Finishing top spot in the BUCS league table, in our very first year , in a highly competitive league was a massive achievement for us. Making it all the way to the final in the Final 8s and to have lost by such a narrow margin, was also something we can hold our heads up high about. The memorable fixtures for us this season were taking down last year’ s league and BUCS final 8s champions on both occasions we met, as well as going down to Worcester for a big game we needed to win, and being crowned champions of the league. Throughout the majority of the season, there were a few outstanding players, who were consistent in what they brought to the court: both Americans (Paul Nelson and Kevin Bulger), as well as Paul Elderkin, always brought the best they had to offer to each game. On reflection however, it was a complete team effort that got us to where we are now, and the whole team should be proud of their performance this year .
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
2nd Women’s (Written by 2nd Women’s captain, Julie Nettleton) This year was the first year for the 2nd Women’s Basketball Team to be entered into BUCS. The beginning of the season was not very successful, with quite a few emotionally and physically hard matches. As we got to know each other , played many local league games and learnt how to play as a team, we dramatically improved. Thanks to our MVP, Tess Dury, and our most dedicated player, Marie Forster, we won our last four matches and came third in our BUCS division. W e will all remember the very early Tuesday morning training and gym sessions, the first match won against Newcastle, as well as our last match, which we won 51-21 against Northumbria! We had great meals at Spags, Chiquitos and the Court Inn, as well as a few amazing nights out, of which the Army social was definitely the highlight.
2nd Men’s (Written by 2nd Men’s captain, Luke Watson) The 2nd Men's Team enjoyed a very successful season, remaining undefeated for the second year running, to finish top of their league, gaining promotion for the second straight year. This year saw a large intake of new talent, which combined well with more experienced players, to achieve some excellent victories in challenging situations. Special thanks go to captain, Luke Watson, player/coach John Morgan, and Dave Elderkin for the sessions he took throughout the year.
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The Future: The Basketball Club has made huge leaps forward this year and hopes to carry this success over to next year . Although many of our 1-year postgraduate players will be leaving us, the club retains a strong base of players, who will be here next year to move upwards and continue to push Durham basketball forwards. The Exec. would like to say a big thank you to everyone who was involved with Durham University basketball this year and who helped make it such a successful season.
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Sporting Season Review
Tennis Season Review
Ross Adams Club Captain - Tennis
The achievements of the club this year have been simply overwhelming. If Britain is desperate for a Wimbledon champion, they need only look as far as the Tennis Club at Durham University to realise that miracles can happen in this, God's favourite sport. The exceptionally talented Rich Wire and Iva Saric won silver and gold respectively at the Nationwide BUCS Individuals in April in the singles event. Iva also partnered Lucy Scott to take silver in the doubles, which will sit prettily on the mantelpiece beside the BUCS Team gold medal that the Women's 1st Team won this year for the first time since 1960. The 2010/11 season brought home four League titles, 1 BUCS National Championship, three individual medals and a Conference Cup. The results reflect the hard work, team spirit and commitment to the club that every player has shown throughout the course of the season. It is also thanks to the great support from Team Durham, the coaches, the parents and the Alumni, who have become involved, as well as our
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
generous sponsors, Centrica. We are now the second most successful university tennis club in the country, behind Loughborough, which is a remarkable achievement.
Women's Teams The Women's 1st Team have just finished the most successful season ever in DULTC history. The team started the season in great form by beating Loughborough 8-4 at home and the run continued despite some unfortunate injuries to key players. The weakened team suffered defeat to rivals Loughborough 1sts just before Christmas, meaning that the Northern Premiership was to be decided by points difference on the last day of the season! On that day, Durham convincingly swept aside European Champions Leeds Met 120 to win the Premier League North for the first time. The team then entered the Championship Knockout. The quarter-final win against Cambridge was tougher than the 12-0 score line suggests, as was the 10-2 win against Bath in the semi-final. The final against London Met was a different affair. Durham were the underdogs, facing the six-time defending
champions, who Durham lost to in last year's semi-finals. The match was tied 66, after all of the rubbers were played: a tie-break shoot-out was required to settle the tie. Sally Pearson hit the winning volley in the doubles tie-break to make history; a moment that will live long in the memory for all who shared in it. It is really a testament to the strength of the Women's squad that the 2nd and 3rd Teams find themselves competing mostly against 1st Teams from other universities. The 2nds had notable wins against both 1st Teams from Newcastle and Leeds
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Universities, in addition to Leeds 2nd Team. The 3rds made a promising start to the season by winning the first three matches convincingly but then were hit by injuries. However, both teams managed to finish fourth in their leagues and give spirited efforts in the Knockouts. Loughborough 2nds eventually proving too strong for our 2nd Team and Sheffield 1sts too much for our 3rds. The 4th Team, a brand new addition to the club this year, had a solid season by finishing in second place in a league with a mix of university 1st, 2nd and 3rd Teams. Captained by Lucy Freedman, they did not lose a single match in the league and had great wins against Northumbria 2nds and Leeds 3rds. Their only loss came against Sheffield Hallam 1sts in the BUCS Cup.
Men's Teams The year for the 1sts started with an away trip to Leeds Met 2nds: our main rivals in the division. The match came down to the number four singles: James W ilson superbly saved match points to claim a vital third set tie-break victory on debut. The match proved the perfect kick-start to the season and Durham 1sts went on to easily claim the division. However, the real challenges lay ahead with the Championship and Premiership Playoffs. In the round of 16 the 1sts travelled as underdogs to powerhouse Bath, with the prospect of a more daunting match against Stirling should they win. On the back of an epic three-set win by Maxime Adam against Bath's number two, in addition to superb performances from Rich Wire and James
Wilson, who extended their immaculate singles record, Durham produced two of the biggest upsets in its history to reach the semi-finals of the Championship for the first time in decades! Although unable to overcome Loughborough in the semis, the team secured promotion to the Premiership with 12-0 wins over Birmingham 1sts and Stirling 2nds in the play-offs, marking the beginning of a new era for men's tennis at Durham. The 2nd Team enjoyed success this season, gaining promotion and winning the Northern Conference Cup. Although the team started out with a gritty 6-6 away draw at Leeds Met 3rds, they hit their stride when they produced an inspired display to beat Leeds Met in the return leg 10-2, they effectively gained promotion. All team members worked hard. The experienced Ross Adams and Arthur Olney were consistent, determined performers. Ben James produced some impressive three set wins at number one position, and Alistair Owens-Bradley put in some first class doubles displays that culminated in a third set tie-break win with Ben James to clinch the Conference Cup against Central Lancs. The 2nd Team finished second in their division, which was a fine achievement in a division with other 1st and 2nd Teams. The 3rds secured a big scalp over Newcastle 1st Team and despite pushing Leeds 2nds all the way, their opponents ultimately finished up winners of their division. Harrison Probert put in a superb first season in both singles and doubles in which he partnered team captain Chris
Whight. The other doubles pairing of Rich Hartland and Alec Laing seemed to always find themselves in third set tie-breaks but their dogged determination meant that they usually prevailed. In the 4th Team's debut season, they gained promotion in their division following an impressive 10-2 win against Northumbria 2nds on the last day. The team played well and won. The team had a lot of depth and rotated its players throughout the year to give all its members a chance to show off their talent on court and each has made a very positive impact on the club.
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BUCS Championships Women’s tennis final 20/03/11 Sheffield The Durham Tennis Ladies forced a tiebreaker shoot-out where they played in true champion style to seal the match and defeat six-time defenders, London Met, to take Durham’s first tennis title in fifty one years. As Iva Saric and Lucy Scott opened the match with an immediate break in the doubles, Durham looked to be serious contenders to deny London Met of another title. Met soon stepped up their game and broke back, as Durham found themselves 2-5 down. However, determination and persistence started to kick in and with an ace from Saric and a well placed smash from Scott, the Palatinates started to crawl back, drawing level at 5-5. Placing numerous balls on the line and serving deep into the court, Durham took the first set 7-5 after a magnificent comeback. The second set was then a quick and painless ordeal, with Saric volleying the ball into unmanned areas and Scott timing drop shots to perfection. Met couldn’t react and Durham were handed the first win of the day 7-5, 6-2. Sally Pearson and Anna Oswald also found themselves breaking the Met serve in the other doubles match, taking the first game.
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Sporting Season Review
However, Met’s subsequent drive to the finish line couldn’t be impeded and Durham were unfortunate to lose the first set 2-6, despite a handful of forehand winners from Pearson and well placed low strokes from Oswald. The second set saw Durham chasing hard throughout but the Met duo soon found strength to finish the set off, 6-4. Two singles wins took the match to sudden death, with Saric earning a straight 6-0, 60 win over her opponent, placing the ball against Met’s direction of motion and finishing on an ace. Coming back from a game down in the first set, to move into the second a set up, Pearson continued the Palatinates’ quest for victory. Pearson showed an eye for precision in the tiebreaker, approaching the net and driving the ball to the baseline to take the win. Unfortunately, the determination and skilled play of Oswald and Scott was not enough to break their opponents’ rhythm. A tie-breaker shoot out was declared to decide who was to be crowned National Champions. All tie-breakers were played to 10, with Saric giving Durham an immediate advantage, showing first class ability and snatching a 10-5 victory. Oswald played with the drive and willpower of a professional but Met were quick to respond
to Durham’s lead to take the match 10-4. It was now in the hands of unbeaten coaching pair Scott and Pearson. The atmosphere was tense as the Palatinates dropped a succession of points to trail 5-8, before a resurgent barrage of winners led to an uproar of cheers as the Palatinates shook hands as National Champions. Captain Scott was ecstatic with the win, “This has been a fantastic season for the Women's 1st Team, finishing as Premier League North Champions and now as National Champions. We thoroughly deserve this and all of our hard work has paid off. This was always the plan: some may have called it a dream but now this is a much deserved reality. This whole season has been about the team, not any individual player, and as a team we are National Champions."
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Sporting Season Review
Netball Season Review
Jasmine Coyne Club Captain - Netball
finally, and deservedly, finish on top by one goal (36-35). It was an exhilarating game and one that I, along with everyone else who played and watched, will never forget. After losing a few key players at the end of last season, it was always going to be a difficult year for the 2nd Team. They got off to a tentative start, suffering a few losses but eventually the quality of our players shone through. The 2nd Team displayed some impressive performances on the court, as they began to gel as a team, led by their captain, Emma Goring. Highlights must include victory over University of Sheffield (39-24) and against University of Hull (3732). For a group of mainly Freshers, we are proud of what they achieved and hope they can take their experiences from this season to challenge for league promotion next year .
2010/11 was a much anticipated season for DUNC, with high hopes of continuing the success of the previous year. With a full training schedule in place, the experience of our coach, Marie Ewing, and an influx of talented Freshers, the club had everything it needed to dominate BUCS and set out Durham’s stall as the next netball powerhouse. After back-to-back league promotions the 1st Team, captained by Abi Ryan, rejoined the best teams in the country to battle in the Premiership. With ambitious hopes of a top four finish and a place in the second round of the cup, the 1st Team exceeded all expectations by breaking into the top three beating local rivals, Team Northumbria, (4535) in the final game of the season and narrowly missing out in a place in the semifinals, losing away to Brunel University (3129). This team, featuring the best of Durham, and including three Super League players, on the most part had performed together for a number of years; it was this mixture of talent and experience that allowed for such outstanding success. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly our momentous victory over Loughborough, with a nail biting last quarter seeing Durham
As part of the expansion process of the club, the newly formed 3rd Team entered BUCS as an unknown quantity but their first league match, which they won by twenty goals, set the tone for the rest of their season. Led by Kat Hill and Becky Marsh, they destroyed every team that crossed their path; in some cases by more than seventy goals, (84-9 against University of Teesside 3rds). After this particular match, with the league title firmly within reach, they set a new target: to win a match by at least one hundred goals but alas, this magic number eluded them. There is certainly a bright future for this machine of a team and it is fair to say that they have arrived.
supported by Team Durham, Katie Worthington and Clare Henry are now Level 2 qualified coaches and Emma W ilkinson is ready to take the prestigious B A ward umpiring test. In total, members have completed over 500 hours of voluntary work, which included coaching children in local schools, Durham Ladies’ Netball Club and our new Team Durham Juniors' Club. Most notably, Clare Henry stepped above and beyond the call of duty by taking on the role of coaching the 2nd and 3rd Teams before their match days; her efforts this year were invaluable. DUNC have indeed entered a new era of performance sport, with gruelling fitness and weights sessions with a strict focus on the increased standards set by Team Durham and ourselves, yet the essence of the club remains the same. We are not just a group of athletes, we are a group of friends and that is what makes DUNC an exciting place to be. This season has proven that DUNC are capable of great things and even though many players are graduating, the club ethos undoubtedly augurs another successful season in the year to come.
Alongside the BUCS competition, for the first time this year, we entered a team into the North East Kukri League, which is based in Newcastle and is made up of the best teams in the North East region. The league proved to be of great service to our club development, less travel compared to the NE University League and a chance to become a recognised club in the area. Less experienced players have greatly benefited from the additional match play. This boosted their individual performance across the board, allowing these players to enter Wednesday matches brimming with confidence. DUNC also worked hard this year to raise the club profile in the local community. We have become an England Netball recognised Bronze CAPS Club and
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Sporting Season Review
Canoe Club Season Review
Charlie Jefferson Club Captain - Canoe Club
DUCC continues to compete at a very high level, with Sandra Hyslop representing Great Britain, most recently at Senior level in the World Wild Water Racing Championships in June 2010, winning both a gold (Team Classic) and bronze (Team Sprint) medal. She has recently been selected to represent Great Britain once again in 2011. Matt Fletcher, George Stephenson College, has represented Great Britain in canoeing at U21 level in the World Canoe Polo Championships 2010, where the team achieved a bronze medal. He has also been reselected to represent Great Britain for 2011. Well done both!
Durham University Canoe Club (DUCC) celebrates a very busy and successful year, with the opening of the Robert Gillespie Boathouse at the start of the Easter term. The new boathouse provides a fantastic facility, far exceeding our current home near St.Hild and St. Bede. The development of the new boathouse not only supports the present needs of the club but it will provide a strong platform from which the club can continue to grow and improve in the future. The boathouse provides more space and its location at Maiden Castle will enable improved access to training facilities. DUCC provides an opportunity for Freshers to learn a sport that many have not tried before coming to University. The club encompasses not only newcomers to the sport, but also international level athletes. This year saw the greatest number of new members in the club’s history, with over a hundred people joining at the start of the year. Two weeks into the Michaelmas term saw fifty members depart for the Fresher’ s Weekend to Windermere in the Lake
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
District. This was the first time the club has organised such an event and it provided a great opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and for many it was their first taste of canoeing. The year's first competition was the annual BUCS Wild Water Race Championships, which was held in November. Although the arctic temperatures and the nature of the River Washburn, North Yorkshire, were challenging for many of our new members, the club achieved a fantastic result: finishing in third place overall. Particularly strong performances were put in by Sandra Hyslop, Collingwood College, and Alison Auld, University College, in the Women’s K1 race where they achieved first and third place, respectively. The club competed in the annual BUCS Canoe Slalom Championships held at the National Water Sports Centre, near Nottingham, where the team gave very strong performances and gained a silver medal in the Men's T eam event. Despite disrupted training throughout the year, the club nevertheless put in a strong performance at the annual BUCS Canoe Polo Championships, Doncaster.
As I write this, the club continues to be very active with our paddlers working towards personal skill qualifications. Many go on to qualify as paddle sport coaches, in order to help the future development of DUCC. The club is also preparing for its annual trip: this year to go to the French Alps for two weeks white water canoeing. The success achieved by members of DUCC at a competitive level is set to increase with the future appointment of two coaches. Durham University, DUCC and the British Canoe Union are hoping to bring two coaches to Durham next year to help develop the pathway of canoeing at the University. It would not be possible for the club to achieve all this without the huge support from the Durham University Canoe Club Friends Group. Their contribution is invaluable to the club, aiding our continued and growing success. The Robert Gillespie Boathouse and the appointment of two new coaches, builds on what is already a very high achieving sport at Durham. The future promises to be increasingly exciting and successful.
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Sporting Season Review
Volleyball Season Review
Isabel Finch Club Captain - Volleyball
This year has been a fantastic success for Durham Volleyball. For the first time in the club’s history, the women acquired an elite team of scholarship players. Five girls were sourced and asked to play for Team Durham from the USA. This required the women to enter two teams into BUCS. The scholarship 1st Team dominate their league and will be promoted to the next. The Women’s 2nd Team came second in their BUCS league, plenty of points above the rest of the teams and lost only to one team. The Men’s Team remained in their league, surviving relegation, which was a key goal for the year. This year we also submitted a men’s and women’s squad into the National Student Cup, both teams successfully made it to the finals in Norwich. After an intense weekend of fixtures and competition, the women finished in third place and the men came eighth; this weekend proved to be a definite highlight for the Volleyball Club. The captains and executive members have worked extremely hard in a year of change and development; special mention to the Men’s captain, Chris Wymant, who frequently organised trainings and kept the Men’s Team together and Stephanie Kilili, Women’s captain, whose performance excelled when having to change from outside hitter to a very valuable setter for the 2nd Team. Our coach, Frank Krauss, a lecturer at Durham, was also invaluable for
his training and encouragement during the1st Team's important matches. Of course, the scholarship players and further members of the 1st Team deserve recognition for their success in their performance but also for aiding the recognition of Durham as a great volleyball club. To quote Stephanie Kilili, “This year has been full of change but positive ones and it is a shame I won’t be able to see any further changes in the club’s development”. It is likely that Durham V olleyball will go from strength to strength as the Men’ s
Team will also receive scholarship players in the upcoming season. The new men’s captain, Jiri Hozak, said he is, “Looking forward to the challenges ahead”. The involvement with Volleyball England, through the Higher Education Volleyball Officer role held by Isabel Finch, has been another new initiative within the club. This role aims to support the promotion of volleyball within the University, encouraging non-volleyball players to play frequently. As part of the role, the club has received a £500 grant to spend on development and promotion, for which we are very grateful.
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Sporting Season Review
Women’s Cricket Season Review
Helena Stolle Club Captain - Women’s Cricket
week’s performance. Loughborough reached 273 and Durham knew they needed to perform with the bat. A solid chase had Loughborough worried for much of the innings, however the team fell short on 225 (Stolle 82). In order to keep Championship hopes alive, Durham knew they had to win the last two league matches. First up was the crunch match against Leeds Met at home. Durham were put into bat and set a target of 220 (Stolle 98). Durham then took the field and things did not go to plan as Leeds Met put on 108 for no wicket after 24 overs. Durham remained committed and eventually bowled the opposition out for 198 (Scutt 3 for 36). This was an excellent team performance, showing great spirit and character.
Durham Women’s Cricket compete in the BUCS Northern Premier League, which is undoubtedly the strongest league in the country, thus success is never easy. With the top two teams qualifying for the championship and the bottom two qualifying for the trophy, Durham’s aim for the season was a championship place. The first match of the season saw an away trip to Leeds Met, Durham won the toss and decided to bat; unfortunately the team did not fulfil its potential and were bowled out for a below par score. Despite fielding and bowling incredibly well, this was not quite enough, as Leeds Met reached the total with just a few overs to spare. Our second fixture against Birmingham was a must-win match to keep the team in the running for a championship place. Having lost the toss, the team went on to bowl the opposition out for 138 and felt confident chasing this down. Openers, Holly Colvin and Helena Stolle, did so in just 16 overs, with Colvin scoring an excellent 86. Next up was Loughborough at home. The team produced another excellent fielding and bowling performance, bowling Loughborough out for a total of 215, on a pitch with an incredibly small boundary (Colvin 3 for 39). However, the team did not manage to perform with the bat and fell well short of the total. The following week, the team travelled to Loughborough for the return fixture and took the field looking to improve on the previous
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Going into the final league match against Birmingham, Durham knew that to qualify for the Championship a very convincing win was needed, as the final league standing would be likely to go down to net run rate. The team did not disappoint, bowling Birmingham out for 125 (Abraham 4 for 12 and Scutt 4 for 26). The team then scored 127 in 12 overs with Colvin reaching a stylish 50 in just 6 overs and eventually finishing on 83. After a nail-biting wait for the result of the Loughborough and Leeds Met match and several calculations later, Durham were forced to realise they had missed out on qualifying for the Championship by a margin of 0.03. After a disappointing league finish, the team set a new target of winning the Trophy Knockout, which changes format from 50 to 30 overs.
The first round saw a home match against Edinburgh, with Durham being put into bat. The team amassed a total of 218 in 30 overs (Stolle 131 and Scutt 55). Durham then produced an excellent bowling and fielding display to restrict Edinburgh to just 112 (Abraham 3 for 26). Following this, the team went into the quarter-final against Manchester. After winning the toss, Durham elected to field first and proceeded to bowl the opposition out for 37 and then reached the total in 4 overs for no wicket! The semi-final saw Durham drawn against Birmingham. Following the two very convincing wins earlier in the season, the team went into the match feeling very confident and did not disappoint, bowling Birmingham out for 81. Durham then proceeded to reach the target in 14 overs for no wicket. The team then travelled to Oxford to play Southampton in the final. Despite being without England international, Holly Colvin and wicket keeper Gen Porter, the team bowled Southampton out for 35 (Scutt 4 for 2). The team hit the winning total in just 6 overs and were crowned the 2011 BUCS trophy champions. The final season stats read, played 10, won 7 and lost 3. With no players from the team leaving this year, 2012 promises to be a very exciting season and the team are set for making the Championship Final at Lord’s.
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Sporting Season Review
Cycling Club Season Review
Alex Clayton Joint President - Cycling Club
When you smash all club BUCS records in the previous season, and then lose seven of your twelve point scorers, you know that it's going to be a relatively challenging year. The 2010/2011 season has seen the club rebuild from the bottom upwards, with a host of new riders and now we look forward to having a chance of topping our BUCS records again next year. Within BUCS we’ve picked up one silver and four bronzes, and in road racing we’ve already amassed seven wins and sit second out of twenty three teams in the NE regional points table. We kicked off the year with some difficulties: failing to pull off a result at the BUCS Hill Climb or the Track Champs, and finally parting ways with our coach at Christmas. There were positives though. Early in the year, we put a bid in to run the BUCS Cyclocross Championship. Our bid was accepted and by November we were busy working on the details of the event. We signed two new sponsorship deals. AURA Cycles, run by Alumnus and ex-V icePresident, Paul Hoban, has become our title sponsor, and we are officially now
registered as Durham University – AURA Cycles. PennWhite Ltd., a national level chemical company, have also joined us and occupy the prominent area on the shoulders of our jerseys. We also benefit from their custom frames. But before we got to the Cyclocross, we had to deal with an abnormally arctic Durham winter. The amount of snow and ice made road riding basically impossible for over a month. Even the MTBers were thwarted during a trip to Glentress. The trails there had been packed down to ice and closely resembled bobsleigh runs. W e had planned for this and in January the core of the squad headed off to the Costa Blanca for a solid thirty-five hours training over ten days. We saw eighteen other proteams during our stay.
on the course and nearly destroying his front brakes... That left the other the three men battling for medals and they eventually finished in team bronze position with eighth (Andy Miles), ninth (Alex Clayton) and fifteenth (Ed Garrett). The Women were having a somewhat less dramatic race and they eventually finished in fourth (Kat Henderson) and sixth (Kat Broadbent), comfortably taking team silver.
Coming back from the pre-season, our Cyclocross riders were straight into a taper ahead of the Cyclocross on the 31st January. As the BUCS race was the last race of the day and the course had already seen nearly a hundred local riders race, many sections were thick with mud. This was challenging, early in the race. Matt Wilson quickly demonstrated his MTB experience by riding into the only bollard
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a day where the course record was beaten twice, it was difficult to see the team placing any higher. The 25 mile TT was a similar story. A strong Cambridge side put down rapid times on the sporting course and it required Will Haynes’ sole appearance, with 57:47 to secure team fifth again, along with Alex Clayton and Andy Miles. With the BUCS season over, we’re now in the midst of a road season that is proving to be one of our most successful in recent years. Will Haynes, now injury free, is well on his way to his 1st Category Licence and already has a win in the Middleton Bank Classic. Andy Miles is easily regaining his 2nd Category Licence with three wins already and it looks likely he’ll be joined by Alex Clayton and Ed Garrett. Add in the points won by five riders making the first step up to 4th category and you can see why we currently sit second in the North East regional table. In the MTB champs, we fielded a full team in the DH racing. Two riders made it through qualifying in the top 50% and one more only missed out after puncturing during his run. Unfortunately, the downhill wasn’t the only drama of the day and later in the evening Pete Ward, an XC rider, came down hard and smashed his collarbone in three places. It looked immensely painful with bone visibly pushing against the skin, but he said, ‘It's not bad, about 3/10 maybe’. The following day racing, despite several impressive crashes on a tough course, everyone walked away fine. Our championship team suffered with Andy Miles placing highest at twenty second, and Lizzie Dingle and Kat Broadbent finishing in team fifth after Lizzie snapped a chain early on, but with contrasting fortune, Ewan Brown ran away with the Sport category, riding his unconventional 140 mm set up that suited the course perfectly. Back to the road: April saw the three TT s: the 3-up TTT, the 10 mile TT and the 25 mile TT. Entering the 3-up, the Men knew they weren’t realistically in the hunt for
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
gold or silver, with strong teams from Birmingham and Cambridge riding. However, attacking the race hard, the 1st Team of Alex Clayton, Sam Hatfield and Andy Miles quickly claimed bronze. The Men’s 2nd Team also put in a strong ride to finish in the top eight. The W omen’s Team of Kat Broadbent, Gail Brown and Hannah Molloy rode an intelligent race and despite not being our fastest women’s team ever, they took bronze. On to the individual TTs and it was team bronze again for the Women in the 10 mile event. Good times from Gail Brown and Fiona Hunter-Johnson clinched the medal in a very strong women’s field. The Men’s Team put down a series of fast times with Alex Clayton (21:28) and Andy Miles (21:47) helping them to team fifth, but on
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Sporting Season Review
Sailing Club Season Review
Ed Harrison Commodore 2011/12
between Aberdeen and Portsmouth, battling against adverse weather to make it to the competition. Heavy snow on Saturday meant that sailing had to be cancelled, but no amount weather could keep visiting teams away from the socials at Klute and Revolver. Some visitors even described Dambuster socials (and in particular Klute) as the highlight of their term!
The 2010/11 season has been the best on record for members of the Sailing Club, with seven different teams competing at BUCS events and three coming home with points for Durham. The Durham Dambuster (our annual team racing event) expanded significantly this year, becoming the largest student-run sailing event north of London.
Team Racing and Fleet Racing The team racing season started well with a number of talented Freshers joining the squad for pre-season training at Derwent Reservoir. Under the leadership of Ed Fox, the focus of the squad was shifted towards training at home and each team just attended a few events. The improvement in performance was clear, with the 1st Team placed fourth university at the London Six Pack, while the 2nds finished fifth overall at the Sheffield Shuffle, showing that they were once again the best 2nd Team in the north. The 3rd Team also travelled to Birmingham and performed so well that many opposition teams thought they were a 1st team. Finally, a combined team attended the BUCS Fleet Racing Championships in Plymouth. Ross Palmer sailed an outstanding regatta, finishing fifth in his class, against several Olympic hopefuls. Further strong performances by the rest of the team boosted Durham’s team position to eighth overall, with the team bringing home well deserved BUCS points. Following success on the water in the earlier part of the term, Durham’s Sailors turned their attention to running the club’ s own event, the Durham Dambuster. Twenty three teams travelled from everywhere
Immediately after Christmas, all three teams attended the Northern Qualifiers at West Kirby. The 1st Team dominated the event, securing the overall win for Durham for the fifth consecutive year without dropping a race, while the 2nd Team came fourth, narrowly taking the last qualifying space from Liverpool. The 3rd Team also performed exceptionally well, finishing in the top ten and as the best 3rd T eam overall. With such a strong squad, hopes were high for BUCS points at the BUSA Team Racing Finals at Easter. Day one saw a strong start from the 1sts, with the new pairing of Robyn Smith and Hugh Selka finding their form and making the team almost unbeatable. Sadly, this performance could not be maintained on day two as light and variable winds cost the teams crucial races and dropped the 1st Team out of the top five for the first time. W ith more breeze on Friday morning and the stakes higher than ever, the 1st Team bounced back, winning several key races to finish eleventh overall. The 2nd Team also finally found their form, winning virtually every race they had, rising up to twenty second and in the top five 2nd Teams in the country.
a penalty on the start and remained in control until just inches from the finish line, when a collision with an out of control umpire rib, handed the race and championship to Newcastle, forcing Simon and his team to settle for third. Both teams also attended the National Finals, but no wind on either day meant that BUCS positions had to be taken from SUSA and the southern qualifier. Expectations were also high for the club’ s yachting team at the BUSA Yachting Nationals, since winter training and then a weekend of racing with the club Alumni had helped ensure a strong team on both the first and second boat. With the addition of former Keelboat Academy member, Rachel Scarfe, as 1st Team tactician, it was hoped that the results would be stronger than ever . Despite high hopes, the 1st Team were plagued by gear failure and damage, left over from a previous charter party. This left them well down the ranking and with a lot of work to do to secure a reasonable position. After changing boats on day two, the team bounced back, scoring some exceptional results against a field including two current world champions and a number of teams that are able to train on a much more regular basis. On the final day, the teamwork finally clicked into place and Durham ended the season on a high note, leading the penultimate race from start to finish and securing the club’s first ever race win at the Yachting Championships.
Yachting and Match Racing This year, the DUSC yachting teams have come forward leaps and bounds. Under the guidance of Simon Kitchen, two teams entered the SUSA Match Racing Championships. Durham Blue (skippered by Ed Harrison) lacked match racing experience but used their exceptional boat speed to out-sail opponents and finish fourth. Despite technical setbacks, Durham White (skippered by Simon Kitchen) proved to be one of the strongest teams at the event, leading for the majority of the afternoon and beating the very best Scottish teams. In the end, the deciding race was against Newcastle. Durham gave Newcastle
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Sporting Season Review
Golf Club Season Review
Simon Collins Club Captain - Golf Club
Friendly fixtures and tour Despite the BUCS season being over, we look forward to friendlies, versus illustrious courses, such as Ganton, Formby and St. Anne's Old Links, as well as a post-exam tour which will see us take on the likes of Rye, Hunstanton and West Essex. Post-exam celebrations will also provide a chance for us to welcome the DUGC Alumni to Brancepeth. This is always a much-awaited fixture, fiercely competed and never short of a "quaddie" or two. The team includes the likes of exNorthern Irish International, Karl Gilbert, professional Roberto Laino and a host of past captains.
1st Team Third Place Northern League 1A 2010/11 has been a mixed season to say the least. It can be summed up perfectly by the time-old cliché of a ‘game of two halves.’ Despite having been relegated the previous season, we expected nothing less than a tough year against the heavily funded Leeds Met and UCLAN, who boast a vast array of international golf students. This was proven to be the case in our opening matches, as we fell victim to five defeats from five and propped up the table at Christmas. With extra effort and dedication in practice, it was only a matter of time before the first victory came our way . This came in the form of a 6 - 0 drubbing of Leeds, where everyone showed the selfbelief needed to turn the season around. The most notable fixture of the season was a hard fought victory versus eventual league winners, Leeds Met. An impressive birdie putt by Fresher, Ben Hayden on the last hole, clinched a 3.5 to 2.5 home win and instilled in us a confidence which remained present throughout the final games. This momentum was carried though the remainder of the season and contributed to the notable second half record of played five, won five.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
We finished the season in third place, thanks to both this impressive form and, in no small part, due to a brilliant team spirit, which is sure to be carried through to next year by the strong remaining trio of Michael Elborn, Michael Entwistle and Ben Hayden. From our post-game curries and bingo in Blackpool to the gruelling addition of strength and conditioning, I can honestly say that the season has provided some of my fondest Durham memories.
2nd Team Sixth Place Northern League 2A Like the 1sts, the 2nds suffered mixed fortunes. Unfortunately, results do not reflect some of the impressive displays and can be attributed to a lack of a little bit of luck and too few dropped putts, which could have helped notch up a few more wins. Despite an impressive victory over Hull, the most notable performance must be the narrow defeat to the eventual league winners, Teesside. A large squad, featuring some impressive newcomers, will be sure to be competing for places in next year’s 1st Team, alongside the current stalwarts. A notable mention must be made of DUGC veteran, James Coe, who contributed valuable points.
The season shall be finished off in fine style with the annual Doxbridge Trophy at Aldeburgh, which we are eager to regain from last year’s victors, Oxford.
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Sporting Season Review
Men’s Football Season Review
Performance- The 1st XI showed themselves to be the pre-eminent force in the league at the earliest opportunity , with a 6-1 demolition of Teesside 1sts, last season relegatees from a superior league and supposed title contenders. The message this sent out to the rest of the league was furthered with subsequent victories over Leeds Met, Northumbria and Leeds University before thrashing Teesside again, although this time, denying them the slight consolation of a goal in a 6-0 lesson. The result of this season's hard work was a 1st XI which proudly sat on top of the league and were crowned champions with two games to spare. It could even be argued such coronation should have come earlier had it not been for two draws against Newcastle, owing to a plethora of missed chances. Be that as it may, the fact remains that Durham University 1st XI commanded the league with consummate ease from the outset in an unbeaten campaign, and finally showed that the footballing elite of the University deserve recognition for their efforts. Whilst the 1st XI have provided countless ticks in the ‘win’ column, the 2nd XI have
shown strength and depth to ensure a strong season which was initially tainted with relegation fears, finishing third in their league. This successful league campaign was exemplified with victories over York St. John, Northumbria 3rds and Leeds Trinity, coupled with an adventure into the third round of the cup, a stage previous 1st Teams have been known not to reach. The aforementioned serves to outline how the 2nd XI has played a vital role in the club's success so far this season, keeping pressure on 1st Team players with a host of outstanding performances and out-performing many people’s expectations.
1sts- Division 3B North Winners 2nds- Division 4B North 3rd In terms of memorable fixtures, the home and away 6-0 and 6-1 respective routs of Teesside, supposed title challengers, exemplified the skill and ability of the 1st Team this year. A 3-1 dismantling of Leeds 2nds, showed the club will be strong in the league above next year, and home and away wins over Northumbria (sending them down to win the league) never hurts any Palatinate pride.
The 2nd Team also provided performances worthy of a mention, most notably their cup run, beating teams in leagues above them. Chris Heritage, 4th Year 1st Team player, described the side as, 'the best side I have played in while at Durham'. The results clearly prove this. Sam Colley has also described the season as 'outstanding', with 'quality from 1 to 11.' Socials- The social secs, Dave Howorth and Sam Colley, contrived to produce a magnificent social calendar for the club to enjoy. With socials being held every other week with varying themes. Every night out had its own story to tell, culminating in the climax of a promotion party; most definitely the best night out I've had in Durham. Sponsors- I'd like to thank W ilton Group and the Boathouse for their continued support. The success of the club could not happen without their funding and assistance throughout the year. Special mention goes to Steve at W ilton Group and Andy at the Boathouse for ensuring everything ran smoothly.
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Sporting Season Review
Squash Season Review
Dominic Pollard Club Captain - Squash
The end of the 2009/2010 season saw many sad losses for squash and could have led to a less than satisfying season in 2010/11. Nevertheless, pure determination and a positive outlook meant that the club went on to secure an excellent season. This year saw the introduction of a development squad that was voluntarily run by members of the club every week. The success of these sessions is already evident as members have been moved into the University team. Furthermore, the development squad has helped to raise interest and awareness for the next season. Another new introduction was the open handicapped tournament at the end of the Michaelmas term, which will hopefully be continued as an annual event in the club. Ladies' Squash this year could have struggled with the loss of three previous 1st Team members. However, the Ladies finished in third place in Division 1A, helped by excellent captaincies of Sarah May and Katherine Reilly. Sarah and Katherine’s input to Ladies Squash has been invaluable and they have secured a solid foundation for the sport next season. The club decided to introduce a Men’ s 3rd Team into the BUCS leagues this year; a move that would only be successful with continuous commitment throughout the
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
club. Captain, Will Foubister, did a fantastic job leading the 3rds to the top of the division early on and maintaining their dominance through to the end of the season. Winning six out of eight matches, the team gained a well-deserved promotion into Division 3B and I am sure that they can continue climbing in the years that follow. Incidentally, Will received this year's “Sam William's Golden Racquet Award for Keenness” for his outstanding enthusiasm. The Men’s 2nd Team found themselves in a very tough league, facing four university 1st Teams in their division. Many teams would have been discouraged by the slow start to the season but this group of players can only be commended for their stoic attitude every week that ensured the victories needed to maintain their place in Division 2B, with fifth place. Captain, and future club captain, Ben Bryant’s fantastic organisational skills and morale boosting antics meant that the 2nds continuously put out their strongest teams. The Men’s 1st Team had an excellent season in Division 1A. After five wins in a row, the fate of the team was down to a match against local rivals, Newcastle, who were a close second but would take the lead on points difference if they won. Unfortunately, Durham lost the game but managed to hold on for the rest of the matches to seal an impressive second
place. A special mention should be made of James Crawford, who up until the last game of the season was unbeaten. The highlight of the season came at the Roehampton Universities Cup in February. The team, including Dominic Pollard, James Crawford, Jamie Barwick, Bevan Edwards and Katherine Reilly outcompeted seven other universities from the south to win the tournament. The opposition included top universities such as Imperial, Bath and Reading, which made this victory one to be proud of. Thanks go out to all the captains already mentioned in this report, as well as Roland Grant for his organisation of all the evening league matches, Jamie Barwick, as social secretary and Bill West, our committed coach.
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Sporting Season Review
Badminton Season Review
Juliet Carlisle Club President - Badminton
After an eventful summer of planning, Durham University Badminton Club launched its season with several new initiatives and a strong drive for success. Two new coaches were taken on this year , Peter Higman and Matt Train, who have been coaching the squad. This has allowed the club to establish a more structured training programme whilst utilising the University’s brand new facilities at Queen’s Campus in Stockton. This is a partnership we hope to develop over coming seasons to push the club towards high performance status within Team Durham and develop greater links with Badminton ENGLAND in the local area. Having taken on administration of the college badminton system, the brand new Development Squad initiative has extended the college programme, with the aim of increasing participation and has also enabled members of the Elite squad to utilise and improve their coaching skills. The sessions act as a feeder group to the main Elite squad, showing how badminton in Durham has been strengthened, both in terms of popularity and performance. W ith qualified coaches from the Elite squad and over forty registered players in the development squad, the training sessions have so far proved to be a great success.
Each training session concentrates on a different skill or game situation, from backhand clears to doubles tactics. This is then followed by a variety of conditioned games, which aim to reinforce the learning objectives practiced earlier in the sessions. This set-up promotes a high level of variety that keeps both players and coaches interested. This year, several members of the development squad have been invited to play in matches for the Elite teams in the BUCS Leagues, demonstrating the close link between the two squads.
strong Northumbria side. The team has had an excellent year, losing only to Northumbria throughout the whole season. It was very unfortunate that the side came up against them again in the first round of the cup, but played extremely well, only narrowly losing out 5-3. Superb performances against Leeds and Sheffield have given the men a strong grounding for the up-coming season. They will look to do one better next year and win the league, securing that coveted promotion spot they do very much deserve.
Another exciting development is that three members of the club; Lisa Turner, Michael Piggford and Jennifer Shelley have successfully completed the Level 2 Badminton Coaching Award. This is an excellent achievement and they look to next year to pass on their new found expertise.
With only narrowly avoiding relegation last year, this season was always going to be tough for the 2nd Team. Having again lost a vast number of players to graduation, the squad was largely made up of new players. The team gained a well-earned victory against York St. John and two further draws with York and Sheffield Hallam, but ultimately a lack of experience led to the team losing the majority of matches. Having so many new players, the squad will be able to develop the 2nd Team in the coming season and move up from sixth position in Northern Conference 3B.
Women’s 1st Team
For the fifth consecutive season, the Women’s 1st Team have successfully remained in the Northern Premier League. An outstanding 4-4 draw against Loughborough in the first match of the season set the team up extremely well for the season. Victory over Newcastle sealed their place in the top flight and despite some strong competition from Leeds Met and Birmingham, the season ended in a very positive way. The excellent achievement of making the last eight of the BUCS Championship last year was repeated and despite losing to a much-improved Bath side, it was undoubtedly an outstanding achievement.
Women’s 2nd Team
The Women’s 2nds have had an excellent season, finishing in fourth place, equal on points with Leeds Met 3rds. They started very well, securing an easy victory over Huddersfield and capitalising on this, with a well-deserved 5-3 win at home against Leeds Met. Defeats to York and Northumbria saw them slip down in the league and despite losing in the last thirty two of the trophy to York once more, the team has had a good season.
Men’s 1st Team
Strong performances from the Men’s 1sts saw them finish in second place in the Northern Conference 2B, just behind a very
Men’s 2nd Team
The club also enjoyed success at the BUCS Individual Tournament that took place in November. Lisa Turner and Juliet Carlisle played exceedingly well to reach the third round in women’s doubles, only being beaten by an excellent seeded pair. Lisa also reached the second round in women’ s singles. Jennifer Shelley, despite facing a seed in the first round of women’ s singles, reached the second round of mixed doubles, with her partner Matthew Kinloch, thus rewarding all their practice. Shehryar Arshad also reached the third round of the men’ s singles after producing some excellent performances. Overall, we came away from the Championships in the knowledge that we have the ability and strength to challenge the best players in the country; a big confidence boost for next year . Close links with Badminton ENGLAND Regional Officer, Rachel Frobisher, have been an integral part in the development of the club this year. Support from Badminton ENGLAND has been lacking in recent years, but with a much-improved structure in County Durham, the club is looking forward to the next few years.
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Sporting Season Review
Women’s Rugby Season Review
Emma Wade Club Captain - Women’s Rugby
DUWRFC 1st Team built on their impressive performance last year by securing the BUCS Northern Division 1 title for the second year in a row . Some solid performances by both an experienced pack and a very new back line, saw Durham brush aside most of their opponents easily, winning 9 of their 10 matches, and only drawing 1. Particularly noticeable achievements include wins against last year’s arch rivals, Liverpool and Teesside, whom Durham beat this year 120-0 and 70-0 respectively. Superb performances throughout the season by the number 8, Lilian Knight and fly-half, Kate Langham, both scoring their fair share of tries, helped Durham finish with an outstanding 403 points difference. DUWRFC are now looking forward to their promotion into the Premiership, with a challenging but exciting year ahead of them.
Given the club’s recent successes, next year we are looking to expand and develop into a larger squad, with closer ties to Durham’ s collegiate women’s rugby system. DUWRFC aims to sustain its achievements by creating depth in its squad and continuing to foster talent found at college level. In the coming years we hope to have not only one, but two successful teams in the BUCS leagues. I would personally like to thank everyone who has been involved in DUWRFC this
year, in particular, 1st Team captain, Carolyn Wilson, who has been an instrumental player both on and off the pitch and who has led us to such a superb victory . Thanks also have to go to our coach, Mr Cameron Henderson, for all his efforts to create such a strong team. Finally, we would like to thank our sponsor for the 2010/2011 season, Talbot Underwriting Ltd.
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Sporting Season Review
Women’s Football Season Review
Freya Liiv Club Captain - Women’s Football
After a resurgent second half of the 2009/2010 season, the 2010/2011 season looked to hold great promise for a DUWAFC side looking for promotion. Recruiting three American scholars and a trio of talented Freshers helped to bolster an already healthy squad, and DUW AFC headed into the season in an optimistic fashion. Pre-season saw DUWAFC put through their paces by coach Richard Warburton and fitness instructor Cameron Henderson, with additional strength and conditioning training provided by Jon Kantor. The squad trained hard in preparation for the new season and after a comfortable 10-0 win over local rivals Newcastle University, in their first preseason fixture, it seemed as if their hard work was paying off. However, a sterner test was provided by the visit of Teesside University, who beat them. The start of the BUCS fixtures was an away trip to York St. John, which saw Durham achieve a 4-1 victory, followed the next week by an impressive 5-0 home win over Leeds Met Carnegie. In this fixture, Durham dominated proceedings throughout, with crisp and inventive passing resulting in two superb team goals and the defensive unit providing a clean sheet. Heading into the first round of the Northern Conference Cup off the back of two comfortable wins in the league, saw Durham head to Huddersfield, confident of progressing in the competition. An 8-0 away win secured a second round tie at home to Newcastle University, resulting in another 10-0 victory and progression to the third round. By Christmas, DUWAFC were unbeaten in the league and cup and had completed the first round of qualifiers for the National Futsal Championships in Sheffield. Competing for their first season in the Durham County Women’s League, DUWAFC had a successful first half of the season, losing only one game, their opener, to title rivals, Birtley Pheonix. DUWAFC started the second half of the season in fine form, producing an outstanding display away to Sheffield, resulting in a comprehensive 9-0 victory.
An identical score-line the following week away to Northumbria University 2nds saw DUWAFC progress to the quarter–finals of the Northern Conference Cup where they beat Sheffield Hallam 2nds 5-1 at home, whilst still maintaining their unbeaten run in the league, after three consecutive victories against York St. John, Leeds Met Carnegie 3rds and Sunderland. DUWAFC once again faced their title rivals, Birtley Phoenix, in the return league fixture, needing a win to retain any hope of winning the title. A 1-1 score-line at the interval illustrated the closely fought nature of this contest. The second half saw Birtley take a 2-1 lead and DUWAFC struggled to equalise. Continued pressure on Birtley’s defence saw Durham draw level with four minutes to play. Galvanised by their late equaliser, Durham pressed hard knowing they had to win and with two minutes to play and four players charging at a loose ball in the box, Durham converted their final chance of the game, winning 3-2. The following two BUCS fixtures saw DUWAFC face Leeds University both away and at home. DUWAFC suffered their first defeat in the away league fixture, losing 2-0 after a second rate performance. DUWAFC were determined to make amends the following week. After putting in a solid team performance, DUWAFC were rewarded with a 3-0 victory which saw them progress to their first cup final in the history of the club. Unfortunately, DUWAFC were unable to reach a second cup final, losing their Durham County Cup semi-final 4-1 to South Durham RA a couple of weeks later .
beaten Durham 7-2 in the earlier preliminary stages. This highly charged and closely contested fixture, saw Durham narrowly beaten 2-1, ending their involvement in the tournament. The last BUCS league game of the season fell on the same day as the BUCS Futsal finals. The drive and determination to end the league campaign on a high note, after a tiring few days in Sheffield, saw DUW AFC beat a full strength Sheffield University side 5-0 at home, securing DUWAFC’s first silverware of the season. The opportunity to make it a league and cup double arrived when DUWAFC travelled to York to compete in the Northern Conference Cup final against Manchester Metropolitan University. A comprehensive display in the first half put Durham 3-0 up at the break, with Anna Pilkington and Robin Chidester both on the score-sheet. Determined not to be completely outplayed Manchester Met fought hard in the second half earning a goal back, with large parts of the second period being played in Durham’s half. However, Durham remained resolute, securing the first league and cup double in DUWAFC’s history. With a total of a 56 BUCS points for the season, quarter-finalists in the BUCS National Championships, runners up in the Durham County League, semi-finalists in the Durham County Cup, and a BUCS league and cup double, this really has been a season to remember for Durham University Women’s Football Club.
After qualifying through the preliminary rounds, DUWAFC’s attention turned to Sheffield where they were playing Futsal in the BUCS national championships. After comfortably beating Loughborough in their first fixture, DUWAFC then faced tournament favourites Leeds Met Carnegie in their second fixture, losing 5-2. W ith qualification into the knockout stages still possible, DUWAFC won two of their remaining three fixtures, securing qualification after playing 5 matches: winning 3 and losing 2. In the quarter -finals Durham faced MMU Cheshire, who had
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Sporting Season Review
Waterpolo Season Review
Toby Gomersall Club President - Waterpolo
A brilliantly successful season for the Water Polo Club that is only surpassed by the shining possibilities for the future. 2010/11 has seen a doubling of our BUCS points contribution, a newly formed Men's 2nd Team and an influx of hugely talented Freshers. Further, the beautifully intense club spirit that binds current members and Alumni through the generations has never been stronger. Since the completion of Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre, DUWP has excelled, making Durham a high level water polo university. Captains, Emily Haslett, James Miao and Tom Archdale, lead their respective teams admirably and were committed to the club above and beyond their duty. Through the efforts of all the executive committee, this wonderful club continues to be an important part of University life for everyone involved.
Men's 1st An almost impeccable record, BUCS points for the first time in many years and championship semi-finalists. The Men's 1st Team has had a superb year and yet it was so nearly even better. At the end of last season, there was a worry that the team might struggle because of the void left by the graduation of some key players. This year's young, driven team had no interest, however, in rebuilding and consolidating. Instead they played hard and defeated all that opposed them. One match, worthy of special mention, is the BUCS game against Bristol, which finished 9 – 7 to Durham making us the only team to defeat Bristol in this year's BUCS. At no point has there been greater possibilities for the Men's 1st Team. With international and national players coming together in this passionate brotherhood, the 2011/12 season looks even more promising.
Women Continued success and some stunning victories culminated in the BUCS Trophy semi-finals for the second year running. The
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
women this year have blossomed under the nurturing care of coach Jay Hawkins, who was committed to an unprecedented level. In the group stages, Durham playing every game away from home, asserted their dominance over the other teams, clocking up resounding victories over all the teams in their group. The players this year have come together, creating a perfect blend of good water polo and camaraderie. Throughout the season, the women fought for every goal and fiercely defended every attack as a team. The team welcomed young international talent, which has complimented the team spirit superbly and added a clinical sting to the tail.
Men's 2nd The creation of a Men's 2nds is perhaps the single most exciting development in DUWP. Never before has Durham been able to offer water polo to such a wide spectrum of talent. The first ever season for the Men's 2nd Team was a great success. Even though the team did not make it out of the group stages in BUCS, where they competed against 1st teams, they played well and are now in a strong position moving into next season. We are already starting to see the benefits for the club with players progressing from the 2nd team to become key players in the 1st team. This team is a key part of the future of the club.
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Sporting Season Review
Team Durham Sponsors
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
Team Durham has benefitted from partnerships with a number of sponsors supporting specific sports or all Team Durham activities. Team Durham has sustained its partnerships with several sponsors over a number of years, which is testament that both sponsors and clubs have been able to meet their objectives. “We continue to support Team Durham because we admire the University and its standards. All the sports teams at Durham are of a very high standard and are very well organised so as to maximise talent. More particularly, the products of Team Durham generally do well on the sports field and in industry and commerce."
Oval
“Ernst & Young are looking for strong graduates and undergraduates, with a wide range of different strengths and backgrounds. People who are motivated, have the ability to work within a team, adapt to different situations and can persevere when faced with a challenge. These are all valuable strengths for our candidates to have and these strengths are clearly demonstrated within the Durham University societies and sports teams. Therefore, we are proud to have sponsored the University Netball and Lacrosse teams, as well as the Durham Drama Festival in the year and hope to continue to forge links within the University teams and societies in the future.”
Team Durham website hits detail
Ernst & Young
"We support Team Durham because its principles very much match our own, namely the commitment to excellence."
Clifford Chance
“Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 223,000 people, serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’ s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$21.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010. Its home page is www.accenture.com.”
Accenture
70,000
Number of users
60,000
Cumulative number of user
50,000
No. users
40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
No. hits per month for each user ≥1 Cumulative
≥2
≥3
≥4
68,392 25,478 16,478 11,512
≥5
≥6
≥7
≥8
8,104
5,430
3,276
1,511
For further information about sponsorship or sponsoring a team please contact: Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager Email: chantelle.dingley@durham.ac.uk 2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
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Community Outreach
Community Outreach Team Durham Community This has been one of the best years for Team Durham Community but also one of the most difficult. We are now heavily funded by both internal and external funding and have six
DU SHINE 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. Activities include; aqua aerobics, Nordic walking, cycling, gym access, Indoor bowls, golf and ice skating (in the winter). These sessions are FREE for 12 weeks, and then a minimal charge.
Emma Hall-Craggs Head of Student Experience Community Outreach
full time staff members, one part time staff member and a number of apprentices and scholars. We have struggled through a year of no facilities with the redevelopment of the sports facility on both the Queen's Campus and at Durham, but the end is in sight and we
Participants will also be sign-posed to on-going activities, with the aim of sustaining their activity levels indefinitely. Two student scholarships are attached to this programme. DU SHINE is a CPAL project managed by County Durham Sport and commissioned by County Durham and Darlington NHS. Two Durham University students are attached to the project as Outreach Scholars.
Andrea Hoskins Partnership Development Manager
have used our community partnerships to help keep our programme going from strength to strength. We have over twenty five regular projects running and a full schedule of events for everyone from all walks of life and of all ages.
ISSP The ISSP programme is partfunded by Sport England and Positive Futures. It is a programme for young offenders and under 18s, engaged with the criminal justice system. Participants have gained the following awards through informal learning: UK BCU (canoeing) star awards Level One and Level Two; NICAS (climbing) Level One and Level Two. This is a huge achievement for some of the participants, as many will leave formal education with no qualifications. Participant ‘A’ said," During the climbing I felt nervous learning something new; now I feel more confident and enjoy helping others to learn climbing.” ‘A’ has completed his Level One and Level Two NICAS climbing award.
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Community Outreach
GeTIN2Sport The Community Team are now working in partnership with TinArts on the GeTIN2Sport project. The project centres around the delivery of an exciting range of sports activities for people with learning disabilities at Maiden Castle. Specialist coaches are delivering sessions in sports such as: tennis, lacrosse and fencing, giving participants the chance to be involved in individual and team games, promoting healthy lifestyles and giving the chance to try new sports. The project will be running on a weekly basis, with the support of student volunteers.
Women’s Group
Funded by Sport England, the group meet two mornings a week in the fitness suite. A variety of physical activities are offered to them including badminton, tennis, fencing, Nordic walking, and circuit training. The women are also encouraged to participate in the Community Sports Leaders' Day Certificate, which helps build self-esteem and confidence through the development of their communication and organisational skills and gives them an opportunity to develop leadership skills.
Participant Zoe said, ‘Since starting the gym over a year ago, I feel more confident, trying out new sports. I have also met new friends. The atmosphere of the group is amazing and I now feel part of a team. The group leaders are also an asset to us; if there are any problems we can go to them without feeling uncomfortable and they will try their utmost to help us. At 38 years old, I recently achieved a Sports Leadership Certificate, which I would never have gained if it wasn’t for the programme.’
Street League We run three football sessions a week as part of the SUNEE Street League project. The sessions are run on the Durham Campus, Darlington and Willington, for participants over 16 years old and not in education or training. Teams enter the SUNEE Street League Regional Tournaments and have an opportunity to access training through our Academy programme. The sessions are a great opportunity to develop the skills of the Team Durham apprentice coaches and University students. Participant ‘S’ stated, ‘I always look forward to the weekly sessions, because my football skills have improved. I have also enjoyed meeting new friends and having fun.’
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Community Outreach
Debating
The fourth Second Chance debate was held on Friday 3rd December 2010 and was the result of eight weeks of hard work from participants, staff and volunteers. The project is an ongoing partnership between Team Durham, Durham Union Society and The Cyrenians. Hosted by the Durham Union Society in, their debating chamber, the topic of the debate was: “This House would re-introduce National Service”. All the participants had been homeless and had joined the project to improve their self-confidence and to learn new skills. Over an eight week period, students from the University’s Debating Society led the workshops. Through a combination of games and exercises, participants were encouraged to voice their opinions loudly, clearly and logically. By the end of the course, eight participants volunteered to form the Proposition and Opposition teams for the final debate, while others chose to make floor speeches after the debate. The event was well-attended by University students and by members of the public, many of whom praised the participants for their courage for speaking before such a large audience.
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 illnesses. Clients are offered the opportunity to attend Maiden Castle three times a week, in a programme composed of badminton, gym and football. The badminton sessions have the support of Badminton England and three University students have been placed on their Level 2 coaching badge, all of whom have been working with the participants on a weekly basis.
Charity Rugby Match Like so many things, the annual rugby charity match, was victim to the inclement weather at the end of the Christmas term. After two postponements and a change of opponents, the game was finally able to take place in early February. Leeds Met, the 1st XV closest league rivals, provided formidable competition and both sides thrived on the electric
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Daniel Rippon, the Health Trainer from one of the organisations, had the following to say of the programme:
“The effort and support provided by the Community Outreach Team at Durham University has been invaluable to my role, which is to improve the physical health of people engaged in Mental Health services in the County Durham area. The provision and facilitation of sporting activities by Durham University promotes social inclusion and also contributes to the support and recovery of many clients. The activities provided by Durham University give clients a good platform to increase their confidence and progress on to taking part in mainstream sports within the community.”
atmosphere from the large crowd to provide a feast of high quality rugby . There was also a wide range of entertainment to keep the crowd amused during a thoroughly enjoyable evening. In the match itself, Durham moved out to an early lead and were able to hold off a titanic Leeds comeback, to take a close victory and maintain their unbeaten record. However, the main purpose of the night was to raise money for Sport Zambia and a very healthy sum was
Podium and Podium Advance For the third consecutive year, Team Durham has worked in partnership with the Durham Young Apprentice programme to lead two groups of pupils through a series of Event Management workshops, resulting in twenty young people volunteering to help in large scale sports events and also planning, organising and delivering their own events. This year, they have volunteered at the University’s Charity Rugby Event, which gave them the experience required to organise their own events, including a Coast to Coast bike ride, Primary School Alternative Sports Day, Teachers' Football Tournament and a Rounders' Festival.
collected. The night would not have been possible without the small army of volunteers and, to them, we are extremely grateful. W e are also as ever indebted to Derek, Best of Durham City Rugby Club, for agreeing to host the fixture and all his hard work, ensuring it went ahead. All these people's hard work are the reason why this night was so successful and one of the main events of the student calendar.
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JHPA This has been the third successful year of the Junior High Performance Academy. This project has formed through a partnership between Durham University, Durham County Council and Aim Higher, designed to provide essential guidance and knowledge to selected Year 9 pupils from Durham County, who have been identified as Gifted and Talented in sport. 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. This year, the course has covered: treatment of sport injuries, sports nutrition, performance digital analysis through state of the art software, strength and conditioning, Sports Science Lab Testing, careers advice and university sports training. Course coordinator from Durham County Council, Geoff Sheldon, had the following to say about the project, "The course is aimed at providing opportunities for a selected group of students, the more able and talented in sport, from around the county. One of our principal goals is to make them more
effective, independent learners. One criticism from employers I have seen recently is, that applicants are not developing the specific skills needed in their respective potential workplaces. After a year in this programme, the pupils will have more skills to improve their career prospects; skills, such as knowledge of physiotherapy, prevention of injuries, knowledge of the components of a healthy diet, for example. Having these assets will be a great benefit in their pursuit of careers, such as: physical education teachers, sports coaches or professional athletes; just to name a few paths they could take.”
Staff Walks Staff walks have been lead by the T eam Durham Community team for over three years now and 2010/2011 saw the numbers of staff participating in the walks grow and attract more than in previous years. A highlight this year was guest walker , Gary Bankhead, who lead a walk along the riverbank from Baths Bridge to Prebends Bridge. During the walk, he explained the discoveries he has found in the river while diving: from coins, to bullets and a number of Cardinal Ramsey's lost treasures. May saw the introduction of Nordic Walking to staff members, a cross between cross country skiing (without the skiis) and power walking, a brilliant form of exercise designed to work the whole body.
Lunch Time Mentoring
Team Durham have worked with some students from St. John's College to establish a link between the college and St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School at Gilesgate. The ten University students on the project visit the school twice a week at lunchtime to enjoy a healthy lunch with the pupils before heading out into the playground to participate in healthy and active play. The students from St. John's have also made a big contribution to the school's collection of Tesco and Sainsbury's vouchers for sports equipment; they collected the vouchers from students and staff at the College.
Leadership Academy Step into Sports' Leadership Academy is an initiative, which has been developed within schools over the past few years. This year, Team Durham has become involved to enable the project to expand and offer selected pupils the chance to be part of a Regional Leadership Academy. Over the course of the past year, participants have completed coaching awards, organised sessions, learned about fitness testing and had talks with professionals from various sporting backgrounds.
Summer Programmes The Community summer programme 2010 enticed seventy young people from across County Durham to try new and unusual sports over a series of nine days. The programme was delivered by six fantastic University students, who motivated and encouraged the young people through ‘Ultimate Frisbee’, ‘Extreme Skipping’, ‘Aussie Rules Football’ and many more activities. 2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
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The Durham Zambia Run is in its fifth year and continues to be a successful fundraising event for Sport in Action: Zambia. This year, sixteen local primary schools participated in the event, which saw six separate runs taking place on the pitches at Maiden Castle; over 900 pupils ran distances from 500m to 1000m.
Community Outreach
The event is run in conjunction with Durham City School Sports Partnership and this year also included their local primary school cross-country event, which was cancelled in December due to bad weather. There were some very quick times this year and Bear Park Primary School came out as the top school. The pupils each donate £2 to enter the event and the schools are encouraged to raise additional money for the charity Sport in Action: Zambia. This year, St.
Alumni
Share their experiences Tom Bigglestone (St. Hild and St. Bede 2009) "On the 21st March, I set off for the northernmost state of Norway Finnmark - to begin trekking in support of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. The team of thirteen trekkers were each raising £3,000 for the charity and our challenge was to dog-sled over two hundred kilometres with Alaskan Huskies. The route took us over mountains and across frozen lakes; on arrival back at base camp there was a real sense of achievement. Whilst this sounds like simply standing on a sled being pulled along by four strong dogs, there was much, much more to it! I had to push and run with the dogs through heavy snow and many inclines, as well as braving temperatures of -28 degrees Celsius, in gale-force blizzards. Accommodation was simple wooden cabins, rarely with running water or electricity. Not only did we have to care for ourselves in such desolate wilderness, but we had to look after the dogs too, feeding them twice daily and ensuring their welfare, as they were the ones pulling us along! A truly memorable trip; the motivation for which was certainly inspired by the ethos of volunteering, instilled by T eam Durham Community."
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Oswald's School raised a staggering £461, which was outstanding, as they only brought fifty pupils to the event. For their hard work, they were rewarded with a visit by Mwape Konsolo , Sport in Action: Zambia’s Programme and Development Manager. He spoke to the pupils about the projects in Lusaka and also taught them some Zambian clapping games and songs. The pupils were entranced by him and his enthusiasm for the projects he is developing in Lusaka.
Jack Little (Collingwood, 2009) Whilst studying at Durham I achieved a 2:1 degree with honours in Politics. More than my degree though, I think I learnt more from all of the other things that I was involved in. These activities can roughly be divided into three areas: Politics and political activism, Sports, and Teaching. With regard to sport, I played football regularly for Collingwood College's E-Team, as well as training for two years with the Boxing Club, but it was through Team Durham that I had the chance to be an assistant in the Football in the Community programme; this was one of the highlights of my Durham career. The role saw me work with people recovering from drug and alcohol dependency. The scheme helped me to gain many coaching qualifications, which I have been putting into practice during my work as a school teacher here in Mexico. I also volunteered on a befriending programme for young people in foster care. I had paid employment through the Durham Outreach department in various Summer Schools and Outreach activity (The STARS Programme). I moved to Mexico in January 2010 to work as an editor on language text books. I now work as a primary school teacher and I edit an online literary magazine called The Ofi Press. I have recently been appointed manager of the Mexican national cricket team and travelled to Costa Rica in March this year for the Americas ICC Division 3 tournament.
“My time at Durham was invaluable. Apart from the study skills that I learnt during my Politics degree, I learnt how to network, how to seek out new opportunities, how to organise successful events and also gained many qualifications in sports coaching. The opportunities at Durham were endless for me and I will always be grateful to the University for helping to reach my full potential. I'm still so me way to reaching it but I definitely feel like I'm on my way.”
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Sport in Action 2010 Zambia report The Zambia project was formed in 2005 in a unique union between a UK Sport initiative and a selection of UK Universities, who collectively make up the Wallace Group (the Universities of Stirling, UWIC, Bath, Durham, Loughborough and Northumbria). The partnership selects and trains specialist sports and media students from the six 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 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 2010 Ideals Group were certainly no exception to that. Again the project was complimented with the addition of Northumbria Construction team, who this year built a multi-
purpose sports ground and also welcomes new to the project, the Stirling Nurses, who have been working in Lusaka schools, raising awareness and giving advice on health and wellbeing. We had two fantastic team leaders who not only did an exceptional job of leading the team but also went above and beyond, leaving a lasting mark on Zambia. Team leader, Hayley Barr, funded and oversaw the development of a new netball court whilst team leader, Andrew Jenkin, set up a project web page www.theidealsprojectzambia.com and has been inspired to create his own project, the ‘Wallace Academy’. The students representing Durham University this year, Georgie Wire, Sophie Walton, Chris Savage and Media student Krisi Smith, 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. 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.
Katie Metcalfe Sports Development Officer
As for the personal development of the UK students, the quotations below leave no doubts as to the magnificent benefits they receive: “I loved the feeling that you are welcome in a loving community/family, no matter who you are or where you are from. I have never had the feeling of being so welcome somewhere and it be so far away from home.” “I thought I would be hand-held and protected but we actually ventured into the unknown by ourselves and I loved every minute of it. Really got the chance to roll our sleeves up and get dirty.” “Being placed in front of 50 kids brought out skills and techniques in me that I never knew I had”. “IDEALS Zambia has changed my life!” The number of students embarking on the project for 2011 is a record number with St. Andrew’s University joining the project and Construction group returning for their third consecutive year. 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: Emily Chesbro, Sarah Harding, Lucy Bell, Ellie Woodcock and Flo Glen.
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New Facilities
New Facilities Queen’s Campus
Steve Wright Assistant Director of Sport
sports hall to facilitate a disability sports group. Other important partnership arrangements also include GB Rowing, who use our facilities and North Tees NHS Trust, with whom we have an employee gym membership agreement in place. The addition of the new indoor sports facilities and a vastly improved fitness suite has provided a much needed stimulus to Volunteering and Outreach at Queen’s Campus. The full extent of this work is recorded elsewhere (Community Outreach report) however we are delighted to report that Queen’s Campus is now able to make a significant contribution to this area of University activity.
The academic year 2010/11 saw the opening of the much anticipated £5.5 million Phase II Sport Centre on the Queen’s Campus. Adding to the existing outdoor all-weather surface, Queen’s Campus is now able to offer a full range of indoor sports, a state-of-the-art fitness suite and a brand new college boat house. The fitness suite boasts top of the range Technogym equipment, including cardiovascular and resistance machines. Additionally, there is also a bespoke strength and conditioning room designed to support our high performance athletes. Other headline indoor facility provision includes: • • • • • • • •
8 badminton courts 2 basketball courts Dance studio Spinning room 2 volleyball courts Netball court 5 trampolines Rowing ergo room
Without doubt, the opening of the new build has had a huge impact on college sport at Queen’s. From a position where the Queen’ s Campus had ‘zero’ provision for indoor sports last year, we now find ourselves in the enviable position of being inundated with college students actively taking part in both competitive and recreational sport. The
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
introduction of a resident, college-based, basketball coach has perhaps had the most significant impact here. With basketball spearheading sport development on the Queen’s Campus, both colleges now have extremely active men’s and women’s teams. The proposed future expansion of this ‘coach support’ model, to include netball and canoe, is expected to have a similar effect on increasing participation rates and performance standards in coming years. Another key component of the development of sport on the Queen’s Campus has been the introduction of the Team Durham initiative “Super Wednesday”. Here we use basketball as a vehicle for promoting and raising awareness of high level university sport. Regularly attracting over two hundred spectators to watch the University team – peak attendance was recorded at more than three hundred and fifty for a game against local rivals, Northumbria. With the introduction of the new fitness suite and high performance strength and conditioning facilities, we have been able to develop a full range of partnership activities. These partnerships not only raise our profile in the local community but also provide much needed local sport provision and allow the centre to generate other income streams. Since opening, we have further reinforced an existing link with Stockton Borough Council and the Percy Hedley Foundation, which uses the indoor
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New Facilities
New Facilities Maiden Castle
Dan Lewis Deputy Director of Sport
Report on the Maiden Castle new build The Centre for Sporting Excellence at Maiden Castle will see a complete overhaul of the University’s dated Maiden Castle indoor facilities. Whilst the outdoor facilities at Durham have become the envy of many of our competitors, it has been clear that we have been significantly behind the majority of the sector in terms of our indoor provision. The new centre will see an extension of the sports hall, allowing an increased indoor cricket provision with a variety of practice surfaces and a full range of bowling machines, an indoor rowing tank, a 28 station ergo gallery, a dedicated fencing salle, an extended strength and conditioning area, 3 dedicated physiotherapy treatment rooms, a performance analysis suite, a contrast bathing suite, a multi purpose dance studio and an x-bike training room. In addition, it will feature a fully refurbished bar/ restaurant allowing for all catering for elite athletes and a range of purpose-built offices for the Team Durham staff. In addition, there is be a purpose-built boathouse for rowing and canoe boat storage and a workshop for repairs and a new jetty access to the River Wear.
extended strength and conditioning room, the contrast bathing suite, the eastern (sports hall) extension and the boathouse are complete. The jetty landing and steps to the boathouse are scheduled for completion soon, with completion of the remainder of the building currently scheduled for 14th September.
In order to minimise disruption to our programmes, the build was structured such that we would complete the refurbishment in stages and be handed back the facility as each section was completed. To date, the
We held the official opening of the Robert Gillespie Boathouse on the 26/4/11. We were very fortunate that David Tanner, Head of Performance Rowing at GB Rowing was able to come and open the facility for us.
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Alumni Sports Day
Alumni Sports Day January 2011
A glorious day in Chiswick saw Mortlake Boat Club host the DUBC Alumni Competition. A huge turnout from both students and Alumni saw an impressive seven crews drawn from a hat and arranged into a knock-out series of races. With each XIII assigned a colour , the assorted mixed crews of Alumni and students quickly prepared themselves, assigned positions in the boat and took to the river. The decision this year to completely mix up all rowers, away from the previous Alumni vs Students format, was met with great praise. All members on the day referred to the quality of organisation and running of the whole event by the Boat Club, led by Club President Ed Sidgwick (Trevelyan). “It was fantastically organised; it is always a treat to row again and a treat to see that Durham is really thriving. I’m always looking for more excuses to talk to current students and find out how they’re getting on. It provokes conversations with the Alumni about how we keep ourselves fit; rowing creates a fitness habit that Alumni never really lose. It’s always great to hear
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
from Peter (Warburton) about the squad’s success and future prospects; I’m always gunning for Durham!” Jamie Priestley (Hatfield, 1985) “The day has been so much more fun in the mixed format; it’s encouraged everyone to talk, which is what it’s all about. I’m sure even more will be encouraged back for next year” Andrew Riley (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1984), captain of the winning Pink crew
“It has been great to see a lot more mates mixing with current students, finding out what’s going on and enjoying it on the river. It’s astonishing, the effect of having rowed at Durham- when you’re back in the boat with Durham rowers: it’s just like riding a bike!” Mike Roberts (Hatfield, 1981) “The perfect conditions have made for a wonderful day of rowing. Mixing up the crews has made it much more competitive
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Alumni Sports Day
and it’s been a brilliant turnout. It’s a great chance to get back rowing again and to meet Alumni I’ve never met before. I’m looking forward to the same next year . I started rowing as part of the Freshman scheme and it soon dominated my time at Durham. I made some brilliant friends through the boat club who are still with me today. Success breeds success and it’s great to see the Boat Club continuing to get bigger and better.” Chris Huey (Grey, 2006)
Inside of Mortlake Boat Club before the event
As the sun set over the Thames, the competition came to a close with the final race of the day seeing the Blue crew fall just short of victory, as the Pink boat crossed the line to end the day’ s racing. The races were close throughout the day with Great Britain and BUCS-winning rowers adding to the already high calibre of rowers that DUBC fosters. The high spirits of the day culminated in the champagne and medal presentation as the winning crew emerged from the water. As an event enjoyed by all who attended, the Boat Club community is arguably stronger than ever, and as it continues to grow, it is hoped this will continue into the future. Though some of the athletes may take longer to recover than others, all will be certainly ready to return to race again next year!
Peter Warburton with Netball and Hockey Alumni
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Alumni Sports Day
Rowing Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
Orange
Jamie Priestley Garth Emrich Phil Evans Franz Imfeld Rachael Harris
Red
John Ford Charlie Kendle Chris Huey Chris Thomas
Yellow
Jenny Stephenson Jess Chichester Stew West Nick Fothergill Andrew Purvis
Pink Phil Congdon Will Fletcher Daisy Colsell Rob Hodgson
Meghan McCarthy Rupert Hessian David Lapish Huw Jones
Dave Jones Simon Hardie Angus Groom Adam Beake
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Jo Fitzsimons Francis Highton Ben McAll Jack Lowrie Simon Pelly
Green
Richard Buckeridge William Fenton Sarah Wright Eve Newton
Einar Lindah Andrew Riley Tom Hill Maggie Paxton
Flo Cox Barney Stentiford Mark Taylor Lee Fisher David Rendle
Purple
Lewis Weaver Callum McBrierty Mike Roberts Laura Barker Emma Graham
Blue
Olivia Dixon Toby Mack Nick Hopkins Sarah-Jane Yorke Steve Winship
James Stewart Stuart McCluskey Vicki Mortimer Steve Maddalena
Michael Walker Steve Aquilina Steve Jones Matt Moore
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Orange vs Pink
Pink vs Purple The winning crew Captain, Andrew Riley
Purple vs Red Winners Pink vs Blue Pink Green vs Blue
Blue vs Yellow
Yellow
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Alumni Sports Day
Hockey Hockey Alumni Girls Amy Askew Jo Bryant Ruth Gordon Amy Tippen Katie Riddle Gabby Foster Ruth Pitts Vicky MacKay Lucy Leyland Kate Potts Claire Whitworth Vicky Newton Loren Sherer Laura Wingfield-Digby Anna Shaw
“It was great to face a really competitive student side, we old girls were pleased to bring out a strong side and enjoy a tough match. But we’ll be back to win next year!” Amy Tippen (Collingwood, 2009)
“I absolutely loved hockey at Durham, I still follow how they’re doing. It’ s great to hear that Durham hockey is thriving. It’s at events like this that we really get the chance to re-engage and see what’s still going on.” Vicky MacKay (Hatfield, 2005)
“It has been great to see everybody , I’m glad to see so much camaraderie still between the players and everyone enjoying themselves. With such a great location, I know things could be even bigger in the future.” Steve Harman (University, 1977)
Durham Ghosts Andy Evans James Pearce Russell Power Chris Grounds Henry Mumme-Young Ross Warnes Joe Francis Peter Ellis Dane Scott Andrew Baggs Jonathan Wilkes-Green Michael Roper Richard Arscott Nikhil Chouksey Tom Curry Darran Smith With 6 of the side still playing National League hockey, the Ghosts’ team has graduates ranging from 2010 to 1997.
Alumni and Current Team Durham Hockey Men’s team 2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
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Team Durham Women’s Hockey
Alumni Men’s Hockey
Alumni Women’s Hockey
Team Durham Men’s Hockey
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Alumni Sports Day
Alumni Netball vs Durham University Netball
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Alumni Sports Day
Netball Alumni
DUNC
Lucy Wilson Katie Rumbellow Laura Tetlow Diane Iyayi Heather Tillman Caroline Chilton Katie Sykes Laura Duckworth Becca Fullbrook Helen Gemmel Penny Boyd Emily Creek Laura Williamson Lauran Spaven Charlotte Booth Anna Marshall
Emma Wilkinson Katie Worthington Kat Hill Issy Drummond Abi Ryan Katie Thorne Beckie Marsh Marie Ewing Jasmine Coyne Rosie Wadham Alice Norbury Max Rowsan
“DUNC- we love it! We rarely see each other so days like today are great and always long overdue.” Lucy Wilson (St. Cuthbert’s, 2009)
“It’s a chance to meet people that you never got to play with and we all love coming out to play .” Caroline Chilton (Van Mildert, 2006)
“We’ve had a great turn out and it’ s fantastic to see the enthusiasm that everyone still has for playing.” Abi Ryan (St. John’s) 1st Team captain
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Rugby Alumni XV Alex Bruce Stuart Peel Tom Malaney Will Clough Ed Rayfield Chris Dunlop Andy Collins Aaron Bolton Andy Collias Rich Mortimer Hugo Baldwin Dave Astle Tom Leitch Duncan Madden Tom Close
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In a closely contested match, a strong Alumni side took on a mixed squad of students, as the club prepared to continue its successful season after the Christmas break. The game saw four tries scored apiece, two of which were converted by each team. The final score of 24-24 reflected the hard-fought contest, with the graduate side pushing the students right to the final whistle. Though a draw may have left some a little disappointed, the competitive spirit of the match produced by both sets of players left shared honours to be the fairest result. “The game was great fun. W e had players drawn from a number of different year groups and it was good to have a strong Alumni turnout. For me, it was fun playing against my brother and it’s always a good time to catch up with the rest of the boys. It’s a really important link to the current students and we’re proud to see the younger players coming through. Durham was an amazing time for me and getting to play rugby was a key part of that. In my second year we won BUSA; I have many fond memories from playing as part of the club. I’ve got some good contacts from playing at Durham and events like this support that. Rugby taught me the importance of team building and
leadership and that has helped me out a great deal since. The students have had a tough season so far so it was good to get a strong Old Boys' side out to challenge them; we’ll be back for the win next year!”
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Old Boys Tennis Match Queen’s Club – 16th July 2011 Durham University Men’s Tennis Club organised an Alumni match at Queen's Club in July. It was a lovely day and the club reported that the grass was perfect. It was the first time this group had been reunited since their BUCS winning year of 1993, and it was a really close match. The Alumni won 3-1 (however the club insisted in adding that they did not field their first team!).
The Alumni who took part were: Simon Thorp James Acheson-Gray Ed Bowyer Ian Baggett
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Reflecting on the Past
Reflecting on the Past Durham University 2nd XV 14; Loughborough Colleges 2nd XV 11
After trailing 11-3 at half-time, Durham won this match with a magnificent second-half performance worthy of winning the championship. That Durham won, was due to an all-round team performance, with every individual rising above himself in a tide that eventually swamped Loughborough. It was also a tribute to the Durham captain, Nigel Halfpenny, who willed his team to win with exhortation and personal example. Though his jaw was broken in the first minute of the game, he played right through the game showing courage beyond words.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Loughborough started the match very strongly and Durham, never good starters, were penned in their own half for a good part of the time. Two infringements resulted in two long range penalties successfully kicked by Jenkins, the Loughborough full back, and then after Nigel Holmes had made the score 6-3 with a penalty, Loughborough scored a try. Following a set piece on the left, the ball went to the right wing, who having made a few yards and facing the Durham cover , cross kicked just in front of the posts. From the resulting loose ball, Loughborough scored and the conversion was a formality.
As the half progressed, Durham began to come more into the game but at half-time the score still remained 11-3, with the game very much in Loughborough’s favour. However after half-time, Durham really came into their own. Loughborough must have wondered what had hit them. Firstly , Nigel Holmes kicked a penalty to make the score 11-6 and then with the forwards tearing into everything, a loose heel produced a score. Bob Smithies took the ball on the blind, made ground, and fed Los Swarbrick. His chip bounced over the line and Dave Cowell appeared from nowhere to touch down. 9-11.
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With a victory a definite possibility, Durham forced Loughborough to defend. The ball travelled between many pairs of hands in electrifying moves but the Loughborough lead remained intact. Geoff Simpson went close to scoring and Ned Greenwood was bundled into touch just short of the line. However, with Julian Jenkins working wonders in the loose and Andy Auster bursting with energy and fight, another score just had to come. It came from a loose scrum on the left, just outside the ’25. The ball came out at the side, Ned Greenwood saw his chance and was over the line before Loughborough had realised what was happening. The Durham supporters, who had loyally travelled overnight from Durham, leapt in the air
and Ned Greenwood was buried by an avalanche of enthusiastic and delirious spectators. Holmes kicked the conversion to make it 14-11. At least ten minutes remained but Durham showed their immense character by standing firm against repeated attacks. Loughborough threw everything they had left into an all out assault but failed to pierce the Durham defence in which the back row and the centres were outstanding. At the final whistle, the score was 14-11 and Durham had retained the 2nd team championship. A team performance in every sense, with Nigel Halfpenny fully deserving to be the one to receive the cup.
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The Reunion
The 13th February saw the first reunion of the 1971 UAU winning team, hosted by the East India Club. The event was the brainchild of Geoff Simpson (Grey, 1972), who set himself the task of contacting all those who had featured in the match, 40 years on from their victory. Though not all were able to attend, those who did thoroughly enjoyed reliving the team spirit of years gone by . Match reports of the game from the Palatinate, the Daily Telegraph and the Times, sparked the conversations, as the former players looked back on what was “a very special season with one hell of a team!” Geoff’s work paid off as the event ran out as a glowing success; “you could see from all the smiles how relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable it all was”.
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Reflecting on the Past
Players from the final who attended: Nigel Holmes – Hatfield – Full Back
Players who played in the final but were unable to attend:
Ned Greenwood – Van Mildert – Wing
David Cowell – Grey – Centre
Geoff Simpson – Grey – Centre
Colin Gott – Van Mildert – Prop
Laurence Swarbrick – Hatfield – Wing
Paul Gosling – Hatfield – 2nd Row
Bob Smithes – Hatfield – Fly Half
Nigel Halfpenny – Hatfield – Back Row – Captain
Peter Goggs – Hatfield – Scrum Half George Mackulsi – Grey – Prop (Missed the final due to injury) Andrew Auster – Hatfield – 2nd Row Mick Woodley – Hatfield – Back Row
Players who attended and played earlier rounds of the competition or other matches: Mike Stirling – Grey – Back Row Brian Winter – Hatfield – Back Row
Martin Price – St. Cuthbert's – Back Row Julian Jenkins – St. Chad's – Prop Sadly Ray Edwards – Hatfield – Hooker – Passed away.
Guests of Honour: Alex Henderson – Maiden Castle – Trainer Cynthia Connolly – Hatfield Trust – Assistant Director
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Andrew Strauss Honorary Degree
Honorary Degree Presentation
to Andrew Strauss MBE, in The Long Room at Lord’ s Traditionally such ceremonies are conducted in early January where the magnificent Durham Cathedral is the venue of choice. For Andrew Strauss exceptions had to be made; he was otherwise engaged this winter securing an outstanding Ashes victory in Australia. So, in the words of V iceChancellor Chris Higgins, “We find ourselves in another grand cathedralLord's”. The Long Room at Lord's, a room steeped in sporting history, was packed out for the black tie event. Alumni, students and supporters of Durham University enjoyed a wonderful evening of fine dining and entertainment at the home of cricket. Speaking before the guests arrived, Andrew attributed the fantastic difference that the MCC supported Centre of Excellence at Durham made to his cricketing development. It was in his second year at University that head cricket coach, Graeme Fowler, brought the Centre of Excellence into operation. “I was fortunate enough to be part of the transition of cricket at Durham, seeing it change to a professional preparation process that assisted players to continue to the top level,” Andrew explains. “The outstanding facilities at Durham and the fitness and nutritional support we were given meant that at times what I was doing at Durham was exceeding the preparations at Middlesex”. From schoolboy cricket coming into university, the Centre of Excellence was a big step up for Andrew in terms of, as a player, taking responsibility for personal development as well of that of the team. “People don’t realise their own potential in leadership until they are put in that position. At Durham everyone played a part in making sure the club ran smoothly; it was great to be exposed to that environment.” Though Andrew never captained the University team, instead being led by fellow county cricketers, Luke Sutton and Mark Chilton, it was at Durham where the time spent being involved in the club’s successes, on and off the pitch,
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meant that important lessons were learnt. Durham’s sporting heritage formed a key part of Andrew’s decision to attend and the combination of study and cricket meant he “gained so much more” than cricket outside university could offer. The support of staff at Durham, like Graeme Fowler , played an integral part in creating the positive atmosphere of continued encouragement found by Andrew during his time at Durham. “Foxy was a great role model for me. I had never thought I could continue to be in the game as long as I have been, before arriving at Durham”. Alongside winning BUSA and representing the British Universities, Andrew recalled the moment he received his Economics degree results, “I was out fielding when I was told, I burst into a lap of honour I was so pleased!” Andrew was awarded his Doctorate in Civil Law by the Vice-Chancellor alongside Director of Sport, Peter Warburton. The Vice-Chancellor spoke of the University’s long-standing commitment to providing students with a full educational experience that extends far beyond the lecture hall. It is through enterprises like Team Durham, that the University is able to allow students to develop a broader sense of growth that can extend well into later life. Examples of Durham’s ability to produce top quality graduates filled the Long Room, including sport’s successes James Foster, Andy Fothergill, Caroline Atkins and Holly Colvin. The address by Dr Warburton reminded guests of Andrew Strauss’ worthy reputation as one of the top performers in world cricket, with 19 centuries in his 82 test matches to date, having scored one in both his test match debuts home and away, as well as achieving three Ashes victories. As a captain respected by players and opponents alike, Andrew is a true professional leading England by example. The evening at Lord's proved undoubtedly to all present that Andrew fully deserves all the accolades that are awarded to him, and as a Durham graduate, he is one of the finest examples the University has to
offer. Andrew reflected on the event, “I spent a highly enjoyable and fulfilling three years at Durham, and to add to that, tonight is a real honour and a privilege”. Master of Ceremonies, Roger Dakin, conducted the evening’s entertainment, producing a hugely enjoyable occasion for all present. Anecdotes and sporting trivia were interspersed between the raffle and auction which saw some fantastic donated prizes won through the evening. One guest even earned the chance to play as 12th Man for Essex against Sri Lanka in a match this summer! Attendees were also given the chance to submit questions for Andrew Strauss in a Q&A to close the evening, hosted by his former coach, Graeme Fowler. With questions ranging from “Was Durham your first choice university?” (“Of course!”) through to “How did you handle playing against Pakistan during the match-fixing scandal?” Andrew answered honestly, at times diplomatically, but always openly, to discuss some potentially controversial issues. Covering previous performances in the Ashes, up to Ireland in the W orld Cup, he spoke of the difficulties of playing international cricket. His wife, Ruth, gained a well-deserved round of applause for her support of the most important man in English cricket. Andrew explained, “There is a lot more to playing abroad than it seems; there’s so much more to deal with; if you have any weaknesses on or off the pitch then they will be exposed. It’ s then when you need the confidence to perform, having the ability alone is not enough and that’s something my time at Durham really helped me with”. Whilst many guests left full of jealousy of his seemingly boundless talents, all remained upstanding in rapturous applause for Dr Andrew Strauss, a man Durham graduates everywhere should be proud to be connected to. Graeme Fowler summarised his most prolific graduate yet as follows: “Andrew Strauss is a true gentleman, a thoroughly patient, enthusiastic and as committed and hardworking a player as found anywhere in sport”.
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Andrew Strauss Honorary Degree
Andrew Strauss Some years ago Australian cricketer, Justin Langer, stated that “any opposing team that has a person like Andrew Strauss within its ranks is a team that makes me nervous.” I doubt he realised at the time how true those words would eventually become for Australian cricket. Whilst playing with Andrew, in his early days at Middlesex, he singled him out as an individual who would one day become one of the champions of English cricket. Andrew John Strauss MBE was born on the 2nd March, 1977, in Johannesburg, South Africa before moving to England aged six. A second move, to Australia, saw him playing his early cricket for Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne before he completed his schooling in England at Caldicott and then Radley College. Andrew’s education next took him to Durham University and Hatfield College where he studied Economics, achieving a
2:1 honours degree. In his book, ‘In Pursuit of the Ashes’ he said of Durham “whenever I wasn’t reading economics (which was often) I underwent the transition from being a recreational cricketer to one who had the ambition to play the game for a living.” On completion of his degree, Andrew moved back south playing for Middlesex 2nds before making his first class debut in 1998 scoring 83. It was to be two more years before Andrew scored his maiden first class century scoring 111 not out. In these early years he spent his winters learning the game in Australia but more importantly, it was here that he met his future wife, Ruth MacDonald, and they married in October of 2003. They now have two sons, Sam aged five and Luca aged two. His public school upbringing and his education at Durham led to him acquiring the nickname, in cricket circles, of Lord
Brocket, eventually shortened to Brock, although as Andrew himself has reflected, rather gladly, it is now usually just Straussy. Andrew made his test debut in 2004, at Lord's, against New Zealand when Michael Vaughan had to withdraw because of a knee injury. This time England won the match with Andrew scoring 112 in his first innings and 82 in his second. He became only the second English player to score a century on his debut at Lord's. He might have been the first English player ever to score centuries in both innings of his debut had he not been run out by fellow former Durham University student, Nasser Hussain. From here his early successes made him a regular in the England side and his century away from home against South Africa the following year made him only the seventh player in Test Match history to score maiden first class centuries at home and abroad. He also became the fourth
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On 7th January 2009, Andrew was appointed captain of England once again. Despite personally scoring three centuries in the West Indies, he returned to England with a 1-0 series defeat but rectified this by captaining England to a 2-0 series win against the same opposition the following summer in England.
fastest Englishman to 1000 runs, made in only 19 innings. The following year ended with celebrations in Trafalgar Square, as England finally regained the Ashes, with Andrew being the only player in the series to score two centuries and among his six catches, his catch at slip, to dismiss Adam Gilchrist, was described as ‘the abiding memory of the summer.’ In the following winter tour of India, Andrew was given the highest possible accolade in English cricket when awarded the captaincy to cover for Andrew Flintoff who was rested. The following summer, he was made the official England captain and oversaw a convincing 3-0 win over Pakistan. In 2006 a returning Andrew Flintoff, now fit, resumed the captaincy and this coincided with a drop in form for the former Durham student as he was eventually dropped from the Test side in 2007 after 43 consecutive matches. He returned to test cricket in 2008 and scored his highest test score of 177 against New Zealand in an innings that arguably saved his Test career. Later in the summer, he scored a hundred in both innings whilst touring India, making him only the tenth Englishman to score two hundreds in the same test.
This was followed by the greatest challenge of them all as Andrew Strauss captained England against the Australians attempting to counter their last 5-0 whitewash in Australia. A second test victory at Lord's, the first win by England at this venue in an Ashes game since 1934, was based almost entirely on a magnificent first innings of 161 by the captain. England were to eventually win a most enthralling Ashes Series and Andrew was named Man of the Series by the Australian coach, as he averaged an outstanding 52.66 runs. The following year, Andrew captained the side against the South Africans, was rested against Bangladesh and led England to a 3-1 series win against Pakistan in a very controversial summer. This led to the challenge of retaining the Ashes down under. England set the scene for the series with a magnificent recovery at the Gabba where Andrew recorded his 19th Test hundred to help secure an excellent draw. A win and a defeat in the next two tests set the series up for the final two Test Matches. A 159 partnership between Andrew and Alistair Cook at the MCG, in response to Australia’s first innings score of 98, saw Andrew pass 6,000 test runs and move England nearer to an emphatic victory. The final test at the SCG saw our captain once again lead by example as he scored 60 from 58 deliveries as Australia fell to yet another innings defeat for the third time in a magnificent 3-1 series win.
In truth, Andrew is one of the most respected and highly rated cricketers in the world. When dealing with supporters and the media, he is said to always be polite, honest and happy to give of his time. In giving of his time freely, he is president of the Primary Club Juniors, a charity that helps fund blind cricket. In aid of the charity , he played in a game blindfolded but returned to the pavilion after only his second ball. His record speaks for itself. He has nineteen test centuries to his name and six one day international centuries. Whatever he does from here he will forever be one of the greats of the England game. That being said he is first and foremost a family man and whilst reflecting on the Ashes he made the following observation, “Only your family really knows what a toll playing in an Ashes series takes on a player . They are the ones who have to put up with the roller-coaster of emotions, the single mind, the endless phone calls, the lack of sleep. A huge debt of gratitude has to go to Ruth, Sam and Luca, for being there for me and always reminding me of what is really important in life. People often ask me why I wear my wedding ring round my neck when playing. The reason is that it is a constant reminder that I don’t do this on my own.” Vice Chancellor, I present Andrew John Strauss to receive the degree of Doctor of Civil Law honoris causa.
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Where are they now
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Manager for Team Durham
Richard Topham St. Mary’s College, Geography, Career Development Scholar
It was Will Greenwood’s testimonial which prompted us to gather comment, views , interviews and testimonials from our successful Alumni. W e have tried to include as many as we can in this publication. W e hope you enjoy the collection. Alumni Testimonials Will Greenwood (Hatfield, 1994) Rugby World Cup winner Will Greenwood is a regular face commentating on television and he recently had this to say about Durham University:
“If I had to give something back in a Faustian Pact to ensure immortality and I had to choose between returning my world cup medal or having my memory of three years deleted from existence, there is no contest. The medal is in the post. The three greatest years of my life were spent on a rugby field at Durham University.” James Clarke (St. Cuthbert's, 2006) James returned from the 2010 World Rowing Championships in China, winning a silver medal in the GB men’s eight - many congratulations!
“My time at Durham was an absolute pivotal moment in my rowing career. I arrived, having represented GB at junior level but not with any real plans to continue rowing and finally left as a senior member of the GB team and planning to represent GB at the Beijing Olympics. It was the support and coaching I received at DUBC and most importantly from Wade HallCraggs that allowed me to make that step up. I have no doubt that without my time at Durham I wouldn’t have had the clear goals and motivation that allowed me to get where I am in my sport today.”
Dr Paul Hawkins (Grey, 2000) Former Vice-President of the Boat Club and an Honorary Palatinate, is codeveloper and Director of Hawk-Eye – the system that tracks and predicts in three dimensions the trajectory of the ball. He had this to say of Durham:
“My six years at Durham were really important to what has been achieved since – mainly the time out of the lecture room. Will – the address to post your world cup medal to is…..!” Nasser Hussain (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1989) Nasser retired from playing cricket in 2004 and now commentates on Sky Sports. He is widely recognised as one of the best England captains of all time and played in 96 tests and played 334 First Class Matches for Essex. In his autobiography "Playing with Fire", Nasser looked back on his time at Durham stating:
"Everything about my three years in the North-East was great. Everything was right: the people, the place, the atmosphere and the lifestyle...Above all, I had fun."
Phil De Glanville (University, 1990) Former England Rugby Union captain, who also played for and captained a national league and cup winning side at Bath during a twelve year career with them. As well as working with various sporting charities, he assists Sport England as a National Governing Body of Sport Relationship Manager. This position involves the promotion of a number of sports, including Rugby Union and Sailing, helping to boost participation and awareness in the run up to the rapidly approaching London 2012 Olympics. John Stephenson A former DUCCE player and England, Essex and Hampshire cricketer. John is the current Head of Cricket at the MCC in charge of the various MCC playing and touring fixtures, as well as managing the playing facilities at Lord's and supervising the MCC Young Cricketers Programme.
"My three years at Durham were the most enjoyable of my life up until then. It gave me the academic and sporting platform that I needed to succeed in my life."
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Jock Wishart (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1974) A British University Championship medal winner in rowing, canoeing and weight lifting, project leader to the team which broke the Round Britain Powerboat Record in 1989, Jock has rowed across the Atlantic, led the crew which established fifteen new world speed records for powered circumnavigation and captained the team which broke the London Paris rowing record in the CAN Maritime Challenge.
Mark Scholey (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1999) Former Athletic Union President, Mark Scholey, is a VicePresident of Durham University Hockey Club and, having been programme manager on the successful London 2012 London Olympic bid, is now on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as manager in the Commercial Department; the team responsible for raising in excess of £2 billion in commercial funding.
He still holds the record for the only man ever to have walked unsupported to a Pole and rowed across an ocean. Jock is a veteran for the America’ s Cup and a former European Dragon Boat Champion. Jock is currently preparing for his next expedition, Row to the Pole, due to begin August 2011.
Mark also sits on the Team Durham London Steering Group and has been instrumental in raising funds to assist with coaching support for Durham University Hockey Club.
"Above my study desk hangs a picture of youthful Durham men, which I have looked at every day of my life for the last 30 years; now a mixture of headmasters, company directors, the odd millionaire and even a general and all still friends to this day .‘Simply the best, better than all the rest!’ Incidentally I have a frame in our dining room, which contains my UAU medals in rowing, canoeing and weightlifting. I remember all these proud moments". Jonathan Edwards CBE (Van Mildert, 1987) The world recordholder, Olympic and Commonwealth gold medallist triple jumper, who retired from athletics in 2003 as Great Britain's most successful medal winning athlete, has been appointed as a board member for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee.
"I had 3 great years at Durham in an environment which fostered both sporting and academic achievement."
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“Being part of the winning bid team for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will always be the highlight of my professional career but it pales into insignificance when compared to the experience of being a Durham student and Old Boy. Still the origin of so many friends and the inspiration for so many activities ten years after leaving; quite simply the Durham effect continues to shape who I am.” Ollie Phillips (Van Mildert, 2004) The 2009 IRB International Sevens Player of the Year, former England Students, Newcastle Falcons and DURFC player has earned several England Sevens caps and now plays his rugby at Stade France.
"My days tearing around the terrain of the sacred Hollow Drift have to sit right up there as one of the fondest memories of my rugby career. The spirit that is embedded within Durham University is the pure ethos of rugby itself and is the very reason why I still play this great game. Cut me open and I bleed the Palatinate purple. It is the very foundations of my rugby existence and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Thank you DURFC."
Steve Rowbotham (Collingwood, 2003) Olympic bronze medallist in the double scull at Beijing in 2008 is a GB senior rowing squad member. He won two bronze medals this summer at the W ord Cup series events in Munich and Lucerne. Amazingly, Steve joined Durham as a county level tennis player and only learnt to row at Durham. What does Steve have to say about Durham?
“Having never picked up an oar before I arrived at Durham University, eight years later I found myself on the Olympic podium with a bronze medal around my neck. Without Durham and the guidance of Wade Hall-Craggs, I wouldn't have realised my dreams and achieved something truly exceptional.” Lousia Reeve (Hatfield, 2006) Olympic rower, Louisa Reeve, medalled in the World Rowing Cup events this summer in Lucerne, Munich and Bled. Louisa also won this year's GB Rowing Team Senior Trials in the women's pair. Having represented Durham and GB at the World University Rowing Championships in 2006, winning gold, Louisa looks back fondly on her time at Durham:
"Without my time rowing at Durham, I can guarantee that I wouldn't be where I am today. The coaching and facilities available to me allowed me to progress from an unfit, uncoordinated rower to an international silver medallist at U23 level. My three years at Durham also prepared me to join the Great Britain senior rowing team and earn a place in the 2008 Olympic Team." Alex Waddingham (St. Hild and St. Bede, 2010) The former DURFC First Team player and full Palatinate holder, who represented England Students earlier this year in Portugal, has begun the 2010/11 season playing for Sale Jets. The Jets are the Sale Sharks Academy team acting as a development feeder for the main team. The Jets play in the A viva 'A' league against some of the top development sides in the country.
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Steve Easterbrook (St. Chad's, 1985) Steve is a former First Team cricketer whilst at Durham, playing alongside teammates Nasser Hussain and John Stephenson. Steve is currently the President of McDonalds Europe. Steve is a strong advocate of the importance that sport can play in teaching vital social and, particularly, business skills that can lead to success later in life. Steve explains what Durham taught him:
she is working with our W omen’s Hockey Club captain. Elspeth reflects on playing sport at Durham:
"Having the confidence to grab an opportunity when it was presented to me, is what I gained most from my time at Durham University. It was my time playing cricket and being part of the first team that gave me this confidence."
Chris Hollins (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1993) Television presenter, Chris Hollins, is a former Durham University 1st XI cricketer and former President of the Athletics Union. Following spells as a footballer with Queens Park Rangers amongst others, Chris began his television career at Sky Sports in 1994. Having moved around the industry, Chris joined the BBC News team in 1999 and now fronts the BBC Sport Breakfast programme along with other broadcasts. Chris had this to say about Durham:
Sophie Hosking (Trevelyan, 2007) As a Great Britain rower, Sophie has won several medals at Senior World Cup competitions including a gold in Munich and silver in both Bled and Lucerne. Sophie has been rowing for GB since U16 level, progressing through the age groups. At the recent 2011 GB rowing trials, she was the fastest in the lightweight single sculls for the second year running. Sophie had this to say of Durham:
'I can honestly say that if I hadn't gone to Durham I wouldn't now be competing internationally in rowing. Durham, as a collegiate university in a small city, lends itself to letting students study and pursue sporting careers simultaneously. I am, therefore, glad I chose Durham for the sporting experiences I have had, as a result of studying there for three years.' Elspeth Talbot Rice QC (St. Chad's, 1989) Elspeth captained Durham, BUSA and England U21's Women's Lacrosse teams during her time at Durham, as well as rowing for both her College and University, simultaneously. Still playing lacrosse, Elspeth is a qualified barrister, appointed to the Queen's Counsel in 2008. Elspeth is part of the Team Durham Alumni Sports Mentor Scheme and this year
"Sport played an important part in my life when I was at Durham and it continues to play an important part now. I tried then, as I try now , to work hard and play hard....it's probably the last chance you get before work starts in earnest to play as much as you can and to have the time to develop your game and excel at it."
'I've had many great adventures while working on television. Playing tennis against Andy Murray, playing football against Gazza and Beardsley at a packed St James' Park and, oh yes, winning Strictly Come Dancing, but never does a week go by without me thinking about Durham sport: training at Maiden Castle for a big UAU football match or playing cricket on a sunny day at the Racecourse. I had so many giggles and made some great friends. I've still got my Palatinate socks!!'
has continued to pursue his rowing as a record-breaking hobby. Last month he repeated his Atlantic rowing attempt with Team Hallin and successfully broke the world record time. Not stopping there, David now has his eyes set on the Round UK Challenge, looking to beat the 26-day current non-stop row record. David had this to say of Durham:
"Oh happy days, and how very fortunate to be paid by the Royal Navy to attend such a delightful place. Two years of high intensity rowing, followed by single sculling from novice to National Champion in my final year were certainly highlights. But in addition, I met my lovely wife there and I also recall doing a little academic work as well! " Gabby Logan (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1995) Gabby followed her departure from Durham with a move into the media industry, beginning on Metro Radio then to television with Sky Sports and ITV. Gabby currently presents for BBC Sport and has a regular slot on BBC Radio Five Live, as well as writing for the Times newspaper. She had this to say of her time at Durham:
“I had great expectations ahead of my life at Durham and I am delighted to say each and every one was fulfilled. I loved, laughed and lived as I studied and I graduated, obviously knowing a lot more than when I started. But more importantly I made some incredible friends and we shared some wonderful experiences. I would not be where I am today without those three years.”
David Hosking (Grey, 1978) David was a DUBC rower throughout his time at Durham under the supervision of then coach, Eric Halladay. David was contracted to the Navy during his studies as a Sub-Lieutenant, and returned to the Navy full-time following graduation. He credits the improvement in his rowing technique at Durham with his selection for the GB Senior Lightweight VIII, which won gold at the World Championships in 1980. Since then, David has held several senior roles as a Navy Commander. Now retired from the service, David
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Caroline Atkins The first woman to graduate from DUCCE
batting against the spinners and medium pacers. I used to have James Foster wicket-keeping as I struggled to pick the spinners; the bowlers were able to turn the ball much more than in the women’ s game. It was really challenging but pushing myself meant extra gains. The integration with the men’s squad, many of whom were already under county contracts, provided a very focussed atmosphere. I learnt a lot from the lads; it was great being surrounded by so much ambition”.
Caroline Atkins (St. Hild and St. Bede, 2002) is an Ashes-winning England cricketer, who also won the both the World Cup and Twenty20 World Championship in 2009. As the first woman to pass through the Centre of Cricketing Excellence at Durham, Caroline learnt a great deal during her time at Durham. Already an England U17 player before arriving at the University, Caroline had aspirations of representing her country at the top level. “I saw the Centre of Excellence as the top place for me to advance my cricket, far better than anything else I would have experienced elsewhere”. As the first female cricketer to be training with the men, Caroline recalls the initial step up in her training level, “I remember the first training session that we had. I was exhausted and then they told me that was the just the warm-up! But the challenge really accelerated my progression, the training and chance to play more cricket was just brilliant. I spent a lot of time
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The work of Graeme Fowler and the coaching staff at Durham saw Caroline gain selection for the Women’s Senior Squad in 2001 against Australia. The one-to-one sessions with Graeme Fowler were particularly useful, giving her the chance to have video-analysis on her performances as well as learning a whole new range of training habits. “Graeme is a world-class coach”, Caroline explains. Just talking about cricket with those at the Centre provided her with a wider insight into methods of achieving cricketing success. The Centre created a highly motivated community, “I never felt like I didn’t deserve to be there; for me it was an opportunity to learn to be professional in my approach and how to get the best out of myself.” “Durham was definitely the right place for me, I love the place and it gave me a lot of experiences that I won’t forget. Even the grounds are fantastic, so picturesque and both the Racecourse and Maiden Castle are top pitches to play on”. One particular memory for Caroline was when Graeme Fowler gave her the chance to play with the men’s team against Cardiff UCCE, a game that stands out in her time at Durham. Another was all the players running around the pitch following their BUSA victory in her first year, the first time the Durham women’s team had won the title. “I really enjoyed playing for Durham, everything fitted in so well for me there”.
When asked about the women’s game in general and her tips for aspiring female cricketers, Caroline strongly recommends a Centre of Excellence as the place to go. With many county systems yet to catch up in their provision of coaching to the women’s teams, it is only at a Centre like Durham that a professional approach may be found. “Foxy paved the way at Durham,” Caroline says, referring to his invitation to women to integrate into the Centre. It proved to the MCC that women were capable of matching the men’s level of match fitness and were able to seamlessly fit into the set up. She suggests that young cricketers must “find an environment where you are training alongside other talented, ambitious players. You must take all the opportunities that you can”. Whilst other Centre of Excellences have chosen to create a separate women’ s division, Caroline firmly believes that mixing in with the men is where the most gains are to be made, by providing an additional push for improvement. Caroline is currently working for the Cricket Foundation, supported by the ECB, coaching in schools to develop girls’ cricket for the future. In fact, it was through DUCCE that Caroline gained her Level 1 coaching qualification, which she is now putting to good use, supporting the funding of her England career. The scheme was unique in its creation, placing elite-level players truly at the grassroots. W ith the career of an England women’s cricketer still far less supported than the men’s game, it is opportunities like this scheme that allow players like Caroline to continue their careers further. “I gained so much more than a degree from Durham. It was Graeme Fowler’s UCCE that taught me ways to bring professionalism to a non-professional sport. In the space of three years, the rest of my cricket career was shaped. My World Cup Winning Medal wouldn’t be mine if it wasn’t for Durham.”
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Claire Bennett on the Durham Fencing experience
Commonwealth Championship medallist and 2012 Olympic hopeful, Claire Bennett graduated from Hatfield College in 2008. Claire explains how Durham proved to be the right choice for her and her fencing career. When Claire joined Durham as a 1st Y ear language student, she was already competing for Great Britain at Junior level. Claire actually spend part of her Freshers’ W eek at the Junior World Championships, making her introduction to university life a little different to the average Durham student. Whilst fencing was clearly an important part of her life, Claire’s decision to attend university came as part of the desire to experience something more than just fencing in her life. Many top level fencers do not attend university and train full time with their club coaches. Claire describes her decision to come to Durham as “a bit of a risk” for her future with GB fencing but one that has since proven to have been the right choice. “Peter Warburton met with me in my first few days at Durham and the support throughout my time was fantastic." Claire credits the strong support network at Durham, the mentors and staff, as being a great influence on her sporting success. University head coach, Laszlo Jakab, had a huge impact on Claire’s development as a fencer .“Laszlo is a fantastic coach; he taught me that there’ s a responsibility to get the best out of yourself”.
conditioning programmes became an increasingly important part of Claire’s fencing development. It was whilst at Durham that Claire took the time to realise why she was fencing and what it meant to her , and that became a source of great energy and enthusiasm in her training. As assistant team captain at Durham, Claire took huge enjoyment in being part of the team competing on Wednesdays. She credits the experiences at Durham in a team environment with developing pride and loyalty, as part the leadership role in a team, “It definitely helped me to be a better captain at the Commonwealths”. In summer 2010, Claire captained the England Women’s Foil Team to a team gold, as well as achieving an individual bronze herself. Claire said, “I learnt a lot from Team Durham” referring to the strength of the incredible support network that existed around her. “You are only as good as the people around you” and for Claire at Durham that brought her great success. The necessity to balance academic work and her training schedule taught her “how to focus”, and being as much of a self-proclaimed “perfectionist” in her work as well as her training, Claire wasn’t happy unless her academic achievement, matched her athletic progression. Durham offered Claire the opportunity to explore more than the world of fencing; something that she believes has been extremely important in her development as an athlete. Since graduating from Durham, Claire has taking up training as a full-time fencer based at the Lansdown Club in London with the rest of the Great Britain squad. Claire describes the difficulty in competing at the highest level, with such a fine line between winning and losing, so taking confidence in your ability from all the training and preparations is vital. This is a lesson she learnt whilst at Durham, “As long as you went into it with more passion then you knew that if you did
lose, it was never because the other girl wanted it more”. The victory in Australia at the Commonwealth Championships came as a “fantastic reward” for all the hard work the team had put into the event. As captain, Claire had overseen the tactical arrangement of the competition order, as well as competing herself, to ensure the strongest possible formation, where momentum could be gained and maintained through victories over the various rounds. Claire is now looking to London 2012 to be the culmination of all of her efforts so far . “The highest point in my career will be if I reach the Olympics”. Qualification is by no means guaranteed, even as a host athlete, Claire will have to follow the international qualification procedure through, competing this year to reach her Olympic dream in London. If she does reach the Olympics, then who knows what will happen? Claire believes the Olympics is the ultimate competition for the underdog, especially the host, “Rarely does the World Number 1 win the Olympic gold”. In the long term, after fencing, Claire looks forward to pursuing a career in journalism, having already begun writing for the Daily Telegraph, as one of their featured Olympic hopefuls. Come 2012, we hope to be reading a lot more about Claire Bennett and wish her the best of luck from all at Team Durham. “I left Durham University with an overwhelming feeling of pride. Pride in my university, in my team mates, and in the good friends that I made there. Durham instilled in me a feeling of determination to never do less than my best. Be the best that you can be. Loyalty and pride is at the very heart of Team Durham. It is the support that I received at Durham, and the personal commitment to excellence instilled in me that has helped me develop as an athlete and which hopefully will help me qualify for 2012. You can take the girl away from Durham, but you can’t take Durham out of the girl!” Claire Bennett, 2010
Training three to four times a week, Claire found the discipline in how she approached her training to be vital in ensuring her progression. Getting up early for pre-lecture fitness sessions with conditioning coach, Cameron Henderson, was a reflection of Claire’s drive to succeed. “Cameron took me under his wing”, as the strength and
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Will Smith
Durham, a hot-bed of cricketing talent
County cricketer, Will Smith (Collingwood, 2005), has previously captained both Durham and British University sides and led his current team Durham CCC the County Championship title. Reflecting on his time in the University side, Will explains that the Centre of Excellence, set-up with Graeme Fowler at the helm, is ideal for creating cricketers that can compete at the top level. Before joining Durham, Will was contracted at Nottinghamshire before starting the University, having been playing for them during school summer holidays, working around his academic commitments. His first visit to Durham came in an England U18 fixture played at the Racecourse; it was here that he was introduced to Durham head coach, Graeme Fowler. Cricket was the reason for Durham as Will’s top university destination, “It just sounded fantastic to me." In his first year , the team won the BUCS One-Day Cup and in Will’s final year, his second as captain, the side reached the finals at Lord's. Sadly for Will, he missed out on the game, instead selected to play for Nottinghamshire in a Twenty20 match the same day. Playing at Durham provided great enjoyment and a different style of cricketing experience for Will. With
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sessions with Graeme ‘Foxy’ Fowler four or five times a week, as well as 6am running over the winter, there was something cricket-related happening almost every day for W ill. “Foxy’s great with young cricketers, recognising a player’s willingness to learn." The development experience was individually centred, with players needing to find out what things worked well for them, using a self-driven approach to fitness. But it was the pre-season work that really created a strong team bond, “By the time the season started we were all great mates." The valuable lesson of gaining awareness of those around you in the team is, W ill says, an important one. “It’s one that you have to experience in order to enhance those skills, learning how to deal with people, within a team.” “I immensely enjoyed my two years as captain." Will played with a strong side, many of whom went on to join W ill, playing county cricket. David Balcombe plays at Hampshire, Rob Ferley at Kent, James Foster and Tim Phillips at Essex, also David Brown currently with Glamorgan, whilst Alex Loudon had played for England before his retirement into the business world. It was a match alongside Alasdair Maiden that W ill recalls as a highlight of his University playing career. A first-class match against Somerset saw the county side put on nearly 600 in the first day, which Will refers to as “a toughening experience (!)”, but Durham came out fighting. The partnership of Smith (156) and Maiden (211*) led Durham to their highest ever first-class score of 433 before the match was drawn. Alasdair is now an assistant coach at the Durham CCC Academy. During his time playing for the British Universities side, Will was fortunate enough to be involved in two tours to South Africa and play alongside other emerging county cricketers like Monty Panesar, but it was Durham that gave W ill “the ideal preparation for the professional set up." Will’s highly positive memories of the North East aided him settling into
Durham CCC when he moved to the club in 2006. Durham means a lot to W ill, not just because of the familiar surroundings but also the people found there. W ill explains how he is still in touch with Graeme Fowler,“I know Foxy is always there, I trust him implicitly; his thoughts on the game are second to none." Seeing players from the University enter the county system is something W ill always looks out for. Mentioning Greg Smith’s “brilliant season at Leicestershire,” he proclaims that “counties should be looking to Durham”. Will’s advice for current students? “If you want to succeed it’s up to you to motivate yourself to get the best out of everything”. 'I am quite certain that without those three years at Durham University, I would not be the person I am today . You'd have to ask those close to me if that's good or bad! It has shaped me, provided otherwise unlikely opportunities, brought me trusted life-long friends, and most of all taught me how to be me.'
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Graeme Fowler
The Creator of the Durham Centre of Cricketing Excellence go to university and play cricket to a high standard. It’s a simple idea that works”. Since its birth in 1996, the Centre has produced forty nine first-class cricketers, including three England players (Andrew Strauss, James Foster and Alex Loudon) and five county captains (Andrew Strauss, Ben Hutton, Luke Sutton, Mark Chilton and Will Smith). Caroline Atkins and Holly Colvin are two examples of the progression that has also been made in the women’ s side of the game through the Centre.
Former England international and county cricketer, Graeme Fowler (St. Hild and St. Bede, 1978) is Durham’s head cricket coach. Following a highly successful fifteen year career at Lancashire and a 21 Test spell with England, Graeme retired from playing in 1994. He has since pioneered the advancement of university cricket following the creation of the Centre of Excellence at Durham. The Centre remains at the forefront of university cricket, with top quality coaching and players' support, leading to the production of an increasing number of first-class cricketing graduates. Graeme explains the theory behind the programme’s success. Upon retiring from professional cricket, Graeme knew that he wanted to remain in the cricket world. Starting with summer camps, he aimed to establish something more permanent with a fixed base. As a Durham graduate, he decided to approach the University and found the ideal facilities to start his coaching centre. “When I was 18 I had the choice to play cricket or to go to university; I wanted to produce something that could improve both a player’s cricket and education”. He began the Centre of Excellence at Durham, as part of a three-year pilot scheme, “It gives lads a choice: they can
“My philosophy is that you have to know the person in order to coach them. Y ou need to know who you’re dealing with in order to get the best out of them." Graeme proclaims the benefits of a far more personal set-up, based on individual interaction with players, “The Centre is all about the people." Part of this process is instilling in the players a selfresponsibility for their own progression, “If I do my job properly then they will know how to coach themselves- I won’t be there in the middle with them." It is the understanding of what personal improvement is necessary and what is required of each member of the team that, Graeme believes, creates the ideal situation for achieving success. “We hold seminars on goal setting, to get people thinking about what their role is; very few players can rely on pure ability." Graeme sees Durham as the perfect setting for a player’s development, “The collegiate setup creates a community and I like that; it allows people to learn and grow. The two Durham pitches are fantastic." Graeme refers to various appraisals of the grounds in Durham, with the Racecourse having previously been rated as one of the top ten in the world; indeed, Alan Border is said to have named the Racecourse as the best pitch he played on in England. The students in the Centre receive twenty hours contact time a week in the winter off-season: a luxury that is simply unfeasible in most other coaching settings. Graeme devised a series of tests to record player improvements in order to
illustrate to the MCC what the Centre was achieving. These tests were soon recommended by the MCC for all Centres; Durham is an innovator, with the county set-up way behind. The programme has filled out from the skeleton model that Graeme had distributed for all Centres of Excellence, “It’s unrecognisable compared to the start. We never had Andrew Strauss up running at 6:30!” The organisation is highly player-focussed, making them make their own choices. “The more they put in, the more they get out." Things were much different when Graeme was playing. He recalls his England career when the team had no manager or even team tracksuits. At the World Cup in 1983 in England, all the teams were presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace and Graeme remembers how every other team had matching blazers whilst the England players were wearing their suits from home. “The Queen was not impressed!" With no more than a handshake for his Man of the Match award during the World Cup, things have moved on a lot since then, compared to the side that Andrew Strauss now leads. Graeme explains that it has been his generation of players that have been at the heart of the changes since, wanting to make a difference to the way the game is run. He is a key example of this. The Durham model was soon adopted by the MCC as the prescribed construction for the further five Centres of Excellence that have been developed since 2000. “Durham produces bright lads, who are ready to become professionals. There’s not a better system out there; even most county academies fail to work as well." "I love it! I was asked a few years ago if I wanted to run a County, and I said, 'What, and give this up? No chance!' The Centre of Excellence is about the people and that's what makes it work so well. Players have an opportunity at Durham to learn and grow and that is what is so great about it!"
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Rob Vickers The Durham Rugby Experience
Whilst at Durham, Rob gained selection for both the England Students and England Universities representative sides. He explains how the opportunities this presented were another test for him to work towards, playing against six-nations sides both home and away. This travelling and level of provision was, for Rob, “a snippet of being a professional player”.
Rob (Van Mildert 2004) joined Durham after a successful schoolboy playing career, and university became the next step on the ladder for his rugby progression. Since then he has moved through club rugby to playing professionally with Newcastle Falcons and 2010 saw Rob represent the England Saxons. Rob explains the influence of Durham in his ascension in the game. It was Director of Sport, Dr Peter Warburton who first sold Durham to Rob, seeing him join in 2000. At the time, the Rugby Club was very much student led, with Ted Wood just returning as part-time coach; nonetheless a serious attitude was maintained. In Rob’s first year the 2nd Team reached the finals and in 2004, as Rob began his Masters Degree in Management, the 1st Team defeated Exeter to win BUSA at Twickenham. This remains a highlight of Rob’s time at Durham, having previously lost at Twickenham in the Daily Mail Cup final at school; it was good to get back there with a win. “It was a top match at Twickenham and we had a few thousand fans down with us; a cracking victory ." That season was followed up with an “awesome” three-week tour of South Africa, again a hugely enjoyable university experience for Rob.
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Following conversations with Dr Warburton about his future and still holding a love of the city, Rob became part of the strength and conditioning team, whilst completing his Masters studies. “Durham is an infectious place, after the first few weeks you fall in love with the place. The set up is really good; there’s a nice blend of people here and mixed with high quality sport and coaching, that gives you a very strong mix." Rob held a key role within the strength and conditioning team, working with Cameron Henderson and mentoring Jon Boyle, as a current strength and conditioning coach. Rob spent three years playing club rugby with Harrogate. This was another chance to raise his game, with a different intensity of play and again a swift learning curve playing alongside and against ex-pros, on a weekly basis. During his second year with the club, he joined the Newcastle Academy and was soon offered a contract. This all came as “a bit of shock” to Rob, never having imagined his rugby career taking off as it did. 2010 saw Rob named as Newcastle Falcons Player of the Season and gain a call-up to the England Saxons team. This was following what Rob modestly calls, “a reasonable season”, part of “a nice unexpected year”. He spent three weeks on tour last summer with the England Saxons in Denver and New York. Upon his return and the start of the 2010/11 season, Rob was named stand-in captain of the Falcons' side. This was an honour humbly accepted as a flattering
opportunity to lead out a team consisting of some world-class players. Rob describes a professional progression as a series of further challenges, forcing athletes to step up and “engage as a player”, in order to cope at the next level. Sadly for Rob, his season was dealt a cruel blow soon after taking on the captaincy, as a broken leg ruled him out for several weeks. Returning focus to Durham, Rob has predicted success for the team this year under the new regime of Alex Keay . Recognising the fresh professional-style approach, Rob believes that the players will respond well and work into the programme for further progression this season. “Rugby players tend to be hard with each other. You must learn to toughen up and understand how to interact with other players," Rob counsels. Still with a close interest in the fortunes of Durham sport, Rob emphasises his “respect and admiration for Peter (Warburton)," and awaits with interest the future of this “exciting period in Durham sport”.
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Gavin Featherstone Then and Now
Gavin holds a cynical view of politics interfering with sport. Aged just twenty six, Gavin’s hockey playing career came to an end following a car crash that severely damaged his knee. He was told that it could no longer support the training regime of a professional athlete.
Gavin Featherstone (Hatfield, 1975), head coach of Durham University Hockey Club is a well known figure in the hockey community. His path back to Durham, having originally been a student here, has not been a straight one. With Olympic successes and involvement in artificial turf innovation, Gavin has combined many career paths into his own original route to the present day . Growing up in a working-class area of London, Gavin describes the rise of British sporting culture at the time centred around the 1966 football World Cup victory. “It was the first time that people saw the possibility for having a career in sport”. At a young age, Gavin was a talented footballer, playing for Manchester United at fourteen before taking an apprenticeship with Chelsea, aged sixteen. His weekends were spent playing football for Chelsea on the Saturday, hockey in the afternoon and Sunday-league football the following day. Gavin’s football career ended sharply when he was told that it could not continue if he chose to go to university. Deciding to attend Durham, Gavin focussed on his hockey, having already been playing at county level he represented the British Universities side in his first year. Playing 1st Team hockey for his first two years at Durham, he took his third off, taking on the role of AU President instead, a nonsabbatical position at the time. The state of international relations at the time meant that Great Britain did not field a team at the 1976 or 1980 Olympics, preventing Gavin from what turned out to be his only chance to play at the Olympics. “I was denied my ambition by politics."
It was at this point that Gavin became a full-time coach, having already spent four years coaching at his old school during his international career. He undertook a series of three to four month contracts travelling around the world with placements in Malaysia, Pakistan, India, New Zealand and South Africa. This eventually led him to become men’s head coach of the USA team, allowing him at last to attend an Olympic Games. This made him the youngest coach ever to take a team to the Olympics; even two of his squad members were older. It was the hundred and twenty matches coached with Team USA that Gavin describes as “the bedrock” of his coaching career. The American approach to coaching was, he found, a step ahead in terms of the technology and support available. Gavin enjoyed the luxury of a vast budget, allowing him to fly around the country recruiting the best players. His three years spent living in California, he describes as “heaven”. Under his guidance, the US Hockey Junior Programme was created, involving over two thousand children, providing a base of players that would supply the team with home-grown talent for years to come. The provision of technology in America introduced Gavin to video analysis and the use of footage in coaching. Gavin went on to produce twenty hockey coaching films between 1986 and 2006, selling tens of thousands of copies worldwide. The advances in coaching techniques were carried with Gavin throughout his career. His next step was back to Oxford, where he had already earned a Blue from his postgraduate study there, then coaching the side to four consecutive Varsity victories. A link from there put him in touch with the South African set up, where he coached their team to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. During this time, Gavin selected the first non-white player in post-apartheid South Africa. As part of the sporting resurgence back into the global stage, the team reached eighth in the World: their highest ever position at the time.
The Games in Atlanta saw Gavin approached by Astroturf, who are based in Georgia. They asked for his help in the development of artificial surfaces. It was this experience that first caused Gavin to be reconnected with Durham, when Dr Peter Warburton contacted him asking for advice on which pitches to install at Maiden Castle. Having returned to England to coach the national U21 sides, taking them to their highest ranking at the time, Gavin became head coach at Durham in 2005. “I knew it wasn’t enough to have top facilities to create a top quality hockey programme. I took the opportunity to create a university set-up that would be enviable across the country”. Durham is now one of the top three clubs in the country. This is largely due to the balance in strength across the men’s and women’s sectors of the club, with both racing up the National League hierarchy and achieving BUCS successes. “I wanted to produce an ethos of top quality at 1st Team level, and with the programmes at Durham like the Summer Sixes, our recruitment is secondto-none”. Just as the students have responded to the increased intensity in the programme, the Alumni support of the club has been instrumental in supporting their success. With a far greater Alumni support base than many other universities, the Alumni remain a key part of the club’ s achievements, “It is an important connection to maintain”. Gavin feels that his attachment to Durham “is more than just a coaching one," indeed, it is this extra attachment to the role that he believes gives it “the edge” compared to his previous roles. DUHC is embarking on an exciting new era, producing and attracting more and more representative players. “The support system within Team Durham is an important part of supporting this, as is the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Scheme, which has allowed some top young athletes to be attracted to Durham”. W ith the prospect of playing in the National League Premiership a distinct possibility, Durham hockey faces further challenges ahead. Playing twice a week at the top level, the athletes take on some of the best competition available, driving their progression and the standards of the club continue to rise.
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Lee Daggett
on Durham as the shop-window for county selectors Dan Lewis and coaching with Simon Brown, Lee received a great deal of support. “If it wasn’t for Graeme Fowler and his team at Durham, I wouldn’t be where I am today."
County cricketer, Lee Daggett, joined Durham in 2003 to become part of what he believes is “the best Cricketing Centre of Excellence in the country”. Now playing for Northamptonshire, Lee looks back on how DUCCE prepared him for a career in county cricket. Upon joining Durham, Lee was amazed by the support structure which was in place. It was from head coach, Graeme ‘Foxy’ Fowler, that Lee learnt most during his student years. “Foxy took me under his wing”. Lee gained a great deal of self confidence, giving him a mental belief in his own ability. It was the approach of the DUCCE coaching that Lee believes was the key to its success. The attention given is individualised to each player, with focussed training sessions that give a clear structure with targeted development. Able to interact with staff throughout Team Durham, from Dr Peter W arburton,
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With Durham as a Centre of Excellence, the club receives a great deal of attention from the county cricket clubs, interested in the high quality players that Durham produces. Talent scouts frequently watched Lee’s University matches, often approaching non-contracted students offering the chance to play in county 2nd Team matches at weekends during the season. The 1st class fixtures in particular are a fantastic opportunity for players to exhibit their talent under the eyes of county coaches. Lee explains how “pitting yourself against the best in the country” is one of the best things about playing cricket at Durham." It was a performance against Durham CCC when Lee took 8-94 in one innings that “put me in the shop window”. Lee explains that Durham holds “such stature against other universities” that the programme is highly attractive to County clubs. The training schedule at Durham is according to Lee “a brilliant preparation for the transition to professional cricket”, such is the intensity and thorough nature of the off-season work. In particular, he highlights the fitness work as comparable, if not surpassing that, of the work done at the majority of county cricket clubs. Named Team Durham Sportsman of the Year 2004, Lee also represented the British Universities during his time at Durham. Following an impressive season
in 2005, he was approached by Warwickshire upon graduating. Lee has been with Northamptonshire since 2009 and is also currently completing a degree in Physiotherapy, due to graduate later this year. “I can’t think of anything in my life that I look back at more fondly than my time at Durham. Although a Stocktonite at heart, Durham and the North East seem like a second home to me and whenever I am at the Racecourse it always takes me back to the days when exams were finished and the bank was packed full of people cheering the boys on! Simple really --three of the best years of my life!”
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Jamie Cachia On the Hockey Experience
far to be overlooked right when it mattered the most. This has, however, only sparked further his desire to be the best. “Scotland is a huge part of who I am” he tells me, reflecting his pride and that of his family at his selection to represent his country. Jamie is now looking towards next year’s European Championships in the Ukraine and hopes to be Scotland’s first choice keeper by 2014 when the Commonwealth Games come to Glasgow.
Within minutes of speaking to Jamie Cachia it’s hard not to notice his remarkably focussed mindset. He is a man with a plan, an ambitious plan, and one he is 100% committed to achieving. Preparations for the Commonwealth Games took over the previous eight months of Jamie’s life. Surviving squad trials where the numbers were whittled down steadily to the last eighteen meant hockey becoming a full time occupation. Over the course of the preparations a mixture of technical practise, gym sessions and even judo meant a lot of hard work. Out of the entire squad, Jamie made the most physical gains from his time in the gym, reflecting his unrelenting desire to improve. In the end a lastminute decision change by the coach meant that Jamie was not included in the final sixteen that remained for the duration of the tournament and Jamie flew home a week into his Delhi experience. It was extremely hard to take, having worked so hard and progressed so
Having just begun a Masters Degree in Education and a teaching job at Durham School, Jamie is continuing to push himself. “I love a challenge”, he responds to my question about how he’s finding teaching; he thrives on the scope for improvement and success. Jamie is still playing and training with the Hockey Club, following on from his undergraduate spell as 1st Team goalkeeper. With world-class facilities like Durham’s and an international playing standard to maintain, Jamie is training as hard as ever in spite of his studying and job commitments. Talking about the sporting set up at T eam Durham, Jamie felt extremely lucky to be at an institution where sport is taken so seriously and is so well supported. “Durham showed me the opportunity and I chose to take it," he said, referring to the continuation and acceleration of his hockey career at an increasingly competitive level. Encouraged by DUHC coaches, Gavin Featherstone and Dave Miller, Jamie continued to excel and following his call up to the Scotland senior squad, was awarded the Durham University Sportsman of the Year for the 2008/9 season. Speaking about the award, Jamie expressed his surprise and pride at
receiving it given the number of Durham athletes who were also achieving great things elsewhere in the sporting world. The Hockey Club provided an atmosphere focussed on success and constant progression and Jamie is a credit to that. This spirit is carried on in the club today . Jamie predicts another strong year for the club with a number of promising players looking to gain international representative honours following in his footsteps. “I’m one of those people that if you put a lot into me then you’ll get a lot out of me”; Durham was one of those inputs. Jamie is now happy to give back as much as he can, helping out developing the Hockey Club’s goalkeepers and, of course, giving it his all on the pitch. After a fascinating conversation, including tales of the excitement of the Commonwealth Games, top quality food, accommodation and facilities contrasted with the visible poverty and apparent security risks in Delhi, I feel I’ve learned a lot. Not just about Jamie and his personal story, but about the psychology of a sportsman competing on the world stage, wanting to face the best, wanting to be the best and the commitment to give it everything to try and get there. It’ s a conversation I think many aspiring Durham athletes would benefit from; the lessons in how to go about achieving your full potential comes through in how you approach your goal and what you’re willing to put in to achieve it. “Of course I want to be best, so I will try my hardest to make sure I get as close as I can. Then I know that if I don’t make it wasn’t because I didn’t try enough, I couldn’t have done any more.”
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Kira Roberts
on Durham Fencing: A Student’s Perspective Durham was going to be demanding! I had decided not to pursue the traditional Olympic pathway and instead go to university to embark on my own route to improving my fencing; it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.
Arriving in Durham was initially intimidating; it was top of the league table for my subject, English, and also one of the most successful universities in the BUCS leagues. I knew that
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Durham has been crucial to improve my fencing skills. This is largely due to the coaching and support from the commanding Laszlo Jakob, the friendly Beth Davidson, and jolly Chris Farren, as well as the space and time that fencing is allowed within the University. This showed in my first year when I topped the Junior National Rankings by following the help of a new practice regime. This consisted of two lessons, two training sessions and two or three strength and conditioning sessions each week. My qualification for the University World Games in Belgrade soon followed, along with victories at both the Junior Commonwealths and BUCS Individual Championships. Durham has always been central in building up my confidence, fitness and technical ability on the piste and in the gym. I have at last perfected my bar lifting techniques under the guidance of Darran Fowler and the rest of the strength and conditioning team.
Fencing is an expensive sport, but a V iceChancellors Scholarship has enabled me to afford training and competitions, allowing me to progress to compete at the highest levels. Through the scheme I was introduced to athletes like GB rower, Sarah Cowburn. We compared experiences and difficulties and that has helped me to look at how I can improve my own training and practices. Furthermore the A ward has provided me with help and support from various Team Durham mentors, who are always willing to listen and offer advice. At Durham I have had to work hard but have never been worked to the bone; help has always been there when I have needed it. Peter Warburton has been especially helpful and always on hand to offer assistance. As a result I have never struggled, only improved. I am currently competing at Senior GB International level, having been to the 2010 Senior Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and winning various domestic titles and the BUCS individual title again in-between. I am focusing on qualification for the next European Championships and then hopefully World Championships and Olympics in 2012 or 2016.
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Loren Sherer On the Hockey Experience
Loren Sherer (St. Hild and St. Bede, 2009) graduated from Durham having won BUSA and National League titles as well as gaining England selection. Having been introduced to Durham when she played at Maiden Castle in an England U18 match against Germany, Loren’s chance to view the facilities and meet Durham’s head coach, Gavin Featherstone, was a fantastic first impression. Joining the University, Loren found herself made very welcome by the senior players
in the 1st Team, as she went straight into a very successful season for the club, gaining league promotion. The training programme at Durham was more than enough to satisfy the requirements of the England selectors. “There was a really great set-up at Durham, with the training and fitness sessions, it was a great place to be playing." The opportunity to play club fixtures at the weekends as well as the University championships on Wednesdays, really appealed to Loren, as a setting in which her playing could be kept up to the highest possible standards. Team Durham offered financial support to allow Loren to attend the weekend practices with the England squad, “I’m so grateful for all the support I received from Durham, everyone was so helpful!” It was the support of staff at Durham that facilitated the continuation of both Loren’s university and international careers. An atmosphere of professional training attitudes allows Durham’s players to succeed at all levels of competition; a proven record that has continued since. “It was the highest quality that I could have asked for, I am very grateful for the opportunities that Durham provided me with." It was a tour with the Durham squad to the USA that provided Loren with the opening to her next move to a Masters
study at the University of Connecticut. Upon leaving Durham, Loren successfully gained selection for the England U21 squad for the World Championships in Boston. “All the hard work I’d put in playing at Durham had all been worthwhile to make the England squad." The England team achieved an all-time highest positioning, finishing fourth overall at the end of the two-week tournament. At the end of the Boston Championships, Loren travelled straight to Connecticut to begin her studies. The following college season saw the Durham-star finish as UConn’s top goal-scorer, gaining an All-American ranking. Now coaching at Felsted School, Loren is happy to have found a career that she can really enjoy. “I learnt so much from being coached by Gavin at Durham. I’d recommend the Durham experience to anyone so I’m always very positive about it to my classes." "Durham has mastered the art of creating an environment in which athletes are able to reach their full potential. DUHC played a huge part in making my three years at Durham incredibly special and I will always be extremely grateful to Team Durham for the expertise and guidance I received throughout."
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Sporting Alumni – Where are they now
Mark Ware on Sport in Education
a team’s structure develops with individuals having different strengths and weaknesses that are utilised as part of their position within the team. Being a reliable team-member, committed to practising with your teammates is, he says, “an important life value”.
As a keen sportsman and father of three, sport-enthusiast children, Mark Ware (Hatfield, 1979) is an avid supporter of the exposure to sporting activities as part of the education system. He explains his views that “sport is a critical part of the educational mix”, providing multiple benefits beyond a merely physical gain. Sport, he says, by drawing children into social interaction away from the classroom,” instils some important values: commitment, self discipline and time management." Mark feels that sport adds to the learning experience, it “improves ones energy, concentration and general well being," adding to the personal development of pupils throughout their studies. As well as building self-esteem through social experiences, Mark believes that “like a balanced diet, sport is part of a balanced lifestyle." Especially with team sports, Mark feels that the experience of being part of an inter-dependent unit teaches the need to appreciate and recognise how
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Reflecting on his own sporting career whilst at Durham, Mark has fond memories of his university experience, “It was a huge amount of fun”. Mark played college rugby at Hatfield and 3rd Team rugby for the University as well as being captain of the University cricket 2nd XI. He praises the university sports system as a brilliant opportunity to play with some top-class athletes and as something he looks back on with extreme pride. Mark praises the university for the vast number of sports available at all levels, crediting that with the “fantastic participation” numbers that give Durham a “unique” sporting quality. Indeed Mark’s significant involvement in Durham sport meant that for him, if he wasn’t playing rugby on a Saturday, “It wasn’t right. The weekend didn’t start until after rugby”. The university sport experience, Mark highlights, is a much more self-driven pastime. It comes with the recognition that you have to train and fully commit in order to get selected; it “forces you to take care of yourself”. It is that personal choice and commitment that produces the quality and cohesion of the successful Durham teams. When asked what advice he would give to current sporting students at Durham, Mark responded that they should value the exposure to top quality facilities, coaching, support and the sheer variety of what is offered. It is he explains, "An opportunity you won’t get anywhere else; it would be almost criminal not to take up the opportunities available, or at least give something a go”.
Personal highlights from Mark’s time at Durham include a 140 run opening stand with current head cricket coach, Graeme Fowler, in which he recalls Graeme scored about a 110 of them, but “it was great watching from the other end!” A separate memorable cricketing fixture for Mark, for the wrong reasons, was a loss to Exeter when he was honoured with the 2nd Team captaincy, recording their historical first defeat of the season. W ith rugby, a painful weekend spent in Hartlepool hospital with a broken jaw, as well as a “hugely fun” long weekend in Dublin with the Hatfield rugby team, are two memories that stand out. In his own family, participation in team sports has been encouraged and always supported as Mark witnesses their “huge enjoyment gained from feeling part of a team”. As a result sport has become an important family activity, indeed “I would rather watch my boys play rugby than England at Twickenham” Mark said. With two rugby-playing boys and a daughter currently at Durham enjoying the variety of sports on offer, Durham has stood out as an example of how academic achievement can earn you access to university. “Durham leads by example; it’s a truly unique environment.” Mark has remained in close contact with the university, as well as by supporting his daughter, Mark offers his help to Team Durham through the Alumni Sports Mentors Scheme. Steve Winship, the current Men’s captain of the Boat Club is Mark’s student mentee, and as a leader Mark voices the importance of taking full advantage of the opportunities but not trying to do it all alone; a healthy balance leads to overall success.
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Student Thoughts
Students’ Thoughts on Durham
Alex Aljoe: When looking at universities, Durham stood out as the place where I would be able to fulfil my potential in all areas. The fact that Durham undoubtedly has the best university lacrosse training programme in the country, coupled with academic strength in the course I wanted to do, made it my obvious first choice. Nothing has disappointed! Durham University is everything that I imagined it to be; world-class lacrosse in a beautiful city with great team mates. The excellent coaching I have had in Durham has been an invaluable aid with my England training for the U19 World Cup and I am very lucky to have had continual support and extra training sessions with coach, Jess Adam. Her experience, talent and extensive knowledge have been hugely beneficial, as have the fitness sessions with Cameron Henderson, and the strength and conditioning sessions with Jon Boyle. Balancing my work, sport and social life has required strict time management, especially because I have also been training in London every other weekend with the U19 squad. Nevertheless, I truly enjoy every aspect of life at Durham and cannot imagine myself anywhere else. There have been countless high points so far but nothing that beats being part of the team that won the BUCS Women’s Lacrosse Championship 2011! What a year! Cherry Seaborn: I chose to come to Durham as it not only offers academic excellence but also opportunities to excel and train in my sport to a high level. It has been a long, hard season but I have thoroughly enjoyed training, playing and being coached at such a high standard and having made so many friends through the Hockey Club. Since coming to Durham I have been able to continue to play national league hockey but have also had the opportunity to compete in the BUCS league. Competing in both of these leagues means I have been able to play high level hockey twice weekly.
The coaches and the players support each other as a team; everyone is key to each other’s progression. I am only in my first year at Durham but I already love my course and feel it will set me up well for the career path I choose. Balancing work, sport and social life isn’t difficult, if I stay organised and take advantage of rest periods. Time management is essential to get the balance and this I feel will benefit me in the future. Holly Colvin: Choosing your university only half way into your A-level course is no mean feat, however I found that Durham stood out for me. It had the course I wanted to do whilst providing excellent support for my cricket. I have now been a member of Durham UCCE for one and a half years, being the only girl last year and one of two this year. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far mostly due to the fact that I have been so welcomed into a tightly knit squad of boys. The women's side is thriving this year with more members than ever and our Indoor 6aside team reaching the National Finals, only losing to the eventual winners. I have also been fortunate enough to play international cricket outside of the University, having been a member of the England Senior Women Twenty20 World Cup squad last May and this Winter I was part of the Women's Ashes squad that toured Australia. Going away at crucial times, such as just before the exam period, hasn't been easy, but the support of the University in both the academic and sport departments have helped so much to make my travelling possible. The hard work is definitely worth it!
Richard Topham St. Mary’s College, Geography, Career Development Scholar
Sophie Clough: One of the main reasons I was attracted to Durham was the high standard of hockey played here. The quality of coaching, coupled with playing in one of the top teams in the EHL, has considerably improved my level of fitness and all round standard of play. I already represent Wales at U21 level, and with the continued support of the University I am aiming to be selected for the W elsh senior team, and ultimately represent my country at the Commonwealth Games. I have also been the very fortunate recipient of a Vice-Chancellor’s scholarship, which has enabled me to fund the equipment and travel necessary to continue to play hockey at this level. Balancing my work/sport/social life is clearly important and the support and mentoring offered by Team Durham is always on hand to assist with this. Jo Fitzsimons: Team Durham and the ViceChancellor's scholarship I received to support my rowing whilst at Durham, have enabled me to balance university life and allowed me to compete at a high level. The support system at Durham, including rowing coaching staff, strength and conditioning coaches, sports mentors, and physiotherapists has not only helped me develop as an athlete but it has given me the platform to perform. It helps students recover more quickly from injury and illness and be successful academically, alongside sport. Next year, I hope to be able to stay at Durham to do a PGCE and I aspire to be selected for the U23 World Rowing Championships.
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Student Thoughts
Students’ Thoughts on Durham
Alex Czerniewski: I chose Durham because I felt it offered an excellent combination of academic and sporting prowess whilst also being a great place to live for three years. I really liked the idea of being part of a college within university, so Durham ticked all the boxes. I found the first term slightly difficult whilst trying to settle in and balance demanding sporting commitments with meeting people in college and working. However, the second term has been much easier, now that I am into a routine and find things much more manageable. This has allowed me to enjoy every aspect of University much more. As part of the Men’s 1st XI, we have won the BUCS Northern Premiership, and gained a silver medal in the BUCS national finals. We are also currently top of the Men’s National North Conference, with potential for playoffs to qualify for the National Premiership. Individually, I am currently involved in preliminary trials for England U21s attending fitness, strength and conditioning days, and have 40 junior international caps to date. Durham has provided me with the ideal environment to play high level hockey, whilst also studying a very good degree course and enjoying every part of university and college life. I have learned to plan ahead in order to meet deadlines and balance many different commitments effectively. Durham has certainly helped me to be organised and efficient and this will be invaluable in the future, both in the workplace and in life in general. I have mentioned the work and sport balance and getting this right is helped greatly by my mentor, Dr Peter Warburton, who will help in any situations where there may be clashes.
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
The mentor process also ensures that the high demands of sport at the University don’t take priority over academic performance and this is crucial to making life enjoyable. The 1st XI have a great team of coaches, physiotherapists, strength and conditioning coaches and video analysts, who all contribute to making our team so successful; being part of this set-up is a great experience. Luke Blackaby Durham University is a traditional university set in a fantastic city and one which is highly regarded as a great place to study. However, one of the major reasons for coming to this university was it being a Centre of Excellence for cricket, with great facilities and high quality coaching available. The chance of playing first class cricket matches and testing myself against some of the best players in the country was appealing and an opportunity which I felt would only improve my game. Another factor which affected my decision to come to Durham was the amount of high profile players who have played for Durham University and have gone on to represent their county and country at a professional level. Chris Jones I was aware of the UCCE system and that Durham was part of it. Of course, I was also aware that Durham had several well-known cricketers, such as Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain as Alumni. It was also highly regarded for my choice of degree, Economics, and having visited the city a couple of times I had fallen in love with its winding streets and beautiful vistas.
Rishabh Shah Having the opportunity to improve my skills and get the chance to play first class cricket whilst getting a degree sounded fantastic. After having spoken to some students who had loved their time at Durham and had told me that there was lots of serious training, compelled me to apply! It was an easy choice for me. Durham has a great academic and sporting reputation which helped make my decision. Rory Gribbel I not only chose to come to Durham because of its world class academic status, but also because I hoped that I would be given the opportunity of improving my cricket as much as I could. Because I live in France, I haven’t had such opportunities before. I am absolutely determined to make the most of my skill, and with the support of the MCC academy and its coaching staff, I hope to start playing first class cricket as soon as possible.
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Friends of Durham Sport Accounts
SUMMARY
INCOME&EXPENDITURE ROWING - Eric Halladay Memorial Fund
CRICKET
GIFTS AND REVENUE
GIFTS AND REVENUE As of July 10 131,774.63
As of July 11 128,967.34
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest Endowment Interest
2009/10 3,273.00 143.00 5,332.63 13,700.00 5.00 6,078.74 660.34 0.00
2010/11 2,633.00 68.00 4,180.50 420.00 0.00 1,898.63 512.87 4,660.00
Total Gifts & Revenue
29,192.71
14,373.00
Starting Balance
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Boat purchase
32,000.00 0.00
32,000.00 14,000.00
Total Expenses
32,000.00
46,000.00
Closing Balance
128,967.34
97,340.34
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Other Contributions Dinner Income Dinner Ticket Sales Interest Gift Aid Total Gifts and Revenue EXPENSES Salaries Consultancy Fees Dinner Expenses Other
As of July 10 16,623.64
As of July 11 11,160.31
2009/10 180.00 18.00 105.00 35.00 62.91 0.00 0.00 67.34 167.52
2010/11 180.00 40.00 36.00 41.40 0.00 15,765.00 17,038.34 79.83 62.92
635.77
33,243.49
6,012.64 0.00 0.00 86.46
950.47 1,890.01 18,332.93 0.00
Total Expenses
6,099.10
21,173.41
Closing Balance
11,160.31
23,230.39
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
HOCKEY
LACROSSE
GIFTS AND REVENUE
GIFTS AND REVENUE As of July 10 3,413.52
As of July 11 7,744.83
2009/10 396.00 198.00 5,078.40 3,458.05 880.00 0.00 35,500.00 1,995.35 26.37
2010/11 245.00 172.00 4,009.00 632.24 1,665.00 9,150.00 28,888.70 1,558.81 51.95
47,532.17
46,372.70
43,200.86 0.00 0.00
35,619.00 390.00 3,150.00
Total Expenses
43,200.86
39,159.00
Closing Balance
7,744.83
14,958.53
Starting Balance Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts (New) Sponsorship Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest Total Gifts and Revenue EXPENSES Salary Contribution Other Sponsorship transfer to club
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
As of July 10 13,456.38
As of July 11 17,871.53
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts (New) Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest
2009/10 74.00 0.00 309.00 5,072.50 4,300.00 6,602.32 903.48 79.53
2010/11 24.00 0.00 404.00 0.00 3,175.00 6,007.58 392.75 58.83
Total Gifts and Revenue
17,340.83
10,062.16
10,925.68 2,000.00
16,653.42 2,590.00
Total Expenses
12,925.68
19,243.42
Closing Balance
17,871.53
8,690.27
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Other
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
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Friends of Durham Sport Accounts
MEN'S LACROSSE
SAILING
GIFTS AND REVENUE
Quarterly Gifts Parent Gifts (New) Other Contributions
GIFTS AND REVENUE As of July 10 0.00
As of July 11 25.00
2009/10 25.00 0.00 0.00
2010/11 50.00 215.00 49.93
Total Gifts and Revenue
25.00
314.93
EXPENSES Other
0.00
225.00
Total Expenses
0.00
225.00
Closing Balance
25.00
114.93
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
As of July 10 2,282.82
As of July 11 4,975.33
2009/10 60.00 0.00 690.00 1,285.00 0.00 0.00 639.99 17.52
2010/111 60.00 0.00 865.00 100.00 0.00 0.00 424.91 26.36
2,692.51
1,476.27
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Other
0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00
Total Expenses
0.00
0.00
4,975.33
6,451.60
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest Total Gifts and Revenue
Closing Balance
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
CANOES
NETBALL
GIFTS AND REVENUE
GIFTS AND REVENUE As of July 10 3,346.72
As of July 11 6,423.37
2009/10 0.00 0.00 48.00 0.00 150.00 17,169.00 237.00 58.03 24.91
2010/11 0.00 0.00 26.00 0.00 150.00 18,247.67 0.00 45.64 34.58
17,686.94
18,503.89
14,610.29 0.00
18,055.49 0.00
Total Expenses
14,610.29
18,055.49
Closing Balance
6,423.37
6,871.77
As of July 10 736.99
As of July 11 1,758.03
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest
2009/10 28.00 152.00 661.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 173.84 6.20
2010/11 28.00 72.00 438.00 1.00 0.00 4,000.00 113.10 18.93
Total Gifts and Revenue
1,021.04
4,671.03
0.00 0.00
0.00 0.00
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Other
0.00
0.00
1,758.03
6,429.06
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Other Total Expenses Closing Balance
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts Other Contributions Netball Subs Gift Aid Interest Total Gifts and Revenue
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
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Friends of Durham Sport Accounts
SUMMARY
INCOME&EXPENDITURE SQUASH
FENCING
GIFTS AND REVENUE
GIFTS AND REVENUE As of July 10 305.61
As of July 11 430.48
2009/10 1,250.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 314.58 60.29
2010/11 1,250.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 352.94 5.74
Total Gifts and Revenue
1,624.87
1,608.68
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Coaching Contribution
0.00 1,500.00
0.00 0.00
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Other
1,500.00
0.00
Total Expenses
430.48
2,039.16
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest
Total Expenses Closing Balance
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
2009/10 0.00 100.00 0.00 10.00 840.00 0.00 213.59 0.00
2010/11 200.00 50.00 0.00 0.00 300.00 0.00 145.59 5.27
Total Gifts and Revenue
1,163.59
700.86
0.00 1,000.00
0.00 0.00
1,000.00
0.00
820.68
1,521.54
Closing Balance
GIFTS AND REVENUE As of July 10 0.00
As of July 11 2.16
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts Sponsorship Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest
2009/10 0.00 0.00 0.00 45.00 625.00 6,000.00 5,432.97 13.41 0.00
2010/11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 725.00 700.00 17,356.66 0.00 0.00
Total Gifts and Revenue
12,116.38
18,781.66
12,114.22 0.00
13,834.82 4,949.00
12,114.22
18,783.82
2.16
0.00
Closing Balance All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
2010/2011 - A Sporting Review
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts Other Contributions Gift Aid Interest
RUGBY
GIFTS AND REVENUE
Total Expenses
As of July 11 820.68
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
TENNIS
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Other
As of July 10 657.09
As of July 10 111,397.93
As of July 11 117,903.57
Annual Gifts Quarterly Gifts Monthly Gifts Single Gifts Parent Gifts Other Contributions Sponsorship Gift Aid Interest
2009/10 802.50 232.50 4,140.00 170.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,961.16 582.51
2010/11 810.00 230.00 3,510.00 446.65 1,640.00 6,627.73 6,000.00 3,132.68 477.04
Total Gifts and Revenue
10,888.67
22,874.10
EXPENSES Salary Contribution Sponsorship transfer to Club Other
1,283.00 0.00 3,100.00
54,751.46 1,000.00 0.00
Total Expenses Closing Balance
4,383.00
55,751.46
117,903.57
85,026.21
All allocated income to be transferred to Clubs to meet the coaching and equipment need per annum
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Team Durham
Team Durham wish to acknowledge and thank Phoenix Photography - for providing the photographic images from the Palatine Dinner Birdman Photography - for providing the photographic images of DUBC Essence of Light (Jed Wee) - for providing the Sports photographic images throughout the brochure
Chantelle Dingley Sports Marketing & Sponsorship Manager Durham University The Graham Sports Centre Durham DH1 3SE Tel: 0191 334 2278 Mob: 07983 408967 Visit our website at www.teamdurham.com. Durham University ranked fourth in the 2011 overall BUCS points table
Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate at the time of going to press in October 2011. However, changes may occur and Durham University reserves the right to amend or change any information contained in this brochure at any time. Copyright Š Durham University 2011 Durham University and the Durham University Logo are registered trade marks of the University of Durham trading as Durham University. All rights reserved. Ž Produced by Team Durham, Durham University with hpmgroup.
2010/2011 - A Sporting eview R
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