Last weekend, St Mary’s Calne headed to the South West Regional Lacrosse Tournament, fielding one team to represent the school against some of the strongest sides in the region. The players showed determination throughout, using each match as a valuable opportunity to gain experience and compete at a high level.
The opening match against Westonbirt saw the opposition taking an early two-goal lead, however, the team showed excellent resilience, pulling one back before the break. A strong second-half performance followed, with goals from Eliza and Coco securing a hard-fought draw to start the day positively.
The next two fixtures against Sherborne and Godolphin gave us new challenges. Despite some strong attacking play and well-taken goals, St Mary’s Calne found themselves having to chase the game, learning valuable lessons about maintaining structure and composure under pressure.
The final group-stage game against the hosts, St Swithun’s, was the highlight performance of the morning. It was an outstanding defensive display, with Katya making several key saves and the defensive unit working tirelessly to block repeated attacks. The team’s discipline and teamwork paid off as SMC found the back of the net, though the goal was unfortunately not seen by the umpires. In true Calne spirit, the girls didn’t let that affect their determination – and with time running out, Esme linked up beautifully with Baylee to equalise just before the final whistle.
Morning results placed St Mary’s Calne into Division 1 for the afternoon session, where we faced new opposition. Despite tired legs, the players continued to show impressive effort and some excellent passages of play in maintaining strong defensive structure. Although they narrowly missed out on the knockout stages, it was a fantastic display of teamwork and competitive play – particularly from those stepping up into the 1st team.
The tournament was an excellent benchmark for the team’s progress and highlighted their ability to compete with some of the best schools in the region including the hard-fought draw against the eventual winners (St Swithun’s). With fixtures against Westonbirt, Sherborne, Stowe and St Helen’s and St Katharine’s still to come this term, the team will look to build on this performance and continue developing as the season progresses.
Mr David Abini, Head of Lacrosse
