E News April 2013

British Universities and Colleges Sport

The BUCS season has just drawn to end. For my final game of the season Centurion and Brunel alumnus Dave Slaughter and I refereed the South East Conference Final between Brunel and Kent Universities. Both teams have been beneficiaries of Centurion support. Both have 40 or more players. With our help Kent have just started a second team. Kent ran out narrow winners.

My first game of the BUCS season had also been at Brunel. New boys Kingston sporting their brand new Centurions kit played their first game. Despite intensive coaching from myself and the Brunel team the Kingston guys lost 19 – 0.

At all levels the Centurions working with the ELA have provided support for a massive growth in university lacrosse. Amazingly there are now 72 men's teams in BUCS. They are organised in regional groupings with an overarching national Premier division.

It's a change of several gears from the days in which most Centurions played the game!

For the record Durham won the national men's cup and Cambridge took the ladies' trophy.

Fund Raising

We have made good progress in setting up a MyDonate website to enable The Centurions to benefit from charitable giving and receive the benefit of Gift Aid. The MyDonate website is sponsored by BT and will enable donations to be made with no deduction other than any charges by credit card companies. More news will follow when HMRC have approved the process and we have designed the site.

ELA/Centurion Partnership

Our partnership agreement to work with the ELA developing lacrosse reached the end of its term at the end of March. The work we do that supported the BUCS growth mentioned above is an example of how successful this has been.

A new partnership agreement for the next four years has now been signed, with the ELA funding this by £3,000 in each year.