Durham do the double: 'A truly unforgettable season' as Palatinates crowned Women's Super League & National Cup champions

Durham Palatinates completed an extraordinary league and cup double after beating rivals Team SideOut Polonia (25-23; 25-22; 22-25; 25-17) in the National Cup Final on Sunday 23rd April.

The victory, which saw Durham avenge their Cup Final defeat against the same rivals in 2022, confirmed the double with a second consecutive Super League title already secured - after finishing the season with 17 wins from 18 games.

"Winning the Super League and National Cup double has been a two-year process (including recruitment), and we are all delighted with this achievement," said Head Coach David Goodchild.

"The recruitment process for this programme started back in 2021 and I knew that a remarkable squad of players was coming to the University," he added.

The two-year process has certainly bore fruit for the North East side, who enjoyed a remarkable season, dropping just 5 sets during their incredible Super League campaign.

Despite losing to their closest rivals, Team SideOut Polonia, on Sunday 12 March, Durham swiftly recovered to seal the title with back-to-back wins against Darkstar and Leeds Gorse the following weekend.

The Head Coach, however, is quick to dismiss any personal plaudits. He is full of praise for his playing squad and coaching staff.

"This group of athletes have shown a remarkable amount of dedication both on and off the court, and their ownership of the programme and accountability to each other and the staff has been incredible," reflected David.

"I must pay special praise to staff Paul Welsh and Ross Enfield (assistant coaches), Ellie Christon, our amazing strength and conditioning staff and injured players, Alli Lowe and Bethan Appleton Jones, who remained positive and influential through the entire year!"

Ambitious from the outset, the Palatinates have left Goodchild spellbound, after achieving every target set of them.

"The squad has delivered on all four of the objectives we set out to achieve; winning the BUCS Northern Premier and National Championship, alongside the Super League and National Cup double."

Captain Sofia Nicholson, who represents England as well as Durham, was equally keen to heap praise onto her teammates.

"The buy-in to this programme from the girls has been absolutely amazing. The commitment to training and playing up to three games a week is tough having to balance it with our university studies.

"Coming from all over the world with such a range of experiences and stages in life, we have amazingly become the closest team I have ever been a part of."

Nicholson, however, was keen to stress that Durham's success wasn't just down to those on the court.

"Firstly, a big shoutout to Dave Goodchild for recruiting such an incredible group of people!

"All the work we have done off court is also an extremely important piece of this, and we would like to thank Ellie Christon, our S&C coach who has played a massive role in the success of this Volleyball programme for the 3 years I have been playing at Durham."

For the England star, this campaign will live long in the memory.

"2022-23 has been a truly unforgettable season for all involved," said the outside hitter.

"To win the Super League, National Cup, BUCS National Championship and BUCS Northern Premier has delivered a perfect season for us and it's something we are immensely proud of."

You can relive the moment that Durham secured the double over on our YouTube channel, along with all the other highlights from Cup Finals weekend.