Miho Sakurai scored eight goals as she helped her Blaze team to a 16-9 victory over Ravens in the final game of the Southern Box Lacrosse (SBL) women’s Winter Box League.
The win saw Blaze overcome Ravens in the first ever women’s edition of the competition and win the four-game series 3-1.
Other notable performers in the women’s final match were Lauren Lewis, who chipped in with four goals for Blaze, and Izzy Keane (Ravens) who added four goals to the six she had already scored in the first three games.
In the men’s competition, Knights retained the trophy they first won last year after a narrow 7-6 win over high-flyers Hornets in the final.
Hornets were unbeaten in this year’s Winter Box League before the final match and had even beaten Knights 4-3 in the group stage on the opening day.
But reigning champions Knights proved too strong in the final despite scoring in just two of the four quarters, with Tom Bracegirdle and Rob Harris each hitting a brace.
Ollie Allsop, representing Hornets this year, is certainly one to watch in the future as he rounded off his Winter Box League debut with two goals to take his total for the season to 10.
Steelheads claimed third spot after seeing out a tense third place play-off match against Capitals, winning by a single goal and being helped along by the ever-dependable goal-scorer Louis Alhage who hit seven.
Ben Buchanan and Andy Thomas both scored hat-tricks in that one for Steelheads with Sam Perry and Jamie Powell doing the same for Capitals.
Watch all the action from the final day at SBL’s Winter Box League on Lacrosse Live UK’s YouTube channel HERE.
Day 3 results
3rd Place Play-Off | Steelheads 14-13 Capitals (4-2, 3-3, 4-3, 3-5)
Steelheads scorers | Alhage (7), Buchanan (3), Thomas (3), Murray
Capitals scorers | Perry (3), Powell (3), Farrer (2), Watson (2), Payne, Rawlins, Rodberg
Final | Hornets 6-7 Knights (0-0, 1-4, 3-3, 2-0)
Hornets scorers | Allsop (2), Collins, Jefferies, Marsh, Schildt
Knights scorers | Bracegirdle (2), Harris (2), Burke, Krommenhoek, Page-Laycock
Final | Blaze 16-9 Ravens (5-3, 4-4, 5-1, 2-1) Blaze win series 3-1
Blaze scorers | Sakurai (8), Lewis (4), Bottrill, Gage, Racle, Wright
Ravens scorers | Keane (4), Bathurst (2), Beaman (2), Lee
Final standings
Men’s
Knights
Hornets
Steelheads
Capitals
Women’s
Blaze
Ravens
Top points scorers (points include goals and assists)
Miho Sakurai (Blaze) 19
Louis Alhage (Steelheads) 16
Ollie Allsop (Hornets) 15
Harris (Knights) 14
Ben Page-Laycock (Knights) 13
Izzy Keane (Ravens) 11
Matt Marsh (Hornets) 10
Sam Perry (Capitals) 10
Jamie Powell (Capitals) 10
Lewis (Blaze) 10
Jane Lee (Ravens) 10
