The Sussex Thunder moved to a record of 6-1 in the BSL Division 2 South-Eastern Conference with a comfortable 27-0 win over the Sabres of Southend. Although the Thunder were themselves missing several key players, the masses of blue and black on the home sideline vastly outnumbered the green and white of the visitors with the Sabres only able to suit up fourteen players. However it is a testament to the indomitable spirit of Sabres’ football that not only was the game completed, but a highly competitive game at that.

The game started ideally for the Thunder as the opening kickoff was allowed to bounce and confusion in the Sabres’ return team allowed James West to recover the ball and give the Thunder excellent starting field position. Completions from Will Graystone to Mike Ashby and Chris Jones moved the ball to the Sabres’ 1, from where Andy Smythe went in for his 16^th TD of the season. Graystone found Jon Leese in the flats for the 2-point conversion and an 8-0 lead. Things quickly got better for the Thunder, when Guy Robbins collected an errant pass from the Sabres’ QB on 3^rd down and raced unopposed for a 31-yard TD to stretch the Sussex lead to 14 with barely 5 minutes played.

This seemed to be the cue for Sussex to take their foot off the gas, as a succession of 3-and-outs followed. Encouraged by this and by a couple of special teams miscues, the Sabres’ began to come more into the game, picking up a number of first downs through the solid running of their running back. An interception by Thunder cornerback Rob Ingram was the only other highlight of an otherwise scrappy 2^nd quarter. It wasn’t until the final two minutes of the half that Sussex again found the endzone, when Graystone hit Ashby for an 18-yard score. Paul Robinson’s PAT made the halftime score 21-0.

The 3^rd quarter saw Head Coach Warren Smart make a cameo appearance at QB, and there was life in the old arm as he rounded out the scoring with a 2-yard TD pass to Robinson in the 4^th quarter. Previously, having taken over in good field position after another punting mishap from Sussex, the Sabres running back carried them to within 2 yards of a score that they richly deserved. It wasn’t to be however, and Ingram scooped up a fumble forced by a crunching Guy Robbins hit and returned it close to midfield. With the Thunder experimenting with personnel and formations and the Sabres’ plucky band of iron-men carrying injuries, the game was petering out and it was agreed to let the 4^th quarter go on a running clock. At the end of the game, the whole Thunder organisation came out to congratulate the Sabres’ on their awesome effort in completing the game on a hot day and a hard pitch with fourteen banged-up players.