Scottish schools dominate at the 2008 National Small Schools Final at Rendcomb College
Glenalmond wins Championship
It was a Scottish Schools white wash for the top three contenders in the National Schools Tournament, with three out of the top six places going to Scottish schools. Glenalmond finished in first place, followed by Loretto in second place, Fettes in third, St. James in fourth, Rendcomb in fifth and Oakham finishing sixth.
The schools were divided into two pools.
Pool One Pool Two
Princess Helena Oakham
Fettes Rendcomb B
Rendcomb A Glenalmond
Abbots Hill St Georges, Ascot|
Loretto St James
Pool one saw some very tight competition with only 7 points separating the top four teams. Despite the rain the level of lacrosse was excellent with each team fighting for that all important place in the semi final, but it was Loretto and Fettes who finally prevailed. Loretto finished first place in pool one with 18 points, closely followed by Fettes finishing 2nd with 14 points, both advancing to the semi-finals.
Pool two also saw some excellent Lacrosse but it was Glenalmond who were the undefeated run away winners qualifying in 1st place with 20 points. St James was not far behind and advanced to the semi-finals finishing 2nd place with 15 points.
The 1st semi final saw Glenalmond facing Scottish rivals Fettes, both of whom had qualified from the Northern Tournament in February. Glenalmond emerged victorious from their first encounter last month and depite a fantastic fight from Fettes, the result went in Glenalmonds favour again, securing their place in the finals with a narrow 3-2 victory over Fettes.
The 2nd Semi Final saw Loretto taking on an enthusiastic St James side. It was a North versus South match and with some prolific defending and determined attacking Loretto surfaced as the winners in a very close 1 – 0 win over St. James.
It was a Scottish Showdown in the finals with Glenalmond and Loretto each wanting to take home the trophy. A few cries of “we could have played this in Scotland” were heard from supporters and coaches alike but the final proved to be everything it promised, an outstanding game of lacrosse. In the end it was Glenalmond who managed to find the back of the net, taking the title of National Small Schools Champions in a 3 – 1 victory over Loretto.