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Sporting Season Review
Men’s Lacrosse Season Review
Richard Topham Durham University Men’s Lacrosse Club Captain up to the mark, winning all but one of their league games and lost out on the title due to head-to-head rules. This was a bitter disappointment and the team could have easily fallen apart at this point but once again the squad rallied together and concentrated all of their efforts on the knockout competition which they won. They came up against York in the final of the National Conference Cup and dispatched them easily, winning 13-3. This was a huge boost for the club as 2nd team success was one of the main aims of the season. Achieving this was a very proud moment for Durham Lacrosse.
Once again the men’s Lacrosse team has exceeded all expectations and achieved their most successful year to date and I am proud to have been able to lead the club this season. Upon joining the club as a Fresher, there was only one team but now the club boasts three teams, all competing in BUCS, making Durham the biggest and strongest university in the country for men’s Lacrosse. ‘Durham has shown the rest of the universities the value of investing in lacrosse and now others are looking to follow.’ English Lacrosse Association The club hit the ground running with preseason training. This year a great deal of recruitment was needed to strengthen the club, due to the high number of graduates leaving in 2011. All the players put in the effort and we managed to enlarge our squad size to bigger than ever before. We entered three teams into BUCS, all with a good chance to improve on their position from last year. The key advantage to having three teams, a feat which is unrivalled by any other university, is that the 3rd team can act as a development squad for players
who are new to the game. Once again the 1st team competed in the Northern Premiership with the 2nd and 3rd teams taking part in Division 2. 1st Team This has undoubtedly been a hugely successful and record breaking year for the 1st team. Durham Lacrosse has reached an international level this year and the 1st team have not disappointed. The team secured the Northern Premiership with an unbeaten record and a goal difference of +126. When it came to the knockout competition, Durham glided through to the final and took on Manchester, securing a 17-0 win and the third successive National Championship. The 1st team was captained this year by Richard Topham, who has now played in every single national winning side and it was a privilege having him lead the team this year.
3rd Team This was the second season of the 3rd team’s existence and once again they achieved bigger and better things, building upon last year's improvements. Most of the players had little or no playing experience so the odds were against them from the beginning but they formed a tight- knit group after playing in some hard fought matches! It was agonising for the rest of the club to see them battle in such tough games and lose narrowly in so many but they can be more than satisfied at finishing ninth in the league, recording one win, one draw and seven losses. All of this success cannot go without mention of the coaching system that Durham Lacrosse has in place. It is easily the best set up of a men’s Lacrosse club in the country and something we are very grateful for and proud of. 1st team coach this year was Ireland International, Jerry Nevin. It is not easy coaching and leading a team of experienced American and English players but Jerry led by example this year, both on and off the field.
2nd Team The 2nd team has been the real success story for men’s Lacrosse this season. They lost some key members and at first glance, this year was going to be tough, but under the leadership of Jonny Bland they stepped
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review