Nationals put TA on the radar
Te Awamutu Marist hosted the 2022 Senior Men's Lacrosse National Championship from March 19-20.
Auckland, who have won every tournament since 2017, were crowned 2022 Senior New Zealand Men's National Champions.
Auckland's Joe Clarkson was top goal-scorer with 16.
“Lacrosse is not in the same league as rugby when it comes to participation nor as well known, but the fact that some of the Te Awamutu local young men could have the opportunity to play against a star-studded Auckland side that has a large number of NZ lacrosse players in it, means so much more to these young men. Something you can't put a price on,” says Waikato Senior Men manager/ tournament organiser Clifford Brown.
“We may not see the revenue generation we might get from crowd attendance or the influx of heaps of visitors, however, we can't measure the impact that this will have on these young men and how they will strive to improve and grow the game.
Brown says the tournament definitely put Te Awamutu on the New Zealand lacrosse radar.
“We hosted a tournament on short notice in the midst of a pandemic and that takes some doing. As we continue to grow the game within New Zealand and the community, so, too, will we be able to reap the benefits from future tournaments and New Zealand Lacrosse has definitely stood up and taken notice of what we can do as the Te Awamutu community as well as a Te Awamutu lacrosse community.”
Waikato Lacrosse results: v Presidents, won 7-2 v Auckland, lost 11-2 v Wellington, won 9-4
Final v Auckland, lost 9-1