DURHAM and Newcastle universities shared the honours in a thrilling afternoon of rowing on the River Tyne yesterday.

The 14th annual event between the two North-East universities saw Newcastle claim victories in the first two races of the day, the freshwomen’s and freshmen’s eights, with Durham fighting back to win the senior women’s and senior men’s races.

President of Durham University Boat Club, Benji Dawes, said: “We put in a really strong performance in what was a very tough race, but the men held their nerve to claim a great victory in the end.

“Durham and Newcastle are both strong forces in rowing in the UK, and a close result like this is really good for rowing in general.”

The draw means that Newcastle University, as the 2009 champions, retain the overall 2010 event title.

Newcastle University Boat Club’s President, Andrew Corrigan, who was in Newcastle’s defeated senior men’s crew, said: “To lose such a close race is devastating. We set off ahead of Durham at the start of the race, so we were able to see them, and to be rowed through in the last few metres of the race is really painful.

“But I’m very proud of the freshwomen and freshmen, who put in really great performances.”