With the excitement of Christmas and New Year behind us, 2018 brings the opportunity for plenty more lacrosse for the Sparrows.

Spencer start the year with all four teams in commanding positions:

• The first team sit 3rd in the Premier division but an epic overtime win over Hillcroft keeps the flags run alive. The team are hoping to be the first team to win 7 senior flags finals in a row since the competition first begain in 1884.
• The second team are undefeated at the top of the East 1 division. The team has arguably the toughest run to the flags final meeting Hillcroft A in the quarter final on 3rd Feb.
• The third team went from strength to strength in 2017 and are second in East 1 only to Spencer's second team. They too are still in the flags and have the possibility to make it an all-Spencer final if both teams progress.
• Probably the most successful team so far this season has been the fourth team. They have won every single game and their solid defence are only conceeding an average of 1 goal per game in the league. They are top of East Division 3 and are on course for the Minor Flags.

Welwyn 4 - 21 Spencer

Only one game has been played so far in 2018 with the first team travelling up north to the picturesque Welwyn Garden City. The match was very close after Q1 but after shaking off the Christmas rust the Spencer firepower shone through.

Coach Tom Leahy had this to say about the performance:

It was a great first game back for us. A tough opponent and a very fast paced game meant we got a lot out of it from an intensity & finess perspective. It's always important to have this sort of game after a Christmas break. Also Welwyns new facility is excellent, rivaling any in the league.

This coming 10 days we'll be working on our team offence and defence either side of our game against Hitchin, whilst we continue to prepare for an away trip to Hillcroft the weekend afterwards.

Notable mentions for Matt Hatson playing his first 1's game for Spencer & Paddy Atkinson for a birthday man of the match performance.

Finally a mention for the almost faultless service at Weatherspoons Hatfield central - only tainted by Tom Bailey's inpatience whilst waiting 45min for his second burger, the first being fingered and passed over by a member of the Welwyn squad.

Scorers

Holmes - 6, Mosely - 5, Atkinson - 4, Darkins - 2, Walker - 2, Panesar - 1, Clark - 1

Fixtures 13th Jan

Hitchin - Spencer
Spencer 2 - Spencer 3
Canterbury - Spencer 4