Anthony 'Ant' Hayes

Everybody at Heaton Mersey Lacrosse Club have been stunned by the sudden death of Ant Hayes. We are all in total shock and devastated by the news. He was the heartbeat of the Club and someone who brightened up our lives everyday by his enthusiasm for life and our sport of lacrosse.

Ant started playing lacrosse at Mersey as the u12 junior goalie and made friendships with the boys who played on that team that continue to this day. His lacrosse path took him through the junior teams ultimately representing England, as well as to Whittier College in the US. More recently he was Mersey’s 1st Team Captain. Here, he showed everyone what a great leader he was, leading by example and as such, had the ultimate respect of his team, as well as Club members alike.

He epitomised everything that those who have ever played team sports will appreciate, that ultimately it is all about having fun and making friends that only sport can create. Nobody did this better than him and there will be countless stories told of Ant’s high jinks and courageous and sometimes outrageous feats on the lacrosse pitch both in and out of nets and indeed off the field of play, with or without wearing clothes!

There have been numerous Tributes paid to him from individuals and other lacrosse clubs, both at home and abroad as well as from other sections of the Heatons Sports club, such was the love everyone felt for him. These will provide the Hayes family great comfort in due course and we wish to thank you for these.

His personality meant that once you’d met him, you would never forget him such was the person. Not only will our lacrosse club never quite feel the same again, we know that the void he leaves behind will be felt beyond The Heatons Sports Club at Green Lane and by English Lacrosse as a whole.

Finally, we send our thoughts and prayers to Ant’s mother Ruth, brothers Pete and Dave, girlfriend Kiara, and the wider Hayes family and friends for their unimaginable loss.

7th Oct 1989 - 14th Sept 2016