From last Sunday to Tuesday 3rd March, BGS’ U19A, U15A and U14A lacrosse teams played in the National Schools Lacrosse Tournament at Aldershot Garrison Sport Centre. There were some outstanding success achieved across the range of age groups with the U19A reaching the quarterfinals, The U15A claiming the Division One runners up spot and the U14 team finishing in the top 16.  

Due to the extremely wet weather, some of the pitches were unplayable, which meant that the U19B and U13 competitions had to be postponed. 

Read the full reports below

U19A Team – Sunday 1^st March 2020

Christine Pearson (Sports Captain, Upper Sixth)

As soon as we arrived on the Saturday, we saw the waterlogged pitches that were soon deemed to be unplayable, so we came back home waiting on news as to whether the Sunday would still be on. On Saturday evening, we found out that England Lacrosse had sorted out the pitches so they would be safe to play on the Sunday, meaning another 5am start for us the next day.

Due to our success last year, we were automatically placed in the Championship Division, competing with the top Lacrosse schools in the country. Finishing second in our group, we played Queen Anne’s School in the next round, beating them 4-3 after a competitive game, allowing us to progress in to the quarter finals.

Our quarter final place meant we had to play the 2019 National Champions, Berkhamsted School next, posing a tough game ahead. As a result of the hard work put in by every member of our team, we attained a draw, meaning we had to progress into extra time to see who would go into the semi finals. Unluckily, Berkhamsted School scored in extra time, winning the quarter final due to a ‘Golden Goal’, meaning our National Schools’ journey was over.

Every member of the team has supported one another throughout this lacrosse season, allowing us all to progress massively, enabling us to place in the top 8 of the country for the 2nd year running. This is all down to the determination of every one of our team members, and the massive support provided by Mrs Mason-McLeod (Director of Sport) and Mrs Greenwood (Lacrosse Coach). This marked a great end to our season, and a great way for the Upper Sixth to celebrate the end to their school lacrosse careers.

Team: Natasha Humphreys, Navina Brown, Holly Smith, Annabelle Foxall, Amy Chappelhow (Captain), Maddie Axford, Christine Pearson, Florence Miller, Luka Glew, Emily Dunning, Katie Lunn, Milly David, Emily Edwards and Liz Bruce.

U15A Team – Monday 2^nd March 2020

Mrs Lombaard (PE Teacher)

On Monday, it was the time for our U15A team who travelled to Aldershot Garrison. 40 schools took part on the day and finishing with good results in their section was vital for the squad to qualify for the knock out stages. 

After a tentative start drawing to St Albans and finishing the sectional matches with a nail-biting 4-5 loss to Guildford High School, the team performed with grit and passion to secure their position in the Division 1 final stages.

Despite the muddy conditions, the team stormed through to the finals defeating St George’s Ascot, Sherborne School and St Pauls’ School for Girls to face St Swithun’s. An extremely tight match across the 16-minutes of play, the girls just fell short to secure the title of Division 1 champions with a score of 3-4 but played absolutely outstanding including goalkeeper Kierra Saloma.  A huge congratulations to all team members as National Division 1 Runners-Up and for a fantastic season of lacrosse!

Team: Rebecca Turner (Captain), Amy Kneller (Vice Captain), Kierra Saloma (Vice Captain), Ruby Adams, Jasmine Brackenbury, Ellie Castell, Lulu Donaghy, Sophie Forbes-Laird, Amy Hall, Aimee Hughes, Anna Matthew, Natasha Pennington, Emily Perry, Annabelle Sivills, Scarlett Stokes

U14A Team - Tuesday 3^rd March 2020

Mrs Mason-McLeod (Director of Sport)

Finally, Tuesday 3rd March saw the U14A lacrosse team competing against the top lacrosse teams across the county. BGS had a tough first game against St Mary's Calne losing 1-4. There were plenty of positives to take from this game and the girls, got stronger with every match they played.

A draw against Cheltenham Ladies College and a loss to the group winners Downe House meant that BGS had to win their final two games to have a chance of playing in the Championship. With everyone in the team aware of the task in hand, the girls secured strong wins against Royal School and Claremont Fan Court. BGS finished in 3rd place with 13 points, which put the girls through into the Championship to compete with the top 16 schools in the country.

The girls faced Wycombe Abbey, eventual finalists of the tournament. Amelia Barrow-Jones steamed through after BGS secured possession to score and made it 1-0 after the first couple of minutes. Wycombe then scored three goals on the bounce. After a great centre draw from team captain Megan Howlett, Natasha Miller stormed through the midfield and into attack to create a scoring opportunity for herself, which she snapped up. With only 30 seconds to go, Mya Lakhan drew a 'shooting space' call giving her a penalty in the final moments. Completely unnerved Mya scored her penalty shot and the final hooter then quickly followed.

The final score was 3-3 but with no extra time allocated due to the quick turnaround of games. Wycombe Abbey progressed through to the next round as their goal difference throughout the day was higher. The girls gave it their all and should feel proud of their achievements. Well done!

Team: Harriet Gates, Freya Arnold, Tash Miller, Lara Wildon, Sophia Knight, Jelly Devile, Lauren Whitlock, Mya Lakhan, Megan Howlett (Captain), Faith Adeyemi-Abere, Gabby Woodroffe-Gómez, Olivia O'Dell, Ella Jemmett-Gabrys, Megan Brook, Amelia Barrow Jones and Isabel Jackson.