England captain & most capped player Tom Roche announces international retirement

England box lacrosse legend and most capped player Tom Roche has announced his international retirement, after winning 53 caps and representing his country at six major tournaments.

The 35-year-old defender is one of England’s most celebrated players at both international and club level, featuring for his country in two World Championship semi-finals and leading the team to a famous Euros title in 2022, England’s first major silverware in the box lacrosse format.

And Roche has now decided to call time on his England career, with his final appearance coming in the third-place game against Germany at the 2026 European Box Lacrosse Championships earlier this month.

“I’m very proud to have played for England. It has been an incredible journey with the box team and extremely rewarding,” said Roche, who has played for Mellor, Loughborough University, Spencer, and London Knights during his more than 25-year-long career.

“Every player in every Championship knows the work required behind the scenes, and I’m excited to move on from that phase of my life, and spend more time with the people most important to me, particularly my wife!”

Roche and his team mates celebrate lifting the 2022 Euros trophy

Roche has been involved in the England Box Lacrosse set-up since the early days of the Programme and made his competitive debut at the 2015 World Championship in Onondaga County, USA, featuring twice as England eventually finished in fifth place.

Two years later at the inaugural European Championship in Turku, Finland and under the tutelage of newly appointed Head Coach Walt Christianson, Roche cemented his place as part of England’s long-term defensive solutions with seven appearances on the way to another fifth-place finish.

In 2019 at that year’s World Championship in Langley, Canada, England were outstanding with Roche once again an integral part of the defensive unit that earned a place in the semi-finals, falling to eventual winners Canada before going on to push a USA side filled with superstars all the way in a third-place match that ended in an 11-8 defeat.

Despite the COVID pandemic delaying the 2021 Euros to the following year, Roche returned to a major tournament with England, this time as captain.

He featured in every game England played as they stormed to the title with six wins out of six including a memorable 11-8 victory over Germany in the final.

With that result Roche became the first captain to win major silverware with England in the box lacrosse format.

Determined to build on the Euros win in 2022, Roche once again captained his country at the 2024 World Championship in Utica, USA where they achieved another fourth place finish after defeat to Haudenosaunee in the third-place game.

During the group stage game against Haudenosaunee at that tournament, Roche earned his 38th cap to become the most capped England player of all time, overtaking previous holder Eliot Pugh.

Roche and his team mates speak in a huddle during a break at the 2024 World Championships

This year, Roche was selected as part of the squad to travel to Prague, Czechia for the 2026 European Box Lacrosse Championships where he was once again named captain as England looked to retain the title they won in 2022.

Ultimately, it wasn’t to be as England finished fourth after a narrow defeat in the semi-final was followed by a loss to Germany in the third-place game.

As he stepped onto the field against Belgium in the Euros Play-In game, Roche earned half a century of England caps after which he remarked:

“Playing for England has been such a privilege. I feel extremely lucky to have reached 50 appearances. The team has given me some of the closest friendships I could imagine.”

Three more caps against Israel, Finland, and Germany in the quarter-final, semi-final, and third-place game would follow, meaning Roche retires with 53 caps, some 16 caps more than any other England box player in history.

On what’s next, Roche has committed to playing one final competitive tournament for Mellor in the Ken Gallucio Cup in September after which he’ll assess his playing options.

“I’ll still look forward to playing for fun and after this September with Mellor at the Ken Gallucio Cup, I’ll have a think about what that means!”

Following Roche’s final game for England, Head Coach Walt Christianson wrote on Instagram:

“I have had the honour and pleasure of coaching this young man for the past 10 years in England. Last night, he played his last game.

“I’m incredibly proud to have watched him play, grow, and represent England. And more proud to call him, my friend.”

Roche sits on the bench after a match at the 2022 Euros