The second round of the North East handball tournament between Newcastle Vikings, Durham University and York Hunters took place at South Shields’ Temple Park Leisure Centre on Saturday with the Vikings claiming four wins out of four in the men’s and women’s matches.
The friendly tournament got underway with Durham University taking on York in a mixed-sex match due to both clubs not being able to field full men’s sides, Durham winning 13-8.
Newcastle Vikings’ women then scored a brilliant runaway 20-2 win over York Hunters, with both teams each giving a run out to a couple of Durham University players .
The Vikings men then beat York’s mixed team 17-10, as the home side sought to give more game time to a number of newer and less regular league players in the friendly contest.
In the second women’s match of the day Newcastle switched things around a bit to give several players a go at playing in less familiar positions, but after York took an early two-goal lead the Vikings came back to win 9-3.
The final men’s match saw the Vikings run out convincing 16-6 victors over the mixed Durham University side.
Together with Newcastle’s league victory over the combined Leeds Hornets/Huddersfield men’s team earlier in the afternoon, the regional tournament wins were a welcome return to winning ways for the Vikings men’s and women’s teams. They also represented a measure of revenge for the Vikings after York Hunters had previously won both men’s games and one of the two mixed-sex games in last month’s first round that Durham were unable to make.
Durham University host the third round of the North East tournament on 28 February 2016.