Stockport Lacrosse Club Juniors: U10s Away to Cheadle and Mellor

For the second U10s tournament of the season we managed to field a full team of 10 players in a 3-way match-up against Mellor and Cheadle, both clubs with strong junior sections. Some late changes to the venue and schedule meant that we didn't have much time to plan our tactics before the games but the lads were all keen to get stuck in.

We were up first against the team in red and white who were able to get their passing game moving more fluently than we were but there was no shortage of commitment or effort and the team worked a good opportunity which Alfie put past the keeper for a great goal in the first half.
It was good to see several of the boys put into practice the skills they had been working on in training last week, Jacob's change of hands was even appreciated by the opposition's coach.

After the first game coaches Chris and Steve had a bit of time to organise things in preparation for the second game against the hosts and everyone was still so keen to get involved that we could have played with a nine-man midfield but sense prevailed and we went with a more conventional formation. We still had problems getting our passing going against some strong opposition but the boys in blue were fighting hard for every ground ball and scoring chances were at a premium until both sides started to tire in the second half when some spaces started to appear. Jacob finally got a reward for all his running when he put the ball in the net for our only goal of the match.

There were lots of positives on the day and I think everyone enjoyed the game time. The free cakes in the clubhouse were an added bonus. It will be interesting to see how this group develops since only one of them will be moving up from this age group at the end of the season so there is time for them to develop individually and as a team.
A special mention goes to Oliver and Daniel for doing a great job in their first full-contact matches - well done to both of you.