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17th
April 2005
BAFL Division One A
Nottingham Caesars 0-18 Doncaster
MustangsThe
Doncaster Mustangs opened their British American Football League Division 1A campaign with
an 18-0 victory at Nottingham.
After a scoreless opening half, the visitors scored three
second-half touchdowns.
Power back Paul Tiggardine broke the deadlock in
the third quarter before quarterback Graham Lightfoot dashed in on the ground.
A commanding defensive performance was underlined
with Ian McCartney's interception return for six points in the closing stages.
The Stangs, in the first-ever Division One game, started nervously
and committed two first quarter fumbles.
But the defense held strong with a big hit from linebacker Paul Jow forcing a
fumble that was recovered by safety Chris Birks.
The first-half turned into a battle of field
position with lineman Brian Long excelling in his new role as punter and McCartney,
playing at cornerback for the first time in green and gold, collecting his first
interception.
Doncaster started the second-half brightly and an
11-play 61-yard drive culminated in Tiggardine dashing into the end zone from 13 yards.
The PAT from Dave Oakley was blocked and it took
until there was under seven minutes left on the clock until the visitors extended their
advantage.
A 22-yard Tiggardine run was the highlight of a
14-play 85-yard drive that ended when Lightfoot scampered into the end zone from three
yards out on a bootleg. The subsequent two-point conversion was stymied.
Mustangs RB Giovanni Viscomi on the charge
Quixotic American Juan Jasso then collected his
first interception of the season before McCartney rounded things off in spectacular
fashion against his former club.
He made his second interception of the game and
scampered 43 yards into the end zone for the first defensive touchdown in club history.
The new defensive coaching staff will be delighted
by the performance of the line, whose rotation included three players making their
Doncaster debuts, who made life tough for the Caesars all day.
The win stretches Doncaster's unbeaten record to
14 and they now have two weeks to prepare for the trip to Chester on May 1.
The Mustangs are always on the look-out for new fans and sponsors,
to find out more visit www.doncastermustangs.com
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