25 With promotion to the Premier League not possible due to BUCS regulations, a 2nd place finish for the girls was a fantastic result. The men’s 4th team found themselves in a tough league this year filled with many 1st teams, including local rivals Northumbria 1s. The men’s 4th team narrowly lost out in the final match of the season to finish 2nd in the league, but managed to finish on a high, winning the Northern Conference Cup defeating Northumbria along the way. The women’s 4th team did a fantastic job consolidating their place in the Northern League 2 with an impressive 3rd place finish as well as great semi-final run in the BUCS Northern Conference Cup. This year saw the introduction of 5th teams for both the men and women, allowing even more students to represent Durham in the competitive BUCS environment. The men’s 5th team certainly hit the ground running with an unbeaten season giving them an instant and well deserved promotion. The women’s 5th team had a slightly slower start, but the form found towards the end of the season provides great promise for the seasons to come. This addition combined with our newly structured development squad has meant that player development has a new found fluidity, promoting progression for
all players from complete beginners to contenders at the national championships. In spite of injuries to key 1st team players for both the men and women during the BUCS individual university championships, there was still a great deal of success, with the Palatinates being an ever-growing presence on the draw sheet. 1st team player Torsten Wietoska was the star of the championships finishing 2nd in the singles, and winning the doubles with
1st team partner Jaime Vazquez. On the girl’s side, Mallory Cecil and Jessica Ren had a fantastic run to reach the singles semi-finals. There were also notable performances from Jonny Binding and fresher Dom Beesley, both making the quarter-finals of the men’s singles. This has undoubtedly been our most successful season ever, and as our club continues to improve and expand it is important to recognise the immeasurable impact of the support provided by those surrounding the club. To perform at the level we aim for requires hours and hours of training every week and this does not come cheaply. The support of our sponsor PwC has enabled our training programme to expand and develop, providing our athletes with the best possible opportunity for success. This year we have been lucky enough to have the help of two former members of the club: former captain Simon Thorpe has been a great mentor to me personally, providing invaluable input on the clubs development; and his former teammate Ian Baggett has also recently furthered his involvement in the club, providing support and mentoring for our 1st team players. Executive Committee 2014/15 President – James Milligan (College of St Hild and St Bede) Women’s Captain – Mara Waters (Josephine Butler College) Men’s Captain – Sam Lowden (Josephine Butler College) Treasurer – Jon Hook (University College) Secretary – Jayne Oswald (St Cuthbert’s Society)
2014/15 - A Sporting Review