The University of Surrey secured the first ever Southern Universities Development Tournament title after a 3-1 final win over the Bath University on Saturday.

Canterbury Christ Church and Cardiff universities also took part in the four-team tournament that aimed to develop younger or less experienced players and build connections between the universities heading into the future.

During the tournament, each team was able to play at least four 30-minute games in a round robin format with over 50 players taking part throughout the day; there were also plenty of supporters cheering the teams on from the sidelines.

A handful of the Bath University women’s players even kitted up and got involved, with Louisa Jones playing every single minute as a long pole for Bath.

The tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) was Bath University’s first-year goalie Harrison Lane who stepped in the cage for Surrey who didn’t have a goal-keeper on the day.

Bath’s University Lacrosse Officer (ULO) Toby West and the other organisers of the tournament would like to thank the teams and players for attending and making the day such a brilliant one.

Huge thanks go to the four volunteer officials, Izzy Sankey, Max Woodhouse, Roben Els, and Harry Goodrem, who helped to make the day run as smoothly as possible.

The England Lacrosse ULO Programme has been in existence since 2018 and aims to further support and develop the lacrosse population at university, link with local clubs and residents near the university, and support players’ transition from education to employment, so individuals continue to be part of the lacrosse community after education.

For more information about the ULO Programme, click HERE.

If you’d like to grow the game at your university as a ULO, please contact Nik Roberts on n.roberts@englandlacrosse.co.uk.