Last Sunday saw York's last match in the ONE League, with York B were playing host to Durham, and in fact the last session at Bootham School's pool.

Durham got off to a good start, building up an strong lead in the early stages of the match, with York B hardly getting a look in. From my position as referee, I could see York put up a spirited defence, but they seemed unable to take the game back to Durham. However, although it took York a little while to get into the swing of things, towards the end of the first half they started to claw their way back into the game.

The second half saw York take advantage of defending the shallow end, and the game was looking a bit more even. Some hard-fought goals and a few good breaks helped to even the score slightly, but Durham's performance in the first half shone through to give a final score of 11-6 to Durham.

I must of course point out that this was really due to Durham cheating. They stole Ferdinand, York's mascot, which clearly had a psychological effect on the team. Ferdinand was last seen on a train heading north, and a challenge that we'll only secure his safe return by beating Durham (again!).