By james art With Durham being the most sporting university in the country (yes, officially), The Tab spoke to high-performing Durham student-athletes to find out more about their experiences of being sidelined for a significant period of time due to injury. We spoke to athletes from rugby, football, hockey and cricket to find out more about the impact that not being able to play has on their identity, their daily lives and their mental health.
Lucas McKenzie: Men’s Hockey
Lucas, a third-year maths student at Collingwood, tore his hamstring while playing against Bath in the 2023/24 season. This injury was aggravated a few weeks later in a match against Nottingham Trent, which ruled Lucas out for the season and ensured he would not be able to play in the BUCS semi-final or final – in the summer a third tear occurred in a club cricket match.
“I calculated the gap from when I last played a competitive game, and including the off-season and injuries, it was 217 days between hockey games.
“I didn’t really lose my identity because I was around hockey a lot, it never went away — if anything, it was more annoying and painful because when you see it around you, it’s what you want but you can’t have. You’re on the touchlines and it’s hard, all you want to do is play – you’re so close but so far.
“I kind of didn’t know what to do on a daily basis – it made my schedule less rigid, I lost my sports habits and became a little less organized – I think playing hockey makes me more productive.
“I want a full season now, that would be a good place to finish – it will come with better managing my workload and doing my mobility work.”
Lucas played his first game back from injury last weekend and said that despite some anxiety before the game “it reminded me how much I love playing it, it was really good to be back”. It was a particularly nice moment for Lucas as it coincided with Family Day, meaning his mother and stepfather could come and watch his return.
Ben Roscoe: Rugby Men
Ben, a third-year biological sciences student at Trevelyan, is no stranger to injury. Although he was able to play some valuable minutes in his second year in Durham, he spent most of his first and third years on the sidelines. With his consultation and surgery set to take place in January and July respectively, Ben is unlikely to return to rugby until at least the spring of 2026.
“The first game of this season against Billingham I twisted my knee in, completely tore my ACL and damaged my meniscus – so no more rugby for the rest of the year.
“I’m social secretary this year so I don’t feel as out of place as I did in the first year when I was just a member of the club – now I’m really involved in how the club runs on a day-to-day basis, which is nice.
“Both the boys I live with are rugby boys, so when I was training my knee and I was on the couch all day while they were training, it was really hard. I went home to not be sad and even watching my mum play netball was hard – it sounds a bit weird but it was still hard being on the sidelines.
“I’ve grown up in a rugby culture since I was about 11, it’s a big part of my life – nothing else is as fun, it’s what I want to do. If I get another injury that takes me out for a while, I might have to retire for a while, but that’s not something I want to consider at the moment. Even coaching would be a good thing, rugby is such a brilliant outlet for me.
“I’ve come to terms with it, I’m not going to get upset watching my mates play rugby and I’m really happy for them – I have a good mindset about it, rugby wasn’t going to be a professional career for me it was difficult at the time but now I’m -disappointed rather than upset.’
Ben is currently rehabilitating as part of a group of Team Durham athletes who focus specifically on ACL injuries, and feels reassured by seeing those coming towards the end of their injury, saying “you see them in the position you want them to be in down the line, I’m optimistic about the future.”
Ellie Simpson: Women’s Soccer
Ellie, a third-year sport and exercise student at John Snow, primarily plays soccer but suffered an ACL injury during a rugby match in March. Despite his injury, Eli would still be able to play football at center back this season – but it meant dropping down to a lower level in college rather than varsity football. Eli is likely to return to his standard football in a year or so.
Speaking about his first competitive match coming up soon, Ellie said: “I’m scared but I’m still going to play.
“I’ve been playing football since I was five, some of my flatmates still play for DUWAFC and I’ve stayed a bit away from it which is sad.
“That made me go to the library for the first time in my life – I also had a bit of a career transition into darts.”
Referring to the impact the injury has had on her health, Ellie commented: “I just love the sport, I love playing it and not being able to take a huge weight on me mentally – I used it as a treat to take time away from work , and now I just have to sit and do nothing.
“Now I just go to Jimmy’s instead – I’ve definitely become a better drinker.”
Ellie is excited about her upcoming season with John Snow WFC and will be looking to lead the team to a strong finish in Division One.
Eliza Lloyd: Women’s Cricket
Eliza, a second-year French and Spanish student at Josephine Butler, had her ambitions of playing elite university cricket cut short at the start of her freshman year by a dislocated shoulder. She recently returned to cricket but had to switch from the first team to the second team.
“I’ve been playing basically all my life since I was eight, I played county cricket for Devon and it was a really big part of my life growing up.
“Coming to Durham, playing for an elite women’s team, was something I was really looking forward to – now it’s something I can’t really do even though I want to.
“Academically, cricket has always helped me focus on my studies because it just engages your brain in such a way.
“I think I would have made friends quicker too if I hadn’t been injured – a lot of my friends are athletes, I didn’t get to meet people as quickly. I could go on social media, but not being able to go to practice made it a little more difficult.
“It’s not that I don’t want to bowl, I just can’t – it’s not ideal to be bowling when your arm is sprained.”
Eliza is also currently playing college hockey and will be playing cricket for a while until she decides on her future in the sport.
Featured images via Team Durham (University Rugby Football Club Durham University Rugby Football Club, Durham University Association Football Club and Durham University Hockey Club)