Durham University RFC entered a side into the RFU Saturday leagues last year and, after being crowned champions of Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland last season, the Palatinate XV are hungry to improve in the next division up.

Coaches Paul Brookes and Sean Wiles, this year joined by former 4th XV coach Jeff Lamb, have prepared their team with a tough pre-season and an incredibly challenging fixture against Paul Brookes’ home club, Bishop Auckland RFC.

Beginning the league against Redcar at home under the Friday night lights, the Palatinates came away with a 55-6 win at Hollow Drift. New player Brandon Ngassa-Tchoudi (pictured above) and Will Springett each scored a brace of tries in a dominant display that told the league that the Palatinates were here to compete. The next game saw Ngassa-Tchoudi once again terrorise the defence, scoring a hat-trick in a 69-0 win at home against DMP Elizabethans. Hartlepool Rovers welcomed the Palatinates next, giving them a tough, hard-fought game with very little given for free. The Palatinates emerged victorius, despite the competition from Hartlepool Rovers, winning 21-36.

Sedgefield were comfortably beaten at home, followed by a tight affair at Houghton, where the Palatinates, despite not being at their best, managed to scrape a 14-17 victory. However this game was not without its losses, with the inside centre’s collarbone being smashed like raw spaghetti in the first half. Nevertheless, the Palatinates had now won 5 games from 5 and had a home game against Westoe next. After being put through their paces by the coaches, they were back to their running best, winning 91-5, their biggest win of the season so far. Finally they faced Ashington and completed their seventh win in as many games to end October as unbeaten league leaders.

Next they face Barnard Castle at home on the 2nd November. Good luck!

Harry Burch