Cobham Sports Association hosted an International match of great magnitude last night between the current World Champions Australia and the bronze medallists England. The degree of significance was part due to the historic rivalry between these two nations, but also due to the timing of the fixture – the day before England flew out to the 2009 World Championships in Prague. The sizeable crowd was not disappointed and watched the England squad defeat their arch enemy by 8 goals to 6. More impressively England, at no point in the game, went behind to the Australians and even took a 4 goal advantage within the first 15 minutes.
Since the World Cup in 2005 Lois Richardson, the senior squad Head Coach, has implemented a plan to provide the 3rd placed team from 4 years ago with a greater opportunity to move up the rankings in this years global tournament. This has been costly to all those involved in terms of time, money and effort. However, if ever there was an answer to whether it was worth it or not, it was last night. The squad were controlled, athletic, and resilient with a real hunger to implement their tactics. There is a long journey ahead, but England notched up a significant scalp last night and leave for the Czech Republic with confirmed belief and confidence that they have the capability to overcome any opposition.
The organising committee for the match and Cobham Sports Association must also take credit for the success of the event. The effort that was put into the event was rewarded in abundance with a professional and thoroughly enjoyable event for all. Another great team effort demonstrating the continued development and status of lacrosse in England.
Scorers
England: Katy Bennett 4, Laura Merrifield 2, Lucy Lynch 1, Alison Smith 1.
Australia:Sarah Forbes 2, Sarah Mollison 2, Sonia Lamonica 1, Stacey Morlang 1
