BAFA Leagues 2014 – Week Five results
We start our weekly review of the 2014 British American Football season down in the National South West. This particular division is starting to see the biggest split between its teams than any other. Out of the twelve games played so far only three have been decided by eight points or less, there have been seven shutouts, and scores of sixty points or over have been posted six times.
The two new teams in the division, Torbay Trojans and Portsmouth Dreadnoughts have yet to score a point between them, conceding 203. This week the Trojans suffered a huge 66-0 loss at the Solent Thrashers, while Portsmouth also went down heavily, 47-0 to Gloucester Centurions. Solent are now 3-0 and are being matched by the Farnham Knights who also won big this week, following a 61-6 mauling of the Cornish Sharks.
Across to the South East and we have another 3-0 team. The Watford Cheetahs had to work very hard against Bury Saints, but their 7-6 win sees them a game ahead of the Kent Exiles. Despite being 2-0 Kent played their first game – they were awarded a 1-0 walkover win over Maidstone after the Pumas withdrawal from the league – the Exiles had to come from 13-0 down early on to beat Ouse Valley Eagles 14-13. Essex Spartans won the divisions other game, a comfortable 36-8 win at home against the London Hornets.
Moving up to the Midlands and the only game played here was at Peterborough, the Saxons just having enough to outlast the Sandwell Steelers 18-8. Peterborough move on to 2-0 while the Steelers slip to 1-2.
The North West has a clear leader at last. Merseyside Nighthawks are 3-0 after a 20-0 at the Chester Romans. They travel to Staffordshire next week and another win will put them in a great position heading to the halfway stage of their season. The game between Crewe and Walney was postponed and will be rearranged for later in the year.
Up into the North and a great tussle between two teams needing a win, just to try and keep pace with high flying Clyde Valley. West Coast Trojans and Edinburgh Wolves both now sit at 1-1 after the Trojans nicked a high scoring encounter 46-38. Aberdeen Roughnecks are still finding their feet in the big leagues and they crashed heavily at the Glasgow Tigers 40-0.
Bristol Aztecs were the big winners in the Premier South recording a 52-0 home win over the South Wales Warriors, while the London Olympians improved to 2-0 with a hard fought win at the Berkshire Renegades, 23-18 the final score. Berkshire are now 0-4 and from here will be looking to play the part of spoiler as they try and salvage a winning record for the year.
Four games in the Premier North and we start with a battle between two previously unbeaten teams, Tamworth Phoenix defeated the Coventry Jets 12-0 and are now in firm control of the division at 3-0, but East Kilbride were idle again this week and they could be the real threat here. Nottingham Caesars are now 1-1 after a 14-6 win over Doncaster Mustangs. Likewise the Lancashire Bombers improved to 1-1 after a narrow 19-12 conquest of the Birmingham Bulls. Lastly the Yorkshire Rams and Sheffield Predators started their 2014 campaigns, the hosts holding out for an 11-8 win.
