BAFA Senior End of Season scenarios - Conference One North and South

 

CONFERENCE ONE NORTH

PLAYOFF SCENARIO

MERSEYSIDE NIGHTHAWKS

·         Already in playoffs

·         Clinch Number One seed with win v. Shropshire

EDINBURGH WOLVES

·         Already in playoffs

·         Clinch Number One seed with Merseyside loss v. Shropshire

CLYDE VALLEY BLACKHAWKS

·         Already in playoffs

·         Locked in as Number Three seed

GATESHEAD SENATORS

·         Already in playoffs

·         Locked in as Number Four seed

RELEGATION SCENARIO

CHESTER ROMANS and SHROPSHIRE REVOLUTION already relegated

 

CONFERENCE ONE SOUTH

PLAYOFF SCENARIO

FARNHAM KNIGHTS

·         Already in playoffs

·         Clinch Number one seed with win v. Colchester

COLCHESTER GLADIATORS

·         Already in playoffs

·         Clinch Number One seed with win v. Farnham

·         Number Three seed with loss v. Farnham and Solent win v. East Kent

SOLENT THRASHERS

·         Already in playoffs

·         Number Two seed with win v. East Kent and Colchester loss v. Farnham

·         Number Four seed with loss v. East Kent and Ouse Valley win v. Herts

OUSE VALLEY EAGLES

·         Already in playoffs

·         Number Three seed with win v. Herts and Solent loss v. East Kent

RELEGATION SCENARIO

BIRMINGHAM BULLS

·         Stay up with win v. Cambridge or East Kent loss v. Solent

EAST KENT MAVERICKS

·         Stay up with win v. Solent and Birmingham loss v. Cambridge

CAMBRIDGESHIRE CATS already relegated

 

Underdogs show their worth

Article by James Webb - East Kent

The East Kent Mavericks played the Colchester Gladiators for the second time in two weeks. The Mavericks entered the fixture after a heavy loss to the Colchester side previously, as well as Colchester already being confirmed in the play offs with pundits predicting a 6 score difference between the 2 sides in Colchester's favour. This placed the Maverick side as the underdogs of the game. The rain held out as the game began

Colchester returned the kick-off to the 40 yard line and began the first drive of the day. It didn't take long for the Mavericks' defence to get their first turnover after they forced a fumble, which was then recovered, only a couple of plays in. The Mavericks offence began their drive with a couple of short passes, before QB Luke Jones found Rob Mcdonold for a 35 yard end-zone pass. The 2 point conversion was successful as Luke Jones found Receiver Chris Lacey open in the end zone. Colchester were quick to respond with some good running play and effective fakes. They drove down the field, eventually passing in to the end-zone from 8 yards out which put the scores to 8-6 after the conversion was missed. The score remained this way until the end of the quarter.

 

 

The 2nd quarter began in Colchester's favour as the rain began to fall. With the pass conditions worsening, the Mavericks began to struggle to drive down the field. Colchester pushed on downfield, finding the end zone again from a short pass. The 2 point conversion was successful, which gave Colchester a 14-8 lead. The only other points came when the Mavericks were caught in the backfield forcing a safety. With the wet conditions making the pass game less effective the Mavericks changed their tactics, focusing instead on their run game. This risk paid off as the run began to help build effective driving force down the field whilst freeing up their Receiver. The score remained 16-8 until the end of the half.

The Mavericks continued to pressure the Colchester defence throughout the 3rd quarter until, eventually, they broke through with a 25 yard pass from QB Luke Jones to Alex Conyers, before he skipped out a tackle and into the end zone. The 2 point conversion was held out short, which allowed Colchester to hold a 2 point lead going into the 4th quarter.

The Colchester defence found some driving energy after they charged down a kick and turnover possession just 25 yards out. The drive was successful, finished off by a 6 yard run into the end-zone. The 2 point conversion was missed, leaving the Mavericks 8 points (1 touchdown and a 2 point conversion) behind. With the final 2 minutes on the clock they drove down the field stringing together several good passes. With 4 seconds remaining, they found themselves 25 yards out from the Colchester end zone. With their last play, the Mavericks launched the ball towards their Receiver. Although the football was off-target, knocked down by a DB, ending what turned out to be a closely fought fixture. The final score was 22-14 to the Colchester Gladiators.

With the season all but over a victory would have done little to affect the position of the East Kent Mavericks. Although a match played with such heart, even when simply fighting for dignity, must be worth much more than points at this stage for the Mavericks. Let's hope they can keep this improved form as they build towards the future.

BAFA Senior End of season scenarios - Premier North and South

PREMIER NORTH

PLAYOFF SCENARIO

TAMWORTH PHOENIX

·         Already in playoffs

·         Clinch Number One seed with win or avoid defeat by +6 points v. East Kilbride

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES

·         Get into playoffs with a win v. Tamworth or Sheffield

·         Clinch Number One seed with a +6 point win v. Tamworth and beat Sheffield

LANCASHIRE WOLVERINES

·         In playoffs with a win v. Coventry and East Kilbride losses v. Tamworth and Sheffield

RELEGATION SCENARIO

SHEFFIELD PREDATORS

·         Stay up with win v. Yorkshire or v. East Kilbride

YORKSHIRE RAMS

·         Stay up with win v. Sheffield, and Sheffield loss to East Kilbride

 

PREMIER SOUTH

PLAYOFF SCENARIO

LONDON WARRIORS

·         Already in playoffs

·         Clinch Number One seed by avoiding defeat by +29 points v. London Blitz

LONDON BLITZ

·         Already in playoffs

·         Clinch Number One seed by winning by +29 points v. London Blitz

RELEGATION SCENARIO

No relegation from Premier South

Tigers mauled by revengeful Trojans

Game Report by William Clark - Glasgow

 

Glasgow Tigers 0 West Coast Trojans 60

 

What a difference a week can make. The Tigers played their final game of the season and had a tough day when the Trojans visited Lochinch , still smarting from last weeks defeat.

This season has seen the Tigers introduce 28 new players to the senior game , and with most of them playing on Sunday , the experienced West Coast side controlled the game and the score line.

 

The first quarter saw the Trojans give the ball away when Andrew Currie recovered a fumble for the Tigers , however the Glasgow side then threw an interception that was gladly caught by the Trojans David Pasnik. Then the deadlock was broken at the end of the quarter when running back Josh Polson took the ball in from 7 yards out. A quick Gary McNey conversion pass to Murray Hogg gave the Trojans an 8- 0 lead. The heavy rain was no help to the Tigers quarterback Darnell Starks as he tried to get some passes completed , but the Trojans defence held firm.

The second quarter saw the Trojans Murray Hogg get two more scores, the first off the back of a David Carney interception and then a Tigers fumble that was recovered by the West Coast side. Worse was to follow when a blocked punt was scooped up by the Trojans Ross Cavanagh and taken back for a touchdown. Josh Polson then had a 10 yard run for his second score of the game and Chris Lang added a conversion run and a 40 – 0 half time lead.

The third quarter saw the Trojans increase their lead when quarterback Gary McNey connected with Calum McCaskill from 28 yards out.  Another  conversion pass to David Pasnik had the score at 48 – 0. After a Jason Gillespie interception the Trojans offence were left a very short field and running back Chris Lang took the ball in from 12 yards out. Tigers cornerback Nathan Brodie then deflected the conversion pass.

In the 4^th quarter the Trojans defence scored a touchdown when Brett Jones recovered a Tigers fumble at the goal line. On Tigers defence Mark Chalmers and Nathan Brodie held off the conversion attempt.

The Tigers tried one last drive to get on the score sheet and when Starks completed passes to John Read and then Scott Vallance it started to look promising. A twenty yard run from Liam Baird followed by a 24 yard Starks pass to Vallance had the Tigers in the Trojans red zone. But it was not to be when David Pasnik stepped in to intercept a wayward pass and end the game.

It was a disappointing way to end the season for the Tigers but with so many new players coming into the team , a 5 – 5 season was a fair return. With all these new players in the squad and some showing good potential the Tigers hope to be a stronger force in 2016.

French Fries Falcons to secure Division title for Steelers

Game Report by Leigh French - Sandwell

Photos courtesy of Andy Neale (Whizzyfingers Photography)

 

The Sandwell Steelers earned a hard fought 24-20 victory over the Leicester Falcons on Saturday night to secure the NFC2 North Division Crown- the first silverware in the club's history. The game was a close, back-and-forth affair, with the lead changing hands five times before Sandwell secured the win with just a minute and a half to go.

Early on the Steelers moved the ball well but lacked their usual killer instinct when it came to scoring- having to settle for just a 3-0 lead courtesy of a second quarter Liam Duncan field goal. The Steelers defence, led by solid performances from Sam Rafferty, Sam Banner and Ovie Omueda, kept the visitors in check all the way through the first half- Dean Wilkinson making the standout play of the half by snagging a crucial interception to set up the Steelers' first points. However they were finally beaten for a touchdown with just 30 seconds to go before halftime, leaving the score at 6-3 in favour of the visitors at the break. 

Leicester extended their lead with their first possession of the second half, scoring another touchdown to extend the lead to 12-3. This only seemed to help the Steelers rediscover their scoring touch, as they hit back with a touchdown pass from Jonny Glover to his favourite target Drew Newiss, which Duncan converted to make the score 12-10. The Steelers quickly got the ball back thanks to a fumble recovery from Rafferty, and punished the visitors with a scoring run by Leigh French, who then converted his own score to make the score 18-12 to Sandwell. However, Leicester refused to give up, and hit right back with a scoring drive and conversion of their own to retake the lead 20-18.

With time ticking away, the Steelers mounted yet another impressive scoring drive, working their way downfield with some key runs from French and Dan James, as well as a crucial pass from Glover to Declan Evans to keep their hopes alive. The telling moment came in the final 90 seconds, as French went over for his second touchdown of the day to give the Steelers a 24-20 lead. Leicester's attempts at a last minute comeback were soon dashed, as the Steelers defence held firm and forced the visitors to concede the ball back to Sandwell with just under a minute to play, allowing them to claim the victory.

 

Defensive Coach Greg Freeman was impressed with how the team came through their toughest challenge to date: "This was a well deserved win for us. We knew Leicester would test us tonight, and credit to them, they certainly did. But when we needed to the most, we showed our class, and the hard work we put in on the practice field and the film room truly paid off tonight."

Head coach and club Chairman Jay Alexander added: "I'm absolutely delighted for the boys. We've been in some tough spots over the course of the season, and none more so than tonight against a tough Leicester outfit. But we've never panicked, stuck together, and played our hearts out for each other. It sounds cliche, but that's the thing I'm proudest of about this team. The wins are a real bonus.

"There's still a long way to go for us to achieve our goal of winning the league and securing promotion, so we won't get too far ahead of ourselves. That said, after the turnaround this team has made- from only winning two games last year, to being undefeated so far this year and winning our Division- everyone involved with this club deserves to celebrate this achievement."

The win now leaves the Steelers unbeaten in 9 games, giving them the Division title with a game to spare. It also means they go into their final game of the regular season at Peterborough knowing that a win will secure them a top 2 seeding, and ensure that all their playoff games are played at home in Tipton Sports Academy. In a twist of fate it seems that The Steelers could very well face Leicester in the first round of the play off in a rivalry that is really heating up!

Gladiators win to set up title decider

Report by Nick Foxley

Photos courtesy of John Singer

 

The Colchester Gladiators defeated the East Kent Mavericks 22-14 to improve their record to 7-2 and set up a division title decider this Sunday against the 7-1-1 Farnham Knights. A win would complete a turn around in fortunes for the Essex side after losing their first two games of the season before rattling off seven consecutive wins to set up the winner-take-all contest.

With several key starters again absent and dressing just 27 players for the game, the Gladiators expected a tough contest and that was exactly what they received. In wet conditions, the Mavericks played above their poor record and ran the Gladiators close all the way to the final whistle.

The Kent outfit was first to trouble the scorers after the Gladiators fumbled away their initial possession on their own 36. A long pass from their QB found the hands of a receiver in the end zone for six points which was closely followed by a successful two point pass attempt which gave them an 8-0 lead.

The Colchester offence started to click behind the running of Casey Campbell, reaching the Mavericks' nine but a fourth down play was stopped by the determined Kent defence and the ball was turned over.

 

Safety Joe Stickings intercepted the Mavericks QB to get the ball back and this time the Colchester “O” made no mistake, travelling the 25 yards in five plays, scoring with a six yard TD pass from QB Curtis Bourke to Chris Jackson to bring the Gladiators within two. The two point pass attempt failed to leave the Mavericks ahead 8-6.

Ian Digby picked off the Kent QB to thwart their next drive and the quarter ended with the Gladiators trailing by two points.

A promising Mavericks drive was halted when Dave Walton sacked the QB for a loss of nine yards on a fourth down play but with their offence struggling, the Gladiators' defence came up with their third interception of the half when Alex Robinson stepped in front of a receiver and returned the ball to the Kent six.

 

The Colchester offence made no mistake as Bourke found Campbell with a short pass for the go-ahead score. Bourke then found Sam Huxtable for the two point conversion and the Gladiators lead 14-8.

Raul Barclay intercepted the QB for his team's fourth pick but the offence could not convert, failing on a fourth down play on the three. However, the lead was increased on the next play as the Kent QB was tackled in his own end zone, scoring a two point safety for the Gladiators, boosting their lead to eight at 16-8 which was the half time score.

The Mavericks were first to score in the second half, on their second possession. After another turn over on downs, their QB hooked up with a receiver from 27 yards out. The two point run play was no good but the Mavs trailed by just two at 16-14.

 

With no further scoring in the third, the scene was set for a thrilling final period and the loyal fans, standing out in the damp conditions, were not disappointed.

After stopping the Mavs on fourth down, the Gladiators capitalised, giving themselves some breathing space, as Bourke found Jackson again for a nine yard touchdown. The two point play failed but the Gladiators were 22-14 in front.

Neither defences were in the mood to concede, knowing that the next score would be crucial and Chewy Henson sacked and stripped the ball from the Mavericks QB before recovering the fumble to thwart one drive but the game came down to one final Kent possession, into the final two minutes.

Two pass completions took the ball into Gladiator territory and a long scramble by the QB advanced it to the 18. But a final pass fell incomplete and time expired to leave the Gladiators relieved victors and able to look forward to next week's title deciding clash. A win will see them host a playoff game on August 23^rd, defeat will force them to travel.

The Gladiators' next game is on Sunday 2^nd August when the table topping Farnham Knights come to Colchester.

 

Remaining fixture list:

Aug 2:              v Farnham Knights

Aug 23:            Playoff game; venue TBC

The Knights game will be played at Colchester Rugby Club, Mill Road, Colchester, kick off 2.30pm.

Full details can be found through the Gladiators’ website at www.colchestergladiators.com.

London Blitzed by Rampant Saints

Report by Bury Saints

Photos courtesy of William G Watson

Bury Saints 42 – 6 London Blitz

The Bury Saints exploded for 36 unanswered points in the first quarter to secure a 42-6 win over the London Blitz on Sunday.

London won the toss and elected to kick to Bury. A good return by WR Evin Reese moved the ball to the Blitz 33yd line from where QB Fred Boyle threw deep to WR Brandon Faison for the opening score on the very first play of the game. Boyle found Faison for the extra points and the Saints had an early lead.

 

The Defence, led by LB’s Jesse Carlos and Jack Hewett, stopped London on their first drive and two plays later the Offence had scored again. RB Derek White followed a short run with a tackle breaking 53yd sprint down the right sideline for his fifth touchdown of the season. White added the extra points for a 16-0 lead.

 

Once again the Defence forced London into Punt formation. But a fumbled snap gifted Bury the ball at the Blitz 29yd line and on the very next play the Offence scored its third touchdown in just four plays when QB Boyle hit RB Chris May with a perfect pass. The extra point attempt failed but Bury had sped out to a 22-0 lead.

 

The Defence scored the next two touchdowns as first DB Will Sloan picked off a tipped pass and returned it 41yds for a score and then Chris Smith, playing Safety for the first time this season, intercepted another pass and returned it 66yds to paydirt.

Alex Clarke, assisted by excellent ball handling by Holder Ainsley Richards, kicked the extra point attempts after both ‘Pick Six’ scores and the quarter ended with Saints ahead 36-0.

 

Midway through the 2nd Quarter RB Jake Swisher swept left, broke through a tackle, and out ran the London Defence for a 67yd touchdown. This time the extra point attempt failed but the Saints led 42-0. The Blitz finally generated some Offence of their own and despite the close attention of two Bury Defenders scored on an excellent 25yd pass and the half ended with the Green and Gold up 42-6.

 

Despite their terrible start the Blitz dominated the Third Quarter with one drive the length of pitch. After 15 gruelling plays, that included converting a 4th & 20 situation, the Blitz found themselves with 1st & Goal at the Saints 2 yd line. DL Shaz Begg and LB Hewett stopped the London QB just short of the Goal Line on 1st down. On the next play LB Carlos and Safety Smith combined to stuff a run up the middle for a loss of 1yd and pressure by DL Spencer Renfro forced an incomplete pass on 3rd down. With nothing to lose the Blitz went for the touchdown on 4th & Goal but the pass fell short to complete a superb Goal Line stand by the Saints Defence.

London’s long time consuming drive, along with the running clock which was implemented from the kick off because of the score line, meant that the Bury Offence only managed to execute three plays in the whole 3rd Quarter.

 

With the Saints rotating players into the game so that everybody on the roster got a chance to play, and spirited play by London, there was no further scores in the 4th Quarter and Bury moved to a 9-0 record for the season.

Saints Head Coach, Chris Wallis, said “We prepared really well before the game and that clearly paid off in the 1st Quarter. At one point we had run just four offensive plays but scored five touchdowns!

It was a little frustrating in the second half, but you can’t take anything away from the Blitz players who put in a spirited performance. We travelled with a large roster and everybody got a chance to play which could be important later in the season.

I’m pleased with the way we handled the nasty weather conditions but it’s just a shame that once again the players of both teams were robbed of playing time because of the new ill-considered Mercy Rule which has been introduced this season.”

 

After the game news filtered through that Suffolk rivals the Ipswich Cardinals, who the Saints travel to play on the 9th August, had won their first game of the season beating the Essex Spartans 21-14.

Wallis added “It’s a great result for the Cardinals. We would never be complacent and it’s the perfect result to give us a timely reminder not to take anything for granted. Ipswich are going to be on a high and we are going to need to knuckle down and work even harder if we want to finish the season unbeaten.”

If the BAFA Senior Playoffs were today...and who is still in contention

 

If the BAFA Senior Playoffs were today…

TEAMS IN BOLD QUALIFIED FOR PLAYOFFS

 

PREMIER

TAMWORTH PHOENIX v LONDON BLITZ

LONDON WARRIORS v EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES

In contention – Lancashire Wolverines (6-3)

 

NORTH CONFERENCE ONE

MERSEYSIDE NIGHTHAWKS v GATESHEAD SENATORS

EDINBURGH WOLVES v CLYDE VALLEY BLACKHAWKS

 

SOUTH CONFERENCE ONE

FARNHAM KNIGHTS v OUSE VALLEY EAGLES

SOLENT THRASHERS v COLCHESTER GLADIATORS

 

NORTH CONFERENCE TWO

MANCHESTER TITANS v ABERDEEN ROUGHNECKS

SANDWELL STEELERS v LEICESTER FALCONS

WEST COAST TROJANS v PETERBOROUGH SAXONS

NEWCASTLE VIKINGS v STAFFORDSHIRE SURGE

In contention – Halton Spartans, Crewe Railroaders

 

SOUTH CONFERENCE TWO

BURY SAINTS v BOURNEMOUTH BOBCATS

KENT EXILES v WEMBLEY STALLIONS

BRISTOL APACHE v LONDON HORNETS

SUSSEX THUNDER v OXFORD SAINTS

In contention – Cornish Sharks, Swindon Storm

 

 

UKFD Coaches Poll

The Premier North is wide open now but that doesn’t change the picture at the top of the UKFD Coaches Poll. London Warriors are still the team to beat and it seems they will once again lead the way into the postseason.

Conference One saw no change as well, even after some dramatic results last week. Last year’s National Bowl finalists look set to meet again barring something dramatic and Farnham are the cream of the South according to our panel.

West Coast’s loss to Glasgow sees them drop out the list completely, no surprise really given the teams that were queuing up behind them to take their place. Sandwell jump up from the Wild Card place, and Sussex are now in that position.

 

 

PREMIER CONFERENCE

1.       LONDON WARRIORS (6-0)

2.       LONDON BLITZ (6-1)

3.       TAMWORTH PHOENIX (7-1)

CONFERENCE ONE

1.       MERSEYSIDE NIGHTHAWKS (7-0-1)

2.       EDINBURGH WOLVES (8-1)

3.       FARNHAM KNIGHTS (7-1)

CONFERENCE TWO

1.       BURY SAINTS (8-0)

2.       MANCHESTER TITANS (8-0)

3.       SANDWELL STEELERS (8-0)

WILD CARD

SUSSEX THUNDER (8-1)

Coaches Panel from – Bury, Ouse Valley, Berkshire and Aberdeen.

East Kent Mavericks celebrate 10th anniversary with game against Colchester

Article by James Webb (Mavericks)

Photo courtesy of Ken Matcham

 

The East Kent Mavericks continued their season with a home game versus the 5-2 Colchester Gladiators. This looked to be a difficult fixture for the Mavericks as the strong Colchester side found some great form in the second half of the season. The game took place at the Mavericks' new ground where they had been victorious with their first game against the Birmingham Bulls. This was to be the first of two games in two weeks against Colchester as the Mavericks are set to travel away on the 26th of July. The game started with a high tempo and good aggression from both teams. The first touchdown came when a short pass from Colchester found a receiver in space who continued after the catch with a 40 yard run to the end zone. The 1 point conversion was successful.

 

The Mavericks answered back quickly with a long pass finding receiver Chris Lacey, who almost broke through to go all the way himself. QB Luke Jones then found some space carrying 30 yards before being put out just 1 yard short of the end zone. He wasn’t done here though as he stepped up with a QB sneak into the end zone to bring the score up 7-6 to Colchester. The Mavericks had a chance to take the lead, but the 2 point conversion was missed. Colchester showed the strength in their run game as they powered down the field before finishing off with a 15 yard run into the end zone. The 1 point conversion was missed. The next score went to Colchester as they began to open up a lead. With strong running, they finished with a 10 yard run into the end-zone and the 1 point conversion was successful. It began to look as if the Mavericks were struggling to react to a very physically run game. The 1st quarter ended with Colchester firmly in the driving seat with a 20-6 lead.

Colchester looked to push forward after a strong first quarter. But the Mavericks' defence began to unlock the key to preventing the Colchester offence; there was only a missed field goal that proved to be the only real attempt of scoring. The Mavericks' offense continued to struggle with consistency as there were some good plays but not enough to cause any real impact to the Colchester defence. The Colchester offense had one last say as they had a run from 12 yard out reach the end zone. The field goal was blocked before Richie Bowen picked up the loose ball before running the length to end the game with a 33-8 score line. The Mavericks continue to show that they have the talent to beat any of the teams in their division, but until their consistency improves this looks unlikely to be achieved.