REPLAY: ENGLAND MEN’S U20 CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2025 World Championship began in ideal fashion for both England and Ireland. In pools of four, each side swept their three opponents to secure top spot and a strong position heading into the play-in round, marking themselves as teams to beat in the race for a top-seven finish. Their toughest early tests came from Jamaica and Mexico, respectively, setting up intriguing play-in clashes: England against Mexico, and Ireland against Jamaica. The matchups quickly became a talking point online, with many fans suggesting that, outside of England, these contests were essentially battles between players from across the US and Canada - a claim supported by the hometown listings on the World Lacrosse website. But heritage aside, fans were treated to a number of high quality matches from these young athletes who showcased resilience and composure in two of the most important games of their careers so far.
Although conceding a goal just seconds into the game, Ireland began their play-in match against Jamaica on good form. The first period saw frequent alternate possession between the two teams, with a number of missed shots on both sides. It took Ireland five minutes to equalise, and a further six until their three-goal spree took hold. With just a few short minutes before the end of the first quarter, Ireland were suddenly up 4-1 against Jamaica and had all the momentum going into the second. But the pendulum can switch at the drop of a hat in our sport, and Jamaica capitalised on their face-off wins and turnovers to end the second quarter with the same scoreline as the first, only this time in their favour. It was even stevens going into the second half of the play-in game, which ultimately ended in a three-goal win for Jamaica. This was of course not the result that Ireland fans were hoping for, and it would mean that the U20s were certain to drop down the world rankings from the steady 7th place they had held since 2016. The best they could hope for now was a 9th place finish and the squad made it known that they were vying for that spot, only conceding eight goals in their final two games whilst scoring 20.
For England, the road to the quarter-finals was just as dicey after their triumph during pool play. A win against Mexico in their play-in game would see them face unbeaten U20 champions the USA in the quarter-finals, but the game left the world with their jaws on the floor from start to finish. On a day also known as England U20 attacker Ellis Baythorpe’s birthday (IYKYK), England began the second quarter of their play-in game against Mexico 4-1 up after the terrific trio, Archie Gold, Ellis Baythorpe, and Drew Wilkinson cemented their lead in spectacular fashion. All seemed well as the teams prepared to face-off for the second period, but the game wouldn’t see another goal scored until three minutes into the third quarter. 5-1 up in the third and a place in the quarter-finals on the line, England fans around the world held their breath as Mexico began to make their comeback. With just seconds to go in the game and one goal separating the teams from an overtime battle, Mexico had the ball in the stick of a young attacker whose BTB shot was saved by Jackson Davies, launching England into the next round.
After the high of making through to the final eight, England went into their next game certain that a loss was on the cards. Very few teams in the world have ever beaten the USA, and for England, winning wasn’t their top priority. For this up-and-coming talent, game management, perseverance, and camaraderie is an essential tool to learn early on in their playing careers, and a game which saw them lose 26-0 gave them just that. England proved that it’s not always about the games that you win, but the ones where you show up for one another and play to your strengths. Ultimately, England would defeat Jamaica to take 7th place - previously held by Ireland and one rank below their 2022 finish.