The Alnwick Minis festival was an extremely well organised and competitive tournament for the under 10s team. With a Cup, Plate and Bowl competition every team was guaranteed five 12 minute matches, the maximum the continuum allows for this age group. Being the last rugby event of the season, we took every player available to give them all some game time before the long summer break. In the end, we had a few last minute withdrawals due to non-rugby related injuries and our available squad was reduced to 13 players. The Alnwick pitches were dry and hard. All teams picked up injuries and Durham was no exception. By the last game, we had a number of walking wounded and had only 1 substitute available.

The festival format had 4 pools of 3 teams. After round robin matches the bottom team went into a Bowl competition, first and second teams from each pool went forward to the Cup quarter finals. Winners of the QFs went into the Cup semi-final and losers went into the Plate Semi Finals.

All Durham players showed huge commitment and a lot of skill but the regular substitutions and movement of player positions, to cover arising injuries, did affect the fluency of our game and in some games that led to a few gaps in our defensive play. After making it through to the Cup semi-final we met our nemesis for 2010 in the form of Alnwick. Having previously knocked us out of our own festival at the semi-final stage on conceded trys count back they repeated this achievement on their home turf. They proved to be too strong for our depleted squad and were deserved winners on the day. Players and parents were obviously disappointed not to have progressed further in the Alnwick festival. However, we all can reflect on some great team and individual performances from Durham City on the day.

2009/10 has been a fabulous season. We are County champions in both the 7s and 9s format and are unbeaten against the every team in the county and cup games this year. The festivals have reminded us that there are equally dominant teams outside Durham County and we need to raise our game to compete with them and win. We look forward to the further opportunities to develop our individual skills and our team game from August.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 1 vs Morpeth (Leo Heslop):
Our first game since winning the county cup and it was against a Morpeth team that we had already beaten much earlier in the season. Our confidence was high and it showed after only a couple of minutes Rob Milbanke broke clear and scored the first try of the game giving us a much deserved lead. However, things didn't go to plan and Morpeth scored the equalizer just before half time. In a close second half in which both teams had chances to score Morpeth looked fresher and got the all important try and took a close game 10 – 5.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 2 vs Ballynahinch B (Billy Marsden):
After just losing the first game we had to win this one to stay in the cup. We didn't know what to expect but we had heard they were very good. We got off to a great start Kyle broke through and sprinted to the try line. This was followed by Oliver showing his strength, crashing through their defences to score. A further try by Adam before half time gave us the advantage. Adam scored again after half time and there were a few other good runs which the Irish managed to stop but the win was ours and we were still in the cup!!!
I couldn't remember the opposition's name, or pronounce it even, so we just said 3 cheers for Ireland !!!

Captain's Match Comments Cup quarter final vs Percy Park (Arthur Mason):
'Percy Park were a good team but Durham made all the points in the first half with tires by Max and Robert Tomlinson. Kyle played had very good game and scored in the second half. Durham continued to tackle hard and were determined in the scrums but Percy Park never gave in and came back to score. An excellent try by James Coxon put the final stamp on the game for Durham.

Captain's Match Comments Cup semi-final vs Alnwick (James Coxon):
We always knew this would be a grudge match following the defeat at Durham and Harrogate. As a team we were up for the game, but we had all taken a bit of a hammering in the previous few matches, the ground was hard so we knew being tackled would hurt! Alnwick scored a quick try and our heads went down, this shortly followed a second and we were really struggling to hang on in. Eventually we managed a try with some real strong running by Kyle to pull the score back to 10 - 5. Alnwick went on to win 15 -5 to knock us out of the semi-final. Wait till next season and we will have them!

Captain's Match Comments Cup 3rd/4th play off vs Ballynahinch A (James Wood):
I was captain against the touring Irish 'A' team at the end of a long hard and well fought day. They won the toss and decided to start with the ball and I chose to play downhill in the first half. The tourists were quick and organised and despite our hard fighting with some excellent pushing, along with some exceptional tackles from Max, we could not break down their defence. We played hard right up till the final whistle but the Irish boys outplayed us and combined with our tired legs and numerous injuries we ended up losing 5 tries to nil.

On Sunday 18th April Durham City Rugby Football Team U10’s played their best rugby of the season against tough opposition in the County Cup Competition held at Darlington RFC. Durham City went on to win the competition and retained their title of County Cup Champions for a 2nd year in succession, beating Gateshead, Yarm, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Darlington Mowden Park in the final, and winning without dropping a single point throughout the 5 matches. This tops off a hugely successful season for the squad who’s 1st team have gone undefeated in 21 league and cup games, scoring 675 points for and conceding only 20 points.
Commenting on their performance the coach said, 'We have a squad of talented players who have a great attitude and team spirit and work extremely hard in training to ensure they always play to the best of their ability. We have welcomed new players to the squad this season and they have developed very quickly in this strong team environment. We are always looking to recruit new players to our squad and would welcome anyone who is interested in starting to play rugby. Next season will bring fresh challenges as the team sizes increase but the squad are determined to develop and continue their current run of success.'
Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 1 vs Gateshead (Oliver Smith):
This was the first match and we were all very nervous. I felt very honoured to have been picked to be Captain for this first game, even though I felt nervous too. It took a couple of minutes for the team to build up their confidence, but we soon scored with Kyle managing two tries, followed quickly with a try from Max, so that we were 3 tries up by half time. This made our confidence high and we scored a further 3 tries in the second half, two from James and the final one from Jamie. I just also want to say that I have really enjoyed playing Rugby this season, which is my first season, and that I feel really lucky that my first season has been with such a lovely team, and I would also like to say thank you to the coaches for letting me join Durham and teaching me so much.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 2 vs Yarm (Max Weightman):
In our second match the opposition was Yarm and we knew it would be hard. We started off and pretty much straight away, James Coxon made a break and Durham scored. Like the first match, as soon as we scored we were on a roll. Straight after that Robert scored a great try and Kyle squeezed one in before half time. It was our kick off, and after two or three minutes Kyle scored his second. Finally in the last minute or so we were given a penalty, James Coxon popped it over to Oliver our prop who ran through the whole of the opposition scoring the final try of the game.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 3 vs Middlesborough (Kyle Martin):
We knew this would be a hard game. Middlesborough were a very good defensive side. Eventually, we managed to break through and score our first try early in the second half and a further 3 tries quickly followed including a first try of the season for Leo. It was no mean feat but we managed the final score of 20-0. Well done team for your hard work and dedication. Special thanks go to our coaches and parents for there support

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 4 vs Sunderland (Rob Milbanke):
We started this last group game with confidence having won the previous games. The match began with some strong tackling and running from both sides. In a tight first half Jamie managed to give us the lead with a great try. After a good team talk with Gary at half time we started very strongly in the second half and ran in three more tries from Jamie, Will H & Max. This made the final score 20:0. We were pleased that we didn't concede any tries and very happy because we knew we would be in the County Cup final.

Captain's Match Comments County Cup Final vs Mowden Park (Jamie Adamson):
We had made it to the final without dropping a single point in the competition. We were confident of winning but also very nervous as this was really important to us. We decided to go onto the pitch before Mowden Park and let them see we were a strong team by keeping in a tight circle and making some noise.
Right from the whistle we gave it 100% and everyone on the team really tried their hardest, making every tackle count. For the first few minutes we were defending all the time and did not have the ball much but our tackling was so good that Mowden did not make any ground. When we got the ball we called our backs moves out and Robert scored really quickly. Oliver then followed this up with a strong try just before half time. In the second half our nerves had gone and we felt we controlled the game, calling out all our best moves to put another 4 tries past Mowden from Nico, Max, Kyle and Robert all from moves we had practised in training. We won the County Cup again and had not conceded a single point all day. Everyone in the squad had played their best ever rugby and we played as a team. It was a great feeling and we drove the Cup back to Durham City to all drink shandy out of it and celebrate. I felt really proud to be part of the winning team at Durham City.

The Harrogate Rugby festival was a very competitive tournament for the under 10s team. Durham took a squad of 13 players on tour and a number of the players spent a great afternoon and evening at a hotel on the outskirts of Leeds with other age groups. With a few tired heads from players and parents Sunday turned out to be excellent weather for the festival. The teams were split into two pools of 5. At the end of all the pool games the top teams from each pool met in the cup final and the 2nd place teams met in the plate final. The matches between Durham, Harrogate and Alnwick in our pool were all very close with only a single try difference in the score in each game. There were excellent individual and team performances from the Durham players and the general standard of rugby in the competition was very high by all sides but unfortunately Durham did not progress to the finals.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 1 vs Bradford and Bingley(James Coxon):
Following a great night at the hotel playing with team mates, it was now time to concentrate on our game. After the disappointment of own tournament we were up to win this one. After some warming up exercises we ran onto the pitch for our first game – Bradford and Bingley – a team we had never met or seen before.
We were soon into the game and Joe drove through their defence to score the first try! Confidence was high and we knew we could beat them, further tries from Kyle and Rob soon won the game for City!

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 2 vs Alnwick (Joe Bellis):
We were all feeling quite nervous for this game as we had lost on conceeded tries to Alnwick last week in the Durham festival. It meant a lot to us, as we had something to prove. We were raring to get on the pitch and win. The game was hard fought, but Alnwick were just slightly stronger than us this time. They were good at tackling but they fouled as well. We were one try down just before half time when we won a restart. James passed me the ball and Alnwick immediately tackled and I ended up under a large pile of players. I was subbed off and Leo came on to take my place. In the second half we kept our focus and battled bravely, but Alnwick stole a second try. Determined to make a difference, Rob scored one for us. This really lifted us, but the final score remained 10 – 5 to Alnwick. We were gutted and still have the bruises to show how hard we battled.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 3 vs Harrogate (Leo Heslop):
After a physical and hard game with Alnwick, next up was Harrogate, another tough team. We were up for the challenge and needed a result to progress in the tournament. 1st half, we came out and played as a fantastic unit, we passed and tackled well, but just one mistake led to a Harrogate try. 2nd half more of the same and a good try from Rob Milbanke got us back in it, but just before full time Harrogate made us pay for some missed tackling and scored the last try of the game. I was very proud to be captain and thought everyone gave 100% !!

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 4 vs Bowdon (Rob Milbanke):
After the last 2 games we knew we had to win this game so that we would not go into the County Cup following 3 defeats. We started very strongly and Nico and Will got us off to a great start with two tries. This gave us confidence for the second half because we knew we were better than Bowdon. I scored two tries and thought about getting the hatrick but decided to pass to Nico so he could score. The final score was 25:0 but we knew we would be heading home as third in the group. We all had a great weekend and I had lots of fun at Lightwater Valley. Next week is the County Cup!

The Durham City Rugby festival was hard fought tournament for the under 10s team. Durham played well throughout and were unbeaten in the tournament. Disappointingly however, they were knocked out after drawing their semi-final with Alnwick having conceded more trys in the pool games.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 1 vs Bishop Auckland (Jamie Adamson):
We started really slowly against Bishop, I think everyone was a bit nervous because the competition was so important to us. Bishop kept possession for the first few minutes and we were a bit worried we would not get the ball. Then Oliver got the ball and ran through everyone to score. This made us more confident and we started playing better. Robert and then Max ran through 2 tries really quickly to take us into half time 15-0 up. After half time we started to put the pressure on Bishop and I ran 2 tries in. We started to believe we could win the competition and we relaxed, allowing Bishop to run a try in at the end. This reminded us we had to concentrate the whole time so we would not let other teams get past us. It was a good start though and we were pleased with how we had played.

Captain's Match Comments Pool Game 2 vs Novocastrians (William Hodgson):
We went into the game on the back of a great win against Bishop Auckland. We started strong with a great early try scored by James, we continued to play some good rugby with strong tackles from Robert and Jamie especially against the giant that played for Novo! Max scored a try following a good run then Kyle added another before half time giving us a 15-0 lead. The second half started and Novo started much stronger but again the tackling from Robert and Kyle kept them at bay, William J scored for us and that knocked the confidence of Novo which in turn allowed Durham to score again through a great solo effort from Robert. My man of the match was Max W.... He was awsome!

Captain's Match Comments Quarter-Final vs Mowden Park (Max Weightman):
It was the quarter final and the first match of the knock out stages, so if we lost we were out of the whole competition. We were against Mowden park and knew it would be hard to beat them. As we started off we played some great rugby and kept them on there own try line until I scored. Straight away Mowden just ran through us and one of Jamie's best friends from school scored a well deserved try. When we got to half time Gary (our coach) kept the same squad because it was so close. We came out stronger than ever, every tackle we made was one hundred percent so after about three minutes three of their players were injured. Durham took that as an opportunity passed the ball along the line and James scored again leaving us 2-1 up at the final whistle.

Captain's Match Comments Semi-Final vs Alnwick(Jamie Adamson):
This was a really big game for us as it was the cup semi final and we knew the Northumberland clubs had strong teams. We were confident and feeling really strong. We knew that if we played our best we could win this and get a place in the final of the competition. It was a really tough first half and both teams were quite evenly matched. We fought really hard in every maul and ruck. We were stronger with our forwards and Alnwick were very good at passing the ball out to their backs. Durham had to get every tackle first time to keep Alnwick out. Near the end of the first half Alnwick nearly scored but Max did a fantastic tackle to save a try near the line. We went into half time 0-0.
In the 2nd half the game got even more intense and Kyle made a great break to score a try, we were leading. Straight from the re-start Alnwick ran through us and scored again to equalize. We had been caught not concentrating again. We came back even more determined and I scored a try in the corner but the referee changed his mind after all the Alnwick parents shouted at him. I know I scored it. We finished the match 5-5 and unfortunately this put us out of the competition on tries against us. We were gutted.
We had all tried our hardest and there was great rugby and tackling from the team.

Match 1
Durham City: Jonny Brooks, James Coxon, Leo Heslop, Nico Goeta, Arthur Mason, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Joe Bellis, William Hodgeson, Billy Marsden, Adam Morris, James Wood

Final Score: Durham City 85, 0

Scorers: Jonny Brooks (1), James Coxon (2), William Hodgeson (1), Nico Goeta (2), Billy Marsden (1), Kyle Martin (2), Rob Milbanke (3), Adam Morris (1), Oliver Smith (2), Max Weightman (2)

Captain's Match Comments (James Coxon):

At last we had some sunshine today, it was good to play on the racecourse pitch – it was still quite muddy but i am sure not as muddy as our usual pitch.
Ryton turned up late – perhaps they did not know where we were playing. We used the time and had a good training session with lots of tackles and skills work.
It was a very good game with lots of tries and it was very intense. It was not as hard as we expected it to be. It was a good run out for all the team before the festival next week. It was great to see Jonny score his first try to day. I picked the ball up from the ruck and ran down the wing passing it to Jonny to score.
The passing got better as the game went on, Max did lots of brilliant running and tackling, but the team need to support Oliver more!

Match 2

Durham City: Jonny Brooks, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Adam Morris, Robert Milbanke,

Substitutes: William Hodgeson, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman, James Wood
Note: Mixed teams in 2nd half. Billy Marsden, William Hodgeson, Oliver Smith played for Ryton

Final Score: Durham City 45, Ryton 5

Scorers: Joe Bellis (1), James Coxon (2), Adam Morris (5), Max Weightman(1), William Hodgeson (1 for Ryton)

Captain's Match Comments (Adam Morris):

Durham started the second game strongly with some excellent tries from both forward and backs. Some great passing quickly got the ball wide and some exiting tries were scored. Durham maitained a clean sheet until half time when the teams were mixed up and William scored while playing for the Ryton team.
The second half was played with great sportsmanship and all players who swapped jerseys contributed well to their new team.

Match 1
Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, William Hodgeson, Nico Goeta, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Cameron Fyfe, Leo Heslop, Billy Marsden, Robert Tomlinson

Final Score: Durham City 25, Hartlepool 0

Scorers: Joe Bellis(1), William Hodgeson (3), Robert Tomlinson (1)

Captain's Match Comments (Jamie Adamson):

The first thing to point out is that during any match the decisions from the referee may not go our way. However, we stuck to our game and managed to beat Hartlepool convincingly. Our forwards were very strong in the scrums and rucks. We drove them off every ball in the scrum and protected the ball in every ruck. Our backs put in a lot of tackles and they were all successful. We had a very fast back line which meant we took the ball forward quickly. Hartlepool came offside a lot which the referee missed which was very frustrating but we were better organised and called every back line play with successful switch moves. Hartlepool tackling was good but they were bunched up in the middle of the pitch so when we moved the ball wide we scored. We scored 5 tries with Joe and Will Hodgeson getting us off to a flying start in the first half. Will scored another 2 tries in the second half with Rob Tomlinson making it 5 tries to Nil.

Match 2

Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, Nikita Berriman, James Coxon, William Hodgeson, Nico Goeta, Kyle Martin, Arthur Mason, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Cameron Fyfe, Leo Heslop, Billy Marsden, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Robert Tomlinson

Final Score: Durham City 45, Hartlepool 5

Scorers: James Coxon (1), Nico Goeta (1), William Hodgeson (2), Kyle Martin (1) Oliver Smith (2), Rob Tomlinson (1), Max Weightman(1)

Captain's Match Comments (Nikita Berriman):

We played better in this game compared to the first game and scored more tries, although Hartlepool also scored against us. Everybody tackled really well and attacking the Hartlepool try line. We also supported each other really well and managed push them back in most scrums. It was a good second game.

Match 3

Durham City: Jamie Adamson, James Coxon, Cameron Fyfe, Leo Heslop, William Hodgeson, Billy Marsden, Kyle Martin, Oliver Smith, Robert Tomlinson, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Joe Bellis, Nico Goeta

Final Score: Durham City 10, Hartlepool 0

Scorers: Joe Bellis(1), Kyle Martin (1)

Captain's Match Comments (Billy Marsden):

We were a bit surprised that having been beaten twice Hartlepool would want to play a third time. But they did and we were very pleased to face them again. We played 10 a side but had to loan them Arthur. It was only a short match but we managed to score twice after a lot of pressure. The non competitive scrums were to our disadvantage as we had dominated the scrums all morning. There were some great tackles in the match. Probably the most magnificent one was Max's tackle on the touchline.
We all had a great morning. Billy

Match 1
Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, William Hodgeson, Nico Goeta, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Substitutes: William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Adam Morris

Final Score: Durham City 50, Billingham 5

Scorers: Joe Bellis(1), James Coxon (1), William Jewitt (1), Billy Marsden (1), Kyle Martin (3), Oliver Smith (2), Max Weightman (1)

Captain's Match Comments (Kyle Martin):

After three weeks of missing training due to the weather, we finally had a match at Billingham. It was sunny but freezing. Just ask the parents. The match began and within minutes Oliver scored our first try. On restart I passed the ball to Jamie and it went down the line and a try was scored by Max. The rugby was flowing beautifully. The next tries were by James Coxon and Joe Bellis. I got a hat trick that was 5, 6 & 7 taken care of. Next half was just as good as the first half, further tries by Billy ( first of the season well done), Oliver and William Jewitt. The final Score was 50 -5. We were all made man of the match. Well done to all. Great effort.

Match 2

Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Johnny Brooks, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Arthur Mason, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Robert Tomlinson, James Wood,

Substitutes: Joe Bellis, William Hodgeson, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Adam Morris

Final Score: Durham City 25, Billingham 20

Scorers: Jamie Adamson (1), James Coxon (1), Adam Morris(1), Rob Milbanke (2)

Captain's Match Comments (Arthur Mason):

After their first game defeat, Billingham came out a much more determined side for the second game. Both teams played some good attacking rugby and although Billingham may have been a bit stronger in the scrum, the tackling from Durham was awesome. Billingham had a good run in the second half with 3 consecutive tries to lead 4-3 but then Durham went up a gear. Our training discipline kicked in and tries from Adam and Rob gave us a well deserved win.

Match 1
Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Leo Heslop, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Adam Morris, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Nico Goeta

Final Score: Durham City 30, Bishop Auckland 0

Scorers: Joe Bellis(1), James Coxon (2), Kyle Martin (1), Robert Milbanke (1), Max Weightman (1)

Players of the match (chosen by opposition coach): Oliver Smith

Captain's Match Comments (Max Weightman):

This Sunday we played Bishop Auckland rugby club. We started off and were too confident, we nearly let them score but just held on. So we then woke up and straight away James Coxon scored. That knocked their confidence and just before half time Joe Bellis scored. Straight after kick off James Coxon scored his second try. Not long after that I scored and they had pretty much given up. Robert scored and Kyle fitted one last try in before the match finished.
Match 2

Durham City: Nikita Berriman, Johnny Brooks, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, Adam Morris, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, James Wood,

Substitutes: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, Billy Marsden, Kyle Martin, Arthur Mason, Max Weightman

Final Score: Durham City 20, Bishop Auckland 10

Scorers: Kyle Martin (2), Max Weightman (2)

Player of the match (chosen by opposition coach): Max Weightman

Captain's Match Comments (Johnny Brooks):

Bishop Auckland won the toss and asked us to start. Bishop Auckland rucked and marked well and after a scrum, scored a try. The rest of the half was tight in the middle of the pitch. After Gary’s half time talk, we came out fighting. Max skimmed through the Bishop Auckland defence to level the score. We then quickly scored three more tries, Kyle, Max and then Kyle again with a good team effort. Bishop Auckland scored a late try to make the score 4-2. I would like to thank Gary and his assistants for coaching us.

Match 1
Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Jewitt, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Substitutes:, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Adam Morris,

Final Score: Durham City 45, Tynedale 0

Scorers: Joe Bellis(1), James Coxon (2), Nico Goeta (1), Kyle Martin (1), Robert Milbanke (1), Oliver Smith (1), Max Weightman (2)

Players of the match (chosen by opposition coach): Kyle Martin, Oliver Smith

Captain's Match Comments (Nico Goeta):

We all got to the Rugby club raring to go. We knew Tynedale was going to be tricky but we believed that we could beat them. This was the first game of the year so we new we had to make it count! We walked onto the pitch excited but nervous. It was extremely muddy, just the way we like it. We had won the first ball for kick off so this means we got an advantage. The advantage to start! The first ball was passed to the forwards and they stormed off, rampaging through Tynedale at full pelt. This was going to happen many times during the match. Our forwards were superb today! The backs were also doing their part, tackling very hard and not letting Tynedale score. Half time we were 20-0 and as Tynedale’s confidence went down our game went up and we finish the match with 9 tries to none for them!!! Already looking forward to the next match a few minutes later. I believe we all played very good as a team in this match.

Match 2

Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Adam Morris, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, James Wood,

Substitutes: Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Final Score: Durham City Lions 40, Tynedale 10

Scorers: Joe Bellis(2), James Coxon (1),Nico Goeta (2), Kyle Martin (1), Robert Milbanke (1), Oliver Smith (1)

Player of the match (chosen by opposition coach): Robert Milbanke

Captain's Match Comments (Adam Morris):

Tynedale came out strong and scored the first try. Durham regrouped and scored 3 quick tries. In reply Tyndale scored a second try just before half time. For the second half our team came out winning scrums and line outs, with good passing to score 5 more tries. Durham won the match thanks to a great team effort from everyone.


Sunday 17th January 2010 away to Middlesbrough

Match 1
Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, William Hodgson, William Jewitt, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Leo Heslop, Adam Morris,

Final Score: Durham City 15, Middlesbrough 0

Scorers: Robert Milbanke (1), James Coxon (1), Oliver Smith (1)

Captain's Match Comments (Oliver Smith):

After all the snow we finally got a game. However, the ground was very wet and muddy. It was a very hard game from the start, with everyone working hard. Joe Bellis was very strong in the game. The tries came from James Coxon, Rob Millbank and myself, from a Middlesborough put in.

Match 2

Durham City: Nikita Berriman, Johnny Brooks, James Coxon, William Hodgson, Billy Marsden, Kyle Martin, Arthur Mason, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Jamie Adamson, Leo Heslop, William Jewitt, Adam Morris

Final Score: Durham City Lions 10, Middlesbrough 5

Scorers: James Coxon (1), Kyle Martin (1)

Captain's Match Comments (Nikita Berriman):

We played well with good tackles from Max. James and Kyle scored a try each and Middlesbrough played well but only scored one try. Unfortunately, William Hodgson got kneed in the eye and was replaced by Billy. However, everybody stuck at it and made sure of a good win in muddy conditions.

Match 3

Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Nikita Berriman, James Coxon, William Hodgson, Kyle Martin, Arthur Mason, Robert Milbanke, Oliver Smith, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Johnny Brooks, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Adam Morris

Final Score: Durham City Lions 10, Middlesbrough 5

Scorers: James Coxon (2),

Captain's Match Comments (William Hodgson):

Following victory in the first two games we were lucky that Middlesbrough agreed to play a third game. This was the closest fought game of the three. We took the lead following some strong play from our forwards to win posession. Middlesbrough levelled, then we pulled ahead again with another try from James. Kyle and I scored further trys which were disallowed. Our forwards (Joe Oliver and myself) picked up a few injuries as Middlesbrough were a strong side.
We had a great day following a long christmas break.

Match 1
Durham City Lions: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Hodgson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Adam Morris, Alex Pearson, Oliver Smith

Final Score: Durham City Lions 30, West Hartlepool 0

Scorers: Robert Milbanke (1), James Coxon (3), Nico Goeta (1), Adam Morris (1)

Player of the match: James Coxon

Lions Captain's Match Comments (Joe Bellis):

It was the wettest day so far this season for our rugby match. We were playing West Hartlepool on the 1st team pitch at Hollow drift. West began play by putting on the pressure but we defended well and held them back. I had gone down and released the ball. It went back to Rob who made a fantastic run. Almost at the line a Hartlepool player caught Robert who dived into the air and placed the ball over the try line. This was a great start. Despite the rain getting more and more heavy, James scored a great try quickly followed by Nico who also dived over the line. James was on superb form and scored two more tremendous tries. In the last few moments of play, we won a scrum near their try line. Adam picked up the ball and ran in our 6th, great try. With some fantastic play by Oliver, who had two tries disallowed, and some great defending by Leo, our team triumphed over West Hartlepool.

Match 2

Durham City Tigers: Johnny Brooks, Cameron Fyfe, Leo Heslop, Billy Marsden, Kyle Martin, Arthur Mason, Callum McNally, Robert Milbanke, James Wood,

Substitutes: Nikita Berriman, Oliver Smith, Adam Morris, Alex Pearson

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 10, West Hartlepool 20

Scorers: Robert Milbanke (2),

Player of the match: Robert Milbanke

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (Billy Marsden):

This was definitely the worst conditions I have ever played in. Fortunately we were on the first team pitch. West were a player down and magnanimously James Coxon volunteered to help them out. West took an early lead but we dug in and Robert soon replied with a great try. The conditions just got worse and worse. It was freezing and several of us had very numb hands. West scored again but Robert ran through half the team, dodged a couple more then dived spectacularly over the try line to equalise.
We piled on the pressure and Alex nearly scored twice but it was our own team member James who won the game for West with the 2 late tries.
Despite the score we had a great game with good runs forward from Nikita, Alex and Oliver.

Match 1
Durham City Lions: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Hodgson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Oliver Smith, William Jewitt

Final Score: Durham City Lions 10, Morpeth 5

Scorers: Joe Bellis(1), Kyle Martin (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Morpeth team): Joe Bellis

Lions Captain's Match Comments (Max Weightman):
Yet another exciting game for Durham. We started weakly because we were still asleep. I nearly scored but got pushed into touch. After a few more minutes we started to wake up but Morpeth scored the first try. But we soon came back, and by half time it was one all from a great try by Joe Bellis. When we started again, Kyle scored a magnificent try almost immediately. Durham then just held the lead and by the end it was 2-1. It was a close match but we just won!

Match 2

Durham City Tigers: Jamie Adamson, Johnny Brooks, Leo Heslop, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Callum McNally, Alex Pearson, Oliver Smith,

Substitutes: Nikita Berriman, Oliver Smith, James Wood

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 5, Morpeth 25

Scorers: Jamie Adamson (1),

Player of the match (Selected by Morpeth team): Jamie Adamson

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (Alex Pearson):

The game kicked off and we all had confidence in ourselves that we had a chance of winning. Durham went 1 try up a couple of mins into the game. Morpeth had some good forward play and good back play and soon came back with a try to equalise. Durham restarted and gained some yards and we lost the ball at the back and Morpeth scored again – 2 tries to 1.
At the restart we gained a few yards and got tackled. Good forward play by Leo, Jamie and Woody meant we could get it out to the backs and we got over the try line but the try was disallowed.
The game started again and we showed good play by Jamie, Max and Leo by doing some good tackling which led to half time.
After half time Morpeth started well and went through to score 3 more tries.

U10’s County 7s Champions!

Having a large, dedicated and skilful squad, Durham entered two teams into the Under 10s County Sevens. The Lions battled defiantly, but were knocked out after three games. The Tigers progressed all the way to The Final and won, retaining their title, which they had won as Under 9s, last year.

Durham City Under 10s, County 7s Champions 2009.
Well done everyone!

The Lions

Durham City Lions: Nikita Berriman, Johnny Brooks, Cameron Fyfe, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Adam Morris, Alex Pearson, Oliver Smith, James Wood,

Match 1 v Westoe

Final Score: Durham City Lions 10, Westoe 10

Scorers: Adam Morris (1), Alex Pearson (1)

Player of the match : Adam Morris

Lions Captain's Match Comments (Cameron Fyfe):

We started our first match with spirit and supported each other throughout the game. We tackled well, and this led to a try by Alex Pearson. Unfortunately Westoe broke through our defence to score their two tries. James, Adam and Billy came on at half time to replace Jonny, Alex and Nikita. There was some skilful play during the second half and although Adam Morris was injured he came back on to score another try for the Lions during the last play of the game. This led to a 10 – 10 draw. Both teams played well and I had the chance to captain a great match.
I would like to thank all of our coaches, Geraint and Michael, for helping us on the day.

Match 2 v West Hartlepool

Final Score: Durham City Lions 0, West Hartlepool 15

Player of the match : Oliver Smith

Lions Captain's Match Comments (Arthur Mason):

The whole team played well against a strong opposition. Oliver and
Jonny worked hard in the scrum and there was some strong running from
the backs. Despite the disappointing final score the team enjoyed this
hard match.

Match 3 v Darlington Mowden Park

Final Score: Durham City Lions 5, Darlington Mowden park 35

Player of the match : Alex Pearson

Lions Captain's Match Comments (James Wood):

At the end of the tournament we played a strong and physical Mowden. I won the toss and decided to start with the ball. Mowden took possession of the ball very quickly and scored a try. Our team kept on pushing, but the ground was muddy and it was very wet. We were over powered by their strong players and we ended the first half with them scoring a try to leave the score at half time 0-10 to Mowden.

Oliver, Alex & Nikita were first half subs, coming on at half time to replace Arthur, Cameron & William. We started the second half by getting the ball and Alex scoring our first and only try. Mowden went on to score 5 more tries, despite us trying very hard. The final score was 5-35 to Mowden. I was proud to be captain and I thought all the team tried very hard. Player of the match was Alex Pearson.

The Tigers

Durham City Tigers: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Hodgson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Match 1 v Blaydon

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 35, Blaydon 0

Scorers: Kyle Martin (1), Joe Bellis (1), Nico Goeta (1), James Coxon (2), William Hodgson (2)

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (Joe Bellis):

Our first game of the Tournament was against Blaydon and we were fired up to play to win. Blaydon never got the ball past the half way line, we were too strong for them. We passed the ball well and drove forward. Four of my team mates scored six tries between them. For my try, I picked the ball up from the ground and fought my way to the line. When the ref blew for full time I felt great! We had won 35:0. I enjoyed celebrating with the rest of my team who had all played fantastically well!

Match 2 v Sunderland

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 40, Sunderland 0

Scorers: Kyle Martin (1), Joe Bellis (1), Max Weightman (1), Robert Milbanke (2), Jamie Addison (3)

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (Leo Heslop):

My 1st time as captain this season and I felt very proud. I also felt very confident that we would beat Sunderland, having played and beaten them the previous week. Both teams started well but we soon got into our stride and dominated the game, running out 40 – 0 winners which included a hat trick from Jamie. To be captain and to win was fantastic. Thanks to all my mates for an excellent performance.

Match 3 v Yarm

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 10, Yarm 0

Scorers: Kyle Martin (1), James Coxon (1)

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (James Coxon):

We had watched Yarm play against Sunderland in the first game of the day and knew they would be the hardest team in the group to beat. There was no score at half time; it was a very tight game. Myself and Kyle were the only 2 try scorers in what was the hardest game of the day. This game was worthy of being the final!!!

Match 4 v Bishop Auckland
Semi Final

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 20, Bishop Auckland 0

Scorers: Kyle Martin (1), Max Weightman (1), James Coxon (1), William Hodgson (1)

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (Nico Goeta):

It was the semi final and we were confident enough to feel we were going to beat Bishop. We started well, with a 20 : 0 lead by half time. In the second half no one scored any tries. I think this was because Bishop Auckland were defending better and we were tired because the pitch was absolutely enormous and we had played so many games. We finished with lots of confidence for going into the final as we still had not conceded any tries up until now. Only one more win for the cup to be ours. Come on Durham!!!

Match 5 v Darlington Mowden Park
The Final

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 25, Darlington Mowden Park 5

Scorers: Kyle Martin (1), Max Weightman (1), Jamie Adamson (1), James Coxon (2)

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (Robert Milbanke):

It was the final so we were all desperate to win because we’d come so far. Durham won the toss and decided to kick off. We started the game with some good passing and running from the whole team which resulted in Kyle getting the important first try. Two more tries followed, from Max and James and this put us right on top at half time.

We had a good team talk from Gary and knew Mowden would come out fighting in the second half. Despite some good tackling Mowden managed to pull one back. This only made us more determined and we ran in two more tries, from Jamie and James. The full time whistle went and we were all proud of our victory and the way we’d played.

As Captain I would like to thank all my team mates for the effort they put in. It was a fantastic team performance. I would also like to thank Gary and all the parents for supporting us. A big thank you goes to all of the rest of the Durham squad especially those who stayed to cheer us on. It really was a big help.

Durham City, ‘County 7’s’ champions for the second year running. Fantastic!

Sunday 8th November 2009 away to Sunderland

Match 1
Durham City Lions: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, Cameron Fyfe, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Hodgson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Final Score: Durham City Lions 30, Sunderland 0

Scorers: Nico Goeta (2), Max Weightman (2), Kyle Martin (1), Robert Milbanke (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Sunderland team): Jamie Adamson

Lions Captain's Match Comments (Kyle Martin):

We came to Sunderland on a sunny Sunday morning. The pitch we played on was undulating. The match started and within minutes Max scored our first try. There was some great rugby played against a strong Sunderland team. Within moments there was another try by Robert. Half time came and we had a two minute silence for Remembrance Sunday. It was a day to remember for all of us. The second half began and Sunderland had not yet scored. Max scored again and then one more from Nico. He seemed to be on form. I scored the last try. We really took the game to Sunderland. It is all down to the hard work and dedication of coaches and players. The player of the match went to Jamie.

Match 2

Durham City Tigers: Johnny Brooks, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Adam Morris, Alex Pearson, Oliver Smith, James Wood, Jamie Adamson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 15, Sunderland 15

Scorers: Adam Morris (1), William Jewitt (1), Alex Pearson (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Sunderland team): Oliver Smith

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (William Jewitt):

A close game was enjoyed by both teams which ended in a draw. The match ended 3 tries each with tries from Alex Pearson, Adam Morris and myself. Good forward play from Oliver, James and Arthur won some solid possession. The lineout proved very successful with both Woody and Oliver competing well

Match 1
Durham City Lions: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, Cameron Fyfe, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Hodgson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Final Score: Durham City Lions 30, Sunderland 0

Scorers: Nico Goeta (2), Max Weightman (2), Kyle Martin (1), Robert Milbanke (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Sunderland team): Jamie Adamson

Lions Captain's Match Comments (Kyle Martin):

We came to Sunderland on a sunny Sunday morning. The pitch we played on was undulating. The match started and within minutes Max scored our first try. There was some great rugby played against a strong Sunderland team. Within moments there was another try by Robert. Half time came and we had a two minute silence for Remembrance Sunday. It was a day to remember for all of us. The second half began and Sunderland had not yet scored. Max scored again and then one more from Nico. He seemed to be on form. I scored the last try. We really took the game to Sunderland. It is all down to the hard work and dedication of coaches and players. The player of the match went to Jamie.

Match 2

Durham City Tigers: Johnny Brooks, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Adam Morris, Alex Pearson, Oliver Smith, James Wood, Jamie Adamson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 15, Sunderland 15

Scorers: Adam Morris (1), William Jewitt (1), Alex Pearson (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Sunderland team): Oliver Smith

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (William Jewitt):

A close game was enjoyed by both teams which ended in a draw. The match ended 3 tries each with tries from Alex Pearson, Adam Morris and myself. Good forward play from Oliver, James and Arthur won some solid possession. The lineout proved very successful with both Woody and Oliver competing well

Match 1

Durham City Lions: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, James Coxon, Cameron Fyfe, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Hodgson, Kyle Martin, Robert Milbanke, Max Weightman

Final Score: Durham City Lions 40 - Blaydon 0

Scorers: James Coxon (2), Nico Goeta (3), William Hodgson (1), Kyle Martin (1), Robert Milbanke (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Blaydon Coach): William Hodgson

Lions Captain's Match Comments (Jamie Adamson):

Durham had an excellent game against Blaydon. From the start of the match we had very good tackling and were very strong in defence. We hardly let them in our half of the pitch and in the first 5 minutes Nico scored our first Try. Then we drove Blaydon back up to their try line and Nico scored another 2. After half time we had a few penalties against us but that didn’t stop Durham and we scored again. Our switch moves helped us out for most of our scrums and allowed us to put pressure on Blaydon even more. We had no tries scored against us and towards the end of the game Blaydon’s heads went down as we dominated them. Another great win for Durham from a strong team.

Match 2

Durham City Tigers: Nikita Berriman, Johnny Brooks, William Jewitt, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason, Adam Morris, Callum McNally, Alex Pearson, Oliver Smith, James Wood,

Final Score: Durham City Tigers 50 - Blaydon 20

Scorers: Adam Morris (1), William Jewitt (2), Oliver Smith (6), Alex Pearson (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Blaydon Coach): Oliver Smith

Tigers Captain's Match Comments (William Jewitt):

I thought the 3 forwards did extremely well with their line outs and scrums and also driving over to let the backs try all their fancy moves. We also had a good strong defence only letting four tries past us. It was a deserved win with player of the match Oliver proving very difficult to tackle.

Match 1

Durham City: Jamie Adamson, Joe Bellis, Nikita Berriman, Jonny Brookes, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, William Hodgson, Max Weightman

Substitutes: Kyle Martin, Billy Marsden, Arthur Mason

Final Score: Westoe 5, Durham City 25

Scorers: Jamie Adamson (1), James Coxon (1), Nico Goeta (1), William Hodgson (2)

Match 2

Durham City: Jamie Adamson, James Coxon, Nico Goeta, Leo Heslop, Billy Marsden, Kyle Martin, Callum McNally, Oliver Smith, James Wood,

Substitutes: Jonny Brookes, Joe Bellis, Nikita Berriman, William Hodgson, Arthur Mason, Max Weightman

Final Score: Westoe 10, Durham City 25

Scorers: Jamie Adamson (1), Joe Bellis(1), James Coxon (2), Nico Goeta (1)

Player of the match (Selected by Westoe Coach): Joe Bellis

Captain's Match Comments (William Hodgson):

Our first game of the season away to Westoe ,South Shields. We were all glad to be playing a competitive game again after a long summer break. As usual we had a big squad of players. I think everyone managed to get onto the pitch as most of us were sub at some point.
Westoe started very strongly, scoring the first try, but we soon found our feet and went on to score five tries from Jamie, James, Nico and myself. Final score 5-25.
The second game we dominated from the start with some strong tackling and good runs, tries came from James, Joe, Nico & Jamie. It was great to see the new boys enjoying the game too. Final score 10-25.