After more than six months without fixtures, the North of England Men’s Lacrosse Association (NEMLA), the North Women’s Lacrosse Association (NWLA), and the South of England Men’s Lacrosse Association (SEMLA) will return to action this weekend.
NEMLA and SEMLA will be returning to a largely regular* full competitive league season while NWLA will be playing a series of friendly matches during the 2020/21 season with no formal competitive fixtures and no formal league table.
After such a turbulent year and with coronavirus restrictions around sports being constantly reviewed, this is welcome news for clubs all over the country and it certainly bodes well for the South West Women’s Lacrosse Association (SWWLA) who begin friendly fixtures next weekend (10/11 Oct).
NEMLA, NWLA, and SEMLA will begin their 2020/21 seasons on Saturday just a week after the South East Women’s Lacrosse Association (SEWLA) played their first games of the season last weekend with Hillcroft’s and Spencer’s wins over Central London 2s and West London 2s respectively proving to be the highlights.
England Lacrosse Regional Core Products Officer, Richard Gartside, says it’s brilliant for the game to have some semblance of normality after such a long time without scheduled fixtures.
“After six months, this weekend marks a welcome return to organised fixtures that will give teams the opportunity to exercise everything they’ve been practicing during lockdown as well as during phases 2, 3, and 4 of Return to Play.
“It’s been a tough year so far and, of course, Government and England Lacrosse guidance still needs to be followed but I’m hoping this is the beginning of a relative and stable normality going forward”.
Saturday’s fixtures for the NEMLA, NWLA, and SEMLA leagues are as follows (all start times 14:00):
SEMLA L-Lon 1
Hampstead v Spencer
Hillcroft v Spencer 2
SEMLA L-Lon 2
Hillcroft A v Camden Capybaras
Reading Wildcats v London Raptors
SEMLA L-Lon 3
Hillcroft B v Buckhurst Hill
Spencer 3 v Spencer 4
SEMLA L-Lon 4
London University v Camden Capybaras 2
SEMLA L-HC
Canterbury City v Purley
East Grinstead v Walcoutian Blues
SEMLA L-SC
East Grinstead A v Guildford Gators
SEMLA L-Pen
Exeter University v Camborne School of Mines
Plymouth Privateers v Plymouth University
SEMLA L-Cot 1
Bristol Bombers v Oxford City
Cheltenham v Bath
SEMLA L-Cot 2
Cardiff Harlequins v Bristol Bombers 2
Cheltenham 2 v Bath University
SEMLA L-EA
Cambridge Eagles v Welwyn Warriors
Hitchin A v University of East Anglia
NEMLA Men’s 1
Brooklands v Mellor
Heaton Mersey v Cheadle
Stockport v Poynton
NEMLA Men’s 2
Boardman & Eccles v Timperley
Sheffield Steelers v Norbury
Wilmslow v Manchester WACS
NEMLA Men’s 3
Cheadle A v Heaton Mersey A
Mellor A v Brooklands A
Rochdale v Stockport A
NEMLA Men’s 4 East
Leeds v Sheffield Steelers A
Norbury A v Heaton Mersey B
Poynton A v Rochdale A
NEMLA Men’s 4 West
Cheadle B v City of Stoke
Cheadle Hulme v Wilmslow A
Timperley A v Liverpool
NEMLA Men’s 5 A
Ashton v Heaton Mersey C
NEMLA Men’s 5 B
Cheadle Hulme A v Cheadle C
NWLA Women’s
Liverpool v Hull
Stockport v Stoke
Mellor v Oxton
Timperley v Leeds
Brooklands v Heaton Mersey
The full list of fixtures and participating teams for this season can be found HERE for NEMLA, HERE for NWLA, and HERE for SEMLA.
*Government and England Lacrosse coronavirus restrictions still apply and can be viewed in full HERE.