E News January 2015

15 Jan 2015

Where Go the Centurions

So we’re half way through another season. It’ll soon be 2018 and we’ll be in Manchester for the next World Championships.

As more and more students are playing at university now - around 200 teams! We’ve been reviewing the roll of The Centurions. Now nearly all the universities are playing we need to broaden our approach from its focus on university development. We’ve been looking at:

  1. Rescue operations where university teams are failing.
  2. Increasing the number of sides at each university.
  3. Supporting the development of coaching and refereeing.
  4. Connecting clubs and universities, including contacting alumni. An alumni tournament might be one approach to this?
  5. Establishing new clubs to accommodate the growing number of university alumni players.
  6. Supporting Masters lacrosse at the World Championships.
  7. Broadening Centurion’s social activity – lunches, golf days, Facebook and Twitter even!

All ideas welcome.

We’re also planning a membership drive to recruit and revitalise the membership. Increased membership would see more activity and more resources to develop the game.

Northern Committee

The next event planned is the annual lunch at Davyhulme Park Golf Club on 19th October. They’ll also be arranging a Summer Day out again. Following on last year’s canal trip there’s talk of continuing the heritage theme with a day of steam. If anyone has any thoughts for a great day out do let David or I know.

Development

Referees. The lack of referees is a major concern particularly in university lacrosse. Games are played on a Wednesday when most of our referees are busy with their day jobs. The ELA has recently run a number of very successful seminars in universities on the refereeing basics. The next step is to encourage the many successful candidates on the theory to complete the practical training to qualify them to ref games. We are supporting initiatives to develop refs using tournaments such as BluesFest as an opportunity to run coaching and assessment sessions for referees.

Schools. A couple of schools in Hertfordshire are keen to take up the sport. We’re seeing what we can do to help. If students arriving at university have some awareness of lacrosse then it can only help the university teams to achieve higher standards.

Universities. Trinity University in South Wales has recently joined the increasing number of teams playing.

New SEMLA Sixes Team

A new team of Peter Mundy, Ray Nash, and Clive Beaumont are to organise The Sixes for SEMLA this year on 25th April at Reading LC.

A Day's Golf

We thought a golf day might be a good opportunity for get together. Depending on the level of interest we could organise a foursomes tournament in the north, in the south, or even a national tournament at a venue convenient for all. To enable us to get a feeling if this viable would any golfers who might be interested let me know and we’ll keep you informed.

Peter Mundy was lucky enough to win a round of golf for four at the West Course on The Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club in Sussex. He has generously donated this to the club. If a group of Centurions would be interested in making an offer for this day out let me have your bids. You need to plan to enjoy your day out by July.

More Members

We are producing a brochure to sell the club and expand our membership. We are also planning an alumni offer to entice some new blood into the club from the universities. You’ll be receiving more details of this and of a Southern lunch to be held at The Market Porter in Borough Market soon. All will be welcome and it will be a chance to bring along any potential members of your acquaintance!