Crucial errors gift Hurricanes and Wolverines away wins
It was a double dose of defeat for the home team at Wishaw on Sunday as both the Clyde Valley Blackhawks and Lanarkshire Longhorns fell to frustrating losses in key match-ups. While the Blackhawks gifted three touchdowns to Dundee in a 22-14 reverse, the Longhorns had two mammoth pick sixes nullified in their 10-0 loss to the still undefeated Lancashire Wolverines.
First up was a BAFANL Division 2 North battle between the Blackhawks and a Dundee Hurricanes side that were coming off a shutout defeat against the Edinburgh Wolverines the previous week. While some pundits seemed certain of a convincing away victory, in truth, Clyde Valley gifted the game to the opposition. The Blackhawks easily won the yardage battle, outgaining the Hurricanes 237-100, with Dundee managing just 13 yards passing the entire game, although the receivers hardly helped out their quarterback on that front, with a series of crucial drops.
A scrappy first half was highlighted by two touchdowns on the back of individual errors. Firstly, Davie Orr muffed a punt which gifted the ball to the Hurricanes at the one-yard line. They opened the scoring on the first play of the drive and converted the two point attempt to open up an 8-0 lead.
The Blackhawks defence, so impressive throughout the game, responded with an interception through Robert McCulloch that led to a seven yard touchdown pass from James Keogh to Gary Orr, who accounted for all of the Blackhawks 69 receiving yards. At the half, the Hurricanes held an 8-7 lead, but it wasn’t long before that was increased.
A Tam Chapman punt was blocked, leaving the Hurricanes with another short field as they took over just inside the red zone. Despite frantic and spirited tackling, Dundee were able to punch it home from two yards out and yet again add the two-pointer for a 16-7 lead.
While the Blackhawks were desperate to reduce the arrears on the next drive, it was the Hurricanes who would pounce just four plays later. A 38 yard kick return from Gary Orr gave the home side ideal field position, but a pass from Keogh was intercepted and returned 55 yards for what proved to be the deciding score.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes held a convincing, if not wholly deserved, two score lead, and it is a testament to the desire and spirit of the Blackhawks that they did not fold. Davie Orr made amends for his earlier mistake by plunging in from three yards out to complete a 59 yard drive, while Tam Chapman missed a field goal that would have put the Blackhawks within five.
On the back of Chapman and Orr, who combined for 112 yards rushing, the Blackhawks drove down the field with relative ease three times in the final quarter, but were unable to deliver the decisive blow that would have given them a victory that few would have begrudged. A Keogh pass intended for Gary Orr was intercepted in the end zone in the dying seconds as the Blackhawks chances faded.
With both teams going at it all over again next week in Dundee, the Blackhawks can certainly travel north with the belief and confidence that they can make amends and come back home with the win.
The second match of the double-header was an enticing battle between the Lanarkshire Longhorns (2-1) and the undefeated Lancashire Wolverine Colts (3-0). With the Gateshead Senators not playing this weekend, the winner of this outcome would have bragging rights atop the Junior North division.
While Chris Jones’ pre-match chant/dance may have fired the Longhorns up, the Wolverines swept through the Lanarkshire defence in the opening drive with ease. However, despite having a first and goal at the 4-yard line, the Wolverines were unable to score. A 1-yard touchdown run was negated for too many men in the backfield.
Following that opening drive, both offences stuttered and struggled to get much going. The Longhorns themselves also had a touchdown called back in the first quarter. Nicky Farrell beautifully picked off an errant pass at his own 21 and took it to the house, only for a personal foul to be called on Willie McLaughlin that took the ball all the way back to the 21 again.
Adam Kyle was in the thick of the action for the Longhorns in the early part of the second quarter, first getting his fingertips to break up what would have been a first down that forced the Wolverines to punt, before making a 28 yard play to give his side a first and 10 at the 39. He did, however, commit a fumble that gifted the ball back to the Wolverines.
It was that kind of day for Lanarkshire, as every big play they made seemed to be negated by a flag or followed by an error. The first half finished with the Wolverines sacking Farrell twice and they rode that momentum after the break.
The away team opened the scoring in the third quarter on a seven yard run, while they were able to stop the Longhorns offence, which had been racking up the points this season. Again, QB Farrell had a great play negated by a penalty, breaking tackle after tackle to run a seemingly no hope play into a 20 yard run on 3rd and 20.
Much like the Blackhawks earlier in the day, the Longhorns were their own worst enemy. The defensive display, however, was outstanding. With their backs to the wall yet again, the Longhorns were able to make big plays, forcing the Wolverines to settle for a 35 yard field goal that grazed the crossbar, having been first and goal.
With the boys in red needing a slice of luck, Farrell was stripped of the ball on one of his mazy runs after which point frustration seemed to creep in amongst many of the players. With time running out, Lanarkshire thought they had given themselves a slimmer of hope after an interception was returned 90 yards for a score inside the two minute warning. It was to be a case of déjà vu all over again, though, as an unsportsmanlike penalty was called on Nicky Farrell that negated the score, effectively sealing the 10-0 triumph for the Wolverines.
While both Lancashire and Dundee travelled home with the win, it could have been so very different if not for a couple of key errors in both games, but hey, I guess that’s the wonder of football.