Thrashers play off hopes still alive.
Posted in:
Hampshire Thrashers,
BAFL 2
By Dave Scott
Aug 4, 2007 - 9:13:16 AM
The Thrashers maintained their slim playoff chances last
weekend with their second straight win in eight days with a 27-7 win over the
Plymouth Admirals.
It was a match of
two contrasting halves, with the first being wide open and high scoring and the
second being scoreless, a little scrappy but hard fought on both sides.
Froggett makes the interception.
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Andover hit the ground
running and picked up immediately where they had left off against the Warriors
the previous week.
Sam Froggett
returned the opening kick off and burst down the field to the Admirals twenty
yard line.
Two plays later, Andy
Mountain found Mike Whitston open in the end zone from seven yards.
Whitston converted the extra point to give
Andover an early advantage.
Froggett
was back in the action again three plays later, when he intercepted the
Admirals and returned it twenty nine yards to the Plymouth twelve yard
line.
Three plays later, Mountain
connected with Eddie Bell from one yard out to double the Andover advantage.
Whitston was again successful with the extra
point.
Beckford breaks free.
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Both teams then exchanged
possession as the defenses began to assert some control.
At the end of the first quarter, Richard
Beckford broke loose on the ground for the second straight week, this time
escaping down the sideline for a sixty three yard touchdown run.
Whitston nailed his third extra point.
Plymouth were forced to punt again and the
Thrashers made it count by passing their way down the field.
Rookie Peter McDoughall finished off the
drive with a six yard run for the score, also his second in consecutive
weeks.
Plymouth mounted a drive of
their own as the second half drew to a close, rushing down the field and
punching it in for the score when Nick Copley burst through from four yards
out.
Both teams then exchanged punts as
the half time closed with Andover ahead 27-7.
Interception from Hurford.
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The second half proved to be a completely different affair
with plenty of turnovers as both defenses rose to the challenge.
Phil Price missed an easy interception that
could have been returned for a score on Plymouth's second drive of the
half.
However, he made up for his this
error by picking off another pass two plays later.
On the next Plymouth drive, Eddie Jenkins recovered another turnover,
this time a fumble, but on each occasion Andover was forced to punt.
As the fourth quarter got underway, Andover
punted the ball away, only for it to bounce awkwardly into a Plymouth player
and become a live ball that the Thrashers recovered.
Next play Whitston made one of his best ever catches juggling a
ball in mid air round his back and coming down with it on the sideline.
Unfortunately the drive stalled again, with
Mountain being intercepted a few plays later.
Craig Hurford made sure this amounted to nothing as he returned the
favour to Plymouth on the very next play by picking off a wayward pass of
theirs.
Price grabbed a second
interception near the end of the game but once more this didn’t convert into
points.
On the final play of the game,
Pete Macey grabbed the only sack of the game as he burst through the Plymouth line.
This left the final score as it was at the
half, 27-7.
Pick of the receivers Swinson
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On offense R. Beckford was awarded Offensive MVP for the
second straight week with his 10 rushes for 99 yards and a score.
Chris Swinson was the pick of the receivers
with 3 catches for 62 yards.
Whitston
chipped in 4 catches for 40 yards and a score as well as three extra
points.
On defense, Froggett (defensive
MVP also for the second straight week) had a busy day with 5 solo tackles and 6
assisted as well as an interception.
Vivian had 4 solo tackles, 3 assisted and a fumble recovery along with
Macey who found himself in the thick of the action with 5 assists.
Martyn Seddon recorded three quarterback
hurries whilst Al Heaton grabbed another two.
This win, coupled with a Cornish loss on Sunday, means
Andover’s slim playoff hopes are still alive, albeit requiring results to go
their way elsewhere around the division.
The Thrashers last game of the 2007 season is on Sunday 12th
Aug, as they travel the short distance to Reading to take on the
Renegades.
The game kicks off at
2:30.
Further information about the
match or the team can be found at www.andoverthrashers.com
or email chairman Dave Scott at Dscott0934@aol.com
Images courtesy of
John Egremont
