Lewis Ratcliff (born April 24, 1981) is an
English-Canadian former professional
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...
player. Originally from London, England, Ratcliff moved to Victoria at the age of 7.
NLL career
Ratcliff was drafted 49th overall by the
Calgary Roughnecks
The Calgary Roughnecks are a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in Calgary, Alberta, that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team plays its home games at Scotiabank Saddledome. The team name is derived from the roughne ...
in the 2001 NLL entry draft. In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, the Roughnecks won the
Champion's Cup
The National Lacrosse League Cup (NLL Cup) is the trophy awarded each year to the champions of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Prior to 2018, the league awarded the Champions Cup. The NLL Cup was redesigned in 2024.
Winners
Most Va ...
, defeating the
Buffalo Bandits
The Buffalo Bandits are an American professional box lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York, that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team plays its home games at KeyBank Center. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse L ...
in
Buffalo. In
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, Ratcliff was named MVP of the
NLL All-Star Game
The National Lacrosse League All Star Game was a box lacrosse game played between two teams representing the two divisions of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The last game took place during the 2012 season.
1990s 1991 (Major Indoor Lacrosse L ...
,
scoring 4 goals, one of which was the game winner with only 4.4 seconds left in the game.
On March 25, 2008, Ratcliff was traded to the Toronto Rock for forward
Josh Sanderson
Josh "Shooter" Sanderson (born April 23, 1977 in Orangeville, Ontario) is a Canadian former professional lacrosse player. Sanderson played 19 seasons in the National Lacrosse League including nine with the Toronto Rock.
In 2002, as a member of th ...
. After a single season in Toronto, Ratcliff was traded back west to the
Washington Stealth
The Washington Stealth were a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional box lacrosse league of North America from the 2010 NLL season through the 2013 NLL season. They were based in Everett (part of the Seattle metropolitan area ...
along with
Tyler Codron and
Joel Dalgarno
Joel Dalgarno (born July 5, 1987) is a Canadian lacrosse player. He was an All-American at the Ohio State University from 2006 to 2009, leading the Buckeyes to an NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament appearance in 2008. Dalgarno attended ...
in a blockbuster deal for former NLL MVP
Colin Doyle. He stayed with the Stealth through their move to Vancouver, and announced his retirement on February 6, 2015.
WLA career
Ratcliff was a longtime member of the
Victoria Shamrocks
The Victoria Shamrocks are a Senior A box lacrosse team, based in Victoria, British Columbia. The team competes in the 7-team Western Lacrosse Association (WLA).
The Shamrocks entered the former Inter-City Lacrosse League, which is now the WLA, ...
of the
Western Lacrosse Association
The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is a men's Senior A box lacrosse league with seven teams in British Columbia. The playoff championship team each season advances to the play against the Major Series Lacrosse champions for the Mann Cup. The ...
out of British Columbia Canada. He is a 2-time
Mann Cup
The Mann Cup is the trophy awarded to the senior men's box lacrosse champions of Canada. The championship is a best-of-seven, East vs West series played between the league champions of Major Series Lacrosse, the East, and Western Lacrosse Associat ...
champion with the team
and has twice led the league in scoring. In early 2010 Ratcliff was traded (with the consent of the Shamrock players and coaching staff), to the Nanaimo Timbermen of the WLA at his own request to be closer to his current place of residence.
In September 2012, Ratcliff tested positive for use of two forms of steroids and a prohibited pain medication during the Mann Cup. Ratcliff has waived his hearing and accepted his suspension which is due to end on November 9, 2014.
MLL career
Ratcliff was drafted by the
San Francisco Dragons
The San Francisco Dragons were a professional field lacrosse team based in San Francisco and San Jose, California. From 2006–2008, they played in Major League Lacrosse and they ceased operations before the 2009 season due to the 2008 financial c ...
of the
MLL in 2006. He played one game and recorded 1 goal and 1 assist. Later in the season he was put on waivers due to his commitment of playing in the WLA rather than the MLL.
Statistics
NLL
Reference:
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Awards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratcliff, Lewis
1981 births
Lacrosse people from British Columbia
British lacrosse players
Washington Stealth players
Calgary Roughnecks players
Canadian lacrosse players
Living people
National Lacrosse League All-Stars
Toronto Rock players
Vancouver Warriors players