The reigning champion Thunderbolts reached their second successive NPL Final with an emphatic victory over the Gators from St.Helens. The Thunderbolts took an early lead but the Gators soon countered to level the score at 6-6. This was the signal for the Thunderbolts to move up a gear,
and it became one way traffic for the rest of the game, with the Gators scoring a consolation safety in the 4th quarter.

Thunderbolts scorers were Ez Charles with 3 rushing TDs, Gary Wakefield who collected 2 TD passes from QB Tony White, Darren Whybrow (2) and Les Jackson also caught passes for extra points. The defense also got on the scoreboard through Graham Scrace, who returned 2 interceptions and also claimed a safety, and Mark Gutteridge whose safety completed the tally.