A KELSO teenager is proving a hit on the national lacrosse circuit, writes Fiona Scott.
Lucy Thomson, 15, gained her first two caps for Scotland’s Under-19 National Lacrosse team playing midfield, in the Home Nations Championship.
Her team lost to England and Wales, but the experience was amazing, according to Lucy, who attends Sedbergh School in Cumbria.
“I’m so excited to be part of the team,” she added.
“There is a girl in the year below me, but the team is mostly girls in the sixth form.
“We all stayed together in a hotel and so I got to know them all really well. I’d played with them at training sessions before, but I feel I know everyone better now.”
Lucy, who previously attended St Mary’s School in Melrose, has been involved in training and trials since October and also plays for Yorkshire Under-19s.
“Playing for the national team, we get more pre-match planning and team talks than I’ve been used to in the past with Yorkshire, but I’m lucky to have individual coaching and playing in groups of five in the evenings at Sedbergh,” she said.
Olivia Barraclough coaches Lacrosse at Sedbergh and played for 15 years, for Yorkshire, North of England and Scotland.
She said: “It’s a great honour and achievement for any player to be selected for international level and I know it has meant so much to Lucy to play for her native Scotland.
“Her improvement over the year – from Yorkshire B to Scotland – is a massive step up and one that she has taken maturely and capably, especially as she is juggling GCSEs alongside training, and she is also in the school athletics and hockey teams.
“I would say that the massive improvement Lucy has made this year is quite unusual. She began the season by earning her place at centre for Yorkshire Under-19 B at the first attempt, and then excelled in the county tournaments, in touch matches against Cheshire and strong victories over rivals Lancashire.”
Lucy is now preparing for the Stockport Easter Eights tournament and will be touring in Prague in July following her exams.