Lacrosse has been part of the fabric of Moreton since the 1900s, having been played at the school for over 100 years. It is a game that started as a way to settle disputes on the plains of Canada and now is a way for girls to battle out competitively on the sports field. Bronwen Lloyd-Williams, niece of the founder (Ellen Lloyd-Williams) and also Captain of Lacrosse for Wales, brought lacrosse to Moreton Hall. It has remained here ever since, being the main school sport during the autumn and winter terms – with pre-season training creeping into the summer holidays too!
Bronwen Lloyd-Williams
A SUMMER OF LACROSSE
Last summer, the pre-season training took place in Guildford for some of the Moreton students. In July, the 10th Lacrosse World Cup was held in the UK at Surrey Sports Park, Guildford. The Moreton U14 team took part in the festival, alongside the World Cup. Our outstanding Year 10 student, Milly Home, represented England in the U19A squad whilst Lily Mainwaring, our Deputy Head Girl, stepped onto the pitch as U19 captain for Wales, with other Moreton friends alongside her. Moreton students are regularly part of the regional and national training academies and this year was an amazing experience with the World Cup in the UK. Next stop is the 2019 U19 World Cup in Canada.
The Lacrosse World Cup began in 1982 and there are now 25 teams competing. This year England achieved bronze, after a thrilling match against Australia. The World Cup was followed swiftly by the 10th World Games in Poland, where lacrosse made its debut. Sports are accepted into the World Games as they make their bid to progress to the Olympics. Players from our home nations came together in a team for Great Britain. The bronze medal game saw GB just lose out, in another thrilling match against Australia: 8–10.
TOP 16 FROM SHROPSHIRE
Moreton has always developed players at an extremely high level for a relatively small school. With over 300 girls in the senior school, the first team has been in the championship group at The National Schools Lacrosse Tournament since 2011. This achievement places us in the top 16 schools in the UK. Moreton has fantastically committed coaching staff. Our current coaching team includes Jenny Sanderson, a former England player, and Hollie Harrington, a previous England U19 World Cup player and the current U19B England coach. This calibre of coaching enables the students to really understand what is expected of them to play at this extremely competitive level.
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AN ELITE INVITATION
Moreton is hosting its first ‘Start The Season’ lacrosse event on September 17th, 2017. The day will see teams travel to Shropshire from all over the UK, schools, colleges, universities and clubs – competing at both U19 and U15 level. The idea was to have this new event early in the season, to allow coaches to try out players whilst playing against many teams that they would not usually have the opportunity to meet outside of major tournaments. The objective is for this to become a key date in the lacrosse season calendar; growing each year and bringing lacrosse-playing schools and clubs together.
Moreton Hall will keep battling it out on the pitch as the future of this historical game keeps evolving. Once you have played lacrosse on the fields of Moreton Hall, it lives with you – and we all hope to see it progress to be part of the fixture list for the Olympics.
