Queen Anne's reign supreme at U19 National Schools Championship

Queen Anne’s School sprung a surprise to win their first U19 National Schools Lacrosse Championship in nearly thirty years securing the top prize and writing a new chapter in the competition’s storied history.

In a set of stunning Sunday afternoon performances, the queens of Queen Anne’s were crowned following a pulsating finale against St Catherine’s in which they held off a late surge to claim a huge 3-2 victory.

Not since a shared title in 1996 had Queen Anne’s taken the top prize, but the Berkshire based school put aside earlier defeats to take down more fancied opposition in the knockout stages and seal a deserved victory at Aldershot Garrison.

Four pool wins out of five on Saturday had secured Queen Anne’s a place in the Top 16 Championship bracket for Sunday’s action, but a couple of 3-4 defeats to Godolphin and Guildford High gave them a relative uphill task come the afternoon’s knockouts.

However, they emphatically seized their opportunity beating St Albans 3-2 in the Last 16 and looked to be peaking just at the right time.

They followed the win up with a high scoring 5-4 victory against Withington in the quarter final, before gaining revenge over a fancied Guildford High in the semi final, 2-1, after their defeat earlier in the day.

They came up in the final against a St Catherine’s side who themselves had disposed of Challenge Cup winners and previously unbeaten Godolphin in the quarter final 1-0, before an impressive 3-0 semi final victory against Westonbirt saw them secure their spot in the final.

In the final Queen Anne’s drew first blood, and despite a St Cat’s equaliser, the champions to-be weren’t phased, immediately restoring their lead before extending it to two goals as the match entered the final few minutes.

St Catherine’s weren’t prepared to give up without a fight though and did pull one back to set up a riveting climax and looked to send the game in to overtime.

But just as St Catherine’s sought to launch one final attack, the whistle blew, and the players erupted in celebration, cementing Queen Anne’s place as the nation’s top school side for 2025.

MVP Awards
Goalie: Lucy White (Godolphin)
Defender: Jemima Francks (Guildford High)
Midfielder: Mary Briscoe (Queen Anne’s)
Attacker: Abbie Thompson (St Catherine’s)
Vivien Jones Memorial Award: Taya Dangerfield (Westonbirt)

Other Divisional Winners from Day 2 at National Schools
U19A Division 1 Winners: Bolton 3-0 Putney High
U19A Division 2 Winners: North London Collegiate 2-1 Queen Margaret’s
U19B Division 1 Winners: Guildford High 4-3 St Catherine’s
U19B Division 2 Winners: Benenden 2-1 Godolphin (OT)