BAFA Leagues 2014 – Week Seven results
A couple of unexpected results, and a couple of the usual blow out games that we have come accustomed to in the opening weeks of the British American Football season. Our Week Seven review starts in the National North West and the game which we tipped to be the game of the day. It didn’t fail to live up to its billing.
Staffordshire Surge are one of those teams that will play hard to the very end, the same can be said of the Manchester Titans. Both teams needed a win to stay close to the unbeaten Merseyside Nighthawks who despite being idle could not lose their place on top of this division with their 4-0 record. Manchester had the ball and were driving to victory but in the dying seconds the Surge came up with a big interception to seal a 26-21 win leaving both teams at 2-2. This sets up a great game next week when Merseyside host Staffordshire. Not to be forgotten in all this are the Chester Romans, they improved to 3-2 after a 36-0 home win against the Crewe Railroaders.
Staying in the National League we move down to the Midlands and another close game. Sandwell Steelers are in their first year of football and despite now being 1-3 after Sundays narrow 28-26 loss to the Leicester Falcons, they are staying competitive with the average margin of their defeats being just 13.3 points.
A couple of surprise results in the National South West. The previous 1-3 Gloucester Centurions just had enough to beat the Swindon Storm 21-14. The Storm are now 2-2 and the result didn’t help either team as they are way off the pace of division leaders Solent and Farnham, both 4-0. Solent reached that mark after making heavy work of the Bournemouth Bobcats, a team they were expected to roll over, the 26-18 final score suggested it wasn’t an easy day.
Up into the National North and the only game played was in Aberdeen as the Roughnecks are still finding life hard going, this time losing 48-6 to the West Coast Trojans. The Trojans have certainly found their feet after an opening day loss and have now won three straight.
In the Premier North it was a weekend to forget for the Doncaster Mustangs. Entering the weekend 0-2, they came out 0-4. The postponed Week Three game against East Kilbride was awarded to the Pirates as a 1-0 walkover as no other suitable date could be arranged, and then they got steamrollered by the Tamworth Phoenix 72-0. Yorkshire Rams won the big derby clash on Saturday, the 17-6 win at Lancashire Wolverines keeps them unbeaten. Sheffield got their first win of the year, a 28-6 road win at the Gateshead Senators puts them back on track, and the race for what seems like the last playoff place in the North will be a fight to the final weekend of the regular season.
Down in the Premier South current champions the London Warriors were simply too powerful for East Kent Mavericks, a 60-0 score being a very fair reflection of the game. Warriors are now 3-0, the same record as Bristol Aztecs as they won a thrilling game against the London Olympians, 20-14 the final there. If the top four slip up in anyway the new leaders of the chasing pack are Cambridgeshire Cats. The 33-12 win over Colchester Gladiators gives them a 2-3 record to push on from. Lastly the Berkshire Renegades finally got in the win column with a low scoring 7-6 win at home against South Wales Warriors.
It was a tough weekend
