For an ice hockey club that have had no home-ice to call their own for  thirteen years, it’s a remarkable achievement that Durham Dragons can still proudly claim to be ‘The only team to survive the closure of the Riverside Rink’. The nomadic recreational side, formed in the 1990s have seen them move from rink-to-rink around the North East, and have seen not only their original Durham base close, but also Sunderland, and more recently Billingham. With the potential of a new home rink tantalisingly on the horizon, the Dragons currently appear to be enjoying a renaissance, with new members, new fixtures, and a smart new kit. (Blue and Gold, obviously). We spoke to one of the Dragons’ stalwarts, Darren Webb.

Darren, The Dragons have managed to keep going since the old rink shut back in 1996, why do you think that is?
Many of the semi-pro league players went to play with other local and national teams, but because the Dragons are a recreational team this wasn’t an option. Our players are very passionate about hockey but the Dragons is very much a social team, so there are really strong friendships between our players. I think this has been the main reason why a core of the team has stuck together. Over the years we have trained at other rinks, Crowtree, Whitley Bay, Newcastle and Billingham and although other players have joined and left, the core of the team has always remained. I think the general feeling is that we are not just playing the game but we are carrying the Durham name in the hope that one day we’ll have a rink of our own back in the City.

It seems a like there’s more regular games happening now… is rec hockey picking up generally or is it a Dragons revival?
I don’t think that rec hockey is picking up, certainly not in the North East. The recent closure of the Billingham Forum has meant that the only regular ice available is at Whitley Bay. I do however think that the Dragons have had a bit of a revival. There has been a definite buzz of optimism over the last year or so, with talk of new rinks etc. The Dragons have always tried to attract new players, but this has been difficult without regular practice sessions. Over the summer months we were lucky enough to secure a regular slot at Newcastle Arena and this helped us to bring a few players in. Really though it’s all about networking and many of our new players have been exposed to the Dragons through Facebook and also through visiting Michael Evan’s shop, Breakout Hockey.

How tricky is it getting ice time at the moment?
Unfortunately the ice is now unavailble and unaffordable at Newcastle Arena so the only place to train is Whitley Bay along with every other NE rec team. Subsequently we are resigned to practicing at 12:15am on Saturday mornings (Friday night!)

Do you get comments (good or bad) from other clubs playing under the ‘Durham’ name?
Regarding the Durham name, I think generally other clubs are happy and sometimes surprised, that there is still a team flying the blue and gold flag. Many people we speak to still have fond memories of the Wasps. Just Sunday gone we played in Fife and after the game the opposition were talking about the Coopers and Stephen Foster etc.

There are a few teams where the Durham name precedes us and their expectations are of a high speed, physical game from a “give as good as they get” team.

You have some snazzy new shirts now… will we be seeing official Dragons merchandise any time soon?
We’ve recently updated our team strips. Shirts are available at £40 each, but we also have team baseball caps (£6.50 without number or £8.50 with number or initials) and polo shirts (£10) available displaying the new style Dragon logo. We will post the details on our website and Facebook page soon. We are also looking at hoodies for the winter!

What’s the mix in players now? – Old-timers, ex-Wasps, newcomers etc…
Most of our players have only played at Recreational or Junior level. At the moment we have a couple of ex wasps (Mark Foster and Paul “Popsey” Lewins), but we have recently attracted a few skilled roller hockey players etc. The Dragons historically have always been a male team. We were joined a few years ago by Helen Jackson and more recently by Fiona Hennessy (ex GB women’s) and their involvement in Women’s hockey at both Whitley and Newcastle has generated interest from other women.
In the past we have had some familiar faces from the Wasps and City Wasps, such as John Hutley, Peter Herkes, Karl Walker and also Carl Nelson and Dale Gould who actually played for the Dragons before being selected for the City Wasps back in 1995. We even had a Canadian play for us several years ago called Claude Boucher.

Who are the star players at the moment in your opinion?
All of our players seem to be on form at the moment and playing really well. I think that’s down to some excellent coaching from Michael Evans along with good team spirit and the confidence we’ve gained from winning our recent games. With no disrespect to the rest of the team, our strongest players at the moment are Mark Foster (ex Wasp), Ian Greenwood and Michael Anderson (ex Durham Junior), Gary Walker and Andrew Serrell (Roller Hockey) and not forgetting our young netminder Stephen Wilson.

How important do you think it is that Durham gets it’s new rink?
I think it’s really important that Durham gets a new rink, not just for the Dragons and other teams, but for the people of Durham. Ice Hockey is part of the history of this city and almost everyone you talk to has fond memories of the rink. Of course Durham isn’t really overwhelmed with other social activities or leisure facilities for kids and families. I think everyone has waited long enough in anticipation for the return of what should never have been lost in the first place!

What would you like to see happen with the Dragons in the future?
The future of the Dragons has always been uncertain, but we are the strongest we have been for over 11 years. We just want to keep playing Ice Hockey. The Dragons were the last team to play a competitive game on the old Durham pad and I think it would be fitting for the Dragons to play the first game on the new rink. We have a team here with all of the heritage of Durham Ice Hockey and the skill and flare to make it entertaining. Hopefully other teams will develop at different levels and we will know our place. I’m sure a new rink will generate more interest at our level so we may offer a development programme, but we just want a rink we can call home and somewhere we can invite other teams to come and play us.

Durham Dragons are holding a Christmas Party at Durham Rowing Club on Saturday 19th December. For tickets, call into the Breakout Hockey shop in Gilesgate, or visit the Dragons’ Facebook page for the party for further details.