England’s Dave Groves scored the winning goal as his Capitals side beat Thundercats 5-4 to win the very first Box Fest title in Oxford on Sunday.
After a jam-packed day full of box lacrosse, Capitals and Thundercats both headed into the final on the back of four wins each.
It was a tight final with neither side hugely dominant but England man, Dave Groves, who was part of this summer’s European Championship-winning England box team, made the difference with two goals edging his Capitals team over the line to win the title.
Planned as a fully inclusive box lacrosse event giving anyone and everyone the chance to experience this format of the game, the main competition welcomed eight women’s players in to the mix across the four teams, something not seen in England before.
Mid-way through the day, and after a minute’s silence to mark the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, a dedicated women’s session was held led by experienced coach, Rob Clark, and assisted by David McColl, Conor Dockery, and David Leach.
A total of 19 women took part in the session that included players who had taken part in previous Southern Box Lacrosse (SBL) sessions as well as some box lacrosse novices.
It’s certainly an exciting time to be a part of the box lacrosse community with more SBL women’s sessions on the horizon and Capitals travelling to Lille, France, for the annual Box Mania tournament in November.
And, perhaps most excitingly, a brand new domestic box league will start in England in the winter, taking place on Sundays throughout December and January at the 3G Dome in Oxford!
More details including the format of the league will be announced in due course.
Box Fest 2022 Final Results
Game 1 | Capitals 6-7 (OT) Thundercats
Game 2 | Steelheads 1-5 Thundercats
Game 3 | Capitals 4-3 Steelheads
Game 4 | Thundercats 1-4 Capitals
Game 5 | Steelheads 1-3 Thundercats
Game 6 | Capitals 3-2 Steelheads
Game 7 | Steelheads 1-2 Capitals
Game 8 | Thundercats 2-1 Steelheads
Final | Capitals 5-4 Thundercats
Box Fest 2022 Top Scorers
#1 | Perry (Capitals) | 10
#2 | Groves (Capitals) | 8
#3 | Holgate (Steelheads) | 4
= | Keeley (Thundercats) | 4
= | Leach (Thundercats) | 4
= | Farrer (Thundercats) | 4
#4 | Slenders (Thundercats) | 3
= | Ingham Clark (Steelheads) | 3
