Sports
Sports
Introduction from your Sports and Societies Officers, Hannah McQueen & Sara Crozier:
Hello freshers. You’ve made it to one of the top universities in the country and arguably the best and friendliest college within it (in our totally unbiased opinion), so a massive congratulations and the warmest of welcomes! We are Hannah and Sara, your Sports and Societies Officers for this year. Our role means that we overlook all the magnificent sports clubs and societies at Mary’s, so we’ll be running the Mary’s freshers’ fair (whether that’s virtual or in-person), introducing new sports and societies, advertising college and uni-wide sporting opportunities, and ensuring that you can make the most of your time here at Mary’s.
Mary’s clubs and societies pride themselves on being inclusive, accommodating, and welcoming so there really is something for everyone. Whatever your hobbies or interests, you will find a club for you with our wide range of sports offered, a plethora of different music and arts societies and other clubs such as a Christian Union, Mary’s Dance, and more, with each having their own socials. The clubs on offer are part of our JCR and are student led but if you realise we don’t have the sports team or society that you’re looking for, then you can make your own! Just speak to us about how to get your organisation ratified and finding funding and equipment, your wish is our command. Another part of our role is to work closely with Team Durham staff advertising opportunities, meaning you can take your sport to another level. Whatever your goal we are here to help.
Here’s the link to Experience Mary’s: https://www.facebook.com/experiencemarys/
If you have any questions whatsoever, just drop one of us an email at [email protected]/ [email protected] or contact one of the Club Captains below.
Here’s a list of Sports Clubs at Mary’s, along with their Club Captains. If you have any questions about these specific sports, please feel free to contact the relevant Club Captain.
Badminton
Club Captains: Hannah McQueen ([email protected])
Mary’s Badminton Club is one of Mary’s most social and successful clubs, with regular nights out and a relaxed atmosphere. We have a women’s team (currently second in the premiership), mixed team and men’s team. We’re hoping to run three training sessions a week this year, where you can play any level of badminton and pick up tips from other players. Most importantly, you’ll never have to play outside in Durham’s rain and snow! We welcome every ability level, from complete beginners (you don’t need to have a racket, we have plenty for you to borrow) to experts. If you’re looking to train competitively or just for fun, make sure to check out a training session.
Basketball
Club Captain: Chris Oakes ([email protected])
St Mary’s Basketball Club welcomes guys and girls of all abilities, whether you’re a seasoned baller or just fancy trying something new. A perennial powerhouse in the premiership, our men’s team were two baskets away from winning the title last year and are looking to improve on that performance. It’s a great club to be part of and we can’t wait to welcome a new crop of players so be sure to find us at the Freshers’ Fair and drop me an email at if you have any questions!
Cheerleading
Captains: Alice Watson ([email protected])
Mary’s is part of Saints Cheer a new club established in 2019 which includes members from Marys and Aidans. There are two squads in Saints Cheer, Pom and Cheer. The Pom squad is new in 2020 and is captained by Charlotte Burgess, it’s a predominantly dance based group with a routine made of turns, jumps and pom throwing. The Cheer squad competes in Level 2 All-Girl in the intercollegiate cheer competition every year. Their routine is made up of stunting, tumbling and some dance. Most of our members have never cheered before university so it’s the perfect place to try something new. We’re a really friendly and close group training two times a week. We also perform every Mary’s day, a great opportunity to show the whole college what we’ve been working on throughout the year. If you have any questions drop me an email!
Cricket
Club Captains: Akash Gopal ([email protected])St Mary’s College Cricket Club is a great club to join if you have any interest in the sport at all. Whether you’re a pro or just interested in ‘that world cup thing last summer’, we’re one of the most welcoming and sociable sports clubs with a number of relaxed socials taking place throughout the year. We play in the inter college T20 league, where we will be playing in the Premier League after securing promotion with an unbeaten promotion campaign last summer. After last year’s success, we’ll be entering the indoor cricket league again to help keep away those winter cobwebs. If you have any queries don’t hesitate in getting in contact with one of us, we’d love to hear from you.
Croquet
President: Harriet Hill ([email protected])
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Dance
President: Alice Watson ([email protected])
Mary’s Dance is a non-auditioned dance society open to all students regardless of ability. Over the past few years we have gone from strength to strength, and are now a uni-wide known dance group performing at multiple balls, fashion shows and charity events. We mainly do commercial dance, however in our classes we love trying other styles such as jazz, contemporary, modern, street and body conditioning. Our goals this year are to build our growing reputation, continue to create a pressure free and fun environment in classes, and dance and perform as much as possible!
Our classes are available for anyone to join whether you are completely new to dance or have performed for years, so please do come along and just dance!
Darts
Club Captain: Richard Piatkowski ([email protected])
It seems odd to say, but recently there has been a huge surge in popularity and membership of the Darts club, and last year there were four teams which we hope to have again, so however seriously or casually you take your darts, there is a team for you. The A team is the most serious, unsurprisingly, and the other teams are more casual and banterous, but its members are fiercely competitive, even between each other. Basically, darts is an excuse to visit a different college bar every Monday night to take part in the inter-collegiate league, and have a laugh with your mates.
Football (Men’s)
Club Captains: Archie Sidwell ([email protected]) & Eliot Wilson ([email protected])
The football club is one of the biggest clubs at Mary’s, with three teams in different divisions in the inter-collegiate league. For the serious footballers, the A team is looking for the calibre of players to help them mount a title charge in the Premier Division. The B team are looking to rebuild and start playing the laborious but technically gifted football that they are best known for. If you have unfulfilled potential and/or little respect for referees and opponents, this team is for you. For the more casual footballers, the C team regularly manage to comfortably scrape survival in the 5th division, whilst channelling the spirit of Havant & Waterlooville in their yearly attempt of a first round giant killing in the College Cup. If on-the-pitch football is not your forté, there is a striving social scene; who often are hold key positions in the club. With three teams and the social section, the football club’s social events are exceptional fun. A yearly post-exams Tour is as good a time as you can have at Uni, and indeed social members usually constitute half the tour! If you are interested in playing or joining the club, look out for information in Induction Week and in particular at the College Freshers’ Fair.
Football (Women’s)
Club Captain: Yet to be elected
SMCWFC welcomes anyone interested in playing football. We have a mixture of ability levels so don’t be afraid to join in! Last season saw us placing well in the second level of college football, and we had an even better season in the brand new futsal league. This year we hope to achieve even more! With many players leaving this year we hope to get lots of new freshers involved in the team this year. If you’re interested in playing look out for us on the Mary’s Freshers page!
Futsal
Men’s Captain: Adam Houston ([email protected])
Women’s Captain: Yet to be elected
Hockey
Club Captains: Toby Smith ([email protected]) & Robert Birch ([email protected])
SMCHC is one of Mary’s biggest mixed clubs, with both Men’s and Women’s teams enjoying success in the past few years. We’re a very inclusive club, welcoming all abilities whether you’ve played hockey before or never even heard of it! We run dedicated taster sessions at the beginning of the year to give everyone a taste of the sport and the club, and then friendly training sessions each week throughout the year to give the teams time to develop together and regular matches against other colleges give everyone and anyone a chance to get involved. Frequent whole club socials welcome active and social members, and our Old Boys weekend in January is a big event in the Mary’s social calendar! We look forward to seeing you both on and off the pitch and welcoming you into the club!
Mixed Lacrosse
Club Captain: Archie Sidwell ([email protected]) & Hugh Thomas ([email protected])
Mary’s Lacrosse is as much a social club as it is a sports one. We meet once a week to train and we compete regularly against the other colleges, although unlike other college sports Mixed Lacrosse concentrates more on the social side of the team than the active one. We welcome total beginners right through to those of you who might be playing at university level, and will hold regular socials in and around Durham. It is a great way to meet people, have a good time and get a tonne of LAX stash. However, we still won the league last year so we’re aiming to keep that up!
Netball
Club Captains: Francesca Mason ([email protected]) & Juliette De Freitas Vile ([email protected])
If you enjoy playing netball and want to have a bit of fun, Mary’s netball is for you! We are a large club made up of 4 teams varying in ability. Training sessions are held both at MC and on our own sports court, with matches being played throughout the year. Whilst our training sessions are structured, we do play to a high standard, and all abilities are welcome. Further, our regular socials are a great tome for us to bond as a club off the court. Last year, all 4 teams were extremely successful, so we are keen to continue our winning streak this year. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch, and we hope to see you on the courts soon!
Pool
Club Captain: Max Greenway ([email protected])
Here at Mary’s we have several pool teams in all three of the competi-tive divisions, as well as the friendly ladder, meaning people of all abil-ities can enjoy pool at Mary’s. With games scheduled once a week for league players, as well as singles tournaments and many social nights, there are a variety of ways to enjoy the pool club. We really do have a laugh and it’s not all about being able to play well, although Mary’s still have a good pool reputation and have collected silverware in the past two years. Please come and give the pool club a try. You never know, you may have pot-entail!
Rounders
Club Captain: Rob Birch ([email protected])
Rowing
Club Captain: Yasmin Zhuang-Mackie ([email protected])
St Mary’s College Boat Club (SMCBC) welcomes both experienced and beginner rowers (even if you have never been in a boat before!) We have had great results this past year in both intercollegiate and regional competitions and hope you will join us to continue this success! Our regular socials throughout the year ensure that the Boat Club is one of the most enjoyable and friendliest clubs to be part of. If you would like to try rowing or coxing, perhaps inspired by the impressive performance by GB Rowing at the Olympics, come and visit our stall at the Fresher’s Fair!
Rugby (Men’s)
Club Captains: Jake Mortimer ([email protected]) & James Stimson ([email protected])
The rugby club is widely regarded as one of the best sporting clubs at Mary’s. We cater for all abilities – all the way up to elite players looking to supplement their university rugby. We’re heading into the 2017/18 season with a very good chance of winning Division 1. Matches are most weekends. Off the pitch, socials are a vital part of club life and the social secretary is an esteemed member of the club. They’re great fun, occur once every 2-3 weeks (no requirement to come) and are great for team bonding. Any clubmen will agree that socials are your best night of the week. Towards the summer term we also play a lot of touch rugby and theres a chance to be involved in a couple of summer 7s tournament (in which we came 3rd last year). Overall, the rugby club is a great way to meet some new people and make some new friends. If you have any questions/want to make yourself known then contact one of us.
Rugby (Women’s)
President: Jessica Evans ([email protected])
St Mary’s Women’s Rugby club is excited to welcome all new players to the club. Whether you’ve been playing for years or an absolute beginner, we’d love to have you on board! St Mary’s Women’s Rugby is still a reasonably new club, having only begun two years ago, but each year we have gone from strength to strength and are looking forward to continued growth and success in the season ahead. With weekly training sessions and matches most weekends, even the newest of players will pick up the sport in no time as well as a love for the game. Mary’s Women’s Rugby is an inclusive, friendly and sociable club who are proud to be part of one of the fastest growing sports in the University and beyond. We look forward to seeing you at the Freshers’ Fair and the taster session in October and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Running
Club Captain: Nina Lasagna ([email protected])
Group runs organised by the exec have not only introduced people to running routes around Durham but also enabled people to meet each other and socialise through this popular sport. Also important is the club’s Facebook group, which has enabled members to connect and organise their own runs. All abilities are welcome as runs of different levels take place and the most important thing is to just enjoy the runs, and of course the socials! The DUCK Santa Charity Fun Run this year was a brilliant opportunity for our club to interact with a wider university society and raise money for charity, and events like this are sure to continue next year. We have had a fantastic first year and hope you will join us in helping the next be just as good.
Squash
Club Captain: Toby Smith ([email protected])
St. Mary’s College Squash Club (SMCSC) comes together once a week on a Saturday to play squash at Maiden Castle, the University sports centre. The club is semi-competitive but welcomes all players of any ability – both novices and those with more experience are very welcome! The club currently has two teams with a Men’s and Woman’s A team who compete regularly in the intercollege leagues. The squash club also represents Mary’s college at the College Festival of Sport and the Mary’s vs Trevs Varsity. Joining the squash club gives you a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, get fit and play an active role in Mary’s sport.
Swimming
Club Captain: Yet to be Elected!
Table Tennis
Club Captain: Lucas Datta ([email protected])
The club meets once every week for training in the college basement where we do a mixture of drills, match-play and fun games. We’re a tight-knit group, and sessions are played in a friendly, sociable atmosphere. In addition our very own college principal, Simon Hackett, is a table tennis whizz, known to show off his skills and invite us to use his ball machine for practice! Last year, we had our most successful ever season. The A team won the Premiership title and the College Festival of Sport competition, achievements that saw us named Sports Club of the year for Mary’s. The B team, meanwhile, finished 4th in Division 1. Overall, we were Team Mary’s most successful club. Determined to retain our title and improve our B team, we are in need of some new players. If you are interested in one of our teams, or just fancy playing casually, please visit our stand at the fair.
Table Football
Club Captain: Yet to be Elected!
Tennis
Club Captain: Jack Muers Raby ([email protected])
Mary’s Tennis is a friendly, vibrant club that offers matches against other colleges in the Easter term for the more competitive players, as well as training sessions throughout the year (or at least when the weather is warm enough!) for all abilities. Last year Mary’s A finished 3rd in the Premiership and the B team narrowly missed out on promotion to the premiership finishing 2nd in Division 1. Hopefully both teams can improve upon these already impressive placings this year! SMCTC has also been fortunate enough to have the court in college completely repainted as well as new posts and net fitted. If you’d like to find out more, check out the ‘SMC Tennis Club’ Facebook page or come visit us at the Freshers’ Fair!
Ultimate Frisbee
Club Captain: Sam Wake-Watson ([email protected])
Ultimate Frisbee is an exhilarating mixture between American football and netball, played with a flying disc – and is a lot of fun to play! It is a very easy game to pick up no matter what your experience level or athletic ability (the vast majority of our team had never played before uni), and maintaining a good spirit of the game is paramount to winning. SMUF has two teams and is a mixed-gender game – we welcome everyone! If you have any questions (usually “why is frisbee so ultimate?”) feel free to get in touch or come and talk to us in October.
Volleyball
Club Captain: Yet to be Elected!
Inclusive, laid-back and fun. Mary’s volleyball is a society for all skill levels, with an ever-changing member base of brilliant, warm personalities from all years. Come along to any training session, whether to dip your toes in or to improve – if the turn-out is great this year there may even be plans for a beach trip. If you have any queries, fire them at the email above.
Volleyball love x