Former Lacrosse Player, Issy Bailey, Scores International PB at the Paralympic Games

Former Lacrosse Player, Issy Bailey, Scores International PB at the Paralympic Games

A former lacrosse player at Rendcomb School, Issy Bailey, scored an international personal best when she competed in the Mixed 25m Pistol SH1 at the Paralympic Games earlier today.

Achieving a final score of 551 and missing out on a place in the final by just 15 points, Issy finished 21st out of 30 athletes competing in this year’s tournament in Tokyo, Japan.

On Tuesday morning, Issy had a self-proclaimed shocker as she came last in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1, scoring 468 and finishing as the only athlete not to reach 500 points.

But she came back stronger and more determined to do well in today’s competition and smashed it out of the park as she achieved an international personal best!

Issy made her Paralympic debut five years ago in 2016 at the Rio Games where she finished 14th on the Women’s 10m Pistol SH1, missing out on a place in the final by five points.

And with Issy getting better and better with age (she’s still only 27), we wouldn’t want to bet against her putting in a third Paralympic appearance in Paris 2024.

The SH1 classification is designated to pistol and rifle competitors with upper and/or lower limb impairment but who do not require a shooting stand when competing.

Iran’s Sareh Javanmardi and China’s Xing Huang won the gold in the Women’s 10 Pistol SH1 and the Mixed 25m Pistol SH1 respectively.

All the results from the Paralympic Games can be found HERE.

Triple Arrow Camps 2022 Schedule Released

Triple Arrow Camps 2022 Schedule Released

England Lacrosse are excited to reveal the Easter and Summer schedule for our Triple Arrow Camps 2022, featuring seven camps so far with more still yet to be confirmed!

The news comes after last week’s conclusion of the Triple Arrow Camps 2021 schedule, the first after almost two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Triple Arrow Camps bring together girls from as young as 10 years old to fun, friendly and thriving environments to be inspired by some of the top lacrosse coaches in the country, including many current and ex-national team players.

Our aim is to ensure every child finishes their camp experience having developed as a lacrosse player and can pride themselves in their progression.

With dedicated group leads, coaches have ample time to get to know the players and identify personal focus areas - each girl who attends a Triple Arrow Camp leaves with an individual feedback report noting girls highlight moments and action plans for them to work on.

Easter 2022

Cheltenham Ladies’ College - Perform+ Camp (5 - 8 April)

Charterhouse School, Godalming (7 & 8 April)

St Swithun’s School, Winchester (13 & 14 April)

Queen Anne’s School, Caversham (19 & 20 April)

Summer 2022

Charterhouse School, Godalming (2 - 5 August)

St Swithun’s School, Winchester 8 - 11 August)

Queen Anne’s School, Caversham (16 - 19 August)

For more information about Triple Arrow Camps and details about how to book your place, click below!

Lax is back: National Lacrosse Weekend 25-26 September

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Lax is Back: National Lacrosse Weekend 25-26 September

Across the weekend of 25-26 September we will be celebrating National Lacrosse Weekend the annual landmark occasion to welcome the start of the new lacrosse season!

And this year, the weekend will have the theme Lax is Back as we celebrate the return of the sport after the disruption caused over the last 18 months.

With all our grassroots league campaigns getting started this weekend and all sections of our sport getting out on the field, it is the ideal weekend to champion everything great about the game.

National Lacrosse Weekend: Lax is Back is a chance for all of us showcase our sport, appreciate everything we’ve missed, and generally shout about what makes lacrosse great!

And to get as many people involved as possible, we’ve extended the usual day, to cover the whole weekend, so everyone can get involved no matter what day you’re playing.

We want you to be a part of the conversation online, using #NationalLacrosseWeekend and #LaxIsBack to let us know what you’re up to, what playing lacrosse means to you, and why others should get involved!

You can also use the various social media graphics linked below, or add the templates to your own images to celebrate National Lacrosse Weekend!

England Teams Win Inaugural Home Nations 6s Competition

England Teams Win Inaugural Home Nations 6s Competition!

England’s men and women remained unbeaten as they took home the inaugural Home Nations 6s titles in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Taking on Scotland and Wales and playing each team twice throughout the day, the England teams showed their strengths with the women defeating Scotland 17-15 and 20-9 and the men winning 24-6 and 13-7 in the same fixture.

Against Wales, the women came out on top 18-4 and 19-2 in their two matches while the men were 14-4 victors in their first game and 14-10 winners in their second, completing an unbeaten competition for the England teams.

The competition is the first time that international teams from England, Scotland, and Wales have been able to battle it out in the new, and proposed Olympic, 6-a-side version of lacrosse and was organised in collaboration with World Lacrosse and World Lacrosse Sixes.

In a World Lacrosse statement released after the conclusion of the competition, World Lacrosse CEO, Jim Scherr, said:

“Lacrosse Sixes continues to gain momentum. World Lacrosse is appreciative of the efforts of Lacrosse Scotland for organising this event and thanks the participating National teams of Scotland, England, and Wales. The new discipline is proving to be as fast paced and exciting as we hoped.”

As with The Fly earlier in the month, the whole tournament was streamed live on Lax Sports Network and can be re-watched on demand HERE.

The next World Lacrosse Sixes event will be the Pan American Lacrosse Association’s Sixes Cup taking place in Florida from 3-5 September 2021.

Results

Women’s

ENGLAND 17-15 Scotland
Wales 4-18 ENGLAND
Scotland 23-10 Wales
Scotland 9-20 ENGLAND
ENGLAND 19-2 Wales
Wales 13-14 Scotland

Men’s

ENGLAND 24-6 Scotland
Wales 4-14 ENGLAND
Scotland 8-20 Wales
Scotland 7-13 ENGLAND
ENGLAND 14-10 Wales
Wales 11-5 Scotland

Border City to Host 'The Borders 8s' Competition this September

Border City to Host 'The Borders 8s' Competition this September

Border City Lacrosse Club, based in Cumbria, are set to host ‘The Borders 8s’ this September as part of a drive to provide more high level lacrosse competition in the north of England.

Taking place on Saturday 11 September 2021, the tournament is hoping to attract senior men’s teams from across England and Scotland.

Carlisle’s first lacrosse club, Border City, was founded in 2019 and has grown from humble beginnings to where it is today, supporting a men’s, a women’s, and a junior team.

The club was set up by a group of ex-players who became frustrated by the lack of opportunities to play lacrosse in Carlisle and across Cumbria more generally.

It is currently led by ex-Heaton Mersey player and former England international Mike Orme with fellow coach, Dan Clements.

The Borders 8s will take place at the brand spanking new home of Border City Lacrosse Club at Cotehill Park, Brampton, Cumbria CA8 2AP.

The cost of entry for each team is £75 which will aid in club development at Border City and teams can secure their place at this exciting day of lacrosse by emailing their interest at [email protected] or by messaging Border City on social media (Facebook or Instagram).

England's Torz Anderson and Tom Bracegirdle Appointed to Performance Advisory Group

England's Torz Anderson and Tom Bracegirdle Appointed to Performance Advisory Group

England international players, Torz Anderson and Tom Bracegirdle have been appointed to the England Lacrosse Performance Advisory Group as its first ever athlete representatives.

The Group, which has been running for two years and reports to the England Lacrosse Board, is responsible for advising on all areas of Elite Performance, including Talent.

The pair will help the existing Group to maintain a watching brief on any matters relating to performance, offering advice and support.

At the culmination of a world competition cycle, annual review cycle, tour, health check results or revision of anti-doping policies or procedures, the Performance Group also oversees a review, as part of the monitoring and evaluation procedures.

The decision to appoint athlete representative to the Group comes as it looks to expand and improve its existing operations.

England Lacrosse National Performance and Talent Development Manager, Jane Powell, thinks bringing Torz and Tom on board is great for the Group going forward.

“I am delighted to be able to work with Torz and Tom in this very exciting first step to give our athletes a voice.

“They will both join me on the Performance Advisory Group and will enable a more all-round viewpoint for the direction of our elite game.”

Torz, a multiple Women’s European Lacrosse Championship winner and bronze medal winner at the 2017 FIL Rathbones Women's Lacrosse World Cup, believes having athlete representation on the Performance Advisory Group can only help England Lacrosse and its players in the future.

“This is such a great opportunity for performance athletes in the England teams to help shape and positively influence the way the performance pathway at England Lacrosse is managed.

“I’m really excited to start working with my fellow group members and driving improvements to support our elite lacrosse athletes across both the men’s and women’s squads.”

And Tom, who was part of the England squad that claimed victory at the 2016 ELF European Lacrosse Championship, thinks it’s vital that athlete are listened to when making decisions that will affect them.

“In my experience of being involved within the England Lacrosse Talent Pathway, sometimes the thoughts of the athletes have been left behind. The appointment of athlete representatives on the Performance Advisory Group will hopefully amend this process and help facilitate players to get our voices heard and influence things directly. I am looking forward to help guide these changes as we move forward as a team!”

Torz Anderson and Danny Hilditch Pick Up Golden Stick Award at The Fly

Torz Anderson and Danny Hilditch Pick Up Golden Stick Award at The Fly

Swift’s Torz Anderson and Danny Hilditch were each presented with the coveted Golden Stick award on Sunday after the conclusion of The Fly.

The Golden Stick is awarded to the man and woman who scored the most goals throughout Finals Weekend.

Highly decorated England international, Torz Anderson, picked up the women’s award after scoring 17 goals across The Fly’s two-day Finals Weekend, seven of which were scored under pressure in her team’s 21-16 win over Rise in the women’s final.

While promising England U20 player, who scored nine goals in six games as England won the 2019 U20 ELF Men’s Lacrosse European Championship, Danny Hilditch won the men’s Golden Stick award after scoring 19 goals across the weekend, despite his Swift team losing the momentum they had from Opening Weekend and finishing fourth.

The other award handed out upon the conclusion of The Fly was Goalie of the Tournament, which went to Swift’s Katie Greenwood in the women’s competition and Hustle’s Hal Dwobeng in the men’s.

Two All-Star teams will be released later this week, featuring the best 12 players from the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Swift (w) and Rise (m) Win Inaugural Edition of The Fly

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Swift (w) and Rise (m) claimed victories in their respective final matches at The Fly to take home the inaugural women’s and men’s titles on Sunday afternoon.

After a morning session that had seen Rise (w) and Hustle (m) complete their weekends with wins in the 3rd place play-off games (14-9 v Hustle (w) and 11-10 v Swift (m)), the afternoon belonged to the finals at The Fly.

Swift (w), who were looking to maintain their 100% tournament record, took on Forge (w) in their final where eventual Golden Stick winner and England international, Torz Anderson, scored seven as her Swift team proved too much for Forge, who employed some innovative tactics.

As he had done on Opening Weekend, Forge Head Coach, Conor Dockery, left a player in the attacking half and utilised the pinpoint clearing of goalie Emilie Chandler to pick up multiple quick transition goals, Chandler finishing the game with four assists.

The tactic worked and the game was finely balanced going into the final quarter with Swift holding a slender 15-13 lead.

Swift came out strong after the quarter break and set about taking the game away from Forge with a mix of fine goalkeeping and deadeye shooting.

They scored seven goals in this final quarter, conceding only three in reply, to win the game and take home the trophy.

Meanwhile, in the men’s final, Rise (m) competed against surprise package Forge (m) for the right to call themselves The Fly 2021 champions.

In a tense affair that would be won by a single goal, Forge started the better and settled into the match, taking their scoring chances, forcing mistakes from Rise and goalie Tim Blower carried on his top form from the semi-final the day before in making multiple saves.

Forge led 5-3 midway through Q2 but Rise’s options and potency in attack always allowed them to keep touch and eventually they began to find their rhythm.

Ryan Hunns, added to the Rise roster for Finals Weekend, demonstrated his pure class scoring two outrageous one-handed goals on his weaker right side and was a threat throughout tallying four goals.

As has been clear in the Sixes game throughout the Championship, the role of goalie has been crucial to team success and the Men’s Final was no different.

Rise ‘keeper Will Baxter made stop after stop, closing down angles, and forcing the Forge attack to be perfect with their shots to hit the target.

At the other end, another of Rise’s group of attackmen, Will Prescott, scored three in quick succession to drive Rise ahead and open up a small lead heading into the final minutes.

But Forge refused to roll over - Dan Watson (5G) and Ben Page-Laycock (3G) chipped away at the Rise lead and with a minute to go the advantage had been closed to just a single goal at 13-12.

Rise ran down the clock on their final possession giving Forge seven seconds to take the game into overtime but a Hail Mary from Tom Hallam on the buzzer sailed wide, and Rise were crowned inaugural men’s champions of The Fly.

British Lacrosse Becomes Official National Co-ordinating Body for Lacrosse in Great Britain!

British Lacrosse Becomes Official National Co-ordinating Body for Lacrosse in Great Britain!

British Lacrosse Ltd has announced its incorporation as the official national co-ordinating body for men’s and women’s elite lacrosse in Great Britain. 

Building on a rich heritage of elite lacrosse, the creation of British Lacrosse formalises the structure for the most talented players in England, Scotland and Wales to become part of British squads where they will benefit from a best-in-class performance pathway to represent Great Britain at the World Games and subsequently at the Olympic Games, if (as is anticipated) lacrosse makes a return as an Olympic sport in 2028.

England Lacrosse CEO, Mark Coups, says the incorporation of British Lacrosse as the official national co-ordinating body is a massive step in the right direction for the sport in Great Britain.

“As the sport of lacrosse looks towards next year’s World Games and beyond to the possibility of being showcased at an Olympic Games, we are delighted that British Lacrosse has now been developed to become an incorporated company.

“It has been so important to build on the past Home Nations work and to now have established one national co-ordinating formalised body overseeing the sport and the players through the three Home Nations (England, Scotland, and Wales) and England Lacrosse will do everything we can to assist British Lacrosse wherever needed.”

In addition to this formal incorporation, and with the help of the men’s and women’s Head Coaches, Tom Wenham and Phil Collier, British Lacrosse has also made further appointments to the staff teams as they prepare for next year’s World Games.

These appointments have been made with a remit that both teams will collaborate closely and this has been considered in their selection.  

British Lacrosse is committed to building a truly joined up and cohesive joint men’s and women’s performance programme and these appointments are one of their first steps.

Current Head Coach of the Scotland national team, Ailsa Stott, who also has the unique experience of playing for Great Britain at the last World Games in 2017, and former Head Coach of the Scotland U19 team and current England Assistant Coach, Kate Nelson-Lee, have been appointed as Assistant Coaches of the British Lacrosse women’s team.

As part of British Lacrosse’s efforts to put in place a wider support team to help the women’s squad to prepare for next year’s World Games, current Wales Head Coach, Erica Erb, has also joined the coaching team.

“I was very impressed with the quality of applicants for the Assistant Coach roles”, said Head Coach Phil Collier.

“This is reflected in the appointments we have been able to make. I am really excited and look forward to working with the coaches to prepare the best Great Britain team we can and to compete successfully at next year’s World Games.

“Our coaching team offers a good balance of international playing and coaching experience, together with a range of complementary skills both on and off the field.

“And with all three Home Nation Head Coaches involved, I believe this will ensure a genuine collaborative approach, helping to mitigate the challenge of preparing the Great Britain team without disrupting the Home Nation teams’ own preparations for the 2022 World Championships.”

As part of the men’s coaching team, former England Coach, Ravi K Sitlani, and England Box Lacrosse Coach, Andy Downing, have joined as Assistant Coaches.

In response to their appointments, men’s Head Coach, Tom Wenham said:

“I’m enormously excited to be working with two such experienced and well-connected coaches.  

“Ravi is ideally placed to support British Lacrosse and the men’s team with his managerial and organisational skills as well as his considerable coaching expertise.

“There’s likely to be a lot of cross-over between Box lacrosse and the 6s format in terms of the style of play and Andy’s experience as a Box coach, as well as his wider connections with the Box format, will make him an invaluable addition to the coaching staff.

“I’m sure that both will have a huge impact and having them on board is a really exciting step forwards as we build towards the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama next summer.”

Sallie Barker who has been co-ordinating the Great Britain squads for many years and becomes Chair of British Lacrosse commented:

“These are exciting times. We’ve always believed in the potential of achieving more together across the Home Nations.

“By formalising our structure and efforts, British Lacrosse will complement and support the ambitions of England, Scotland and Wales and benefit from the high levels of capability, experience, and expertise they have in promoting, developing and leading the sport we all love in their own countries and on the world stage.” 

England Lacrosse Team Up with Net World Sports

England Lacrosse Team Up with Net World Sports

England Lacrosse are delighted to have teamed up with Net World Sports as part of a one-year partnership deal which will see the Wrexham-based company become an EL official partner.

The deal will offer the lacrosse community yet another tried and trusted vendor where they can purchase pop-up goals, full-sized goals, ball stops, and rebounder nets, amongst a variety of other products in the Net World Sports lacrosse range.

Net World Sports has been a champion of designing and manufacturing the best quality sporting products since 2009 and houses more than 7,000 products, 95% of which are own brand, in their single 120,000 square foot warehouse.

They sell equipment across a huge range of sports from archery and cricket to Gaelic football and pickleball.

As part of the new partnership, Net World Sports will also provide equipment for various England Lacrosse events, including ball stops and coaches’ clipboards at The Fly.

In addition, over the coming months, Net World Sports will be looking at an option to enable an exclusive 15% discount for England Lacrosse members, affiliated clubs, players, and coaches!

They have also made a commitment, as part of the new deal, to work with us to develop bespoke products that would benefit the whole lacrosse community going forward.

England Lacrosse Head of Commercial & Marketing, Caroline Royle, is excited for what the new partnership can bring to England Lacrosse and the lacrosse community as a whole.

“This partnership with Net World Sports is a fantastic opportunity for England Lacrosse and the lacrosse community in general to benefit from some high quality lacrosse equipment. We’ve already seen some of their kit in action at The Fly and we cannot wait to start work on testing and developing new lacrosse products as we move forward.”

Lois Jones from Net World Sports said: “We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership deal with England Lacrosse. We’re looking forward to enhancing players’ game experience through supplying a range of different match-day and training equipment. Net World Sports are excited to get more involved with this great sport as we work closely with the England Lacrosse coaches to test and develop the best quality training equipment.”

To check out the Net World Sports range, click below:

Stockport Lacrosse Club to Host September Sixes Competition!

Stockport Lacrosse Club to Host September Sixes Competition!

Stockport Lacrosse Club in Greater Manchester are set to host a brand new competition working within the rules and framework of the new 6-a-side rules.

The competition will take place over two days in September, with a junior competition taking place on Saturday 11th and a senior tournament on Sunday 12th.

Any and all teams, whether they are from the north or the south of England, men’s or women’s, are welcome and clubs are able to enter more than one team in each age group/category, with maximum numbers of 10 players per team.

The cost of entry to the Stockport September Sixes competition is a discounted £20 per team if paid prior to 1st September 2021, with entry after this date moving to £30 per team.

Stockport will be working hard to obtain assistance with officials but a requirement for entry to the tournament will be for each team to provide their own referee/umpire to cover each game.

The event will take place at Stockport Lacrosse Club, Beech Road, Stockport, SK3 8HD and the proposed competition schedule will look something like this:

Junior Competition (Saturday 11th September)

  • U12 Boys (Pitches 1 & 2), U11 Girls (Pitches 3 & 4) - 9.30 Start

  • U14 Boys (Pitches 1 & 2), U13 Girls (Pitches 3 & 4) - 12.30 Start

  • U16 Boys (Pitches 1 & 2), U15 Girls (Pitches 3 & 4) - 15.30 Start

Senior Competition (Sunday 12th September)

  • Senior Men (Pitches 1 & 2), Senior Ladies (Pitches 3 & 4) - 11am Start

As this is a brand new competition, playing a new format of lacrosse, some of the times above may vary and, if there is sufficient demand, Stockport may be in a position to host a U19 men’s and U18 women’s competition on the Sunday.

To register your interest, please send an email to [email protected].