Images courtesy of Gareth Brown Photography
On Sunday 10th April the Oxford Saints opened the 2016 season in front of a decent crowd
with a 36-12 home win over the visiting Cornish
Sharks.
Following a successful 2015 season in Division II Southern Football Conference West, the Saints made the
playoff stage but fell in the quarter finals to the Sussex Thunder, who have since been promoted to Division I.
Competing in the same conference, the Saints will be looking
for a deep playoff run and have made many improvements on and off the field in
preparation.
Moving to Tilsley
Park in Abingdon, the Saints
have agreed terms to play all home games at this new venue which has been
recently renovated and a 3G field added.
An addition to the squad is American servicemen Destin Maulding as quarterback,
bringing experience from playing high school football in the USA.
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| QB Destin Maulding - by Gareth Brown |
Matt Walsh, site
manager for Tilsley Park was named the special guest and selected to perform
the pre-game coin toss with the team captains.
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| Site Manager Matt Walsh tosses the coin - by Gareth Brown |
1st Quarter
The Saints began with possession of the ball and made good
progress with a strong performance from running back #24 Rob Johnson, picking up 25 yards on 3 carries.
On the 6th play of the drive, Oxford quarterback #14 Destin
Maulding found the towering tight end #83 Richard
Bloomer uncovered in the end zone and completed the pass for the score.
This marked the opening touchdown of the season and Bloomer claimed the first
score at the Saints new home.
Oxford's rookie kicker #80 Sam Fielden lined up for the extra point kick but the ball was not
set in place in time and instead holder Ian
Hiscock made the call to scramble with the ball and pitched it to Richard
Bloomer who attempted to run it in to the left for a 2 point score. Just as he
was being tackled, Bloomer successfully pitched the ball again to Sam Fielden
on the outside, who ran it in for the 2 point score. 8-0 Oxford.
The Sharks hit back quickly with a deep pass from
quarterback #14 Peter Carlin which
was hauled in by his receiver, costing the Saints heavily and brought the
Sharks within a few yards of the end zone. The play was reminiscent of when the
two teams last met in 2015 and the Sharks went for the deep ball on the first
play of the game, catching the Saints defenders off guard.
Peter Carlin sneaked the ball across the line on only the
3rd play of the drive to score the touchdown. Looking to even the score with a
2 point attempt, Carlin's pass was incomplete. 8-6 Oxford.
The Saints continued to look on good form with Destin
Maulding showing his talent and speed as he led Oxford's offense towards the end
zone again. Maulding took off on one play and ran the ball up the sideline for
a 9 yard gain and then capped the drive off by running the ball into the end
zone himself for a 13 yard touchdown.
Sam Fielden lined up for the extra point kick which was
good, extending the lead to 15-6 for Oxford.
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| George Wright lands a big sack on the Sharks QB - by Gareth Brown |
The Saints defense held strong on Cornwall's next drive with
tackles from #99 George Wright and
#51 Sam Stancombe,
bringing the ball carriers to the ground on back to back plays, forcing the
visitors to punt the ball.
2nd Quarter
Maulding went to work on the next drive and completed a deep
pass to tight end #6 Grant Tebb for
a 21 yard gain, followed by a 19 yard pass to #83 Richard Bloomer who charged
into the end zone for his second touchdown of the afternoon. Fielden kicked the
extra point and the Saints went up 22-6.
Cornwall's Peter Carlin and his offense were beginning to
move the ball on the ground with short but consistent gains. After picking up a
first down, Oxford defender #52 Conor
Whitehouse (later awarded Defense MVP) made an outstanding play and charged
through Cornwall’s offensive line to deliver a big hit to the ground on the
ball carrier, setting them back -5 yards. The Sharks attempted to recover the
lost ground with another run attempt but were stopped by #48 Graeme Taylor,
forcing another punt.
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| Conor Whitehouse lands a big hit on a Sharks runner - by Gareth Brown |
Oxford's next drive saw this biggest pass play of the day
with quarterback Destin Maulding throwing a perfect ball 42 yards downfield
into the talented hands of Grant Tebb, hauling in the reception for a huge gain
and to applause of the Saints sideline and spectators.
Running back #7 James
Walter, selected for the GB National
Team in the offseason, attempted to move the ball on the ground but the
Sharks had already identified him as the key threat in the game and worked hard
to minimise his impact.
A deep pass intended for Walter was contested in the air but
fell incomplete, forcing the offense to punt the ball away for the first time.
Closing out the 2nd quarter, Whitehouse delivered another
solid tackle for a loss of yards on the Sharks ball carrier, with teammate Sam
Stancombe claiming three tackles on the same drive, allowing the Sharks offense
minimal or no gains.
3rd Quarter
With the Sharks beginning the 2nd half with the ball, the
Saints defense began to increase the pressure with #54 Dean Bryan and Stancombe stopping the ball carrier on the first
play for no gain.
On the next play, linebacker #68 Calvin Holmes read the quarterback's movements and intercepted the
pass from Carlin, racing it 35 yards into the end zone for a touchdown with
thunderous cheers and applause from the fans.
Fielden remained on perfect form in his first regular season
game and kicked the extra point.
The remainder of the 3rd quarter saw both teams unable to
find the end zone but an improving Sharks defense, which managed to sack the
nimble Maulding for an 8 yard loss and successfully kept the Oxford offense out
of the end zone.
4th Quarter
The Saints defense continued to be formidable with tackles
from Graeme Taylor, George Wright and tackles for loss of yards by Calvin
Holmes and rookie #55, Eric Mendoza.
In the air, defender #3 Ian
Hiscock broke up two pass attempts and prevented Carlin from connecting
with his targeted receivers. George Wright delivered a punch with a sack on
Carlin to end the drive, delivering the Sharks a -6 yards loss.
Later in the 4th quarter, the Sharks were in scoring
distance after a stalled Saints drive turned over possession of the ball deep
in their own territory. The ball was handed off to #21 Mark Womble who ran into
the end zone from 15 yards out for a touchdown.
Womble attempted to run the ball in again for the 2 point
conversion but was unsuccessful.
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| Grant Tebb in action - by Gareth Brown |
The final drive for the Saints offense saw Walter and Tebb
bearing the load with both players moving the ball well up the field. From 20
yards out, the ball was put in the capable hands of Walter who charged towards
the end zone and easily out ran the Cornish defenders in pursuit, claiming his
first touchdown at Tilsley Park.
Fielden kicked another successful extra point and the hosts
ended the game with a 36-12 victory.
The next home game for Oxford is 24th April against
conference favourites, the Bristol Apache. Full schedule and dates available
here http://www.oxfordsaints.com/schedule/.
Game highlights
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