The annual Easter Eights tournament at Stockport had a distinctly wintry feel to it this year - Saturday's women's day was played in intermittent snow and hail, while Sunday's men's day was delayed while overnight snow was cleared from the fields. Proving that they are now fully acclimatised to the UK, both days were won by teams of American LDOs who, after expending considerable energy coming up with authentic team names, still had enough in the tank to see off opposition from Heaton Mersey in both finals. Timperley women's LDO Shai Appollon captained the Globetrotters in the women's tournament, a team bedecked in the red, white and blue, who started off playing as a comedy entrant that got progressively more serious the closer they got to the final. After despatching a considerably soberer JINGLA Belles squad in the semi-final, Appollon's squad briefly found the focus to overcome Heaton Mersey 4 - 2 before relenting back into general revelry. On the Sunday, men's honours were claimed by Team America, assembled by Mersey LDO Justin Porter, who cruised through most of the day on a steady diet of whooping, hollering and superior lacrosse. The majority of the Northern LDOs were present, playing mostly in front of Wilmslow goalie Casey Hughes, but occasionally resorting to other stop-gap measures - (the Easter Eights has become a haven for overly enthusiastic goalies who just want to collect extra bruises), and for much of the day the Americans met little resistance. Of the traditional club teams it was again Mersey who faired best, beating another hotly tipped composite squad, The Consolations, in the semi-finals. But the Americans were not to be denied, doing enough to earn a two goal victory in the final. Last year's winners Team LaxForums were well off the pace, but the wooden spoon was comprehensively claimed by the RAF, who proved that defending the nation is a state of mind, only straying into the offensive half enough to register one goal on the day.