Cardinals bear the brunt of Thor’s Hammer

Posted in: Sussex Thunder, BAFL 1    By Sussex Thunder Jun 2, 2008 - 12:48:43 PM

 
Ipswich Cardinals 0 Sussex Thunder 20

The Thunder took their record to 2-1 for the season with another outstanding performance from their swarming defense. For the third game running, the “Thor’s Hammer” defense came down on its opponents and has still yet to concede a touchdown this season. The visiting Cardinals were unable to even reach the home sides 20 yard line and the nearest they came to scoring was when they were forced to attempt a 45 yard field goal which was unsuccessful.

The Thunder offense which had spluttered and coughed in the first two games finally began to gel, and three rushing touchdowns in the first half put the game out of the Cardinals’ reach. With the defense stopping everything Ipswich could throw at them, the Bewbush based outfit moved to second place in the BAFL 1 South Conference.

Chris Percival.

On the Thunder’s first possession, a fumble on their own 35 gave the ball to the visitors, but the hammer come down straight away, when on the very next play, linebacker Chris Percival picked off a pass over the middle and returned it 38 yards to the Cardinal 40. With a mix of run and pass the Thunder moved the ball downfield to the three, from where running back Chris Lampey went in for the score, Percival kicked the conversion and Sussex had a seven point advantage.

They soon increased the lead, when on Ipswich’s next possession, a thundering hit by rookie defensive end Ant Morrison knocked the ball loose and George Korischar recovered it. A 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct on the Cardinals put Sussex in scoring range, a 20 yard run by Phil Allman took the Thunder close to the goal line, but a strong stand by the Cardinals’ defense forced Sussex to go for a field goal. However a penalty for roughing the holder gave the home side a new set of downs at the two. Two plays later Allman sprinted into the corner behind some great blocking to make the score 13-0, the point after attempt was blocked.

The Cardinals’ next drive produced their only scoring opportunity of the afternoon, when a 45 yard field goal attempt fell just short. The Thunder’s next drive saw them put together an 11 play, 76 yard drive, including a 38 yard run by Lampey, which culminated with full back Ian ”Scouse” Hughes driving home from two yards out. Percival again converted the extra point, which put the Thunder 20 points to the good, with over five minutes left in the half.

Sussex soon got the ball back again, when for the second possession running, a big hit on the ball carrier, this time by Paul Nixon and Kes Longhurst jarred the ball loose with cornerback Chris Jones recovering. Sussex tried to kill the game off, but despite a completion from Kington to Allman on fourth down, they were unable to increase their lead. Half –time arrived with the score 20-0 to the Thunder.

Midway through the third quarter the Cardinals put together their longest drive of the day, ten plays taking them to the Sussex 37 before turning the ball over on downs. With the Ipswich coaching staff making some adjustments at half time, the Cardinals managed to slow down the Thunder offense, but could make no inroads against the marauding Sussex defense, and the quarter ended with no further scoring.

Interception for Chris Jones.

On the first play of the final quarter, Chris Jones picked off a Johnson pass down the sideline and returned it 33 yards. The Cardinals defense stepped up on the next couple of Sussex drives and two sacks of quarterback Eber Kington gave them a chance to put a consolation score on the board. They got as far as the Sussex 21, when on third down, Ipswich quarterback Johnson tried to find his receiver in the corner of the endzone, but Dan Cuthbert- Brown stepped in front of his man at the two yard line to intercept the pass, and aided by some great blocking he took all the way for a 98-yard touchdown return, which to the surprise of everybody at the game was wiped out by a flag for unnecessary roughness on the return.

Lampey broke the 100 yard rushing mark.

Sussex then kept the ball on the ground, using up the clock. Ipswich took over on downs and had time to run just three plays, the game ended on a 15 yard quarterback sack by GB Lions defensive end Dave Lawrey.

Running back Chris Lampey finished the day with 115 yards rushing and a touchdown on his return from injury, and Phil Allman added 98 yards on the ground and also caught three passes.

The Thunder now move on to meet the Norwich Devils next Sunday at Bewbush Leisure Centre, kick-off at 2.30pm.

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