Caesars do down fighting

Posted in: Nottingham Caesars, BAFL 1    By John Burnett May 27, 2009 - 9:57:37 AM

Nottingham Caesars 0-24 South Wales Warriors

 

Nottingham Caesars travelled to the South Wales Warriors for a BAFL 1, South West Conference game. This was the first encounter in recent years between the teams so the Warriors were an unknown quantity to the Caesars. With the Warriors coming to the game, following 2 successive victories and the Caesars looking to bounce back from a narrow defeat there was all to play for. The Caesars were hoping to take 33 players to the game but 3 late withdrawals depleted the squad even further. In the pre game warm up there was some hurried rearranging as the Caesars had to counter the absence of key players. With the sun shining brightly and the temperature rising the game kicked off.

The Warriors won the toss and elected to receive the ball the Caesars defense took to the field. The Warriors put together a series of drives which gained some meaningful yards but did not threaten the Caesars goal line as the visiting defense held firm. With the ball being handed over to the Caesars offense on their 25 yard line the Caesars offense looked move the ball down field. On the first play of the drive the normally reliable combination of quarter back Dan Johnson and running back Simon Dale failed as the ball was fumbled, as a hand off was attempted. With the Warriors defense diving on the ball they recovered the fumble to put their offense in charge of the ball and in excellent field position at the Caesars 15 yard line. South Wales took full advantage of this mistake as on the first play of the drive quarterback Chris Taylor took to the air as he launched a 15 yard pass to find wide receiver Sam Williams in the Nottingham endzone, 6-0 to the Warriors. They then attempted to add the extra point put the kick was successfully blocked by the Caesars. With the Caesars then receiving the ball kick return specialist Allan Mc Kay returned put was brought down on the Caesars 23 yard line. With the Caesars offense now in charge of the ball they looked to attack the Warriors goal line and make amends for their earlier mistake. However in a virtual carbon copy of the first touchdown the ball was again fumbled as Dan Johnson attempted to hand the ball off to running back Simon Dale, only this time the Warriors player Earl Palmer scooped up the ball and sprinted into the end zone to score another touchdown, 12-0 to the Warriors. Again the Warriors went for the extra point, but again the Caesars blocked the kick. This double body blow rocked the Caesars which would test the resolve and find out what they were made of, in particular rookie quarterback Dan John Johnson. To his great credit Johnson did not buckle and stepped straight back into the fray which saw him regain his confidence as the game went on.

Early in the second quarter the Warriors further extended their lead as again an error from the Caesars offense left the Warriors in a great position which they exploited when running back Tony Skipper evaded a number of tackles to run in the ball. 18-0 to the Warriors, for the third time in the game the Warriors attempted to kick the extra point but a hat trick of blocks by the Caesars defense thwarted their efforts. Some serious talking, on the side line, to the Caesars offense by co-ordinator Steve Brittle seemed to fire them up, as when they took to the field they started to press hard and gain some first down as running backs Simon Dale 36 yards and Scott Messom 24 yards started to find the space to gain the yards. With the Caesars defense lead by line backer Karl Walkinshaw allowing the Warriors very little yardage, as the stats will show the tackles were spread evenly within the defense.

In the third quarter the game took on a more even feel as there was no scores as both defenses held firm.

The fourth quarter saw the Warriors add one more score, as following a devastating run by their running back Martin Tranter, who gained 50 plus yards, before being hauled him down on the Caesars 22 yard line. This put the Warriors in a great position; they went to the air again as quarterback Chris Taylor found wide receiver Dave Pruett in the Caesars endzone, 24-0 to the Warriors. Having been thwarted 3 times in their attempts to kick the extra point this time the Warriors tried to run the ball in for 2 points but again the Caesars defense held firm and the points were lost. With time running out for the Caesars they made a valiant attempt to score but were unable to make an impression.
The game was more evenly matched than the score would suggest and if it were not for the 3 errors by the Caesars offense they could have been a different outcome to the game.

The Caesars now have 2 weeks off to train, recover and work on their techniques before the embark on a 3 games in 3 weeks run starting with an away trip to old foes Tamworth Phoenix. In 2009 the teams meet 3 times winning one game each and tying a third. So it’s all to play for.

Digg this story!    |     Email this article    |     Printer friendly page