Calne’s Lacrosse teams played with determination and spirit at this year’s England National Schools Lacrosse Championship, with the U15s doing particularly well, progressing through to the Championship stage of the competition.
Playing at Aldershot over four days, Calne had six teams from U13 to U18 representing the school, with a fantastic display of #YouCanAtCalne from every player.
Mr David Abini, Head of Lacrosse, said: ‘The National Schools Lacrosse Championship is the highlight of the school lacrosse season, with more than 50 schools representing and playing in different age groups across four days of tournament action. It provides a place for the lacrosse community to come together.
For our St Mary’s Calne community, Nationals also has a deeper meaning of remembrance of our great teacher, colleague and friend, Mr Leang, who tragically died at Nationals two years ago. It was moving to see Calne players leave their ribbons on the memorial tree at the end of their tournaments.’
Read on for full reports from each of the age group competitions.
U18A
The team headed off on Friday for the start of the two-day tournament, arriving at the hotel and settling in allowed nerves to settle, especially as this was the first senior nationals for our UV members of the team. After a filling dinner, the team got together for a team talk to go over aims and tactics for Saturday’s play before heading to bed for a good night’s sleep.
The team met for breakfast before making the journey to the venue, which was already buzzing with teams from all across England as well as further afield. The first game saw SMC face Fettes from Scotland and although we took the lead, the opposition hit back and went on to win (3-6). This was a wake-up call, especially as the next game was against one of the favourites – St Cats. The defence locked in for the second game and held out St Cats with a stellar defensive performance in the first half, limiting its quick attack to just one goal. In the second half, the opposition’s quick play led it to find scoring opportunities.
After a reset of tactics before the third game, SMC came out firing with goals from Coco, Esme and Lucy to take a good win against CLC (3-1). With the team now finding its rhythm, there was a comfortable 9-0 win against Tudor Hall before a hard-fought match against St Albans (2-4). This led to a decider against Bedford for third place and a chance to go into the championship. SMC dominated this game, with defence stopping Bedford’s chances. Katya made save after save, while the attack scored four unanswered goals. The team finished 3rd in a tough group and headed back to the hotel for some recovery and dinner before team meetings and some fun team activities including a quiz and challenges.
Day two had us drawn in Division 1 with familiar opponents. First up was Fettes and a chance for the team to redress the loss the day before, which it did in fantastic fashion with a comfortable 4-1 win. Another win against Habs (5-3) set up a rematch against Bedford. This was a much closer game with the opposition taking the lead twice and SMC levelling. The opposition managed to get another goal before the end, resulting in them finishing top in the group.
The Knockout began and SMC faced North London Collegiate School (NLCS), a new opposition giving us a new challenge. SMC made opportunities, but the NLCS goalie made numerous saves as we kept looking for the goals. As the final whistle went, SMC were unable to turnaround the NLCS lead. Although we were out of the competition in the knockouts, the team performed admirably, showing great lacrosse play in all areas of the field. There were some amazing team goals as well as moments of individual brilliance throughout. Baylee led the team on and off the field, and with our parents’ fantastic support, the whole team should be proud of what it achieved.
U18B
The St Mary’s Calne U18B team headed to National Schools Lacrosse Championships for a final outing of the 2025/26 Season. Despite an early start on Saturday morning, from the first whistle our girls brought energy and intensity. After a long warm up and quick team talk, SMC had its first fixture against North London Collegiate School (NLCS). A tough pool draw meant there were no easy games, and NLCS was no exception. Despite SMC staying ahead for the whole game, NLCS was never far behind, with only 1 goal separating the teams at full time. A 3-2 win was a nice way to start the day and gave us our first 5 points. Next up was Benenden, another formidable match and close game with both sides fighting hard, with lots of physicality, fast play, especially from the SMC attack. Both teams held equally firm, with a 2-2 draw to end our second game. After a short break, Downe House was the third game. Despite a valiant effort, Downe House took the win, with a 2-1 victory. We had Moreton Hall and Guildford left to play in the afternoon. Although these results did not go our way, it was our best lacrosse of the tournament. The girls played with energy and structure, but were level headed and calm throughout, showing what SMC girls can do. Both games ended in a 3-1 loss, meaning the team entered into Division 2.
After a restful evening, SMC was ready to show what we could do on day 2. With three games in the pool stages before knockouts, the team aimed to put itself in the best position possible to go all the way. Leaving nothing to chance, the U18B’s smashed the pool stages, with two convincing wins and a draw, sitting firmly at the top of its group. It was then straight through to the quarter finals, a tough match against Bedford. Defence was the name of the game in this match, with both teams able to deny opportunity after opportunity. Only one goal was scored all game, but one goal was enough to put SMC through to the semi-finals match against Caterham School, we knew that there were no easy matches left. SMC took the lead with Caterham levelling before the end of the game, sending us into overtime and golden goal. Sadly, a last-minute goal right before overtime ended gave Caterham the win, ending the SMC U18B run of victories.
Although not all the results went the way we hoped, the passion and integrity shown by the St Mary’s Calne team was second to none. Really stepping up to the occasion, our players fought hard for every groundball, goal and turnover. The team applied everything it practiced and went toe-to-toe with some of the best schools in the country. The team did itself proud.
Results:
SMC 3-2 NLCS
SMC 2-2 Benenden
SMC 1-2 Downe House
SMC 1-3 Moreton Hall
SMC 1-3 Guildford
Div. 2 Pool Stage
SMC 1-1 Queen Anne’s Caversham
SMC 3-1 Stowe School
SMC 3-0 St Albans School for Girls
Quarter Finals:
SMC 1-0 Bedford
Semi-Finals:
SMC 1-2 Caterham
U18C
The U18C team set off early doors for Nationals, sleepy eyed but in high spirits, ready for a full day of Lacrosse. After arrival, it was a quick turnaround to be ready for our first match against St Helens and St Katherines (SHSK). The team warmed into the game and gave a good first performance. Ending in a 4-2 loss, the result didn’t deter the team, as it was a strong performance and a good start to the day overall. Now firing on all cylinders, the U18C’s had a newfound confidence heading into their second match against St Swithun’s. A tough team made for another hard-fought match, but this time SMC came out on top, taking a 2-1 victory. In the next game, St Catherine’s School put up a strong defence, denying all of the few opportunities that went to goal. SMC put up a good fight but St Catherine’s managed to sneak through twice, leaving final score at 0-2. Another tough loss followed, with Haberdashers’ taking a 3-1 victory. Despite this, the team remained in high spirits as they were playing well, with good performances against good teams. Claremont was the next challenge and SMC fought to get a good 3-2 win.
The Knockout stage meant SMC would face local rivals, Marlborough College. It was a close fought, physical battle between the two teams, trading goals and shots. However, in the dying moments of the match, Marlborough snuck through, and when the hooter went, it was 3-2 to Marlborough.
SMC had put in a performance to be extremely proud of, with a work rate second to none, and an attitude and positivity making for a joyous and fun tournament.
U15
The U15s team took part in its National Schools tournament on Monday 9 March. The girls arrived at Aldershot full of determination and belief that they could show how much their hard work so far this season has made them into a competitive team. With matching ribbons tied in, the team was ready to face the challenges of the day. SMC had a tough pool to start with. However, the U15s stepped up to the mark, using what it had learnt throughout the season to play and make the right decisions, with some seamless fast breaks from the draw to get the ball into the back of the goal.
SMC vs Guildford (2-4) Loss
SMC vs St Catherines (6-1) Loss
SMC vs Claremont (4-1) Win
SMC vs Stowe (5-1) Win
The wins in the group stages meant that the team qualified for the Championship group (the highest group) and meant our U15s would finish in the top 16 in the country.
The team faced Downe House in the first round of the knockouts, and from the matches in the morning, we knew this would be a tough game. The team played a nail-biting game from the get-go. SMC winning possession at the draw leading to using safe passes and not forcing the wrong decision. There were not many fast breaks this game as we met our match in terms of skill ability. Downe House scored the first goal, and although the game tested the fitness levels of both teams, SMC did not give up and kept fighting to the final whistle. Georgia kept many of the oppositions’ chances out of goal with some fantastic saves throughout the day and in this match. In the last minute, Downe House took a shot and scored the winning goal.
Downe House vs SMC (2-1) Loss
The girls all played fantastically throughout the day, and they should all be proud of themselves. They left everything they could on the pitch and made many memories as a U15 team before next season when they progress to the Seniors. Well played to all. What a way to finish the lacrosse season.
Miss Jones
U14
The time had come for Lacrosse Nationals for the U14. All the hard work throughout the season was on show. The girls arrived at the venue with high spirits and their new jazzy goggles. As a team, our players decided to put blue jewels across them and they looked amazing. After an extended warm up to start before getting into action, everyone worked their socks off throughout the day and fought until the final whistle.
SMC v St Pauls (2-5)
SMC v Walthamstow Hall (8-0)
SMC v Benenden (1-3)
SMC v Heathfield (0-6)
SMC v Claremont (0-6)
After lunch we were placed in Division 1. The first knockout game was against our neighbours Marlborough. Although the games was a 1-1 draw, because we scored first, SMC went through to the quarter finals.
SMC v Marlborough (1-1) Draw progressed to quarter finals.
Our next game was against Moreton Hall with the team on fire. Every player wanted the ball, and the spectators could see the determination in their eyes. After a solid win, our U14s progressed through to the semi-final.
SMC v Moreton Hall (6-3) Win
The semi-final was against Habs and despite a few injuries and tiredness, the team kept going. The team gave its all but, unfortunately, lost 1-2 to Habs, who was the eventual U14 winning team.
SMC v Habs (1-2)
Congratulations to everyone who played. It was an amazing day for lacrosse and memories.
Miss Pollitt
U13
The St Mary’s U13 team arrived ready to play, excited to experience Nationals for the first time.
Facing Downe House, the team put its pre-game nerves to one side, going on take a convincing 5-1 win. Two tough opponents followed and, although the SMC team worked hard and showed great team play, the opposition took their chances and the wins. After a break and some skill work, the team came back to face Birkenhead, showing amazing lacrosse to come out with a 3-2 win. The positivity carried on as they faced Berkhamsted, who was topping the table. A competitive match followed, with both teams giving it their all, finishing with a 4-4 draw.
With SMC finishing third in the group, just missing out on the top group by goal difference, we faced St James in the last 16. A great performance from the team, with expert finishing from Luana and Lucy, Charlotte R making saves in goal and strong midfield running from Charlotte P and Catherine, meant we finished the game with an impressive 6-1 win.
The quarter-final was a re-match against Downe House who came out quickly scoring the first two goals. The SMC team rallied back but with the ball going end to end, tired legs started to tell but the fight kept going. Eventually Downe House held out for the win (2-5).
In their first Nationals, the team gave the coaches and their supporters a memorable tournament. The players worked as a team and it was great to see so many of them improve with every minute on the pitch, which bodes well for next year.
Mr David Abini
Head of Lacrosse
Thanks to Ady Kelly, England Lacrosse official photographer, for professional game play images.
