Swift announce drafted men’s players
Swift are hoping to crash through the competition with the addition of five players to their Men’s squad ahead of The Fly 2022 in June.
Jake Parker, Matt Boyd, Austin Holgate, Louis Alhage and Nathan Colclough will be a huge part of developing a fluid, flowing Swift team in this year’s competition after being selected in the Men’s team draft.
Head Coach, Richard Gartside is new to The Fly this year and has tried to be a bit sneaky with his picks in an attempt to shock the opposition.
After finishing fourth at The Fly 2022, Swift are looking to course to victory at this year’s competition. Let’s take a look at how they line up.
Jake Parker:
Swift’s first draft pick is England international Jake Parker. Parker has represented his country at U19 and U23 level before being part of the senior squad. The right-handed attacker has had 1st team playing experience in the Northern premiership and also in the Midlands premiership University division.
The fast dodger has also played at the U19 World Championship and is a player Head Coach Gartside knows well. He said: “I wanted to go with players I was familiar with initially and two of the players I have been lucky enough to coach before in England roles so Jake Parker came ahead with me to Japan with the England U23s.”
The ‘blink and you’ll miss him’ speedster took part in The Fly last year and said: “It was the best tournament I have played in and I want to compete at the highest level of lacrosse in my country.”
Matt Boyd:
The two-way midfielder, Matt Boyd, was Swift’s second pick and again someone who Head Coach Gartside knows well from coaching him previously. He said: “Matt Boyd was a member of the 2012 U19 squad which I was lucky enough to coach.”
Boyd is a right hander who is renowned for his great vision and a ferocious shot. Having played for all Cheshire teams at a senior level and in the first team in the Northern Premiership, Boyd has plenty of experience.
He said that he: “wants to play lacrosse at a high level and show people what the game is all about” and he believes he can do that by taking part in The Fly 2022. His fast and focused mentality is sure to be a massive benefit for Swift.
Austin Holgate:
15-plus years of experience playing in Canada is what Austin Holgate brings to the table as the third pick for Swift. The Canadian box lacrosse player plays as a two-way midfielder and has been selected for England field training squads and was a NCAA Division ll starter for four years.
Holgate cannot wait for The Fly in 2022 and went into detail explaining why.
“The majority of the lacrosse I have played has been box lacrosse. I believe that this background will make sixes and The Fly an incredibly enjoyable version of the game for me.
“I absolutely love playing with a shot clock and in fast paced situations. The two-way nature of the game where all players must be able to play both offence and defence is also very exciting to me.”
Being able to perform decisively under pressure in game situations is one of Holgate’s standout attributes and will hopefully make him a standout performer for Swift.
Louis Alhage:
Keeping with the North American theme, American Louis Alhage will be playing for Swift this year. As well as being from the same continent as Holgate, he also plays the same position (two-way midfielder).
Alhage played lacrosse for eight years before University and then spent four years playing the sport at Castleton University. Now he is currently a post-grad student at Exeter University playing for their first team.
Under pressure he is known to pull it out the bag as well as having tactical nous about the game which comes alongside his general excitement for the sixes format.
On why he wanted to participate in The Fly 2022 he said: “I love lacrosse.
“I came over here for my masters program and have been blessed with the opportunity to play for Exeter but I want to continue to grow the game and challenge myself as a player against some of the best in the country.”
Nathan Colclough:
The final draft pick for Swift is right-handed attacker, Nathan Colclough.
A strong dodger with a fierce shot, Colclough has three years’ experience in the Premiership in the North at club level.
He prides himself on his speed, agility, balance and stability when on a lacrosse pitch and believes that The Fly is the perfect opportunity for him to achieve his dream of “playing the highest level lacrosse”