Girls' 1st X Lacrosse Team make Shrewsbury history at National Schools' Championships

Despite Shropshire facing heavy snow and transport difficulties, nothing could stop the 1st Lacrosse team heading down to the National Schools’ Lacrosse Championships at Aldershot over the March coach weekend.  

For context, this tournament is the equivalent to Rosslyn Park for rugby. The girls experienced anything but rest and recovery with the team facing a gruelling 48 hours of competition in a bid to improve on last year’s result where they managed to qualify for championship sector and finish top 16 in the country. 

Day one is all about finishing 1st or 2nd in your pool to secure championship sector. The first day saw Shrewsbury play six games in their pool out of which the girls achieved five convincing wins against the likes of Malvern St James (6-1), North London Collegiate School (9-1), Tudor Hall (6-1), Stowe (6-0), and St Pauls Girl’s School (4-2). The first day concluded with a match against last year’s reigning champions, Putney High School who up until that point had also been undefeated.  

Shrewsbury were already through to the Championship division and therefore, it was decided to save our energy for the second day of the Championships resulting in a tactical 4-1 loss. Despite this, Putney started the game overloading their defence, a testament to how much of a threat they viewed Shrewsbury’s attack to be.    

Day two separates the schools into their respective divisions with the top 16 schools qualifying for the championship division. The day begins with four round robin pools made up of four teams. Shrewsbury enviably faced some tough opposition and with so few substitutes in contrast to the other schools, Shrewsbury secured a 3-3 draw against Godolphin School and lost narrowly 2-0 to Haberdashers’ School and 5-1 to Berkhamsted, placing Shrewsbury last in their pool.   

This resulted in Shrewsbury being paired to play the winner of pool A, Queen Anne’s School, a firm favourite to win the Championship. Despite this, Shrewsbury regrouped and put together one of their best performances to date.  

The game started off with a quick goal from the opposition to give a 1-0 lead, but Shrewsbury showed great strength and character with a quick goal from Eloise J (MSH, LVI) to equalise the score. The fantastic Shrewsbury support clearly boosted the girl’s momentum which resulted in fantastic goal by Iris D (G, UVI) to give a 2-1 lead at half time.  

With direct swaps occurring at half time, no coaching input could be made. The girls were leading and directing the play themselves and Shrewsbury started the second half even stronger than the first. Shrewsbury’s attacking unit created chaos for Queen Anne’s defence. Shrewsbury capitalised on openings and scored a further 3 goals, giving Shrewsbury a commanding lead with only a few more minutes left of play. Queen Anne’s tried to force their way back into the game, regaining possession and firing shots at Emma C (MSH, UVI). One shot managed to find the back of the net, but it was too little too late. The klaxon blew and a 5-2 victory was secured. Shrewsbury were through to the quarter finals of the Championship. Despite over 50 schools in the competition, Shrewsbury were through to the final eight, setting a new school record.  

After a quick rest and refuel, the girls faced the winner of Moreton Hall versus Bolton School. A narrow 2-1 win by Moreton Hall meant it would be a Shropshire derby quarter final. Despite an early 1-0 lead from Moreton Hall, the girls displayed composure and discipline resulting in Moreton leading 2-1 at half time. Moreton managed to quickly gain possession from the draw and despite endless attempts to turn the ball over, Shrewsbury were unable to do so as Moreton held possession to run down the clock. The fixture finished with a final score of 3-1.  

It was a fantastic team effort across the weekend especially considering there were only two substitutes in contrast to other schools never ending armies of substitutes. Every girl in the team played a crucial role and each had their individual moments of brilliance. Special mentions must be made to Iris D and Emma C who were the most valuable players of the tournament. Likewise, Genevieve B (M, UVI) and her outstanding captaincy despite being injured deserves a special mention, as well as Eloise J for being the overall top goal scorer with four out of the five goals being scored by her in the Queen Anne’s game.  

MVP Iris D said: “What a weekend, one to remember forever! Shrewsbury School lacrosse 1st X team is now part of the top 8 schools in the UK for lacrosse. I have never been part of a team that fought with so much heart, belief and emotion than at the National Schools’ Lacrosse tournament. The match versus Queen Anne’s in the knockouts, was the best collective lacrosse team performance that I have ever been part of - and one that I shall always remember.”  

From a coach’s perspective we want to congratulate the girls on their character, grit, and class. They were competing against the biggest lacrosse schools in the country and created chaos for their opposition who evidently feared them. The 2023 Championship winners St Catherine’s School have five senior teams, with their first team squad containing 18 players.  

The girls surprised us all, knocking out the hot favourites despite only have two subs and managing two major injuries. It is safe to say that everyone now knows who Shrewsbury School is. 

Ellie Dalglish

Girls' Lacrosse Coach