Waikato High School lacrosse league kicks off after Covid 19 delay

Georgia Leonhart from Hamilton Girls High School is checked by Jodi Mouat from Cambridge High School. Photo / Lou Kibby Photography

The Waikato Lacrosse High School League for 2020 kicked off in force over the weekend, with eight schools from across Hamilton participating.

In the Girls Premier Division, Hamilton Girls High School had a tough first match against Cambridge High School.

While the final score did not fall in their favour, with a 14 to 8 goal win to Cambridge High School at fulltime, Hamilton Girls High had plenty of positives to take away from their initial match.

Hamilton Girls High School coach Linly Karshangen said after the match that the game was a tight affair.

"Very, very interesting game. We have got a lot to learn," Karshangen said.

"Cambridge has always been a really big competition for us. The last two years running, it's been us playing off for third and fourth, and it's alternated every year. And then we get to nationals, and it always alternated who wins, so it's always a really nice competition.

"It's come out awesome for Cambridge High School to be our first game, just because now we know what we need to learn for the season. They really challenged us. All around, even though the score wasn't what we would like, it doesn't matter. The girls have learnt lots and they've had a really, really good game, and we're really excited for the season."

In the Boys Premier Division, Hamilton Boys High School also had a tough encounter with Cambridge High School, with Cambridge taking the win with 9 goals to 6.

Coach for the Cambridge High School side Anthony Warrington said "Hamilton Boys are always a strong team, because they have got two lads now who are on the national team."

"We knew it was going to be a good game. In the end, it probably came down to discipline. Both teams were getting a lot of penalties, and I think Cambridge just reeled it in just a little bit at the end."

Warrington also acknowledged that there is "a bit of a rivalry" between the two teams, "so we really wanted to go out and give it our all. So I am very, very pleased with how it went."

Matches for the girls high school lacrosse league are played on grass every Saturday at the Tamahere Recreational Reserve, and premier boys play indoors every Sunday at the Inline Hockey Centre in Hamilton. This year's High School Lacrosse season has been compressed into a 9-week thriller during Term 3 in the wake of Covid-19, with the finals scheduled for the weekend of 19-20 September 2020.

A new Junior Boys League – also played on Saturdays at Tamahere Recreational Reserve – will get under way for the first time next weekend.