Loughton school takes up lacrosse.

School children in the area are being given the chance to take up lacrosse thanks to a scheme being run by a local club.

The sport was originally invented by North American Indians and has been played in Britain for over 100 years.

It is a fast moving team game, played with a stick ending in a net and a ball which is passed from player to player, aiming for a goal at the end of the playing area.

Buckhurst Hill Lacrosse Club are running a development scheme in partnership with the English Lacrosse Union to enable more schools to participate in playing the sport.

Over 13 local schools are currently involved in the programme, which involves coaching and also competitive inter-school matches.

One of the most successful has been Staples Road Junior School in Loughton which reached the National finals last year.

The children play pop lacrosse, an indoor or outdoor sport which has teams of eight; four boys and four girls, with five players on the pitch at any time with the same aims as field lacrosse but without the contact.

Staples Road unfortunately werent able to enter the Nationals this year, because they did not have enough girl players at the time, but they are now raring to go in the next competition.

Gerry Wilson, who organises the scheme and is Junior Development manager at the Buckhurst Hill Club has overseen the growth of the sport and also lax lacrosse, which is designed as an introduction to the more physical full game which has been played at Buckhurst Hill sice 1912.

A Buckhurst Hill team, made up of six former pupils of Staples Road were in action at Garret Park, Tooting, at the end of March and triumphed in a South of England six-a-side.

Anyone interested in taking up the sport can contact Gerry on 0181 508 1334.

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