DUNC News
January 2023
Club Captains Term 1 Review:
The current league standing put us with two teams 1st, three teams 2nd and 1 team third in their respective leagues and 4 teams still in their cup challenges!
The 2nd and 3rd place standing are almost all due to goal difference and/or playing less games than other teams in their leagues, so we are on track to reach our target of multiple promotions! Incredibly all teams have only lost 1 league game each all season, meaning we are one of the most successful clubs in Team Durham this year.
We've got a big second half of this season coming up with a huge game for the 1st team against the University of Leeds 1st team. A top of the table clash, which if we win, will see us a promotion into the premiership league!! An amazing acheivement for DUNC.
Both of us have loved leading the club with a great inclusive environment this year, a solid preseason, amazing socials, a fun Christmas tournament, and of course, LOTS of Winning Wednesdays!!
Beth & Liv xx
Club Captains Term 1 Review:
The current league standing put us with two teams 1st, three teams 2nd and 1 team third in their respective leagues and 4 teams still in their cup challenges!
The 2nd and 3rd place standing are almost all due to goal difference and/or playing less games than other teams in their leagues, so we are on track to reach our target of multiple promotions! Incredibly all teams have only lost 1 league game each all season, meaning we are one of the most successful clubs in Team Durham this year.
We've got a big second half of this season coming up with a huge game for the 1st team against the University of Leeds 1st team. A top of the table clash, which if we win, will see us a promotion into the premiership league!! An amazing acheivement for DUNC.
Both of us have loved leading the club with a great inclusive environment this year, a solid preseason, amazing socials, a fun Christmas tournament, and of course, LOTS of Winning Wednesdays!!
Beth & Liv xx
January 2022
Club Captains Term 1 Review:
After 18 months without any BUCS competitions, it is fair to say we’ve hit the ground running! Our 4’s and 2’s are unbeaten so far this season, sitting at the top of their respective leagues and into the quarter finals of their cup competitions. The 3’s sit mid table in a competitive league, with recent results displaying their potential to smash the rest of the season. Our 5’s have only lost one game this season and are sitting at the top of division 6 with their eyes firmly on promotion. They have made it through to the quarter finals of their cup - a win will see them face the 4’s in the semis for a Durham v Durham derby!! The 1’s are having one of their most successful seasons to date in a very tough division one league. They sit 3rd in the table and have a promising cup run, with the potential to progress further than any previous team in the National Trophy. Going into term 2 with some covid uncertainties, we are looking to maintain our 81% win rate and see three Durham teams promoted by the end of the season!
Club Captains Term 1 Review:
After 18 months without any BUCS competitions, it is fair to say we’ve hit the ground running! Our 4’s and 2’s are unbeaten so far this season, sitting at the top of their respective leagues and into the quarter finals of their cup competitions. The 3’s sit mid table in a competitive league, with recent results displaying their potential to smash the rest of the season. Our 5’s have only lost one game this season and are sitting at the top of division 6 with their eyes firmly on promotion. They have made it through to the quarter finals of their cup - a win will see them face the 4’s in the semis for a Durham v Durham derby!! The 1’s are having one of their most successful seasons to date in a very tough division one league. They sit 3rd in the table and have a promising cup run, with the potential to progress further than any previous team in the National Trophy. Going into term 2 with some covid uncertainties, we are looking to maintain our 81% win rate and see three Durham teams promoted by the end of the season!
July 2020
Anna Hunt's review of the season:
We had some great results this season, with each and every team showing such an improvement from the start to the end of the season. The 1s finished 4th in 1A and reached the quarter-final of the Trophy, the highest this DUNC team has ever achieved! The 2s finished 5th in 2B and they had almost two seasons in one, their second half of the season was a massive improvement and they were close to beating the top teams in their league on several occasions. The 3s found themselves competing in 3B after promotion last season, and held their own in this new league - finishing 3rd, an awesome achievement! The 4s also had a great season in 5B and managed to clinch promotion, winning some very close matches and showing their perserverence throughout the season! They will be competing in 4B next year. The 5s absolutely smashed their league, only losing one league game and gaining promotion, so they will be competing in 6B next year. I am so proud of what everyone has achieved this year in DUNC.
Outside of BUCS, DUNC travelled to the Red Bull Switch Up and managed to reach the semi finals & once again carry on a long-lasting tradition of bringing back enough Red Bull to supply the whole of Durham for 2020.
Individually, we have had some fantastic achievements throughout the whole club and here I’ve highlighted some of our successes:
Netball is such a huge commitment at university and does often require sacrifices, but I speak for all DUNC girls when I say that it is 100% worth it. The club has given me top level playing experience against some great university sides, great time management and balance with my studies, and above all, fantastic experiences and friends for life. I’d encourage anyone coming to Durham to come along and trial for DUNC, and find out how special our club is for yourself!
Anna Hunt's review of the season:
We had some great results this season, with each and every team showing such an improvement from the start to the end of the season. The 1s finished 4th in 1A and reached the quarter-final of the Trophy, the highest this DUNC team has ever achieved! The 2s finished 5th in 2B and they had almost two seasons in one, their second half of the season was a massive improvement and they were close to beating the top teams in their league on several occasions. The 3s found themselves competing in 3B after promotion last season, and held their own in this new league - finishing 3rd, an awesome achievement! The 4s also had a great season in 5B and managed to clinch promotion, winning some very close matches and showing their perserverence throughout the season! They will be competing in 4B next year. The 5s absolutely smashed their league, only losing one league game and gaining promotion, so they will be competing in 6B next year. I am so proud of what everyone has achieved this year in DUNC.
Outside of BUCS, DUNC travelled to the Red Bull Switch Up and managed to reach the semi finals & once again carry on a long-lasting tradition of bringing back enough Red Bull to supply the whole of Durham for 2020.
Individually, we have had some fantastic achievements throughout the whole club and here I’ve highlighted some of our successes:
- Millie Cox was selected to be part of Ireland’s senior squad to compete at the M1 Nations Cup in Singapore in October, where they came 5th, a fantastic achievement and a great experience!
- Scot has once again been part of the Scotland senior long squad, which has brought valuable skills & expertise to the 1s again this year
- Sophie Grigg was selected for the North East NPL U21 squad.
Netball is such a huge commitment at university and does often require sacrifices, but I speak for all DUNC girls when I say that it is 100% worth it. The club has given me top level playing experience against some great university sides, great time management and balance with my studies, and above all, fantastic experiences and friends for life. I’d encourage anyone coming to Durham to come along and trial for DUNC, and find out how special our club is for yourself!
August 2019
After a summer break after the 2018/19 season, DUNC is already preparing for preseason, which will be 2 weeks of netball training, fitness & socials before Michaelmas Term commences. We can't wait to get back on court wearing Palatinate already!!
If you are a fresher or returner who is interested in coming to preseason, please feel free to contact the new Club Captain, Anna Hunt ([email protected]) or our Facebook Page for more information!
After a summer break after the 2018/19 season, DUNC is already preparing for preseason, which will be 2 weeks of netball training, fitness & socials before Michaelmas Term commences. We can't wait to get back on court wearing Palatinate already!!
If you are a fresher or returner who is interested in coming to preseason, please feel free to contact the new Club Captain, Anna Hunt ([email protected]) or our Facebook Page for more information!
June 2019
Molly Axelby's review of the season:
After the incredible success of the previous year, expectations in DUNC were high for the 18/19 season, but our endeavours to replicate that success have indeed paid off! Not only did our 3rd team complete their league season with an undefeated record to seal promotion, but our 5th team fought off stiff competition to land their 2nd successive league promotion! Not to be out-done, our 4th team battled hard through the rounds of the Northern Conference Plate to take home a thrilling 1 goal victory and secure illustrious BUCS gold. We have also entered the top 12 rankings for netball within BUCS - rising from a ranking of 36th two years previously.
The year began with a solid 2 weeks of preseason training, where we were put through our paces by our Head Coach Josie, our new Coach, and former England Rose, Leah Kennedy, and also guest coaches Judy and Dave Weston all the way from New Zealand. Judy and Dave encouraged us to work on improving our basics - but also stressed the importance of taking accountability, especially in training, to push both yourselves and your teammates. We travelled to our North East neighbours Newcastle, and enjoyed a busy afternoon of matchplay, rotating lots of different combinations and getting a feel for returning back to competitive netball. Our 1s and 2s also played some ‘friendly’ games against Northumbria, and it was fantastic to see that what had been worked upon in practice, was actually being executed successfully in these matches. But preseason isn’t just about training hard, and our fabulous Social Secretaries organised some wonderful activities such as a trip to Infinite Air, a night out in Newcastle and an evening of karaoke - let’s just say we may be better suited to netball than choir. Our freshers experienced the traditional preseason tour of Durham and we faced off against each other in a mini netball tournament, basking in the late September sun. All of this preparation laid a fantastic foundation for the quick turnaround after freshers week to enter the BUCS season.
Our 1st and 2nd teams had both gained promotion last season, and so faced a higher standard of competition in their respective leagues. The newly forged link between our club and local Premiership 2 competitors Oaksway, provided an exciting and challenging opportunity for these teams to train and play at a higher level, with 2 of our athletes becoming regular members of their first team.
The 1s set themselves the challenge of back to back promotions, and after running away with their league last year, and retaining a number of starting players, this looked like a very real possibility. Falling in their first fixture to Leeds 1s at home did not deter the team from their promotion hopes however, and after a tight 2 goal victory over local rivals Newcastle, they began a winning streak before travelling to Leeds for the reverse fixture. Unfortunately, it was not to be for our girls, and our luck failed to materialise in a close fixture away at Edinburgh 1s which knocked us out of the Trophy. Although the season was not as successful as hoped, a solid 2nd place standing in a new league is something to be very proud of, as well as 2 doggedly fought victories over 3rd place Newcastle. With the experience of this season behind them, next year will hopefully be the one where we return to our rightful place in Prem.
The 2s have had an admittedly tough year adjusting to life in a higher league, but have shown real growth and progression throughout the season and retained their place for the next season with 3 league wins. Their growth was especially evident in their home victory against Newcastle 2s, who had defeated them in the previous fixture, as well as in massively reducing the goal difference margins in reverse fixtures in the second half of the season. The Cup competition really brought out the best in this team, with a great away win over Lancaster 1s that showed immense composure and discipline, and then really pushing Sheffield 1s, the eventual Cup winners, close at home.
The 3s embarked on a mission for promotion this season, and not only did they achieve this, but they did it UNBEATEN in all their league fixtures. This was not without showing some real grit and determination as they were plagued by injury and illness, and they took victory by 4 goals or less in 4 different games! They also pulled off a giant-slaying in the Cup by taking out York St Johns 2s, who were 2 leagues above them, before being defeated by eventual finalists Leeds Beckett 2s. However it has been an amazing season for the girls, and they have benefited from joining the 1 and 2s in training in matchplay to really push them, and they are looking forward to competing in a higher league next season.
The 4s have suffered somewhat with inconsistency this season and took a respectable 3rd place in the league, BUT when push came to shove, they delivered the silverware this season, as they completed a stunning cup run to bring the Northern Conference Plate home! They didn’t have an easy lead up, and faced Leeds 5s, who they had 1 win, 1 loss record with in the league, and were top of the table, for a place in the final. The first half of the game was poor from us, and at halftime we were 7-18 down, but a magnificent and astounding second half saw us turnaround the score to come away as 24-22 winners! The final against Manchester Met 4s was tight throughout, but we always seemed to be just behind, however we plugged away to keep in touch, and our composure and determination paid off as we went ahead in the last 5 minutes and held on to take victory by ONE goal - a fantastic game and a well deserved win from a team who showed great spirit.
The 5s took no qualms in setting themselves the target of both back to back promotions and back to back Bowl finals. One foe stood in their way, Sheffield Hallam 5s, who had pipped them to promotion 2 seasons ago, with the other league opposition giving them little trouble with huge winning margins. In their first league meeting, Hallam took the spoils with home advantage by 5 goals, however when they travelled up to Maiden Castle, we outclassed them to win by 11 goals. With identical league records, we took the league title and promotion through the head to head result - and so have recorded incredible back to back promotions! However, Hallam took bragging rights in the Bowl, as we lost away by an agonising 1 goal, and became eventual Bowl winners.
The club has been successful in its off the court endeavours as well, including the organisation of a 2019 Tour to Malta taking place in June, which is eagerly anticipated by the attendees. We have also continued our commitment to our charitable endeavours and this year our chosen charities were Camfed and Activity Alliance. Recently we ran a fun, but highly competitive, mixed netball tournament on the outdoor courts at MC, which saw 14 teams entered and raised around £400! Our annual charity netball dinner will take place in June, and promises to be a fantastic night of celebration and entertainment as always. We have also seen our development squad really grow this year, and they have enjoyed numerous friendlies against other University development squads to contribute to their improvement.
It has been an absolute pleasure to be Club Captain for 2018/19 and I am so proud of all the teams and athletes who have shown pride, hard work and dedication this season. Especial thanks go to those behind the scenes such as Tom, Lydia, Cam, and numerous physios, as well as Leah and our incredible Head Coach Josie who we really couldn’t do without. A shoutout must also go to the exec members who show beyond level commitment and love to the club to keep it running.
Molly Axelby's review of the season:
After the incredible success of the previous year, expectations in DUNC were high for the 18/19 season, but our endeavours to replicate that success have indeed paid off! Not only did our 3rd team complete their league season with an undefeated record to seal promotion, but our 5th team fought off stiff competition to land their 2nd successive league promotion! Not to be out-done, our 4th team battled hard through the rounds of the Northern Conference Plate to take home a thrilling 1 goal victory and secure illustrious BUCS gold. We have also entered the top 12 rankings for netball within BUCS - rising from a ranking of 36th two years previously.
The year began with a solid 2 weeks of preseason training, where we were put through our paces by our Head Coach Josie, our new Coach, and former England Rose, Leah Kennedy, and also guest coaches Judy and Dave Weston all the way from New Zealand. Judy and Dave encouraged us to work on improving our basics - but also stressed the importance of taking accountability, especially in training, to push both yourselves and your teammates. We travelled to our North East neighbours Newcastle, and enjoyed a busy afternoon of matchplay, rotating lots of different combinations and getting a feel for returning back to competitive netball. Our 1s and 2s also played some ‘friendly’ games against Northumbria, and it was fantastic to see that what had been worked upon in practice, was actually being executed successfully in these matches. But preseason isn’t just about training hard, and our fabulous Social Secretaries organised some wonderful activities such as a trip to Infinite Air, a night out in Newcastle and an evening of karaoke - let’s just say we may be better suited to netball than choir. Our freshers experienced the traditional preseason tour of Durham and we faced off against each other in a mini netball tournament, basking in the late September sun. All of this preparation laid a fantastic foundation for the quick turnaround after freshers week to enter the BUCS season.
Our 1st and 2nd teams had both gained promotion last season, and so faced a higher standard of competition in their respective leagues. The newly forged link between our club and local Premiership 2 competitors Oaksway, provided an exciting and challenging opportunity for these teams to train and play at a higher level, with 2 of our athletes becoming regular members of their first team.
The 1s set themselves the challenge of back to back promotions, and after running away with their league last year, and retaining a number of starting players, this looked like a very real possibility. Falling in their first fixture to Leeds 1s at home did not deter the team from their promotion hopes however, and after a tight 2 goal victory over local rivals Newcastle, they began a winning streak before travelling to Leeds for the reverse fixture. Unfortunately, it was not to be for our girls, and our luck failed to materialise in a close fixture away at Edinburgh 1s which knocked us out of the Trophy. Although the season was not as successful as hoped, a solid 2nd place standing in a new league is something to be very proud of, as well as 2 doggedly fought victories over 3rd place Newcastle. With the experience of this season behind them, next year will hopefully be the one where we return to our rightful place in Prem.
The 2s have had an admittedly tough year adjusting to life in a higher league, but have shown real growth and progression throughout the season and retained their place for the next season with 3 league wins. Their growth was especially evident in their home victory against Newcastle 2s, who had defeated them in the previous fixture, as well as in massively reducing the goal difference margins in reverse fixtures in the second half of the season. The Cup competition really brought out the best in this team, with a great away win over Lancaster 1s that showed immense composure and discipline, and then really pushing Sheffield 1s, the eventual Cup winners, close at home.
The 3s embarked on a mission for promotion this season, and not only did they achieve this, but they did it UNBEATEN in all their league fixtures. This was not without showing some real grit and determination as they were plagued by injury and illness, and they took victory by 4 goals or less in 4 different games! They also pulled off a giant-slaying in the Cup by taking out York St Johns 2s, who were 2 leagues above them, before being defeated by eventual finalists Leeds Beckett 2s. However it has been an amazing season for the girls, and they have benefited from joining the 1 and 2s in training in matchplay to really push them, and they are looking forward to competing in a higher league next season.
The 4s have suffered somewhat with inconsistency this season and took a respectable 3rd place in the league, BUT when push came to shove, they delivered the silverware this season, as they completed a stunning cup run to bring the Northern Conference Plate home! They didn’t have an easy lead up, and faced Leeds 5s, who they had 1 win, 1 loss record with in the league, and were top of the table, for a place in the final. The first half of the game was poor from us, and at halftime we were 7-18 down, but a magnificent and astounding second half saw us turnaround the score to come away as 24-22 winners! The final against Manchester Met 4s was tight throughout, but we always seemed to be just behind, however we plugged away to keep in touch, and our composure and determination paid off as we went ahead in the last 5 minutes and held on to take victory by ONE goal - a fantastic game and a well deserved win from a team who showed great spirit.
The 5s took no qualms in setting themselves the target of both back to back promotions and back to back Bowl finals. One foe stood in their way, Sheffield Hallam 5s, who had pipped them to promotion 2 seasons ago, with the other league opposition giving them little trouble with huge winning margins. In their first league meeting, Hallam took the spoils with home advantage by 5 goals, however when they travelled up to Maiden Castle, we outclassed them to win by 11 goals. With identical league records, we took the league title and promotion through the head to head result - and so have recorded incredible back to back promotions! However, Hallam took bragging rights in the Bowl, as we lost away by an agonising 1 goal, and became eventual Bowl winners.
The club has been successful in its off the court endeavours as well, including the organisation of a 2019 Tour to Malta taking place in June, which is eagerly anticipated by the attendees. We have also continued our commitment to our charitable endeavours and this year our chosen charities were Camfed and Activity Alliance. Recently we ran a fun, but highly competitive, mixed netball tournament on the outdoor courts at MC, which saw 14 teams entered and raised around £400! Our annual charity netball dinner will take place in June, and promises to be a fantastic night of celebration and entertainment as always. We have also seen our development squad really grow this year, and they have enjoyed numerous friendlies against other University development squads to contribute to their improvement.
It has been an absolute pleasure to be Club Captain for 2018/19 and I am so proud of all the teams and athletes who have shown pride, hard work and dedication this season. Especial thanks go to those behind the scenes such as Tom, Lydia, Cam, and numerous physios, as well as Leah and our incredible Head Coach Josie who we really couldn’t do without. A shoutout must also go to the exec members who show beyond level commitment and love to the club to keep it running.
July 2018
Hello to all and welcome to our website! On the back of a terrific 17/18 season, with 3 promotions and 2 cup finals, we can't wait to get back to the court in September. If you are interested in playing next season or have any enquiries about DUNC, please contact the new Club Captain, Molly Axelby (07580005858 - [email protected]) or our Club Coach Josie Pointon ([email protected]).
Hello to all and welcome to our website! On the back of a terrific 17/18 season, with 3 promotions and 2 cup finals, we can't wait to get back to the court in September. If you are interested in playing next season or have any enquiries about DUNC, please contact the new Club Captain, Molly Axelby (07580005858 - [email protected]) or our Club Coach Josie Pointon ([email protected]).