Veteran England box lacrosse goalie, Eliot Pugh, has decided to call time on his international career after 11 years.
Pugh ends his England career after earning 35 caps and representing his country at four major championships including the 2019 World Championship and the 2015, 2017, and 2022 European Championships, the latter of which saw him win a gold medal after England stormed to the title.
Pugh’s box lacrosse journey started in 2013 when he first attended some England training sessions hosted by ex-England players Joe Darkins and Pete Dunits who were looking for the next generation of England goalies in the aftermath of the 2011 World Championship.
From those first England training sessions, Pugh got more involved in box lacrosse and took part in the Tasko Cup for the first time in 2014, playing for DreadLax.
After that, Pugh was thrown in at the deep end when he was selected as part of the England squad to travel to the Onondaga Nation, USA for the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship; at that tournament, Pugh played in two games, securing a 72% save ratio, as England finished fifth.
Pugh had firmly got the box lacrosse bug by now and was chosen to be part of the England squad competing at the 2017 European Championship in Finland where he played in five games (68% save ratio), helping England to another fifth place finish.
Alongside his role as goalie, Pugh also took on the England Team Manager job ahead of the 2017 European Championship with fellow player Dave Cluney, a job which he continues to do now alongside Rob Gooch. This job involves organising the team ahead of training sessions and tournaments and booking accommodation and travel for the players and coaches.
In 2018, Pugh joined London Knights as they played in, and eventually won, the Tasko Cup that year; Pugh has played for London Knights in every Tasko Cup since then, claiming six titles.
2019 saw Pugh once again selected to play for England at that year’s World Championship where he played in six games with a 72% save ratio as England pushed USA all the way in the bronze medal game but eventually finished fourth.
In 2022, Pugh played in his final major championship for England when he played two games with a massive 86% save ratio as England claimed their first trophy at the 2022 European Box Lacrosse Championship in Hanover, Germany.
The 36-year-old made his final three England appearances at his second E-Box Invitational event last year.
Outside of box lacrosse, Pugh first picked up a lacrosse stick in 2007 while studying at Swansea University where he played in the mixed team and joined Swansea Hawks shortly after. In 2008, he helped to found the first men’s team at Swansea University before moving to Reading in 2010.
While playing for Reading, Pugh played in two Flags Finals in three years, winning their player of year twice in a row before moving to Maidstone. After two years at Maidstone, Pugh played in the Premiership with Purley for one season and then moved to Milton Keynes where he retired as a field lacrosse player in 2022.
Now he has retired as an international box player as well, Pugh intends on becoming a mentor and goalie coach in the future as well as continuing his role as the England Team Manager heading into this year’s World Championship.
The English game hasn’t seen the last of Pugh between the sticks though as he hopes to play as and when domestically and socially for London knights and the South team in the Tasko Cup and annual North v South games; he also hopes to have the opportunity to play at the Alex Hebresky Memorial one day.
Pugh leaves behind a huge legacy as when he joined the England box lacrosse team in 2013, not many people had heard of, let alone played, this indoor version of the sport.
But he, alongside several other pioneers of the game in England, helped to slowly grow the format and he leaves the England team, and box lacrosse in England more generally, in a much better place than when he started.
Indeed, box lacrosse in England is now attracting the attention of many of the best lacrosse players in the country and an annual domestic league now takes place every winter.
Thanks for everything, Eliot!
