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The Cambridgeshire Cats American Football team are eager to embark on the 2007 British American Football League season, after an arduous off-season training schedule of nearly six months. The wait will soon be over, as The Cats have the honour of opening the “Road to Britbowl XXI” on Easter Sunday as they host divisional rival, the Maidstone Pumas in the inaugural game of the new season.
Following a league restructure, The Cats and Pumas have both been allotted to BAFL 2 South East, so will meet each-other twice in 2007, having met just once as inter-conference rivals last season. That game, also at the Cats home, was one of the highlights of the season, as a strong Cats defense finally lived up to it’s potential, keeping the Pumas off the scoreboard and affording the offense enough possession to accrue 22 points themselves.
Despite this impressive victory a year ago, the Cats cannot afford to take the Mid-Kent outfit lightly, with a large influx of rookie talent sure to bolster the Pumas. Despite finishing with 2 wins and 8 loses in 2006, Maidstone have been impressive in pre-season, scrimmaging against last years Britbowl finalists London Blitz.
A lot can change over an off-season in this sport, as Cats Head Coach Rick Bice can attest to: “When I took over has Head Coach during the 2005 season, this team had taken heavy hits both on and off the field in which we finished 1-9. Once we completed the 2005 season, we recruited heavily but were rocked again with the death of Team Captain Glen Paveley. This created a family focus for this team, intent on doing our best in his memory. As a result we posted a successful turn-around season for 2006, culminating in a 5-4-1 record. The losses only came to playoff teams, which is something that could not be said for the previous campaign! For 2007, our expectations are high! We have had a great off-season both in recruiting and training and are looking forward to our Easter Sunday opener!”
The Pumas as an organisation are in their twentieth year; however, this season marks their tenth in the senior league, and such longevity in the sport points to a solid structure sure to produce solid football teams. The Cats themselves are only in their sixth season in their current incarnation, and invite spectators to Cats Field, Coldhams Common, Pool Way, Cambridge to see for in person how far the development has come. Kick-off is at 2:30pm, Sunday 8th April.