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Sport
from Palatinate 851
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Sport Sunderland are back in the Championship: so what’s next?
Oliver Jervis
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It may sound rather cliché, but the Stadium of Light is shining once more after four frustrating years of depressed gloom. Their convincing victory over habitual party poopers Wycombe Wanderers in the League One Play-Off Final secured their long-awaited return to England’s second tier.
So, what can we expect from the Black Cats in the notoriously competitive Championship, and what will they need to take the mighty step up to the Premier League after their prolonged period in the wilderness of the EFL?
Firstly, it is expedient to address what has led to the club’s recent revival. Following Kyril LouisDreyfus’s successful takeover in February 2021, the Wearside club has had a resurrection of sorts.
It seemed for a long while that all was lost for the boys in red and white, and the prospect of a return to the second tier was merely a distant dream. However, under Dreyfus and co.’s leadership, a strongly balanced squad has been established, with marquee loan signings such as Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts highlighting the club’s lofty ambitions.
There has seemingly been no neglect of the Academy of Light either, with the spine of the team being largely constructed upon several homegrown talents such as stand-out performers Ellio Embleton and Anthony Pa erson, both of whom started the crucial
Harvey Stevens
Sportswashing is a term which has become increasingly prominent in the public consciousness in the past few years. As Saudi Arabia has pumped billions of dollars into Western sports with the goal of improving their blood-stained reputation, criticism has ensued.
With the hosting of blockbuster boxing fights, huge investment into F1 and the recent takeover of Newcastle United, it’s hard to find any elite sports which haven’t been funded at some point by the Saudis. Now, their investment in elite golf has spiraled the sport into a civil war.
The brand-new LIV Golf series kicked off in Hertfordshire this week with elite names such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Kevin Na, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood having signed up. Their involvement with the tournament has led to their expulsion from the established PGA Tour to which they have all belonged for the majority of their careers.
The new series poses two main problems. The obvious sportswashing allegations have a racted a significant amount of media a ention and criticism. But it also threatens the integrity of the sport of golf as a whole.
Much like the proposed European Super League in football last year, the established methods of competition in the game at Wembley.
Thus, a fresh, Sunderlandfocused culture is evidently being instilled, one which may serve the club well if they are to successfully reach towards the promised land of the Premier League.
Alongside this, the club’s infrastructure suggests that they are more than ready to make the leap of faith up the second-tier rankings.
You will not have to go too far to discover the quality of Black Cats’ academy, with the Under 18s playing in their age category’s Premier League. Such a foundation indicates quite starkly the club’s consistent strength in depth.
Aside from their internal structure, Sunderland’s fans are famous for their vastness of support. The club managed to sell almost 45,000 tickets for the PlayOff Final, and their average home a endance for the 2021-22 League One season topped the charts with over 30,000 spectators per game.
The club are also rich in resources and, after the recent release of heavy wage-hi ing figures such as Aiden McGeady and Will Grigg, it would be apt to expect the side to splash the cash this summer on constructing a squad capable of challenging any Championship eleven.
However, it is essential to remember that all that gli ers is not gold. Although the club have an evidently strong support, this does not entitle anyone to success, as the fans of Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, and Portsmouth discovered over the course of last season.
Moreover, aimless investment is a virus which has struck the Wearside club time and time again in recent years. With the temptations of the Championship and the prospect of Premier League television rights money in the headlights, the Black Cats would do well to evade this cardinal sin with conscious vigour.
From a purely on-the-pitch perspective, the pressures of Championship football have been the downfall of many a side.
The transition to this level is one that is rigorous, tiring and challenging. One need only cast their eyes on the examples of Rotherham, Bolton, Wigan, Barnsley and Charlton. Each one of these sides has the pedigree to consolidate their position at this level; however, they are unwillingly caught in some peculiar footballing purgatory as they yo-yo between divisions. This is another pothole for the Black Cats to avoid whilst on their prowl. Performances on the pitch obviously ma er more than anything.
Yet, such pessimism should not dim the hopes of the Sunderland faithful. Their recent success is a fantastic and welcome cause for celebration.
Everything is finally looking up for the Netflix superstars, and no opposition supporter will see the
(Ronnie Macdonald via Flickr) North East side’s supporters crying on television any longer. Instead, hopeful smiles ought to be gleaming from their faces.
The recent examples of Leeds and No ingham Forest, who both fell by the wayside in the third tier before ascending gracefully back to the Premier League, will offer deserved reassurance.
They are more than capable of reaching the summit once more and, although strong consolidation would most likely be expected and desired on Wearside next season, there are subtle hints that Rome is finally being rebuilt.
Saudi-backed LIV Golf series could destroy the sport
sport are being ripped apart by the bo omless cheque of the Saudi investors.
The winner of the series, Charl Schwartzel, picked up the biggest individual prize ever handed out a golf event, bagging $4 million for his victory. Not too shabby.
Dustin Johnson, the highest ranked player to have signed up for the competition, is believed to have signed a contract in the region of $125 million.
It is unsurprising, therefore, that these players have signed up. Those who are now a part of the Saudi arm of golf have been thrusted in front of the media in the previous weeks, and the overwhelming reasoning for signing up has indeed been because of the paycheque.
Lee Westwood explained his decision to join by saying “if anyone comes along and gives any of us a chance of a pay rise then you have to seriously consider it don’t you.” There’s no problem with this; it’s honest.
The problem comes when players like Graeme McDowell, who has become somewhat of a posterboy for the tournament, come out and try to explain and defend the regime and their involvement in the sport.
In a press conference, the Northern Irishman said “we all agree up here that the Khashoggi situation was reprehensible,” then a ma er of sentences later: “if Saudi Arabia want to use the game of golf as a way for them to get to where they want to be and they have the resources to accelerate that experience then we’re proud to help them on that journey.”
It’s the boldest and clearest example of sportswashing we’ve seen in years. It beggars belief.
What journey is McDowell proud to help them towards? It seems unlikely that the families of the 81 imprisoned civilians who were executed in March of this year alone would be supporting this ‘journey’. The victims of the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen, the LGBT civilians imprisoned and the women who are routinely discriminated against in Saudi Arabia probably don’t subscribe to the journey either.
Mickelson said in March: “we know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all this why would I even consider it?” Well, he considered it. And joined them.
These players are now an extension of the Saudi regime. By representing them on their tour they are the pawns for the Saudi branch of sportswashing. McDowell, amongst others, has tried to reassert to the press that they are “not politicians”. It’s true, but they are now certainly political actors.
What has to be questioned, though, is if it is likely to be a successful venture by the Saudis. The first event wasn’t televised on mainstream television, and it only a racted a peak of 94,000 viewers during the first round on the YouTube live stream. The press reaction has been overwhelmingly critical and there are no world ranking points available for the players.
The event has been an expensive vehicle to promote the Saudis as western-facing and tolerant, but by doing so it has tarnished the reputation of the players involved and thrusted the sport into its biggest crisis ever.
The longer it continues the more scrutiny it is going to get, and the success of Saudi Arabia’s latest venture into elite sports remains to be seen.
Sport Durham Women FC: reaching adulthood
George Simms
How should we assess Durham Women’s season? 6th in the FA Women’s Championship is the Wildcats’ lowest finish since 2015, and 28 goals conceded is their highest since 2015 too. Yet they were top with eight games played, second at Christmas, and third as recently as three games from the end of the season.
Crowds have grown exponentially and the Wildcats are building a dependable and dedicated support base both home and away after their second season at Maiden Castle. October’s sell-out thriller against Manchester United Women saw the club smash their all-time a endance record, and their league a endance record fell against both Liverpool and Sunderland.
A football club’s identity is forged by its history, by the memories and moments which define it. If a human year equates to seven dog years, a Durham Women year is about two human years by my calculations. Having just finished their ninth season, the Wildcats are entering adulthood.
Since their formation, the club have looked around the world in wide-eyed wonder. Their every move has been met with fulsome praise and all have been in agreement that they definitely couldn’t do the same at that age. Constant progression up the league table has been matched by blind optimism off it – the belief that the sky is the limit, that the only way is up.
The 2021/22 season breaks a trend of steady progress for the Wildcats going back as far as 2017’s Spring Series. 5th, 4th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd…. 6th was not the plan. Lee Sanders’s plucky upstarts are supposed to constantly push on, astonishing fans and oppositions alike with their overperformance despite limited resources and no men’s team to fall back on.
Adulthood is a scary prospect, and one that bears down on you at an alarming rate. The decision to and short on ideas. Having missed only five of Durham Women’s games since their inception, it is impossible to say what the club would look like without Hepple, but an injury could be catastrophic for the side’s progress. They need creative reinforcements.
At the back, 28 goals conceded in the league was nearly double last season’s total and the club’s highest since the 2015 WSL 2. Given the basically unchanged backline from one season to another, this appears to be a consequence of other teams improving as they move to full-time training and full-blown professionalism. Now Durham have announced they are making this step, it looks hopeful that Maiden Castle can become a fortress once more.
Clearly planning for the move to full-time training well in advance, signings like Hardy from Coventry and goalkeeper Naoisha McAloon from Peamont United will form the
The 2021/22 season breaks a trend of progress going back as far as 2015
move to a full-time training regime will see the club lose some of its key figures, with Abby Holmes and Nicki Gears already moving across the Wear to Sunderland, but it is a step the club needed to take to continue their growth.
As every good teenager does, Durham will make, and have made, mistakes. There will inevitably be growing pains, but it is time for Durham to have those fundamental, formative experiences which separate adolescent from adult. Despite technically losing on penalties, that 2-2 Conti Cup clash with United will go down as the season’s highlight for the 1,468 fans who were there.
The club needs moments like Beth Hepple’s late equaliser under the lights to continue discovering who they are both on and off the pitch. A fanbase and club identity are built on The Big Moments. They morph into a mythology which warms the terraces on freezing December afternoons and is passed throughout generations.
Durham also need moments like the 1-0 loss to Coventry and the 3-3 draw with Watford. Club culture is a favourite buzz-phrase of the sports writing industry. Noone can quite define it, but they are sure that Real Madrid’s is excellent, and Manchester United’s is u erly hopeless. To my mind, a club’s identity is built on the big moments, but its culture is developed in these seemingly insignificant ties.
The Wildcats need to find a way to win when nothing is going their way. Lee Sanders can spend as long as he wants drilling tactical systems into his side, but it is only through experience that his young club and players will really learn. To get out of this division, a practically perfect season is required. Durham can only hope to do that by learning how to win in all conditions.
You would have to be mad or blind to call Beth Hepple a problem for the Wildcats, but an overreliance on their star player has been obvious since the club’s inception. Durham’s record appearance-maker, creator and goalscorer, Hepple had another exceptional season, with ten goals and eight assists. 2021/22 was Hepple’s seventh double-digit goalscoring haul in all competitions in nine seasons, with only one other Wildcat having managed it even once (Molly Sharpe in 2019/20). This season, if Hepple was closed down in openplay, or the set-pieces didn’t quite go Durham’s way, then they often looked toothless going forward.
January signing Rio Hardy looked to provide a potential answer, but injuries and a cup-tie meant she often struggled for consistent game time. Bridget Galloway is brilliant on her day, but often looks isolated
foundations of the club in years to come. With so much movement expected over the summer, making predictions for next season would be a pointless task, but this season made it clear that the club needed to go full-time to keep up with the Aggie Beevor-Joneses.
And so, adulthood awaits for UK women’s football’s golden child. They are going full-time and sooner or later will be forced to shed their identity as the plucky underdogs. Some disappointing performances on the pitch this season were outweighed by the positives off it, with the club’s fanbase, reputation and identity continuing to flourish. The regression can be largely blamed on improvements elsewhere in the league, but that excuse has now flown out of the window and down the M1.
I hope that when most of us look back at this season in a decade, we will remember the United draw, the Tyne-Wear derby win on the penultimate day, or the Watford comeback. If the move to fulltime training goes as hoped and leads to professionalism and the resumption of the Sanders law of perpetual upwards motion, then it will be remembered as a teenage blip in a glorious rise to the top.
If the move goes awry, then this could become the norm for Durham Women – a mid-table Championship side swaying between false hope of promotion and inevitable relegation scares. For a side who have built their identity as the continually improving underdog, as the model for both economic and on-field efficiency, this would be catastrophic.
Anyone who’s been through it (and I have it on good authority that that’s most of us) will tell you that the transition to adulthood is never easy, and the Golden Child rarely becomes the Consummate Adult. With their toes over the precipice of this monumental change, the Wildcats must keep their balance or risk losing their identity.
Beth Hepple (Durham Women FC) The road to the Women’s Cricket Championship final
Abi Curran
Durham University Women’s Cricket (DUWCC) UCCE squad are through to the BUCS Women’s Championship final after beating Exeter in a thrilling semi-final on the South West coast.
The squad will travel to Kibworth on Wednesday 22nd June where they will face a familiar Loughborough side in an effort to gain the all-important title of 2022 BUCS Champions.
Now Durham are no strangers to success at the wicket. The Racecourse is steeped in sporting and cricketing history, from Ian Botham seeing out his career with Durham County to the early glimpses of Andrew Strauss and Nasser Hussain. However, more recently, DUWCC’s triumphs in their new palatinate kit tell a narrative which is just as charming.
The club are used to big games and this year’s final becomes all the more important as Durham have taken a silver medal home in every year of the Championship since 2017.
A bronze medal finish at the Indoor Championship finals has given the team even more determination to claim the title this summer.
And DUWCC are by no means going into the final blind, having faced their opponents Loughborough twice already in the outdoor league. The East Midlands side have come out on top both home and away this season but perhaps the neutral ground of Kibworth, just south of Leicestershire, will yield a more fruitful result for Durham’s hopeful eleven.
UCCE Captain Emily Naylor knows how capable her side are against their biggest rivals in the BUCS Championship: “We need that belief that we’re not playing the name we’re playing the team and we are good enough to beat them. We have both in our indoor and one of our outdoor games got them out for low totals so if we can do that we’d be looking to chase it down.”
The team will be looking to emulate their emphatic win against Exeter in the semi-finals. Exeter opted to give Durham the bat first and a convincing score of 240 was set in the first innings.
Though there was still work to be done, a wicket on the second ball from Emilia Rossi and a stunning catch from Naylor at mid-off set the tone that Durham meant business. Exeter were bowled out for 194, the team in palatinate winning by 46 runs.
With all eyes now on the final, the skipper reflects on the elation that got them there in the semi: “It always takes that one moment to think ‘oh we can do this’ and when Rossi got that wicket on the second ball, I mean it was quite a good catch too, I think that just showed to everyone that we can do this. You could tell everyone was up for it, they came in for hugs not high fives.”
Club Captain Hannah Poole also testified for the catch and the celebrations, “Naylor caught the first and last wickets from mid-off, so it felt really nice and cyclical. We were all just absolutely overjoyed and of course ended up going for a celebratory swim in the sea in our kit.”
Alongside Durham’s success on the field, their journey becomes all the more impressive when considering the challenges that the club has faced this year. season for DUWCC to say the least, one that will not be forgo en in a hurry. In her third and final year, Poole celebrates just some of her personal highlights: “Mia Rogers has been a great addition to the team, scoring a century on debut and consistently ba ing so well, really a player to watch over the next few years, both for the university and Sunrisers.
“Rosie (Pembroke) took a match winning fifer against Exeter too – big contribution there! Rossi has been bowling so well, pu ing early pressure on the opening ba ers and picking up wickets.
“And also a shoutout to Emily Batey (next year’s on-field captain) who broke her fingers in the second match but has come to practically every training and match to support the squad.”
As a collective, Naylor is also proud of how much fun the team has had over the course of the last season. Naylor said: “We’re usually in really high spirits, cracking jokes and having a good time, performing to our best. Generally, the a itude around the team, people doing what they have to do for them team has been great this year.”
A recent change in the running of the university cricket programme from MCC to the ECB means that DUWCC do not currently receive any funding from the ECB or Team Durham.
DUWCC have themselves to thank for their on-field triumphs this season – a testament to the talent and dedication of the squad who have been training together since September 2021.
It has been a truly memorable
Sport “It has been a memorable season for DUWCC to say the least” Abi Curran details the Women’s Cricket 1XI’s journey to the Championship final “There are subtle hints that Rome is being rebuilt” Oliver Jervis discusses Sunderland’s promotion to the Championship
Durham Women FC shift to full-time training model The Wildcats take the next step on the road to professionalism
George Simms
Durham Women FC have announced that they will be adopting a fulltime training model ahead of the 2022/23 season. In recent years, the club have operated using a hybrid model, but are going full-time in a bid to continue their development after a disappointing FA WSL Championship season, finishing sixth.
They are also currently recruiting numerous new full-time staffing roles in order to support the firstteam playing squad and the new Barclays FA WSL Academy squad.
The Wildcats are scheduled to return to training at Maiden Castle in early July. There will likely be significant movement both in and out of the club this summer in response to the new model. Defensive stalwart Abby Holmes has already moved to Sunderland Ladies alongside Nicki Gears, but the club have confirmed that a number of players have already commi ed to the club for the upcoming season.
The shift to full-time training is viewed by the club as the natural next step on the road to professionalism. Within the Championship this season, six of the eleven teams were either fully professional or train fulltime, including four of the five teams which finished above Durham in the final standings.
Manager Lee Sanders commented that “This is a hugely positive step and the natural one for the club to take as we look to build on the successes we have had in recent seasons.
“It’s the right thing to do for the players and our staff and gives the younger players at the club the knowledge that this is something they can pursue as a career at Durham.
“Naturally, there will be some player movement as a consequence of the decision - not everyone can train during the day - and we of course will thank those players for their time spent at the club.
“However, we are excited about new players who will come in and be announced in due course - as well as the promotion of young players from within the club pathway.”
Club captain Sarah Wilson added: “It’s incredible and so exciting for the club. There has been so much work gone into making this happen, and I am very grateful to have the opportunity. It’s something that I’ve dreamed of being able to do since I first started playing when I was eight years old.
“Personally I didn’t think I would ever get the chance so it’s an opportunity that I’m going to grab with both hands. Of course, the downside is that there will be some movement. This is the nature of the game and that’s football. But the direction this club is moving in is something to be very excited about, especially for our younger players coming through.”
Powerlifting
Durham alumna becomes national Bench Press Champion
Karanjeet Kaur Bains became the All England Bench Press Champion 2022 in the under 69kg Senior Women’s class. The Durham alumna (2015-2019) benched 95kg at her second a empt to lift the title. Bains is also the first British Sikh female to represent Team GB.
Football
Durham City AFC win first game in three years
Durham City AFC finished the Northern League Division Two season with a much-needed 1-0 win over Washington FC. Brandon Turnbull’s 75th-minute penalty gave the beleagured club their first win since 9th April 2019.
Hockey
Durham is set to host its first international hockey tournament from 25-28 August 2022 at Maiden Castle. The tournament is part of the EuroHockey Women’s Championship qualifiers.
Beach Volleyball
Pairs from Durham won both the BUCS Beach Volleyball Championship and Trophy on Sandbanks beach in Bournemouth last week. Both the men’s and women’s teams also won the BUCS Volleyball Super League 2022. Cricket
Sunderland-born Po s shines on England test debut
Durham pace bowler Ma y Po s took 4-13 on his England test debut to help England to a first-test win over New Zealand at Lord’s. The Sunderland-born 23-year-old dismissed both Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell.
DUWCC UCCE 2021/22 (DUWCC) Men’s Rugby
Palatinates dominate BUCS season awards
Durham men’s 1XV captain Fred Davies was named BUCS Super Rugby Player of the Season 2021/22, beating out teammate Harry Craven. The award is voted for by all the coaches in the division.
Davies became the BUCS Super Rugby all-time try scorer after scoring 24 tries this season. He has signed a professional contract with Bristol Bears upon graduation, where he will join up with former Durham teammate Fitz Harding. Davies was also named Team Durham Sportsman of the Year.
Scrum-half Craven, who recently signed a professional contract with Wasps, was also nominated for the Fan’s Player of the Season award, having scored 15 BUCS Super Rugby tries, jointsecond behind Davies.
