Lacrosse is not a sport many would associate with the University of Gloucestershire , where a small group play a game which many have probably heard of yet know nothing else about it.
As the oldest organised sport North America sport, field Lacrosse looks like no other game I’ve seen, this differs to both Box, and Women’s Lacrosse.
An incredibly physical sport played between teams of 10, individuals are covered in padding protecting themselves from being hit by ball, stick or person.
Within the university the small group making up the team consists of very experienced players and others who are new to the sport.
One Player who joined this year with no prior experience of the sport is Ewan Adshead, first describing Lacrosse as “very different” which seems to summarise it quite well.
Players use Lacrosse sticks with backets on the end to throw and catch a small ball aiming to get it into a hockey sized goal.
Field lacrosse games last 60 mins, with many different rules across all the variations of lacrosse and different rules between men’s and women’s.
One aspect Adshead stated that he like about the sport and university team “a smaller sport feels easier to get involved with more”.
The size of the sport at the university benefited Adshead as he said in small groups you are participating in “all the trainings rather than just some of it”.
The training which takes place up at Oxstalls sport complex highlights the small group of players on the large pitch.
Adshead talked about how he joined lacrosse “entirely by chance” after having a conversation with some of the players.
Since having participated in a number of training sessions since he talked about lacrosse involves “skill you wouldn’t use otherwise”,
Describing the coordination required in being able to catch and pass the ball in the pocket at the top of the stick.
While mentioning how the reach that a lacrosse stick affords make it tricky to control movements and actions when first starting.
Lacrosse is an amateur sport here in the UK, which is so much smaller than in the US where it is a much more accessible game,
Despite being a mostly unknown sport in the UK there is some amount played, with the great British team formed back in 1883 and Cheltenham having a team locally.
Within the University and outside, lacrosse may be a particularly niche sport but the mix of technically and aggression makes it an intriguing sport.
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