Lacrosse ask: what the Hull?

Varsity lacrosse provided a remarkable, entertaining, but at times baffling spectacle, as York ran away with two dominant victories. In the midday fixture, the women’s 1sts streaked out to a large early lead which they never looked likely to relinquish, ending 21-5 victors. While in the afternoon, the men’s 1sts made easy work of their inebriated opponents from Hull.

It was the women’s 1sts match which provided the tightest contest, though it was certainly not ‘close.’ The first few minutes provided a glimpse of what was to come, as York quickly broke into a comfortable lead. The end of the first quarter saw York already in an unassailable 8-1 lead, with Katie Barrett providing four of the goals.

Barrett put in a commanding individual performance, which the Hull girls were completely unable to deal with. Her quick movement meant she regularly beat the opposition defenders, finding the space to unleash her characteristically accurate shots on goal.

The problem Hull faced was that Barrett was ably supported by her team-mates. Sacha Greane was also in fine form, and kept up with her teammate in the scoring stakes for most of the match. In the second half, Izzy Mattick and Alex Whitehand saw more onfield action and they too excelled.

The second quarter was not as dominant from York. Hull gradually found their feet throughout the match, and although never in with a chance of challenging for victory, they started to restrict York more as the match went on.

Nonetheless York did manage to score six goals, conceding only one just before the half-time break when the Hull player sneaked in from behind the goal and scored. Greane and Barrett both added to their tallies for the day, though the best move of the match ended in disappointment for York, a free flowing move which involved a number of players culminating in a shot which hit the post and went away from the goal.

The third quarter was the quietest, as the score moved from 14-2 to 16-3. This was mainly thanks to the Hull goalkeeper. Mattick embarked on a mazy run only for her shot to be pouched by the keeper, and Greane and Barrett were also denied. In the final quarter, the keeper made three incredible saves in the space of a minute, which prevented York extending their lead.

Hull scored two more goals of their own by the end of the match, which ended 21-5. The goal of the game came from ambidextrous captain Whitehand who turned inside before unleashing a powerful shot into the net.

The men’s game was a vastly different encounter. Hull’s team turned up in body but nothing else. They seemed to have thoroughly misinterpreted the meaning of the ‘spirit’ of the game. To their credit, York did not let it affect their game, however, and completed a 17-0 whitewash.

The game started quietly, but before the end of the first quarter York burst into life with goals from Andy Thomas, Chris Menon and William Chun. Thomas was the star performer, chipping in with goals throughout and ending the match with five. But there were also other big performances, Andy Chalmers standing out as both a contributor to others’ goals and scorer himself.

York ran riot in the second period, the pick of the goals being a trademark thunderbolt from long range by Chris Menon. It was from here on in that Hull’s ill-discipline started to show, with a number of players being sent to the sidelines by the referee for one or two-minute penalties. York were duped into a few fouls of their own, by virtue of frustration at their opposition’s efforts.

Sensing the game had descended into farce, York’s keeper Billy Rooks provided a rare moment of excitement as he went on a mazy upfield run. By the time he was dispossessed he was inside Hull’s half, but it did not matter as play was pulled back for a penalty after one of the Hull players had thrown his stick at Rooks from 10 yards.

That incident summed up Hull’s attitude to the match. By the end, York took the opportunity to give experience to some newer players. They still extended their lead, to 17-0 by the final whistle. The match itself took over two and a half hours to complete, being very stop-start due to Hull’s performance.

Though both captains felt they could have scored more, they were satisfied with their performances, and ensured six more points to the York total.