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We are very pleased to share good news from the Lacrosse Home Internationals (8th-11th April), held at Edinburgh University and won by England.
Current pupils Lily (LVI) and Amy (UVI), and recent Leaver Kitty, were playing for Junior England and coached by Evie Stephens (2011 Leaver and also current St Mary’s staff). There were alumnae representing all three home nations: Iona (2017 Leaver) and sister Jess Westwood (2018 Leaver) who were playing for Scotland; Caroline Brenchley (2019 Leaver) was playing for Wales; Ella Malik (2020 Leaver) and Lottie Paterson (2016 Leaver) were playing for England.
Jemima Brown (2017 Leaver) who is currently at Edinburgh, came and supported, and Mrs Westwood (past parent) was one of the umpires. It was great to see so many Calne Girls at the Championship and fantastic to see that lacrosse is still very much part of their lives!
Here, Mr Abini sums up the weekend and Amy and Lily describe their experiences playing for England:
'A meeting between England, Wales and Scotland in any sport brings out the best rivalries and this is no different in the Lacrosse Home Internationals. Although the competition has been affected by covid over the last two years, all of the teams were raring to get back on this year's host (Scotland) pitches.
St Mary's Calne was represented in every aspect, including players, coaches and alumnae covering all three teams. It was a highlight seeing Amy and Lily playing for England Juniors, as well as Miss Stephens coaching England Juniors and Mr Abini coaching Wales Juniors. In great competitive matches, England proved victorious in both the Senior and Junior (u20) Tournaments.'
Amy (UVI - Year 13)
Having spent the last couple of years unable to play due to covid and injuries, getting the chance to play at this year's Home Internationals for the England u21 Lacrosse Team was an amazing experience, made even better by winning the tournament. Our first game started with walking onto the pitch alongside our coaches to sing the national anthem leading us to our first ever victory for England, beating Wales 11-6. Between this and our next game we had the chance to watch other matches including the England Senior A and B Teams, as well as getting to meet former Calne students. On the Sunday we played our second match against Scotland and after our win on Friday we were determined to give it our all, leading us to a 19-3 win. In this match I was able to score all four from four free positions, with a total of five goals for my country. I couldn’t have had a better team to play with and loved every minute, both on and off the pitch.
Lily (LVI - Year 12)
As my first time ever playing lacrosse for England I would say it was a pretty great start! I was very excited (and a little bit nervous) to travel up to Edinburgh for Home Internationals this Easter Holiday, but it was definitely worth it. As soon as the whole team arrived at the hotel there was an instant buzz of excitement, everyone raring to get out on the pitch and play our first ever international match! On Friday morning we were able to watch some of the more senior teams' matches, before preparing for our first match of our tournament against Wales. The team had already bonded at previous training sessions which definitely helped us work together almost seamlessly, leading us to an 11-6 victory! The match was fast paced and I especially enjoyed playing with and against such skilled players, as well as scoring my first goal with the England team. On Saturday we had no matches, allowing us to relax, look around the city and support the other teams playing. Our last match took place on Sunday, and everyone knew that we had to beat Scotland in order to win the tournament! The score ended up being 19-3 to us, which was an amazing achievement and I even managed to get a hat trick! All in all the whole experience of Home Internationals was amazing, especially since I had such a great team. I loved every second, even the golf-ball sized hail that came during the Wales match!