England Lacrosse Board Statement: Coaching Complaint

England Lacrosse Board statement RE: Coaching Complaint

Following complaints received from senior athletes in February regarding coaching standards in one of our performance teams, and in accordance with our published processes and protocols, England Lacrosse promptly initiated an investigation and a review by a disciplinary panel. Based on the findings of the panel, recommendations were made to improve the coaching standards and ensure compliance with our codes of conduct and values.

In September, further complaints were lodged with new evidence against a performance coach. In line with our policies and procedures, the coach was immediately suspended from their role, and a disciplinary process was initiated. After a thorough investigation, the disciplinary panel has reached the conclusion that the coach will no longer hold their position within England Lacrosse.

We are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all athletes involved in our sport, and we treat athlete welfare matters with the utmost seriousness. England Lacrosse remains dedicated to maintaining an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for all members of our community.

Whilst we will be making no further comment on this matter, if anyone has concerns or would like to discuss athlete welfare or any safeguarding matters, we encourage them to contact our safeguarding team directly through any of the methods listed on our website HERE

University Aspire Programme | Rob MacLennan

With the second year of the England Lacrosse University Aspire Programme due to begin with two assessment days in October and November, we’ve spoken to some of the players who took part in the inaugural year of the Programme.

Rob MacLennan wasn’t aware of lacrosse until he started studying at university in Cambridge when he, as a fresher, tried lots of new sports and a friend invited him to try out mixed lacrosse. From here, Rob never looked back.

“I quickly grew to love the pace, intensity, and challenge of the new sport, as well as how welcoming and fun the club community was, and decided to properly commit to it just before the pandemic hit.

“As frustrating as lockdown was, having so much time on my hands meant I could do lots of wall ball and shooting practice, so by the time we were able to start playing matches again in my third year I was ready to hit the ground running and really feel my rapid improvement as a player.” 

Before starting university, Rob was a serious fencer, representing Great Britain on the under-17 and under-20 World Cup circuit for four years. When he started his university studies, however, he was ready for a change.

“I got to the point where I felt a bit disillusioned with the sport and had hit a ceiling, and wanted a new challenge when I started university.

“In particular, I wanted to try a field sport, which I hadn't had the opportunity to do at a serious level before. Lacrosse ended up being a perfect fit, as most people hadn't started the sport before university so it was accessible for beginners and had a steep learning curve, especially for athletic and coordinated people transitioning from other sports.

“While a completely different sport, I found that there were a lot of transferrable skills between fencing and lacrosse. There’s a similar mix of explosiveness and endurance and the coordination from a fencing blade to a lacrosse stick made the physical transition relatively natural.” 

Having exclusively played mixed lacrosse up until last year, hearing about the England Lacrosse University Aspire Programme made Rob try out the men’s game for the first time.

“It's something that I had increasingly on my mind, as I could see there wasn't a pathway to continue mixed at a high level after university or compete at an international level.

“After my team’s victory over Oxford City at the 2023 National Club Finals, Richard Gartside, who leads on the University Aspire Programme for England Lacrosse, approached me and asked if I would be interested in switching to men's and joining the Programme as he saw potential for me in the men's game. This was the encouragement I needed, and decided to commit to switching to men's and working hard to see what level I could reach.” 

Interestingly, Rob found the transition from mixed lacrosse to men’s lacrosse just as big of a challenge as switching from fencing to lacrosse but that hasn’t stopped him committing fully to the game.

“I have really enjoyed the challenge of learning very different techniques and adjusting my muscle memory to suit men's rules. 

“Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the first two University Aspire training sessions as I was spending six months cycling across Africa. Naturally, I was quite nervous joining later on and sticking out like a sore thumb but I really enjoyed the training sessions and quickly felt part of the team ahead of the Lisboa tour.

“The intensity of the sessions and the collective desire to improve and push each other was a really exciting thing to be a part of. “

To end the inaugural year of the England Lacrosse University Programme, the 2023/24 cohort entered the Lisboa Cup in Lisbon, Portugal where they finished fourth. Rob thinks playing in a high-level competition like that was an incredible experience.

“The Lisboa Cup itself was a really great experience. While initally I felt very much in at the deep end, having the backing of the coaches that I deserved to be there gave me the confidence to really get involved and work hard on the pitch. Playing against international teams and clubs at that level was an awesome opportunity, and scoring against Italy Heritage was a particular highlight.

“Coming away from the Lisboa Cup I've been so motivated to improve my game and keep working towards higher levels. I have a long way to go but the University Aspire Programme and the support of the coaches has genuinely inspired me to keep working hard and have the belief that I have the potential to keep reaching higher levels in the game.”

Rob’s message for university students thinking about applying for the 2024/25 Programme is simple:

“If you believe that you have the potential and mentality to compete at an international level one day, even if you are far from being the finished product, then the University Aspire Programme is for you!”

The England Lacrosse University Aspire Programme aims to identify athletes who are not currently a part of any England Lacrosse programmes but have the potential to progress into the England Lacrosse Perform Programme.

To identify possible 2024/25 University Aspire Programme athletes, England Lacrosse is hosting two assessment days: the first at Bath University’s Odd Down Sports Ground on Sunday 27 October and the second at Nottingham Trent University on Sunday 10 November.

Each assessment day will include men’s and women’s sessions lasting approximately two and a half hours each with lacrosse coaching from experienced coaches from within the England Perform Programme.

Assessment Days

Sunday 27 October
Bath, Odd Down Sports Ground
Men's Assessment | 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Women's Assessment | 3:30pm - 6:00pm

Sunday 10 November
Nottingham Trent University
Men's Assessment | 11:00am - 1:30pm

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.

Valiant England suffer bronze medal match defeat to Haudenosaunee to finish fourth

A valiant performance in the bronze medal match saw England finish fourth at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships despite a 14-5 defeat to Haudenosaunee on Saturday.

Corey Small scored two while Ben Buchanan, Tom Roper, and Jack Royer all scored one as England finished fourth for the second consecutive World Championships.

After five games that had yielded one win (13-8 against Czechia), England started the bronze medal match with intent and, despite an early Haudenosaunee goal after 25 seconds, managed to keep their opponents relatively quiet throughout the first quarter, having seven shots on goal in the process.

Two more goals for Haudenosaunee late in the first quarter from Thomas Hoggarth and Larson Sundown saw England go in at the break looking to overturn a three-goal deficit.

And England came out fighting with goals from Buchanan and Small putting their team within one goal of the men in purple.

A world-class defensive performance from England kept Haudenosaunee to just one goal during the whole second quarter through Travis Longboat, seeing the score at 4-2 going into half-time.

So many games of box lacrosse are won and lost in the third quarter and this 15 period proved tricky for an England side with a never-say-die attitude.

Lyle Thompson and Tehoka Nanticoke showed their quality to put Haudenosaunee 6-2 up after 34 minutes before Small added his second of the game to pull England within three.

Four more goals for Haudenosaunee before the third quarter break courtesy of Hoggarth, Randy Staats, Sundown, and Nanticoke saw the opposition take a seven goal lead into the final 15 minutes.

England weren’t done yet, however, and Royer hit a fourth for his team 50 seconds after the restart to give England some hope of chasing down their opponents.

Haudenosaunee, who had never finished lower than second in this competition, finished with a flourish, scoring four through Longboat, Thompson (2), and Trey Deere to effectively seal the victory for their side.

England did have the last laugh though as Roper scored a fifth with just over three minutes to go but it wasn’t to be on the day and England had to settle for fourth.

England 5-14 Haudenosaunee (0-3, 2-1, 1-6, 2-4)

England scorers: Corey Small (2G, 1A), Jack Royer (1G, 1A), Ben Buchanan (1G), Tom Roper (1G), Lyndon Bunio (1A), Elliot Leonard (1A), Cam MacLeod (1A), Matt Marsh (1A)

England secure fifth spot at inaugural World Lacrosse Box Championships

England secured an historic fifth spot with a 14-13 victory over Germany at the inaugural 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, New York, USA on Saturday.

Five goals from the ever-dependable Alex Drewe, who finished the tournament as the fifth highest points scorer, as well as an incredible winner two minutes from time from Rosie Bathurst saw England over the line in the fifth-place game.

England couldn’t have asked for a better start as they stormed into a four-goal lead after just two and a half minutes thanks to goals from Lucy Ford, Katie Greenwood, and Alex Drewe (2).

Germany were not to be underestimated, however, and stunned England with five goals in reply from Lisa Neubert, Theresa Geissinger (2), Toni Garbe, and Kim Dressendörfer to see them take a 5-4 lead.

Iandra Lamplugh, one of England’s stand-out performers throughout the competition, halted Germany’s goal rush with a fifth for England but it was the team from mainland Europe who would go in at quarter-time with the lead after two quick-fire goals from Laura Delker and Sinem Ünlü put them 7-5 up.

England started the second quarter quickly with Leah Catton adding her name to the scoresheet after two minutes and, despite an eighth Germany goal through Tessa Helf, England were able to levell up the game with goals from Ellie Racle and Laura Wright.

With five and a half minutes until half-time, Germany pulled themselves back in front at 9-8 through Garbe, which is how it remained until the break.

After a quiet opening 12 minutes of the third quarter that yielded no goals, Helf made England’s job all the more difficult with a 10th and 11th goal for Germany either side of an England goal from Racle before Garbe added a 12th as the third quarter came to an end.

England had it all to do heading into the final 15 minutes three goals down at 12-9 but an exceptional four-goal run that saw strikes from Laura Beaman and three from Drewe helped them into 13-12 lead with five minutes to go.

Five minutes is a long time to hold onto a lead in box lacrosse and Helf levelled up for Germany with her fourth of the game with three and a half to go.

With the game seemingly on a trajectory towards sudden-death over-time, up stepped Bathurst with just over two minutes left to fire a 14th in for England who were able to to defend the lead and take the victory to become the fifth best side in the world and highest ranked European team at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships.

England 14-13 Germany (5-6, 3-3, 1-3, 5-1)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (5G, 2A), Laura Beaman (1G, 4A), Iandra Lamplugh (1G, 3A), Lucy Ford (1G, 2A), Ellie Racle (2G), Rosie Bathurst (1G, 1A), Leah Catton (1G, 1A), Katie Greenwood (1G, 1A), Laura Wright (1G), Annabelle Akintoye (1A), Lexi Reynard (1A).

England taken to Church in World Championship semi-final defeat

Robert Church scored five for Canada despite a positive performance from England in a 20-3 semi-final defeat at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Friday.

Jack Royer continued his excellent goal-scoring record during the competition with two more goals, taking his total tally to nine.

Albert Whitehead scored a fortunate third for England in the fourth quarter as his team look to regroup ahead of the bronze medal game against Haudenosaunee on Sunday morning.

Having reached a second successive World Lacrosse Box Championships semi-final, it was always going to be a tough ask for England to come close to a side who have never lost a match in this competition in 21 years.

England started positively, however, and managed to keep a free-scoring Canada to five goals in the first quarter.

Another two goals from Canada were followed quickly in the second quarter before Royer fired in for England’s first of the game.

England had their most successful period in the game at this point with Royer netting a second for his team on a power play to put the scores at 8-2.

Canada’s response to England’s two goals was to amp up their performance and so they went on an 11-goal scoring run over the second, third, and fourth quarters to effectively seal the victory.

Whitehead claimed a third for England with less than eight minutes to go after his shot ricocheted off the Canada goalie and into the back of the net but Church had the last laugh as he netted his fifth and Canada’s 20th with six minutes to play.

Canada will take on USA for another chance to be crowned world champions on Sunday while England take on Haudenosaunee in the bronze medal game at 00:15am on Sunday morning.

England 3-20 Canada (5-0, 5-2, 7-0, 3-1)

England scorers: Jack Royer (2G), Albert Whitehead (1G), Ollie Allsop (1A), Dan Watson (1A).

Luck of the Irish runs out as England progress to fifth-place game

England will fight for fifth place on Saturday after an 11-6 victory over Ireland in their play-in game at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Friday.

Alex Drewe, Leah Catton, Iandra Lamplugh, and Katie Greenwood scored a brace each to ensure England can finish as high as fifth-place in their first ever major tournament.

The game started slowly with both teams starting to feel the effects of playing six games in seven days but it was England who eventually broke the deadlock after six minutes when Iandra Lamplugh struck to put her team 1-0 up.

A slow first quarter was followed by a more lively second and within two minutes England were three goals ahead after strikes from Catton and Greenwood.

Briar Slattery managed to get Ireland on the scoresheet five minutes into the second quarter before England went on a three-goal scoring run with Drewe, Beaman, and Catton all increasing England’s lead.

With one second to go before half-time, Ireland claimed a second through Julia Ruscio but it was England who would return to the floor in the third quarter the most dominant, scoring three more courtesy of Beaman, Greenwood, and Drewe to see the score at 9-2.

Ireland never gave up hope of a comeback, however, and, with England tiring, they began to get more and more into the game with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Four goals without reply from Ireland through Haley Price (2), Ruscio, and Gillian Smith saw England’s close rivals come to within three goals.

But Lamplugh and Georgie Rutter put the team in green to bed with two goals in the final eight minutes to secure England’s spot in the fifth-place game.

England 11-6 Ireland (1-0, 5-2, 3-3, 2-1)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (2G, 4A), Leah Catton (2G, 3A), Laura Beaman (2G, 2A), Iandra Lamplugh (2G, 2A), Lucy Ford (4A), Katie Greenwood (2G, 1A), Georgie Rutter (1G, 2A)

England book semi-final date after quarter-final Czechmate

England reached a second successive World Lacrosse Box Championships semi-final after an impressive 13-8 quarter-final win over Czechia on Thursday.

England’s all-time top goal-scorer Lyndon Bunio got off the mark in this 2024 competition with a brilliant hat-trick of goals and newcomer Jack Royer added to his three goal tally with four more as England downed Czechia in a repeat of the 2022 Euros semi-final.

After three games without a win against some of the best teams in the world during the pool stage, a quarter-final against European rivals Czechia was the first real challenge for England and, despite going a goal down early on in the game, the players looked determined from the off.

Royer pulled England level after six minutes and the team never looked back from there: Corey Small, Elliot Leonard, and Ben Buchanan all netting in a superb two-minute spell to put their team 4-1 up.

Tomáš Knotek hit a second for Czechia before quarter-time but England were really clicking and Albert Whitehead alongside two more from Bunio at the start of the second quarter helped England into a commanding 7-2 lead.

Czechia aren’t a team to be sniffed at, however, and they were always likely to have good spells in the game and so they clawed three goals back through Lukáš Kučera, Pavel Srch, and Jan Fišer leaving England with some work still to do at 7-5.

An eighth for England through Royer was followed by a sixth for Czechia from Srch before England really managed to dominate the game once again.

A five-goal run from the European champions that saw Royer (2), Bunio, Watson, and Leonard all score left Czechia seven goals behind and with too much to do with 10 minutes to go in the game.

As the game reached its dying embers, Czechia claimed two consolation goals through Jiří Loskot and Srch but it was England who would progress to the semi-final.

England will take on world champions Canada for a place in the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships final at 9pm (UK) today.

England 13-8 Czechia (4-2, 4-3, 3-1, 2-2)

England scorers: Lyndon Bunio (3G, 3A), Jack Royer (4G, 1A), Ben Buchanan (1G, 1A), Elliot Leonard (2G), Corey Small (1G, 3A), Dan Watson (1G, 2A), Albert Whitehead (1G).

England's semi-final dreams quashed in quarter-final defeat to Australia

England’s hopes of a first World Championship semi-final appearance were quashed as they suffered a 19-12 defeat to Australia in Thursday’s quarter-final.

England’s top goal-scorer Alex Drewe bagged another four goals while Lucy Ford and Ellie Racle both hit a brace in a game that ran away from the women in red in the second half.

Unlike in previous games, England got off to a really fast start and were a goal to the good after three and a half minutes when assistant captain Laura Beaman scored.

Katie Hooper pulled Australia level two minutes later but a quick-fire double from Drewe as well as a first for Ford saw England pull 4-1 ahead.

Just before quarter-time Charlotte Whinnen scored a second for the Aussies which only served to propel England further as they pushed for more goals.

And more goals is what they received in the second quarter when Ford, Racle, Sofia Best, and Iandra Lamplugh all scored to put England six goals ahead at 8-2.

Going into half-time, and perhaps a sign of things to come, Emma Green scored two to put Australia within four goals of England.

In a frantic opening nine and a half minutes of the third quarter, Australia hit seven without reply in an incredible turnaround, leaving England chasing the game and three goals behind their opponents.

Drewe scored her hat-trick goal and England’s ninth before Australia went on a five-goal scoring run that left England with just a little bit too much to do towards the end of the fourth quarter.

The ever-reliable Drewe scored her fourth and Racle hit her second either side of four more goals from Australia as the game finished 19-12.

Australia proceed to the semi-finals where they’ll play USA while England have a play-in game against Ireland at 4:30pm (UK) today with a spot in the fifth-place game up for grabs.

England 12-19 Australia (4-2, 4-2, 1-9, 3-6)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (4G, 1A), Lucy Ford (2G, 2A), Laura Beaman (1G, 2A), Iandra Lamplugh (1G, 2A), Sofia Best (1G), Ellie Racle (2G), Lauren Lewis (1G, 1A), Rosie Bathurst (2A), Zara Russell (1A), Georgie Rutter (1A).

Tom Roche becomes England's most capped box player in defeat to Haudenosaunee

Captain Tom Roche became the most capped England box lacrosse player in history and bagged himself a first major tournament goal in England’s 18-2 defeat to Haudenosaunee in their final pool stage match at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Tuesday.

Roche earned his 36th cap of an illustrious box career that has so far seen him compete in three World Championships and two Euros competitions as England took on Haudenosaunee in their own back yard at the Mary C Winder Community Center in the Oneida Indian Nation.

To cap it all off, Roche scored only his second England goal and first at a major tournament after a quick transition saw Tom Hallam feed Roche who was one on one with the Haudenosaunee goalie.

Roche composed himself and slotted into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal from the edge of the crease, much to the delight of Roche, his teammates and the England fans in the arena.

Live on ESPN in the United States and Canada, the Haudenosaunee started quickly against England, finding themselves a goal up after just over a minute through Tehoka Nanticoke.

England were tight defensively after this and were able to pull themselves level with five minutes gone when Jack Royer let rip with England on a power play.

It would be two minutes before another goal was scored but Haudenosaunee eventually broke England down, scoring another three goals before quarter-time.

Another two goals after the break saw Haudenosaunee pull into a 6-1 lead before Roche claimed England’s second five minutes before half-time.

From here, Haudenosaunee showed why they’re one of the best teams in the world as they went on a 12-goal scoring run without reply from England to see the game finish with an 18-2 scoreline.

England will now take on Czechia in a quarter-final match on Thursday with England fans able to watch live on WL TV or follow live updates on the England Lacrosse Instagram page from 6pm (UK).

England 2-18 Haudenosaunee (4-1, 4-1, 5-0, 5-0)

England scorers: Tom Roche (1G), Jack Royer (1G), Tom Hallam (1A), Ben Page-Laycock (1A).

North masterclass as England taste defeat to USA in final pool stage match

Lacrosse legend Charlotte North scored six as her USA team defeated England 28-2 in their final pool stage match at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Tuesday.

Despite the result, England secured a third place finish in Pool A and a quarter-final match on Thursday against Australia.

England’s two goals came through Iandra Lamplugh and Lauren Lewis, Lamplugh scoring to make it 5-1 in the first quarter and Lewis to make it 18-2 just before the half-time break.

USA started fast, showing all their quality, and that continued throughout the game but a blistering second quarter where they scored 12 goals, as they looked to increase their goal difference to avoid any chance of meeting Canada again until a potential final match, blew England away.

Head Coach Rob Clark will be pleased with his team’s grit and determination throughout the four quarters which will be a huge positive heading into Thursday’s quarter-final match-up with Australia.

Australia finished second in Pool B, one point behind a Canada team who are yet to lose or even concede a goal in the competition.

England fans can follow live updates from England v Australia on the England Lacrosse Instagram page or watch live on WL TV from 4:30pm (UK) tomorrow.

England 2-28 USA (6-1, 12-1, 6-0, 4-0)

England scorers: Lauren Lewis (1G, 1A), Iandra Lamplugh (1G), Davina Emetulu (1A), Ellie Racle (1A).

Drewe downs Netherlands in over-time as England claim win

Alex Drewe hit a sudden death over time goal as England claimed their second victory at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships with an 11-10 win on Monday.

Leah Catton scored four and Laura Beaman grabbed herself a hat-trick as a determined England side came from behind to secure victory in a must-win World Championship match.

Knowing they most likely needed to beat the Netherlands to keep their hopes of heading straight into a first World Championship quarter-final alive, England started with purpose, despite falling to an early Netherlands goal from Delaney Keen.

Drewe, Beaman, and Catton eventually got England going in the first quarter as they stormed into a 3-1 lead at quarter-time.

England slowed slightly heading into the second quarter and a two-goal shutout from the Netherlands with goals from Ryley Black and Keen saw the teams go in at the half-time break level at three goals apiece.

The Oranje continued their momentum into the third quarter, netting a fourth through Evelien Copraij and taking the lead for the first time since the second minute.

Ellie Racle, who was excellent on the day, pulled a goal back for England before the Netherlands went on another scoring run, this time a three-goal shut out with strikes from Manon Loos (2) and Black.

With less than three minutes left in the third, however, something changed in England and they hit four quick-fire goals through that familiar trio of Catton (2), Beaman, and Drewe.

England took an 8-7 lead going into the final 15 minutes, but the Netherlands weren’t to be shaken off that easily and pulled themselves ahead at 9-8 after two goals from Hedwig Lambregts and a hat-trick strike from Black.

Catton pulled England level at 9-9 and with 59:04 on the clock and just 56 seconds left in the game Beaman scored her hat-trick goal to put her team ahead.

Just 11 seconds later, though, the Netherlands were back on level terms at 10-10 after Loos scored another for her team to send the game into sudden death over time.

Knowing that the first possession was vital, face-off player Catton secured the ball, evaded two Netherlands defenders, and skilfully fired an up-field pass towards the speedy Drewe who collected the ball, sprinted towards goal, and fired past the Netherlands goalie to secure a famous win.

England play their final pool stage match against USA on Tuesday at 6pm (UK) with live updates on the England Lacrosse Instagram page and live stream on WL TV.

England 11 (OT) 10 Netherlands (3-1, 0-2, 5-4, 2-3, 1-0)

England scorers: Leah Catton (4G, 1A), Alex Drewe (2G, 2A), Laura Beaman (3G), Ellie Racle (1G, 2A), Zara Russell (1G, 1A), Rosie Bathurst (1A), Georgie Rutter (1A), Laura Wright (1A).

England suffer first World Championship defeat to fiery Haudenosaunee

England suffered their first defeat at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships after a battling performance against Haudenosaunee that saw them lose 15-6 on Sunday.

England more than matched their fiery opponents for large parts of the game but a clinical fourth quarter from Haudenosaunee saw them clinch the victory.

In a game that saw a massive 23 penalties, England were forced to up their aggression level from their opening match against Hong Kong, China after falling two goals down early in the first quarter.

Lucy Ford got England off the mark after six minutes but a determined Haudenosaunee pulled into a 6-1 lead after hitting four without reply.

England were much improved in the second quarter and were able to come to within two of their opponents when Alex Drewe, Ford, Leah Catton, and Iandra Lamplugh all scored to put their team in an excellent position to challenge in the second half.

Despite a fast start to the third from Haudenosaunee that saw them pull further ahead through Lindsay John, England continued to push with Drewe hitting her second of the game, making the score 6-8.

From this point, Haudenosaunee were able to control the game, upping the aggression level to make it difficult for England to put any sort of run together; 14 of the 23 penalties happened in the second half.

A seven-goal shut-out for Haudenosaunee saw them pick up their first win of the tournament and left England defeated.

England continue their pool stage against Netherlands later today with coverage beginning on WL TV and the England Lacrosse Instagram page from 11:15pm (UK).

England 6-15 Haudenosaunee (1-4, 4-3, 1-3, 0-5)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (2G, 1A), Laura Beaman (3A), Lucy Ford (2G), Iandra Lamplugh (1G, 1A), Leah Catton (1G), Ellie Racle (1A)

Brindle shines bright as England suffer USA defeat

Debutant goalie Jacob Brindle secured an 80% save ratio as he played the second half of England’s 23-3 pool stage defeat to USA at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Sunday.

Making his first major tournament appearance for England, Brindle faced 25 shots during his second half performance, saving all but five.

Crediting Head Coach Walt Christianson and fellow England goalie Cam MacLeod, Brindle said of his performance:

“I’m very very chuffed but credit to the lads, they stop the ball first and then eventually it gets to me and they put in an absolute shift today.

“I really enjoyed the challenge and it hit me in the third quarter but I managed to reset, take a breath, and play my game in the fourth […] which I’m really pleased with.”

England had started the game brightly coming back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2 after six minutes when Elliot Leonard and Corey Small fired home.

But USA were out for blood and showed their professional pedigree with six goals from Jack Hannah, four from Connor Kirst, and a hat-trick for Mac O’Keefe.

Small added a third for a determined England team just before the half but USA were ruthless in their delivery and secured the victory to go into their final pool stage match undefeated.

England take on the Haudenosaunee in their final pool stage match on Tuesday 24 September with live updates on the England Lacrosse Instagram page HERE and live stream on WL TV HERE.

England 3-23 USA (2-7, 1-6, 0-8, 0-2)

England scorers: Corey Small (2G, 1A), Elliot Leonard (1G), Ben Buchanan (1A).

England fall to opening game defeat to Canada at World Championships

England fell to a 19-4 opening game defeat against five-time world champions Canada despite a positive performance at the Utica University Nexus Center on Saturday.

Veteran Matt Marsh opened England’s World Championships account late in the second quarter before Jack Royer (2) and Corey Small hit three more as Canada eased the pressure late in the game.

Stand-out performer Cameron MacLeod in the England net faced an incredible 37 shots in total, saving 19.

Canada showed their wealth of talent on the floor with nine different goal-scorers and Wesley Berg hitting four as well as Robert Church, Tanner Cook, and Ryan Smith all netting hat-tricks.

England player Tom Bracegirdle said of the defeat:

“We knew that was going to be a tough fixture coming into it. We set ourselves targets to achieve in the game; we had spells of that and they showed their class, I think, in that fixture.

“We’ve got to re-set now, obviously, going into a tough game tomorrow and then take the little victories we can from that.”

England have less than 24 hours before their next Pool A game against USA at 6pm (UK) today with live updates on the England Lacrosse Instagram page HERE and the game streamed in full on WL TV HERE.

USA claimed a shock 16-9 victory over Haudenosaunnee in their opening fixture on Friday night.

England 4-19 Canada (0-5, 1-7, 0-4, 3-3)

England scorers: Jack Royer (2G, 1A), Lyndon Bunio (3A), Matt Marsh (1G, 1A), Corey Small (1G, 1A).

Excellent England score historic World Championships win over Hong Kong, China

Alex Drewe scored six as England claimed their first win in their first major tournament game against Hong Kong, China at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships on Friday.

Rosie Bathurst, Leah Catton, and Katie Greenwood scored a brace each while Laura Beaman, Ellie Racle, and Lauren Lewis all scored one to see England over the line and sit second in the group after the first round of fixtures.

The game started in a typically frantic fashion with Hong Kong, China drawing first blood after one minute thirty as Sumyuet Cheng put her side in front.

After two minutes, however, England were level as Beaman fired an historic first major tournament goal into the bottom right corner.

From here, England never looked back in the first quarter with Drewe (2), Bathurst, and Racle all scoring to see their team 5-1 up heading into the first quarter-time break.

Another fast start to the second quarter from Hong Kong, China saw them pull a goal back through Sally Tang but England’s defence ensured any potential comeback was short-lived and the women in white went on another scoring run.

Catton, Drewe (2), Lewis, and Bathurst all fired home as England scored five without reply in the second quarter to open up a commanding eight-goal lead at 10-2.

Hong Kong, China composed themselves with just under three minutes left in the quarter to grab a third goal through Tang.

After a dominant first half, England eased slightly in the third quarter allowing Hong Kong, China a sniff at an unlikely comeback.

Jane Ho (2) and Cheng brought their team to within four goals of England with four minutes gone in the third before two Drewe goals, either side of another Hong Kong, China goal from Cherry Hon, surely put the game beyond the team from East Asia.

As the game entered its fourth quarter, Greenwood, a goal-keeper in the field game, scored her first to put England 13-7 up.

Tang and Lon Szeto scored back to back goals for Hong Kong, China to bring their team back to within four but Greenwood and Catton finished the game with two more goals for England as they secured a famous and historic 15-9 win.

England take on the Haudenosaunne on Sunday (22 September) in their second pool-stage game. Follow live updates from 1:15am on the England Lacrosse Instagram page HERE or watch the game live on WL TV HERE.

England 15-9 Hong Kong, China (5-1, 5-2, 2-4, 3-2)

England scorers: Alex Drewe (6G, 1A), Lucy Ford (6A), Rosie Bathurst (2G, 4A), Leah Catton (2G, 1A), Laura Beaman (1G, 2A), Ellie Racle (1G, 2A), Katie Greenwood (2G), Lauren Lewis (1G), Sofia Best (1A),