Thunder are Champions!

Posted in: BritBowl, BritBowl, Sussex Thunder    By Tony Miller Oct 1, 2008 - 3:27:13 PM

 

BAFL 1 Championship

Sussex Thunder 20 Redditch Arrows 18 (FINAL - 4/OT)

 

In a night of high tension and drama at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, the Crawley based Sussex Thunder achieved the biggest result in the club’s short history when they lifted the BAFL 1 National Championship. The game set a record as the longest ever Championship game in British American football, with game finally ending when free safety James West broke up a two point conversion in the fourth period of overtime, after the game had finished 6-6 at the end of regulation.

 

Adam Fishlock celebrates touchdown with Paul Robinson.

The game was a tight defensive battle with neither team being able to dominate the other for any sustained period of time. Redditch elected to receive the opening kick off and made the worst possible start, when on just the third play of the game Dale Smart, intercepted Arrows quarterback Richard Wilde’s attempted pass at the Arrows 45 yard line. The Thunder wasted no time to press home the advantage, with quarterback Eber Kington completing a 32 yard pass to Adam Fishlock, and a six yard run by Kington put them at the Arrows eleven. From where, a pinpoint pass found Phil Allman in the endzone for the opening touchdown.

 

The Arrows, with BAFL 1’s highest scoring offense, looked to level the scores straight away, putting together a twelve play drive which took them to the Sussex one yard line, however as they tried to drive the ball into the endzone, a big hit caused the runner to fumble the ball and linebacker Chris Percival recovered the ball to maintain the Thunder’s advantage. With both defenses holding the upper hand, the next scoring opportunity came five minutes before the break, when Percival attempted a 25 yard field goal, but to no avail.

 

Redditch, who up until now had been content to run the ball, decided to take a chance in the air to get back level before half time. The Thunder’s defensive unit though, then showed why they led BAFL 1 this season, when first James West and then Dale Smart, for the second time picked off Wilde pass attempts. Half time came with the Thunder holding a slender six point lead.

 

Into the second half and the game was still proving to be a very tight affair. The Thunder had a chance to increase their lead twice in quick succession, but another field goal attempt was blocked and Kington’s pass was intercepted in the endzone. With the clock ticking away, the Arrows knew they had to produce something special to get back into the game and a big effort saw them push the Thunder back deep into their own territory. Unable to break down Sussex in the air, the Arrows kept the ball on the ground and behind some great blocking, running back Toby Rhodes powered home from eleven yards out to tie the scores.

 

With both teams standing firm and giving no quarter, there was no further scoring opportunities until the final two minutes. Once again it was the Sussex defense that came up with a big play. Backed up towards their own endzone with the running game now shut down, Redditch back up quarterback Solomon, decided to chance his arm and tried to connect with receiver down the sideline, but Chris Jones timed it to perfection, making the interception in full stride and returning it 18 yards into Redditch territory. Kington went for the kill and aimed a pass towards Allman in the corner of the endzone, but the Arrows Jonathan Ward managed to grab the interception. However instead of taking the touchback, the Arrows defensive back decided to try and run the ball out but was gang tackled at the Redditch one. The Arrows had the ball, but would be under pressure, knowing the Sussex defense would be coming all out with the ball that close to their own goal line.

 

Chris Lampey goes in for the score in overtime.

The Thunder gave up nothing and forced the Arrows to kick the ball away. This gave Sussex one last roll of the dice to take the game with a field goal from 22 yards, but following a defensive penalty, confusion ensued and time expired before they could get the field goal attempt off.

 

So, overtime it was to be, and the nerves would be stretched more than ever. On the first series neither team could make the breakthrough, or the second, both teams missing field goal attempts.

 

In the third overtime period, Kington found Fishlock who went in for the go ahead score. 12-6 Thunder. Could they now stop Redditch? No, back came the Arrows and Wilde, back in the game, threw left to McLeod for the tying score. 12-12.

 

MVP Eber Kington heading for the winning score.

Start again in the fourth overtime period. With Redditch expecting the deep pass, Kington came off the play action and dumped the ball off to Chris Lampey, who cut right, to the 20, to the 15, he’s stopped, NO, he spins free. Touchdown! Lampey, arm aloft, goes in for the score, 18-12 Thunder. Kington, takes the responsibility of the 2 point conversion on his shoulders and dives into the endzone. 20-12 Thunder! This is it; Redditch must score to save the game, half the players on the sideline can’t bear to watch. The ball’s snapped, Wilde drops back, looks, sees Solomon open, throws, complete! Next play, Mark Collett takes the hand-off…touchdown!!! Not again… nothing can separate these two sides. 20-18 to the Thunder.

 

It’s now past 11:00pm and Redditch must convert the 2 pointer to take us to a fifth overtime. Wilde takes the snap, looks, fires the pass, and the ball is batted down by Thunder safety James West. The game is over, the Thunder sideline erupt and invade the field. The Thunder claim their first National Title.

 

Quarterback Eber Kington was selected as the games MVP, He finished with 170 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. Receiver Adam Fishlock caught five passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Paul Nixon with 20 tackles, and a blocked field goal led the defense.

 

Sussex Head Coach Len Scott said after the game, “I know it’s an old cliché, but it hasn’t sunk in yet. This was just an incredible performance by every member of the team. Not just the players, but the coaches, the staff, the management, our supporters, everybody has played their part.” He added, “All season long we have been written off from all sides. Before our first game at Oxford, we were tipped to get beat by 4 or 5 touchdowns, we won and kept a clean sheet, and as the season progressed it just carried on. We listened to people saying we wouldn’t make the play-offs, we wouldn’t win the Conference, we wouldn’t make the final, we wouldn’t win the final, but we did all of those!”

Club Chairman Tony Miller also commented, “The player’s have shown an inner resolve and togetherness this year that I have never seen in a team at this level before. No one person was willing to give up on their dream this year. On the way back from our first game this year, one of our players, one of the most popular players on the squad, a 15 year veteran, had a phone call giving him the news that his mother had passed away, just 20 minutes after calling him to find out the score. The whole team, as one, dedicated the rest of the season to him and his mum, and when later in the season the same player suffered a broken leg during a game, I think that was the moment we knew we would go all the way. Nothing was going to stop us.”

 

Coach Scott also praised the Arrows; “This was an unbelievably tough, physical game, with some very big hitting from both teams. It’s a heart-breaking way to lose a final, but unfortunately there has to be a loser. Both teams were a credit to their organisations, the league and the game of football in general”.

 

The Thunder will now take a deserved break from action until the new year, when they will report back to prepare for the new season in the top flight of British American football.

 

The club will hold their annual Awards dinner before Christmas, please check the club’s website, www.sussex-thunder.co.uk, for details if you would like to attend and join the celebrations of this year’s achievements.

 

 

 

 

All photo's courtesy of Ian Muir.

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