The 2008 UK polocrosse season got underway at the Great Northern Tournament on the 3rd and 4th May, with the majority of the points going to Northern Clubs. Pennine dominated in the Juniors and the Primary Juniors and the Highlanders picked up the B grade shield.

Arden also had a good opening tournament, picking up the second spots in the PJ’s and the B grade and winning the D grade. The Welsh Dragons got their defence of the League according to size underway by winning the C grade with Western Phoenix picking up the second spot. Centaur seemed to have signed Uncle Pete in the off season as he popped up in their D grade team to help them to second place. The A grade was dominated by the Open squad sides who are warming up for their test matches against Australia, which is probably a good thing because if they weren’t winning it then we really would be in trouble come July!

Apart from Uncle Pete, other signings who were in evidence were the young Zimbabwean Brad Clarke for Arden, returning for his second season with the club, and Pennine confirmed this week that they have signed both Oscar Harding and Sam Marsh from Kent and have also imported the young New Zealand talent of Jesse Kereopa to strengthen their young A grade squad. Kent Target seemed resigned this year to not defending their A grade title as Jason Webb announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t play the 2008 season in order to concentrate on other aspects of his life, such as his young family, and there have been no new new imports to the club this year.

Primary Juniors

1st: Pennine/Celyn Bushwackers (Katie Kitchen-Dunn, Ceri Williams and Max Pedley)
2nd: Arden Pikanins (Amy Harper, Lilly Oyamburu Lulu Oyamburu)

Juniors

1st: Pennine Banshees (Alex Rowley, Ed Kitchen-Dunn, James Stansfield)
2nd: Pennine Redskins (Rosie Townend, Guy Harland, Emily Gilfillan)

D Grade

1st: Arden Wildcats (Tim James, Gill James, Hannah Oliver-Byrne)
2nd: Centaur (Uncle Pete, Steph Metcalfe, Jonathan Swift)

C Grade

1st: Welsh Dragons (Lewis Parr, Matt Hale, John Whitehead)
2nd: Western Phoenix (Nick Foley, Will Arnold, Alice Humphrey)

B Grade

1st: Highlanders (Shelley King, Anna Robertson, Charlotte Pykett)
2nd: Arden (Torr Phillips, Sophie Phillips, Brad Clarke)

A Grade

1st: Open Mens Squad 1 (Guy Robertson, Greg Sargent, Dan Duhig)
2nd: Open Squad Ladies (Lucy Shell, Jessica Shearing, Debbie Harris, Sophie Lodder)

Best Horse and Rider Combination: Lucy Shell and Maud