Manchester United and Manchester City. Celtics and Rangers. Arsenal and Tottenham. Every part of the United Kingdom has its infamous rivalries. Durham is no different. The college system here fosters sporting rivalries like no other. With higher stakes, greater emotion and the all-important bragging rights to play for, rivalries add to the drama and excitement of getting involved in college sport. So, who is our greatest rival? Who is the college we simply need to beat?

HILL COLLEGES

They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Sport amongst our neighbours on the hill offers the opportunity to achieve the crucial (and absolutely official) title of the best college on the hill.

It goes without saying that Collingwood, known as the ‘sports college’, is the one to beat. With excellent participation across a wide range of sports, Collingwood dominates many of the college leagues we find ourselves in, including rowing, football and cheer. Our small size may make us seem harmless to the much larger Collingwood student population, but this only fuels our desire to prove ourselves.

“It goes without saying that Collingwood, known as the ‘sports college’, is the one to beat”

For example, Trevelyan College Boat Club and Collingwood College Boat Club are fierce rivals. Arguably the two best rowing teams on the hill, recent races such as the Novice Head in February have showcased narrow margins between the teams. Recently, TCBC & CCBC (try saying that three times after a Woodgate) spent a bar crawl together, allowing for this friendly rivalry to expand off of the water as well.

Furthermore, the atmosphere at the Floodlit football quarter-final last term between Trevs and South was truly electric, with a tense 90 minutes of excellent (ish) football attracting large numbers of both fans. The night included fiery crowd chants and some intense back-and-forths between Trevs and South’s mascot, Oswald the Owl. Unfortunately, the game ended 3-2 in favour of South. However, the match highlighted the sporting feud between us and our purple-clad opponents.

Despite us being neighbours with Mary’s, there is nothing loving between us and them. Topping the mixed lacrosse and men’s hockey league tables, Mary’s offer a serious barrier to Trevelyan sporting glory in these areas. This rivalry is about much more than sport though: we were taught to see Mary’s as the enemy from fresher’s week, with some brainwashing content on social media from Trevor the Donkey.

“[W]e were taught to see Mary’s as the enemy from Freshers’ Week, with some brainwashing content on social media from Trevor the Donkey”

BAILEY COLLEGES

Although sport fixtures between the hill colleges is competitive, the spirits are usually still friendly. However, the same cannot always be said for the Bailey colleges. There is nothing more satisfying to a Trevelyan athlete than strutting into Trevs bar post-match to hear the chorus of cheers congratulating you on defeating a team from the Bailey. In recent seasons, the Bailey has not proved to be very successful in the league tables, yet their students still have a superiority complex from being housed in a Norman Castle or the shadow of the gorgeous Cathedral rather than our slightly strange hexagonal sixties masterpiece. It’s always fun to knock them down.

Hatfield. Hatfield. Hatfield. The college that everyone loves to hate. It overflows with students who have been coached since the age of 2 by the most qualified teachers that the elite schools have to offer. Trevs A team for netball remain the underdogs against Hatfield who top the league table. Castle is not so different. Most of the Castle students have probably never stepped foot into our bar, which I suppose doesn’t quite have the same appeal as their atmospheric 11th Century Undercroft. This distance between us and Castle, caused by the different social spheres in which we find ourselves compared to the elite of Durham, makes any battle with us mere Trevelyanites very interesting. This added weight means that beating Castle in any fixture or race just has that extra bit of satisfaction.

So, there we have it: a brief analysis of Trevs’ most intense sporting rivalries. Inter-college sport offers the perfect opportunity for individual and team victory. From Collingwood to Hatfield, South to Mary’s, Trevelyan college sport will always be competitive, showcasing our ultimate desire to prove ourselves as moderately above average.

Image: Dan Wattis