England head to Amsterdam for Netherlands Lacrosse Invitational

The England senior men’s team travel to Amsterdam this weekend to take on Norway and Netherlands at the inaugural Netherlands Lacrosse Invitational.

Taking place at the Sportpark de Eendracht on the outskirts of the Dutch capital, England will play four games over Saturday and Sunday taking in two against Norway and two against hosts Netherlands.

The invitational competition comes less than a year after Netherlands travelled to Cardiff, Wales to take part in the Home Internationals Series against Scotland, Wales, England senior, and England U20.

At that competition, the England senior men’s team claimed a 14-4 victory against the Netherlands as they went unbeaten in their three competition games.

The Netherlands Lacrosse Invitational is a great opportunity for all three teams to experience a high level of European lacrosse with the next European Championship in Hungary less than a year away.

At the last European Championship in 2016, Norway finished 12th, Netherlands finished 7th, and England claimed their ninth title.

Spectators are welcome at all games during the Netherlands Lacrosse Invitational with free parking on site and a canteen with drinks and snacks available throughout.

Netherlands Lacrosse Invitational Schedule (all times UK)

Saturday 16 November

Norway v England | 9am
England v Netherlands | 12:30pm
Netherlands v Norway | 4:30pm

Sunday 17 November

Norway v Netherlands | 7:30am
England v Norway | 19:30am
Netherlands v England | 12:30pm

England Squad

Will Allsop
Cameron Baxter
William Baxter
Joe Baythorpe
Elliot Bickerton
Alex Davidson
Jack Ferdinand
Daniel Flisk
Kieran Garvey
Tom Hallam
Grady Jackson
Will Locker
Edward Loveland
Dan Madeley
David O’Callahan
Blair Pacherva
Cole Palmby
Jake Parker
Joshua Phillips
Joshua Poke
Nathan Wilkinson

Head Coach | Sam Patterson
Assistant Coach | Vince Cara
Assistant Coach | Mike Bartlett

2025 Home Internationals dates and venue announced

The 2025 Home Internationals Series will take place at the Sport Scotland National Training Centre, Largs from 4-6 April, Lacrosse Scotland has announced.

The annual competition that is now over 100 years old will once again see teams from England, Scotland, and Wales compete against each other to be named the best in Great Britain.

Sport Scotland’s National Training Centre in Largs, Inverclyde, on the west coast of Scotland, around an hour’s drive from Glasgow, will host the 2025 competition and boasts a wealth of state-of-the-art facilities.

It is the UK’s first inclusive residential sports facility and caters for both elite athletes and the local community in a range of sports and activities.

After the 2024 event in Cardiff, Wales, England hold all the Home Internationals Series titles, including senior women’s, senior men’s, U20 women’s, and U20 men’s.

More details about the 2025 Home Internationals Series will be announced by Lacrosse Scotland over the coming months.

British Lacrosse to compete at inaugural USA Lacrosse Experience

British Lacrosse men’s and women’s teams will compete at the inaugural USA Lacrosse Experience against Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the USA in Indianapolis, USA from 11-13 October.

As part of the international portion of the event, which aims to showcase the best of the Olympic sixes version of lacrosse to fans of all ages and abilities, British Lacrosse will compete in a round robin competition against the three international teams over the three-day event.

The competition will showcase the new sixes discipline that will be used in the LA28 Olympics; Sixes Lacrosse is a fast-paced version of the sport played on a smaller field, with fewer players, a condensed game length, and a 30-second shot clock.

The USA Lacrosse Experience will mark the first competition for the British Lacrosse men’s and women’s teams since the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Both men’s and women’s teams for the competition will be selected in due course from the wider 2024/2025 British Lacrosse squads announced earlier this month.

LA 2028, the next edition of the Olympic Games will feature lacrosse for the first time in 80 years since the 1948 London Olympics; lacrosse has been showcased in the Olympics four times before (1908, 1928, 1932, 1948) with teams from Great Britain taking part in three of those four editions (1908, 1928, 1948).

The next Olympics in 2028 will be the first edition of the event to feature women’s lacrosse after the previous occasions only allowed the men’s teams to compete.

In the most recent official international Sixes Lacrosse competition at The World Games 2022, Great Britain finished in fourth place in both the men’s and women’s sixes competitions with the men narrowly missing a medal after falling to Japan 19-18 in overtime in an epic bronze medal game.

In addition to the international competition featuring British Lacrosse teams, the USA Lacrosse Experience will feature a festival-type atmosphere with King & Queen of the Park events for players of all ages utilising small-sided formats along with educational and training opportunities for players, and officials all located within walking distance of each other in the downtown Indy area.

National team athletes will interact with the youth players competing in the King & Queen of the Park, including offering individual skill sessions included in the registration.

All international games during the USA Lacrosse Experience will be played at Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI).

Games will be played on Friday 11 October (9am - 7:30pm) and Saturday 12 October (4pm - 9pm) with the full game schedule being announced at a later date.

To purchase tickets for the event, click HERE and for more information about the King & Queen of the Park events, click HERE.

1974 England men's squad receive official England caps

The England squad that competed at the 1974 World Lacrosse Championship in Melbourne, Australia has been presented with their official England caps at a commemoration event at Wilmslow Lacrosse Club.

On Sunday 28 July, 16 members of that famous ‘74 squad travelled from all corners of England to Cheshire to celebrate the 50th anniversary of finishing joint second at the 1974 World Lacrosse Championship, the second edition of the event.

Each member of the squad was handed their personalised England cap by the captain of the 1974 squad, Mike Roberts.

The 1974 World Lacrosse Championship (30 June - 4 July) brought together England, Australia, USA, and Canada as they battled to be named the best international lacrosse team in the world.

England’s journey to joint second saw them come up short against USA, losing 24-10, and Australia, suffering a 15-3 loss, before defeating Canada 19-11 in their final match to finish in second place alongside Australia and Canada who also won one and lost two of their three games.

USA were crowned World Champions for the second time after achieving the same result at the inaugural tournament in Toronto, Canada seven years earlier in 1967.

Immediately following the ‘74 World Lacrosse Championship, the USA team travelled back to the States via England as part of a world tour, once again playing England in a friendly on Sunday 28 July at Cheadle Hulme’s Grove Park.

In this match, England came out on top with an impressive 17-15 win, becoming the first international side to beat the USA, and they remain the last England men’s team to defeat the USA to this day.

By finishing joint-second and beating the USA, the 1974 squad remains the most successful England men’s squad to date.

The 16 squad members held their celebration at Wilmslow Lacrosse Club on the exact date, day, and time of the face-off in that famous win over USA 50 years ago (28 July, Sunday, 2:30pm).

England 1974 World Championship Squad (sequential cap number)

Tom Gare (9)
Roy Higson (10)
Mike Roberts (13)
Gerry Paine (28)
Chris Parker (29)
Frank Bedford (34)
John Blake (35)
Eric Broadhurst (36)
Ben Daines (37)
Peter McCulloch (38)
Phil Rice (40)
Graeme Simpson (41)
Steve Weaver (43)
Fred Fletcher (44)
Pete Edmondson (45)

Those not present:

David “Woggy” Walkden*
Frank “Mac” McClinton *
Nigel Wayne *
Graham Lester (24) *
Vaughan Wilcock (25) *
Ian Cundey (26)
Dave Gaskell (27)
John Parker (30)
John Wolfenden (31)
Rick Atkinson (32)*
Clive Beaumont (33)
Mike Newton (39)*
Dale Thomas (42)*

 *passed away

Selected newspaper articles:

Manchester Evening News (29/07/1974)

England topple champions

No longer will England be looked upon as a second rate lacrosse nation after their incredible 17-15 win over world champions America at Cheadle Hulme yesterday.

It was just revenge for England after their 24-10 defeat at the hands of the Americans in the World Cup in Australia three weeks ago. They twice fought back to take the lead and were worth every inch of the victory.

The win was mostly due to the skills of skipper Mike Roberts (Urmston) who got five goals. England’s other scorers were Paul Smith (Urmston) three, Dale Thomas (Old Waconians) two, Rick Atkinson (Sheffield University) two, John Blake (Urmston), Eric Broadhurst (Old Hulmeians) Roy Higson, Peter McCulloch (both Old Waconians) and Steve Weaver (South Manchester and Wythenshawe).

American coach Bud Bearmore said: “The England boys were a thousand times better than when we met them in the World Cup. We are looking forward to meeting them again when the World Cup is held in Stockport and Manchester in 1978.”

The Guardian (29/07/1974)

England extract revenge

England 17, United States 15

In a fine exhibition at Cheadle Hulme yesterday, England defeated the United States, the current world champions, by 17-15. The US, now at the end of a strenuous world tour, lacked the sharpness which gave them their 24-10 victory over England in Melbourne earlier this month.

This in no way detracts from the merits of England’s performance. They were the quicker side and handled outstandingly. With more accurate finishing the margin could well have been greater, for England dominated the midfield and in fact won all but five of the 36 face offs.

The visitors led 3-2 at quarter-time but a bright six-minute scoring spell gave England a 6-3 lead. The US then regained the initiative and the sides were level at half-time. England, however, recovered their earlier good form and after leading 12-9 at three-quarter time improved their advantage to 17-12 by late in the final period. A spirited rally gave the US three goals in the last five minutes and kept the game alive until the final whistle.

Stockport Advertiser (29/07/1974)

Super England tan world champions

England blasted their way into the record books when they toppled the United States, the world lacrosse champions, at Grove Park, Cheadle Hulme, last Sunday.

They became the first side to beat the world champions with an unbelievable 17-15 victory.

The England team, 19 are from the Stockport area, took the Americans on at their own game and outclassed them. It was a victory which no one except England team manager thought was possible.

The American super stars were reduced to a bunch of bad-tempered individuals as England skipper Mike Roberts led his side to a fantastic win.

Crushed

The Americans crushed England 24-10 in the World Cup in Australia earlier this month but David Walkden was confident his side could turn the tables - and how right he was.

The Americans tried everything they knew to salvage their pride but failed. The game was only 40 seconds old when England went ahead with a goal by Rick Atkinson and before the cheers had died down the American officials stormed onto the pitch complaining about the colour of the ball.

They argued that the ball being used was illegal under international rules. “We would not have spent 20 minutes warming our goalkeeper up with a white ball if we had known you were going to play with an orange ball,” they yelled at the referees.

The game was restarted with a white ball, but the goal was allowed to stand. Gradually the Americans got on top and took a 3-1 lead, but England stormed back with lacrosse which I thought beyond their capabilities.

Brilliant

Atkinson pulled one back to make it 2-3 at the end of the first quarter, and then goals by Dale Thomas, Mike Roberts (2) and Paul Smith sent England into a 6-3 lead. The Americans made it 6-4, then Roberts, playing the game of his life, scored a brilliant goal.

But world champions are not easily beaten and the Americans drew level at half-time. When Jim Trenz gave them an 8-7 advantage at the start of the third quarter it looked as though England might crumble but Thomas put England back on level terms.

Richard Kowalchuk restored the American lead, then England hit back with some blistering play and ended the quarter 12-9 in the lead with goals by Roy Higson, John Blake and Smith (2).

When Peter McCulloch and Eric Broadhurst extended it to 14-9 early in the final quarter the Americans lost their cool and discredited their nation with some bad sportsmanship.

Now it was England who were the super stars and the Americans knew it.

Somehow coach Bud Bearmore restored some stability to his side and the Americans closed the gap to 14-12.

But then England delivered the killer punch with two goals by Roberts and a gem by Steve Weaver. The Americans scrambled three in the dying seconds as England were beginning to do their victory dance.

No excuses

The Americans had had their feet on the ground for only a few hours after flying in from Bombay, but coach Bearmore said: “We have no excuses. Your boys deserve all the credit. We never expected them to play as well as they did.

“They were a thousand times better than when we played them in the World Cup three weeks ago. The difference between night and day. Even when we were down we thought we would win but England never gave us the chance.

“We are very disappointed at losing but all credit to England they were the better side on the day. That fellow Roberts was tremendous.”

Triumph

Frank Bedford and Higson lost only five of the 38 faces. The game was also a personal triumph for Paul Smith, who was left out of the England World Cup squad.

“I thought I was good enough to go to Australia, now I have proved it.” he said after the game.

World Lacrosse members vote to implement shot clock

World Lacrosse member nations have voted overwhelming to implement a shot clock in field lacrosse following a three-week voting period.

The measure, put forward by the World Lacrosse Board, required a two thirds super majority to be passed and, with 71.11% in favour, it did so successfully.

45 out of 47 World Lacrosse member nations cast their votes with 32 voting in favour of the measure to implement a shot clock into the field lacrosse game.

World Lacrosse noted that the result of the vote was consistent with the results of recent polling of a wider audience they had conducted through their social channels.

Following the vote, the World Lacrosse Rules Committee will begin drafting the exact rule changes for men and women for implementation beginning 1 January 2026 for men and 1 January 2027 for women, though the shot clock rules and procedures will appear in the forthcoming rule books for men’s and women’s field lacrosse.

World Lacrosse also recognised that some concerns were raised about the implementation of a shot clock and they will work to provide financial and other resources to help in the transition over the coming years.

World Lacrosse has produced an FAQs list about the implementation of a shot clock in the field lacrosse game which can be read HERE.

England Lacrosse Statement

Over the past few years, the rules of various formats of lacrosse have been subject to change with some formats, like the women’s field game, undertaking significant changes in rules.

World Lacrosse has made it clear that its focus for its Rules Committee is on the rules for international competitions such as the World Championships, with the overall aim to make the sport more commercially attractive. An example of this is the above rule change to adopt a shot clock in both disciplines of field lacrosse.

In response to this, England Lacrosse has recently announced a domestic Rules Committee made up of representatives from the game tasked with analysing and assessing the rules once published by World Lacrosse.

Each committee member will review the domestic rules annually based on feedback from within the area of the game they represent. This will also include reviewing new rules to see if they are appropriate for usage within the domestic game.

Once World Lacrosse has confirmed the rule wording, the domestic Rules Committee will start its review. If approved by the England Lacrosse Rules Committee, no changes regarding the implementation of a shot clock would come into play until the start of the 2026/2027 season for men and 2027/2028 season for women at the earliest.

Double delight for England teams against NCAA opposition

The England Men’s Performance Squad and the England U20 Men’s side defeated NCAA opposition in DeSales University last weekend in Manchester.

On Saturday at Wilsmslow Lacrosse Club, Ryan Hunns was the star player, scoring seven points (three goals and four assists), as the England Men’s Performance Squad defeated DeSales 11-3.

Will Goodwin scored a hat-trick of goals, Jake Parker hit two, and Joe Baythorpe, Hugo Peel, and Josh Kinder all scored one as England’s talents shone through to blow away the Bulldogs.

On Sunday, in a pre-Euros warm-up match at Manchester University’s Armitage Centre, the England U20 Men’s team gave England fans reason to be excited after a 12-9 victory also over DeSales.

An almost perfect first half saw England storm into a 7-3 lead thanks to goals from Peel, Jim Hartley, Sam Ginger, Henry Smith, Zac Spreckley, Josh Clegg, and Owen Shuttleworth.

A tighter second half with goals from England’s Ben Jackson, Hartley, Drew Wilkinson, Spreckley, and Smith saw the game finish 12-9 but England had done enough to claim the victory.

The England U20 Men’s team now look forward to the 2024 ELF U20 Men’s Championship in July where they’ll take on Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden in Group A in Wroclaw, Poland.

England 11-3 DeSales (3-0, 5-2, 2-0, 1-1)

England scorers: Ryan Hunns (3G, 4A), Will Goodwin (3G), Jake Parker (2G, 1A), Joe Baythorpe (1G), Hugo Peel (1G), Josh Kinder (1G), Alex Russell (2A), Grady Fayle (1A), Nathan Wilkinson (1A).

England U20 12-9 DeSales (3-2, 4-1, 2-3, 3- 3)

England scorers: Ben Jackson (1G, 2A), Josh Clegg (1G, 1A), Sam Ginger (1G, 1A), Jim Hartley (2G), Hugo Peel (1G, 1A), Josh Phillips (2A), Henry Smith (2G), Zac Spreckley (2G), Owen Shuttleworth (1G), George Smith (1A), Drew Wilkinson (1G).

Watch England v DeSales LIVE

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce the England Men’s Performance squad match versus DeSales University on Saturday 15 June will be streamed LIVE by Lacrosse Live UK on our YouTube channel.

With face-off at 1:30pm, the game marks the England Performance squad’s first fixtures since the 2024 Home Internationals Series in Cardiff, Wales in April.

At that tournament, England came away with three wins from three after playing Scotland, Netherlands, and Wales.

DeSales University are in England for a set of exhibition fixtures as part of their UK tour with two games taking place over two days this weekend.

First DeSales will head to Wilsmlow for that match against our England Men’s Performance squad; entry is free to any England fans looking to come down and support the team.

Then, they will take on the England Men’s U20 squad, at University of Manchester’s Armitage Centre on Sunday 16 June, 11am face-off, as they continue their preparations for July’s U20 Euros.

England star heads stateside to hone coaching skills

Experienced England goalie, William Baxter, has travelled overseas to the USA to hone his coaching skills at his former university, Limestone, during their 2024 season.

Baxter has almost 10 years’ experience playing lacrosse at international level and over the past couple of years has turned his hand to coaching alongside playing as he looks towards the future of his career, leading to a stint as a goalie/defence coach at his alma mater.

“It’s very different”, Baxter says of coaching, “but it allows me to not overthink like I do as a player.

“Coaching is a lot more relaxed for me because, at the end of the day, it’s about the players on the field and not the coach.

“Most of the hard work for a coach is at the training sessions and planning for games and a cycle so when it comes to game day everything should fall into place with the coach worrying about bench management, timeouts, tactical changes, and motivation.”

After joining the England set-up in 2015, Baxter quickly established himself as one of the most talented up-and-coming young stars, helping England to a European Championship title in 2016, a competition which also earned him the tournament MVP award.

Two years later in 2018, Baxter secured his place on the plane to Israel for that year’s World Lacrosse Men’s Championship where he played five times as England finished fifth.

2018 turned out to be a bumper year for Baxter as his Poynton team won the Senior Northern Flags, NEMLA Premier Division, Iroquois Cup, and European Club Championship titles.

Another successful season in 2019 that yielded yet another Senior Northern Flags title with Poynton, the last before the pandemic, caught the attention of Limestone University in South Carolina, USA.

Having studied his undergraduate degree at Manchester Metropolitan University, Baxter enrolled on the Limestone Masters of Business Administration (MBA) course and, of course, joined the hugely successful lacrosse programme there.

In just two years at Limestone, Baxter was awarded South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, 2022 Limestone Lacrosse Player of the Year, USILA South Region Third Team All-American, USILA All-American Honourable Mention, and made the South Atlantic Conference First Team All-Conference.

Back in England in 2022, Baxter made his first foray into the world of school lacrosse coaching as he took charge of Bolton School, leading them at the 2023 National Schools Lacrosse Championships.

Continuing to excel on the international stage as a player, Baxter featured for the first ever British Lacrosse men’s team to play at The World Games in 2022, finishing fourth.

Then, just last year, Baxter transferred from Bolton to coach at Moreton Hall where he continues to teach PE and coach lacrosse.

But when the offer to coach at Limestone came up, Baxter knew he had to jump at the opportunity.

“After being offered an opportunity that not many other UK-based lacrosse players or coaches get, I knew it was a brilliant chance to learn from some of the best in the game.

“I want to be able to give back to the game. I’ve had a lot of coaches give up time for me to improve throughout my career so I want to be able to do the same.

“I also feel I have a lot of experience playing and have been coached by many great coaches so want to be able to offer my experience to the next generation.”

Baxter has an impeccable record as a coach at Limestone with his side winning 16 out of their previous 17 games so far as they prepare for the annual national tournament.

Back to playing and after a sixth place finish with England at last year’s World Lacrosse World Championship in San Diego, USA, Baxter now has his sights firmly on British Lacrosse and the journey to the LA 2028 Olympic Games in four years.

In coaching terms, once his stint as a coach at Limestone is complete, Baxter will head back to Moreton Hall to imbibe some of the knowledge he’s learned overseas.

He is also preparing for the ELF Men’s Championship this summer with the Wales senior women’s team where he is Assistant Coach while also running local clinics and coaching sessions for young goalies throughout the summer.

With all his experience, Baxter’s message for the next generation of coaches is simple.

“You never stop learning whether the lessons you learn are good or bad. You learn a lot about the game while coaching but also so much about yourself. Be open to feedback and don’t be afraid to ask others for help because there’s no right or wrong way of coaching so back yourself.”

England complete Home Internationals clean sweep with perfect record

England Lacrosse sealed a perfect weekend in Cardiff as all four teams finished with 100% records in their competitions and completed a Home Internationals clean sweep.

A trio of wins on Sunday for both Senior sides and the U20 Women against Wales secured all three competitions up for grabs and U20 Men went two out of two in their weekend of matches with an impressive victory over Scotland Seniors.

England Senior Women came through a testing opener on Day 1; just one goal up at the half-time break having trailed against Scotland, a shut-out second half and 12-goal scoring streak resulted in a comfortable looking 18-5 win.

They then followed this up with a professional 20-1 victory over Czechia before facing hosts Wales looking to finish on a win and retain the Home Internationals.

England went ahead early with three goals in the first 10 minutes, and despite Wales always keeping the game close with strong defence, the result was rarely in doubt, bringing home a 13-7 win.

The England Senior Men’s final match against Wales became a winner takes all affair as both teams had beaten Scotland and Netherlands in their first two contests.

England steamrollered Scotland in their opener, moving 10-0 up at half-time before settling in the second half for a 17-2 scoreline.

This was then followed again by a flying start against Netherlands, going 6-0 up at the 1/4 time to assert dominance over proceedings and never relinquishing their comfortable advantage to come home 14-4.

In the decider, Wales caused a stir by going a goal ahead, but England remained unfazed, consistently working to break down the Welsh defence to find the net scoring four in each of the first two quarters for an 8-1 HT lead, finishing the game 14-2 victors and Men’s Home Internationals champions.

It was a similar situation for our U20 Women as they stamped their authority on the competition with a big 23-5 win against Scotland, followed up by another strong 17-2 victory over guest nation Germany.

This again set up a decider against Wales who proved to be a step up in competition for the side preparing for this summer’s Women’s World U20 Championship.

It was relatively low-scoring with England dominating the ball for large periods but being held out by an organised, physical Welsh defence; England only 5-1 up at the half.

The narrative continued after the break with England never in free scoring mood, but Wales unable to exert little pressure at the attacking end of things and England continued to chip further ahead, ending the match 11-2 ahead.

Meanwhile, a youthful England U20 Men’s side headed to Cardiff for their own international tests against senior opposition.

Their matchup against Netherlands proved to be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament as they held their own against their older opponents in a back and forth game that they always managed to just keep in front of, celebrating a hard-fought 10-9 win.

This was then followed up by an impressive 14-5 defeat of Scotland Seniors, even after falling behind early.

Scotland took 3-1 lead into the 1/4 time, but the U20s regrouped, slowly chipping away at the lead to eventually sneak 5-4 up at the half, and took that confidence into the third and fourth quarters where they ran out easy 14-5 winners with a 9-1 second half.

Plenty of player and coach interviews with each of the teams from across the weekend can be found on the England Lacrosse YouTube channel.

Results
Friday 5 April
9am - England U20 W 23-5 Scotland - (7-2; 14-3; 17-4; 23-5)
England Scorers: Annie Mather 5, Freya Moody 3, Emma Pearce 3, Molly Light 2, Millie Cant 2, Nina Sherwen 2, Grace Connor 1, Rachael Ball 1, Charlie Bell 1, Lucy Evans 1, Fiona MacLean 1, Sienna Richardson 1

11am - England Snr W 18-5 Scotland - (2-2; 6-5; 13-5; 18-5)
England Scorers: Ella Cohen (3G, 3A), Georgie Southorn (3G), Lucy Devine (2G, 1A), Liv Wimpenny (2G, 1A), Claire Faram (2G), Tilly Shires (2G), Milly Home (2G), Julie Wise (2G), Emma Savage (2A)

5pm - England Snr M 17-2 Scotland - (6-0; 10-0; 13-1; 17-2)
England Scorers: Alex Russell (5G, 1A), Blair Pachereva (4G), Will Goodwin (2G, 1A), Ed Loveland (2G), Dan Madeley (2G), Tom Roper (1G, 1A), Nathan Wilkinson (1G), Joe Baythorpe (2A), George Bascom (1A)

Saturday 6 April 
9am - England U20 W 17-2 Germany - (8-0; 11-1; 15-1; 17-2)
England Scorers: Carys Johnson (3G, 2A), Lucy Evans (3G), Lara Renders (2G, 1A), Emma Pearce (2G), Millie Cant (2G), Habi Littlehales (1G, 1A), Ellie Pobjoy (1G, 1A), Honor Ashby (1G, 1A), Freya Moody (1G), Jemma Thomson (1G), Molly Light (2A)

9am - England U20 M 10-9 Netherlands Snr - (3-3; 6-5; 8-7; 10-9)
England Scorers: Ellis Baythorpe 4, Jamie Mochan 2, Billy Styche 2, Oscar McCarthy 1, Zak Spreckley 1

3pm - England Snr W 20-1 Czechia - (6-0; 8-0; 14-0; 20-1)
England Scorers: Liv Wimpenny (3G, 1A), Milly Home (3G), Ella Cohen (2G, 4A), Georgie Southorn (2G, 2A), Cece Green (2G, 2A), Alice Ripper (2G), Anna Neville (2G), Emma Savage (1G, 1A), Minty Loxton-Barnard (1G), Lucy Devine (1G), Tilly Shires (1G)

3pm - England Snr M 14-4 Netherlands - (6-0; 9-2; 12-3; 14-4)
England Scorers: Blair Pachereva 3, Nathan Wilkinson 2, Alex Russell 2, Ed Loveland 2, Cam Major 2, Will Goodwin 1, Will Locker 1, Elliott Bickerton 1

Sunday 7 April 
12.30pm - England U20 M 14-5 Scotland Snr - (1-3; 5-4; 9-4; 14-5)
England Scorers: Ellis Baythorpe 4, Zak Spreckley 3, Henry Smith 2, Owen Shuttleworth 2, Oscar McCarthy 1, Ryan Frayne 1, Jamie Mochan 1

1pm - England U20 W 11-2 Wales - (3-1; 5-1; 9-2; 11-2)
England Scorers: Charlie Bell (5G), Nina Sherwen (2G), Millie Cant (1G), Ella Dimbylow (1G), Grace Connor (1G), Ellie Pobjoy (1G), Habi Littlehales (1A), Bonnie Russell (1A)

3pm - England Snr W 13-7 Wales - (5-2; 8-5; 11-6; 13-7)
England Scorers: Georgie Southorn (4G, 1A), Milly Home (3G, 1A), Tilly Shires (2G), Anna Neville (2G), Liv Wimpenny (1G), Cece Green (1G)

3pm - England Snr M 14-2 Wales - (4-1; 8-1; 10-1; 14-2)
England Scorers: Blair Pachevera 4, Nathan Wilkinson 3, Joe Baythorpe 2, Will Goodwin 2, Alex Russell 1, Elliott Bickerton 1, Tom Roper 1

Final Standings

Senior Women
1 England
2 Scotland
3 Wales
4 Czechia

Senior Men
1 England
2 Wales
3 Netherlands
4 Scotland

U20 Women
1 England
2 Wales
3 Scotland
4 Germany

England senior men's team revealed ahead of 2024 Home Internationals Series

England Lacrosse is pleased to announced the 20-player England senior men’s squad to compete at the 2024 Home Internationals Series in Cardiff, Wales this weekend.

The competition, taking place from 5-7 April, will see England take on other international sides in the team’s first competitive fixtures since they finished sixth at last year’s 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego, USA.

Since then, Sam Patterson has been appointed the new England Head Coach and he has been tasked with putting together a team capable of competing at the European Championship in 2025.

England will play three matches at the 2024 Home Internationals Series with them taking on Scotland, Netherlands, and Wales.

To buy tickets for the 2024 Home Internationals Series, click HERE.

England Senior Men’s Squad

George Bascom
Joe Baythorpe
Simon Bellamy
Elliott Bickerton
Alex Davidson
Nick DeCaprio
Hal Dwobeng
Daniel Goodwin
William Goodwin
MacGyver Hay
Grady Jackson-Fayle
William Locker
Edward Loveland
Daniel Madeley
Cameron Major
Dave O’Callaghan
Blair Pachereva
Alex Russell
Tom Roper
Nathan Wilkinson

Tickets on sale for 2024 Home Internationals Series

Tickets for the 2024 Home Internationals Series, featuring England, Scotland, Germany, Netherlands, Czechia, and hosts Wales are now on sale.

Taking place at the Cardiff University Playing Fields, Cardiff from 5-7 April, the annual Home Internationals Series will see senior, under-20, and under-18 men’s and women’s teams play against each other in a main competition and a festival with the winners in each tournament being crowned 2024 Home Internationals champions.

Tickets start from just £6 for a single day concessions* ticket with two-day passes and full tournament tickets also available.

If you buy before Friday 29th March, you can grab a full tournament pass for the price of two day tickets!

Last year’s competition, held in Nottingham, saw England dominate, winning every trophy on offer, including the senior men’s and women’s titles.

Ticket Details

Full Weekend Adult | £22.25
Full Weekend Concessions | £16.75
Two-Day Ticket Adult | £22.25
Two-Day Ticket Concessions | £16.75
Day Ticket Adult | £11.25
Day Ticket Concessions | £6.00

*Concessions include under 16s, over 65s, and students with a valid student card.

British Lacrosse announces Euro Lax Sixes Cup squads

British Lacrosse has announced its men’s and women’s squads to compete at this year’s Euro Lax Sixes Cup, taking place from 23-25 February in Vila Real De Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal.

The men’s team Head Coach, Tom Wenham, has selected 12 players to make the journey to Portugal, including England’s field 2023 World Championship stars Hal Dwobeng, Drew Bickerton, and Cameron Major.

The squad also includes three of England box’s regular starters and 2022 European Championship winners in Ben Page-Laycock, Matt Tatton, and Ming Trinh.

Indeed, all but one of the 12-player squad has played in The Fly Sixes Lacrosse league with nine of them returning to the competition in 2024.

Women’s Head Coach, Phil Collier, has selected a 14-player squad, with a two-player reserve list, for the Euro Lax Sixes Cup that includes nine players in the current 2024 England senior training squad and four 2022 World Championship bronze medallists.

Every single player in the 16-player wider squad has made an appearance in The Fly Sixes Lacrosse league with 15 of them set to represent one of the four teams once again later this year.

The Euro Lax Sixes Cup is a competition that has yielded some success for British Lacrosse teams over the years with both men’s and women’s teams lifting the inaugural trophies in 2022.

2023 saw British Lacrosse men bring the title home once again after a 25-12 victory over Switzerland in the final.

That year, British Lacrosse women opted not to submit a team with two England teams taking their place instead; England red eventually won the competition after going unbeaten throughout the tournament.

13 teams have been confirmed as taking part in the Euro Lax Sixes Cup this year, including hosts Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland, Netherlands, Great Britain, and, for the first time, Brazil.

You can keep up to date with all the latest from the 2024 Euro Lax Sixes Cup on Instagram HERE.

Women’s Squad

Torz Anderson
Ella Cohen
Sophy Coombes-Roberts
Claire Faram
Chess Gray
Anna Neville
Emma Oakley
Lottie Robertson
Anna Saunter
Emma Savage
Livy Schellekens
Dylan Whittington
Liv Wimpenny
Sofia Wise

Reserves 

Hannah Whiteley 
Laura Warren

Men’s Squad

Tobias Cleaver-Ross
Hal Dwobeng
Drew Bickerton
Cameron Major
Ben Page-Laycock
Will Prescott
Tom Roper
Matt Tatton
Ming Trinh
George Shonfeld
Will Shirt
Ryan Sweetman

Sam Patterson appointed new England Men's Head Coach

England Lacrosse is delighted to announce the appointment of Sam Patterson as Head Coach of the England Men’s Performance Squad.

Patterson takes charge off the back of a successful coaching career across club, university, and international level, following an equally distinguished playing stint spanning more than 20 years.

Since 2016, he has been Head of Lacrosse at Nottingham Trent University, overseeing the transformation of the institution’s lacrosse programme to firmly establish NTU as one of the top lacrosse programmes in the country.

Patterson has taken the NTU Men’s performance squad to the BUCS National Championship final five years in a row, claiming the title in both 2018 and 2023.

He has also had success with the Women’s performance squad, leading the programme to the top tier of BUCS lacrosse, as well as picking up the BUCS National Trophy in 2022.

In addition to team success on the field, through his time at NTU he has also overseen the individual player development of a number of England internationals and will now pick up those relationships again in his new role.

As a player, Patterson is one of the most decorated players in the history of England Lacrosse.

He represented England in a remarkable four Senior World Championships from 2006-2018, is a three-time European Championship gold medal winner and has won numerous trophies playing for club side Stockport.

Following his international playing career, Patterson soon also transitioned into international level coaching, serving as an Assistant Coach to the Men’s Performance Squad from 2019-2022, building on the experience gained coaching throughout the England Academy system.

Patterson’s first outing following the appointment is set to be at April’s Home Internationals tournament in Cardiff, before looking ahead to the upcoming 2025 European Championships.

Derek Morgan, England Lacrosse National Performance Manager, said: “Sam is a highly respected figure within the English game and following his international playing career, has now proven himself to be one of the most talented coaches around.

“He has significant major tournament experience as a player and has worked as a coach on both our Talent Pathway system and as a senior Assistant Coach to develop his top-level coaching knowledge.

“Additionally, his impressive track record at NTU has demonstrated his ability to create a cohesive, structured programme that has delivered positive results on a consistent basis.

 “The Men’s Performance programme has a strong core of young, talented athletes and we see Sam as someone who will be able to nurture that talent, while also creating a clear vision and identity for the programme moving forward.”

On his appointment, Sam Patterson said: “This is a huge privilege and honour to be given the responsibility to take the England team forward in this exciting time in our sports history.

“This undoubtably will be the biggest challenge in my coaching career to date, but one I am laser focused on ensuring will be a successful period for our national team.

“We are blessed with a fantastic group of players, and I am really excited to start working with them. This is very much a busy time for our players with more lacrosse commitments than ever before, so I will be working in close collaboration with all our national team formats, junior teams, and the academy.

“I also want to convey to the players my first priority is to create the best possible environment for them, give them clarity and buy-in of the process we are about to embark on together, and build a highly competitive team we can all be proud of and get behind ahead of the European Championships, and onward to the World Championships in Japan in 2027.”

Vacancy | England Men's U20 Team Manager

England Lacrosse is looking for an experienced, committed, and enthusiastic Team Manager to support the running of the England men’s under-20 programme.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to manage the programme domestically and in preparation for international fixtures and tours as appropriate within the programme schedule.

The immediate remit will be to conclude planning and delivery of preparations for and participation in this summer’s ELF Men’s U20 Championship in Wroclaw, Poland from 20-28 July.

Beyond this, the role is to deliver an ongoing, long-term development programme to support players’ transition from high potential to high performing members of England Lacrosse’s men’s senior programme.

The Team Manager will work closely with the England Lacrosse National Performance Manager and England men’s under-20 Head Coach in overseeing the planning, logistics and financial sustainability of the programme and ensuring the overall culture of the programme is aligned with England Lacrosse’s vision and values.

They will be responsible for the planning, logistics and finances for the programme, whilst ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of individual players is managed to ensure they are prepared to compete on the international stage and perform consistently to the highest standards required to achieve sustained success.

The Team Manager should be comfortable working with elite athletes and adept at managing and working collaboratively with a team of staff to achieve maximum output from available resources.

The successful Team Manager will also be required to work closely with the Head Coaches of the other performance programmes in solidifying the synergy and clear progression pathway between the squads.

As with all Team Manager roles, England Lacrosse will be holding a full, open application and interview process with all prospective candidates welcome to apply.

This is a voluntary role with reasonable and necessary expenses provided.

How to apply:

To apply please email the following documents to Abi Merrill at a.merrill@englandlacrosse.co.uk

• Cover Letter highlighting your motivation for the post and relevant experience.

• Up to date CV.

• Complete Equalities monitoring form HERE.

For more information about the role, read the Role Description HERE and the Role Advert HERE.

Application closing date: Friday 23 February 2024.

World Lacrosse awards three world championships to Korea and Japan

World Lacrosse today announced the hosting rights to three upcoming world championships, with the 2025 Men’s U20 Championship officially awarded to Korea, and the 2026 Women’s Championship and 2027 Men’s Championship awarded to Japan.

Korea will host its first world championship, as the eighth edition of the men’s U20 championship will be held in mainland Asia for the first time in its history. The event will be held in Seoguipo on Jeju Island from 18-25 July 2025.

Japan hosted the women’s championship in 1997 and as the 12th edition of the event returns to Japan, it joins the United States and England as multi-time hosts. Japan will host the men’s championship for the first time in its 15th edition, and joins a group of Australia, Canada, England and the United States that have hosted both the men’s and women’s championships.

The 2026 and 2027 events in Japan are each expected to take place in July, with a specific location that will host both championships to be announced at a later date. It will mark the first time the men’s and women’s championships have been held in the same city in consecutive years, a sustainable and equitable approach for World Lacrosse events.

World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr said:

“We are thrilled to award these championships to Korea and Japan, two of our model members that are both ready to stage world-class events in incredible cities. With our upcoming women’s U20 championship, we will have four championships in four years in Asia, which reflects how the game has grown at a breathtaking speed. I am excited for our global community to experience firsthand why the region is a new epicenter of lacrosse.”

Japan has been a member of World Lacrosse since 1990 and Korea has been a member since 1995. Both organisations were founding members of the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union in 2004, which has grown to 19 members.

Jeju Island is known as “The Honeymoon Island” of Asia, and a hub for Korea’s fast-growing passion for sports and culture. The island is accessible with an international airport and Korea previously hosted the 2017 Asia Pacific Lacrosse Championship in Seogwipo with six men’s teams and five women’s teams competing, as well as the 2022 APLU Qualifier for the 2023 Men’s Championship with six teams in attendance.

Japan has hosted many major international sports events, including recent editions of the Olympic Games and Rugby World Cup in recent years. The country boasts the world’s largest city and exceptional public infrastructure, including transportation, accommodations and a variety of sports facilities, as well as world-famous sightseeing destinations.

The three events will conclude the current four-year cycle of World Lacrosse Championships beginning in 2024 before the sport is contested at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Vacancy | England Senior Men's Head Coach

England Lacrosse is looking for an experienced, committed, and enthusiastic Head Coach to lead the England senior men’s programme initially through to the conclusion of the 2025 ELF Men’s Championship.

The England senior men’s team is currently ranked sixth in the world following this summer’s World Lacrosse Men’s Championship; England’s ambition is to consistently challenge the world’s leading lacrosse nations, as well as to retain their status as European champions.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the England senior men’s programme, including leading the programme at the 2025 ELF Men’s Championship, the annual Home Internationals Series, and other international fixtures and tours as appropriate within the programme schedule.

The Head Coach will work closely with the England Lacrosse National Performance Manager in driving the strategy, culture, and ongoing direction of the programme in alignment with England Lacrosse’s vision and values.

They will be responsible for leading an integrated support staff, the development and implementation of plans designed to develop the squad, and driving a performance culture to underpin the squad’s ability to compete consistently on the international stage.

Ideally, they should be comfortable working with elite athletes and adept at managing and working collaboratively with a team of staff to achieve maximum output from available resources.  

The successful coach will also be required to work closely with the Head Coaches of the England Men’s under-20 and Boy’s Aspire programmes to solidify the synergy and clear progression pathway between the squads.

As with all coaching roles, England Lacrosse will be holding a full, open application and interview process for the new cycle with all prospective candidates welcome to apply.

The successful candidate must be available to fulfil the following initial commitments, leading domestic training camps on the weekend of 13 & 14 January, 24 & 25 February, and 16 & 17 March along with leading the England senior men’s team at the annual Home Internationals Series in Cardiff on 5, 6, & 7 April 2024.

To read a full job description for the role, click HERE.

How to apply:

To submit an application for this position, please email the following documents to Abi Merrill at a.merrill@englandlacrosse.co.uk:

· Cover Letter highlighting your motivation for the post and relevant experience. 
· Up to date CV.
· Complete Equalities monitoring form – via this link. - Equalities Monitoring Form

Responsible to: National Performance Manager and Chief Executive Officer

Application closing date: Friday 8 December

Interviews to be scheduled w/c Monday 11 December

World Anti-Doping Agency release 2024 Prohibited List

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published its 2024 Prohibited List. The Prohibited List designates the substances and methods that are prohibited in sport.

Following an extensive consultation period by WADA, the 2024 Prohibited List was published on 27 September 2023. This gives athletes and support personnel sufficient time to make themselves aware of the changes, review any medications they use on Global DRO, and apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) if required before the updated List comes into effect on 1 January 2024.

Included on the 2024 List is the substance tramadol which will be banned in-competition from 1 January 2024. Tramadol is an opioid analgesic and is classified as a prescription only medicine in the UK. Tramadol misuse is of concern because of the risks of physical dependence, opiate addiction, and overdose. It has led to it being a controlled drug in many countries. If you are concerned about tramadol misuse, please reach out to England Lacrosse or speak to your doctor prior to the change in status on the 2024 Prohibited List.

Please visit UK Anti-Doping's website HERE to read a full summary of the changes on the 2024 List.

The following resources are also available to read on WADA’s website:

• The full 2024 Prohibited List
• The WADA 2024 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes
• The 2024 Monitoring Program which includes substances not currently on the List but are being monitored by WADA for potential patterns of misuse in sport.

British Lacrosse announce Hong Kong Super Sixes squads

British Lacrosse has named their men’s and women’s squads to compete at the World Lacrosse Super Sixes in Hong Kong, China at the end of the year.

The first squads to be revealed since it was announced that Sixes Lacrosse will feature at the LA28 Olympic Games, both 12-player British Lacrosse teams feature a host of experienced players as well as several up and coming young athletes.

World Lacrosse describes the Hong Kong Super Sixes as the “highest-level world lacrosse sixes format tournament on an international level”, featuring up to 16 teams (eight men's and eight women's) competing in a three-day competition.

The Hong Kong Super Sixes will showcase the Sixes Lacrosse format of the game that features six players on each team, a smaller pitch, fewer pitch markings, and a 30-second shot clock.

Leslie Rance, Chair of British Lacrosse said:

“Firstly, on behalf of the Board, our thanks to all the athletes who participated in the selection process, and congratulations to those chosen to represent British Lacrosse at the Super Sixes Tournament in Hong Kong.

“We are immensely proud of our athletes and wish them the best. With the recent IOC announcement welcoming lacrosse to participate at LA28, our attention is now firmly on qualifying for that tournament.

“International competitions and tournament experience will be a critical part of our preparation and qualification journey. Hong Kong now serves as the first of many stepping stones for our teams with clear Olympic aspirations”

Taking place from 29-31 December in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, the competition marks the start of British Lacrosse’s journey ahead of the Olympic Games in LA in five year’s time.

For more information about British Lacrosse, click HERE.

Men’s Squad

William Baxter
Lyndon Bunio
Hal Dwobeng
Tommy Kirkland
Luke Mills-Doig
Ben Page-Laycock
Hugo Peel
Jamie Powell
Will Prescott
Tomos Rosser
Alex Russell
Will Shirt

Women’s Squad

Emilie Chandler
Zoe Dickson
Chess Gray
Emily Gray
Cece Green
Minty Loxton-Barnard
Emma Oakley
Sienna Parekh
Alice Ripper
Lottie Robertson
Emma Savage
Georgie Southorn

Lacrosse proposed as new sport for 2028 Olympics, pending approval

World Lacrosse has released the following statement after LA28 announced that lacrosse is among the new sports it is proposing to the IOC, for approval during the upcoming IOC Session in Mumbai, India. 

"We are absolutely thrilled and honored by LA28’s decision to propose lacrosse for inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games. We are one huge step closer to a monumental milestone for our sport and international community. 

Lacrosse is globally played, accessible and equitable, with a unique origin and modern, youthful relevancy. We are on a path of ascendency, and will be a great partner for LA28 and the IOC. 

Reaching this stage in the process is a testament to the dedication of our players, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators and lacrosse enthusiasts worldwide, who have tirelessly championed our sport. We eagerly await the IOC’s final decision, and look forward to the possibility of lacrosse being showcased on the world's biggest sporting stage, inspiring generations to come."