TWO years ago lacrosse enthusiast Andy Soucie and a few of his pals would never have imagined the sport would take off at its present pace.

Mr. Soucie used to get together with a few friends at Bernard Park and pass the hard rubber ball around, and on a good weekend have a mock game, a far cry from what he was used to back in his native United States.

Since then the Bermuda Lacrosse Club has watched its ranks swell to more than 30 members and every Sunday, rain, blow or shine, players from four countries battle it out over the course of an hour, just for the sheer love of the sport.

Due to the demands made on the players' strength and stamina, this is an ideal sport to whip even the most stubborn couch potato into shape.

Although it has a French name, lacrosse is an American sport and while its origins became less and less known as the game was westernised and formalised, lacrosse is now proudly reasserting its heritage.

French settlers in Canada watched the game and likened it to other ball games with a stick, le jeu de la crosse,and the cross, or the stick, appeared similar to the crosier carried by a bishop, and they made that connection, and the games carried the name.

Ironically, with a percentage of the local populace having Native American ancestry, the game has been relegated to a handful of locals who have played overseas.

The modern game is a field-based team game in its mainstream form. It has a rectangular, defined field; in the men's game there are ten players on the field and in the women's version there are 12.

Lacrosse is a fast-paced game in which the ball is transferred quickly between teammates, by passing the it from the stick to a player on your team, catching ball, moving the ball quickly. Some people would say lacrosse look likes looks like hockey played in the air; only you've got the full-blown physical contact with it.

A successful score is made by getting the ball past the opponent and into the goal, which is a net, which is positioned on the field. And this is a bit of a curiosity because play can go on behind the goal!

During a post-game interview, lacrosse veterans Soucie and Canadian Ernie Theriault were obviously pleased with the support from the players and a handful of diehard fans who faithfully cheer on their favourite players during the weekly dust-up at the Police Field.

"I was surprised at the number of (local) guys who have played lacrosse while they were (abroad) in school. I remember when it was about eight of us and now we have consistent numbers and can field two teams and the camaraderie is excellent!"

Soucie and Theriault welcomed the opportunity to fend off the challenges from foreign competition during their spring break scrimmage and to show the local lacrosse club is not one to be taken lightly.

While the sport receives virtually no local media coverage, it is slowly gaining popularity through word of mouth and with the recent publication of the club's fall statistics, it is interesting to note the top four leading scorers were Bermudian.

While the guys are like one big family, the father and son duo of Sean and Tucker Moore puts them in the elite category of father ad son competing in the same sport on the local front.

A good portion of the safety equipment is provided by the team, which included helmets, elbow pads and gloves.

The two teams in active competition are the Blue Fins and the 'Cudas which see roughly both teams having three attack men, three midfielders and three defence men and in this instance sans goalkeepers, who were replaced with an accuracy net, and had eight holes that would test the shooters' accuracy.

Originally lacrosse was a game played by Native Americans to settle disputes, heal the sick, and communicate with the spirit world. Known as Bagataway, 'Little Brother of War', 'the Creators Game' or 'GUH-CHEE-GWUH-AI' by the Haudenosaunee, lacrosse was played by males who used a leather, wooden, clay or stone ball and wooden sticks.

Now going into their second year, the players agree "the sport is good for what ails you" in this take- no-prisoners sport.

Soucie and Theriault extend an open invitation to both the rank novice to the seasoned veterans of the sport to come out to the Police Field on Sunday at 3 p.m. Those who wish to watch some quality lacrosse or if you are the more adventurous type you are more than welcome to join the ranks of these weekend warriors. The scoring competition is close among the local and international representatives.

The fall season statistics (listed under player, country, goals, assists, total points) were:

Ernie Theriault (Can) 23 8 31

Andy Soucie (US) 5 6 11

James Robinson (Bda) 9 0 9

Tucker Moore (Bda) 5 4 9

Andrew Baron (US) 4 4 8

Kirk Bridgewater (Bda) 4 3 7

Sean Moore (US) 1 5 6

Matt (Red Dog) Clifford (Bda) 4 1 5

Steve O'Flynn (US) 4 1 5

Dionne Cullum (Can) 2 2 4

Andy Brown (Bda) 3 1 4

Mike McDonnell (US) 2 1 3

Jeff Endo (US) 2 1 3

Mathew Clifford (US) 3 0 3

Gavin Davis (US) 1 1 2

Adam Hirschberg (Bda) 1 1 2

Eric Hirschberg (US) 1 1 2

John Bohan (Ire) 0 2 2

Evan Schemenauer (Can) 0 1 1

Clark Hoyte (Bda) 0 1 1

John Heckscher (US) 0 1 1

Scott West (Bda) 0 1 1