Poynton presented with NEMLA Premier Division trophy

Poynton, based in Cheshire, were presented with the 2024/25 North of England Men’s Lacrosse Association (NEMLA) Premier Division trophy after an enthralling 15-11 win over Stockport on Saturday.

Having officially secured the title at the end of February, Poynton were presented with the trophy having lost just once all season, scoring 200 times while conceding just 95.

Even if Cheadle and Brooklands, who sit in second and third place respectively, were to win their final games, Poynton will finish at least nine points clear at the top of the table which could be as many as 11 points should those teams taste defeat on the final day.

It’s been an incredible season for Poynton who last lost a league match in February against Brooklands and claim their first NEMLA Premier Division title since 2018.

In that year, they also claimed the European Club Championship and the Men’s Senior Flags titles and they have the opportunity to secure a double this season when they take on Brooklands in the Senior Flags Final at Rochdale Lacrosse Club on Sunday 27 April.

Poynton have an enviable amount of talent in their ranks including England’s William Baxter and Alex Russell and are led by England coach Mike Bartlett; they’ve now got just over three weeks to prepare for that Senior Flags Final showdown with Brooklands.

In the other NEMLA leagues, Rochdale have been promoted to the Premier Division after winning the Championship title with a game still to play having gone unbeaten throughout the season, Brooklands A are Division 1 champions with just one defeat, and Brooklands ExA secured the Division 2 title finishing two points ahead of Mellor B in second.

The Women’s Division is still to be decided with Stockport currently sitting top of the league with one game left to play but Oxton hot on their heels with two games remaining.

Watch Poynton’s match against Stockport from Saturday below.

Regional Leagues Return this Weekend!

After more than six months without fixtures, the North of England Men’s Lacrosse Association (NEMLA), the North Women’s Lacrosse Association (NWLA), and the South of England Men’s Lacrosse Association (SEMLA) will return to action this weekend.

NEMLA and SEMLA will be returning to a largely regular* full competitive league season while NWLA will be playing a series of friendly matches during the 2020/21 season with no formal competitive fixtures and no formal league table.

After such a turbulent year and with coronavirus restrictions around sports being constantly reviewed, this is welcome news for clubs all over the country and it certainly bodes well for the South West Women’s Lacrosse Association (SWWLA) who begin friendly fixtures next weekend (10/11 Oct).

NEMLA, NWLA, and SEMLA will begin their 2020/21 seasons on Saturday just a week after the South East Women’s Lacrosse Association (SEWLA) played their first games of the season last weekend with Hillcroft’s and Spencer’s wins over Central London 2s and West London 2s respectively proving to be the highlights.

England Lacrosse Regional Core Products Officer, Richard Gartside, says it’s brilliant for the game to have some semblance of normality after such a long time without scheduled fixtures.

“After six months, this weekend marks a welcome return to organised fixtures that will give teams the opportunity to exercise everything they’ve been practicing during lockdown as well as during phases 2, 3, and 4 of Return to Play.

“It’s been a tough year so far and, of course, Government and England Lacrosse guidance still needs to be followed but I’m hoping this is the beginning of a relative and stable normality going forward”.

Saturday’s fixtures for the NEMLA, NWLA, and SEMLA leagues are as follows (all start times 14:00):

SEMLA L-Lon 1

Hampstead v Spencer
Hillcroft v Spencer 2

SEMLA L-Lon 2

Hillcroft A v Camden Capybaras
Reading Wildcats v London Raptors

SEMLA L-Lon 3

Hillcroft B v Buckhurst Hill
Spencer 3 v Spencer 4

SEMLA L-Lon 4

London University v Camden Capybaras 2

SEMLA L-HC

Canterbury City v Purley
East Grinstead v Walcoutian Blues

SEMLA L-SC

East Grinstead A v Guildford Gators

SEMLA L-Pen

Exeter University v Camborne School of Mines
Plymouth Privateers v Plymouth University

SEMLA L-Cot 1

Bristol Bombers v Oxford City
Cheltenham v Bath

SEMLA L-Cot 2

Cardiff Harlequins v Bristol Bombers 2
Cheltenham 2 v Bath University

SEMLA L-EA

Cambridge Eagles v Welwyn Warriors
Hitchin A v University of East Anglia

NEMLA Men’s 1

Brooklands v Mellor
Heaton Mersey v Cheadle
Stockport v Poynton

NEMLA Men’s 2

Boardman & Eccles v Timperley
Sheffield Steelers v Norbury
Wilmslow v Manchester WACS

NEMLA Men’s 3

Cheadle A v Heaton Mersey A
Mellor A v Brooklands A
Rochdale v Stockport A

NEMLA Men’s 4 East

Leeds v Sheffield Steelers A
Norbury A v Heaton Mersey B
Poynton A v Rochdale A

NEMLA Men’s 4 West

Cheadle B v City of Stoke
Cheadle Hulme v Wilmslow A
Timperley A v Liverpool

NEMLA Men’s 5 A

Ashton v Heaton Mersey C

NEMLA Men’s 5 B

Cheadle Hulme A v Cheadle C

NWLA Women’s

Liverpool v Hull
Stockport v Stoke
Mellor v Oxton
Timperley v Leeds
Brooklands v Heaton Mersey

The full list of fixtures and participating teams for this season can be found HERE for NEMLA, HERE for NWLA, and HERE for SEMLA.

*Government and England Lacrosse coronavirus restrictions still apply and can be viewed in full HERE.