Colchester Gladiators 0- 7 East Kent Mavericks
The
Colchester Gladiators American Football Club suffered their first defeat of the
season to the East Kent Mavericks in a tough defensive battle that was in doubt
until the final whistle.
The long
trip to Canterbury appeared to sap the strength from the Gladiators’ offense
and it took them until the second half to make much headway against a young and
athletic Mavericks defensive unit. The Gladiators defense however, kept the
team in the game right until the end.
The home
team won the toss and elected to receive the ball and proceeded to march into
Gladiators territory. Gladiator’s cornerback Tom Clarke had other ideas though
and after reaching the Gladiators 10 yard line, Mavericks quarterback Simon
Mackerill tried to find a receiver in the endzone but Clarke played the pass
perfectly and jumped to make the interception.
The Colchester
offense went backwards on their first possession and were forced to punt. The
Mavericks again drove deep into the Gladiators half but strong defensive play
by Matt Selby, and a stop on third down by Steve O’Callaghan and Calum Endean,
forced a field goal attempt that was missed.
The
Gladiators continued to struggle offensively and punted on their first four
possessions but Paul Brunsden recovered a Mackerill fumble to stop one drive
and forced another, which was recovered by O’Callaghan.
But after
a Gladiators interception gave the Mavericks the ball just 25 yards out, the defense
could not hold them out. Mackerill looked for his receiver John Zinkus who,
despite excellent coverage, made a great catch at the back of the endzone for
what proved to be the only score of the day. Kicker Scott Shephard slotted the
extra point to give the Mavericks a 7-0 lead at the half.
The
Gladiators offense started the second half in a determined mood and strong
running by Duncan Flack and Paul Gates took the ball into the home teams half,
to the 30. An untimely fumble however was recovered by the Mavericks to thwart the
drive but three plays later the Gladiators had the ball back when safety Nick
Foxley intercepted Mackerill.
The East
Kent defense stepped up to halt the following drive and after an exchange of
punts, another promising Gladiators drive, their best of the day lasting 13
plays and 55 yards, was ended by another fumble.
It was
still all to play for as the final quarter began but both defenses continued
their dominance with the home defense twice stopping the visitors on downs and
the Gladiators forcing consecutive punts and blocking one.
The
Mavericks managed to get into field goal range for another attempt as time was
running out, but a poor kick was well wide of the post. The Gladiators then
threw their third interception of the day, their fifth turnover in total, on
their final drive and the Mavericks held out for a hard earned win.
Head
Coach Matt Roberts was disappointed with the loss but could not fault his
players for their efforts. Matt Selby again stood out on the defense with 10
tackles, four for losses, and a sack, and Duncan Flack earned every one of his
81 yards rushing.
The
Gladiators have two weeks to prepare for their first home game of the season on
Sunday 11th May, against everyone’s tips for the BAFL2 title, the
London Cobras. The match will be played at Wivenhoe Town Football Club, with a
2.30pm kick off.