Season Preview 2015/16
With 2 teams entered into the SEMLA leagues and promotion for the Blues in both SEMLA and BUCS last year, what does the new season hold for CULC?
Pre-season kicks off in just over a week, and with the first fixtures on the horizon, it’s time to look ahead to the new season for all of the teams associated with the club. Last season, the Blues were promoted into SEMLA East Division 1 alongside rivals Oxford University. The team will be looking to push on towards the top half of the table, especially with a number of exciting new additions to the club.
The campaign begins with a tricky fixture away at defending champions Spencer 2 (who weren’t promoted due to their first team being in the Premiership!). The other highlight in the first few weeks of the season is a home fixture against Oxford that is scheduled for the 21st November. With this year marking the 100th Annual Varsity Match on the 27th February 2016 in Oxford, it promises to be one of the biggest years of lacrosse in the Club’s history. The Blues prepare for that historic match with fixtures away at Hillcroft A on the 13th February, before a home match against Welwyn on the 20th.
The Cambridge Eagles make their debut season in SEMLA and will start in Division 2, the league from which the Blues were promoted from last year. The team is likely to be made up of a lot of the same players that played and beat most of teams in the league last year – Brighton are now the only team that the club dropped points against, and so the team is set up well have another successful campaign in this league.
The Eagles begin with a FLAGS match away at Epsom 2 the first weekend after pre-season. The league season begins with a home match against Reading 2s, and the target will be to push for promotion into Division 1. Facing off against Oxford University Iroquois in the Varsity match on the 27th will be a highlight, despite the match being labelled as a ‘friendly’!
In BUCS, having been promoted from a relatively poor standard division last year, the target will be to push towards back to back promotions. The league features teams from Nottingham, Nottingham Trent, Warwick, Birmingham and Northampton Universities. It is likely to prove a tougher test than last year in which the team managed to win every single game, with a net goal difference of +152.
Match reports and updates will follow throughout the season, but to keep up to date, make sure you like the Club Facebook page and follow us on Twitter!
Cambridge University Lacrosse Club 