1st XV Match Report v Exeter

Rough ride up north for Exeter DURFC get their home campaign off to a winning start on the hollow drift, as they defeat Exeter 23-20 as Birthday Boy Patrick Bishop kicks the winning 3 in the last play. Exeter rose to the occasion in the first half, after an exciting first few minutes from Durham. Silencing the amazing Durham crowd, Exeter were persistent in their carries, breaking down the doors of the Durham defence after a lot of ball in hand. Front football for Exeter allowed fly half Josh Barton sore through Durham’s defence and set up Exeter’s first try. This was soon followed up by another try created by Exeter’s winger down the short side. Two quick tries seeing them going back into the sheds at half time 17-5 up, after Durham Captain Fred Davies and his pack answered back with one driving maul try. Paul Brown showed blistering speed and power on the wing throughout the game, encouraging the dominant Durham forward pack to help Fred Davies cross the line, again, in another strong driven maul. As Durham started to tick Centre Olly walker burst through the Exeter defensive line on a few occasions, whilst Harry Craven and replacement fly half, birthday boy Patrick Bishop, helped guide Durham down into the Exeter half. However, poor discipline allowed Exeter to kick the 3 points and take them 13-20 but eventually Durham’s character and patience caused an error in an Exeter strike move, allowing Walker to kick through and dot the ball down for Durham’s 3rd try, with Patrick converting to add the 2 points. 20-20 ill-discipline from Exeter in the breakdown lead to a perfect opportunity for Bishop to pin us down in Exeter’s half in the last 3 minutes. Durham went straight to the strong driving maul which led to a penalty, in which Bishop secured the 3 points in the last play to win Durham the game. It was a fantastic occasion with over £10,000 raised for charity.

2nd XV Match report v Birmingham

A strong 2nd XV travelled down to Birmingham for their first game this season. The boys started off well, putting the hosts under real pressure, however, could not add to the score board early on. This changed with a penalty with Josh Clarke adding 3 points. The host fired back with their own 3 points as they started to swing the momentum. However, a dominant driving maul saw Durham held up, although, moments later Durham had crossed the line through Benton as the Palatinate continued to dominate possession. This lead was extended just before half time with another penalty from Josh Clarke, making the half time score 13-3. The second half Brought challenges to the boys in Palatinate, as the hosts came out dieting. However, strong defence and immense work rate held the hosts at bay. This was eventually ended, as a quick counter opportunity saw the hosts go over the line adding 5 points. The pressure grew into the final 10 minutes. Strong carries from Brayden Barrett and Mark Dormer, and a strong impact from the bench saw Durham regain momentum, allowing James to go into the corner, making the score 16-8. The boys dug in and defended hard, finishing the match with a 16-8 win and a great start to their campaign this year.

3rd XV Match Report v Northumbria 2nd

The players arrived just outside of Newcastle for a 2 pm kick off against a well drilled Northumbria 2XV. At the start of the game the freshers side managed to put Northumbria on the back foot through strong set piece from the forwards and excellent tactical kicking
Weekly Round Up (October 6th)
from Jonah Peppiatt. The freshers utilised their maul well which allowed Joshua Chinyemba to pick up 3 tries in the first half, putting the freshers team at a lead by half time. Although as Durham entered the second half fatigue started to set in, and Northumbria fought back with some additional tries to gain a lead. Although the freshers side fought back with a superb run from Tom Banatvala allowing the freshers side to regain their lead. Charlie Worth then managed to add some additional points on the scoreboard to keep the fresher’s side in the game after a try from Northumbria. With Durham being 1 point down in the last 10 minutes of the game, Alex Cahill secured the win for Durham with a late try off a set piece move from the backs. All in all, a great performance from the boys with Tom Banatvala being awarded as man of the match.