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Highlights of 1994 to 1997:
1994
Highlights of the year:
O's win back to back titles
O's win EuroBowl again
NFL brings back the Monarchs
GB Spartans enter Football League of Europe
The alarming collapse of clubs continued in 1994,
with 13 teams folding from the turn over the year. In the new BAFA
Division Two, the league was rocked when West London, Croydon, Tamworth
and Kent all pulled out in the space of a week.
1994 was again the year of the Olympians, as they
won back-to-back British and European titles. In the new 7 team BAFA
Division One, the O's finished the season 9-1, with Leicester becoming
runners-up with a 7-3 record. Come the playoffs, Birmingham Bulls (who
came third) defeated the Panthers 26-20, and the O's received a bye to
the final as the league ruled that the Glasgow Lions were ineligible
for the playoffs, after they had forfeited one game earlier in the
season. The background behind this was that the Lions were expecting to
play two regular season games against the London Olympians and Thames
Valley Aces in neutral Manchester, but the league switched both games
to Burton-on-Trent in Derbyshire, an hour from London but eight from
Glasgow. Grudgingly the Lions fulfilled the trip to play Thames Valley
(and won), but were not prepared to do it again for the London game
and, in protest, forfeited. BAFA chairman Doug McClean said, "The BAFA
League board discussed at length the Glasgow issue of Glasgow's failure
to fulfill their fixture against the Olympians as agreed at the start
of the season. We decided they should be dropped from the playoffs."
London
celebrate the 1994 title
The Lions resigned from BAFA in protest and were
to be instrumental in setting up the SGA in 1995.
In Division Two, the Milton Keynes Pioneers held
off the Bedford Bombardiers 18-6.
Milton Keynes won Div.2
In Division Three the Cambridge County Cats beat the Crawley Raiders
for the title. The Olympians II thrashed the Trent Valley Warriors 48-6
for the Division Four title.
In the other finals in 1994, the Glasgow Tigers
won College Bowl VIII with a 26-0 shutout over the Leicester Lemmings.
The Youth Kitted final was won 30-22 by the Birmingham Bulls over the
Farnham Knights, and the Crawley Pirates triumphed 8-0 over the Kent
Panthers for the Youth Two Touch title. Doncaster Wildcats won the
Junior flag final 14-12 against St.Josephs Cardinals.
The NFL also announced that they would be
re-starting the World League of American Football in 1995, with the
host teams being exclusive to Europe. All teams would have 6 national
players on their rosters, and the host teams announced were the
returning London Monarchs, Frankfurt Galaxy and Barcelona Dragons. They
were also joined by the Scottish Claymores, the Rhein Fire and the
Amsterdam Admirals.
In 1994 the Football League of Europe moved to a
two part season, most of the season was played from early May to early
July, then a months gap till early August. The GB Spartans moved to the
25,000 capacity Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield, and the league moved to
an 8 team, 2 division format and also had satellite TV coverage. Each
team played its conference rivals home and away and played the other
four teams 2 at home and 2 away giving a 10-week season. At the end of
the regular season, the GB Spartans finished third in the Central
Conference with a 5-4 record and failed to make the playoffs despite
playing in front of large crowds. In the Bowl, played in Hamburg,
Stockholm Vikings beat Hamburg Bluedevils 43-35.
The London Olympians had far greater success,
however, in that season's EuroBowl competition. They won the
competition for the second straight season, beating Bergamo Lions 26-23
in the final in Stuttgart. In the earlier rounds, they had deposed of
the Den Haag Raiders of Holland 52-8 away from home, and then travelled
to Helsinki to beat the East City Giants 22-20 in the semi-final.
The EFAF received BAFA back into it's fold in April. "We have received
and reviewed Britain's applicationa nd we will accept it this said,"
said EFAF president Peter Lundgren. BAFRA's Joe Mendell and Bill
Bowsher and new BAFA chairman Hugh Robinson had worked tirelessly to
become members of EFAF. BAFA had originally decided to pull out of the
defunct EFL because of crippling registration fees of £5,000
a year. The new organisation has cut it's fees down to £400.
Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Holland, France,
Switzerland, Belgium and Austria were already members for BAFA applied,
and Spain, Italy and Ukraine joined just after. Double European
Champions, GB were drawn with Holland with them due to host the Dutch
in September 1994. New BAFA Chairman Hugh Robinson said, "The players
want it and when all said and done that's what it's all about."
BAFA announced that Tony Allen would replace Ray Willsey as the new
coach of Great Britain in July. Allen said,"Obviously it's a great
honour. It's very important to be involved in Europe to give the
players something to aspire to."
The GB Lions were supposed to play Holland in a
European Nations Championship qualifier in 1994, but the Dutch pulled
out giving GB a bye through to second round in October where
they were then supposed to play Ukraine. The Ukraine game failed to
take place, and as a result the qualifying matches for the 1995
European Nations Championship would be held over until that year,
although GB opponents were still unclear.
BYAFA announced the formation of the GB Knights flag football squad
under the management of the JGL. JGL chairman Nick Russell was
appointed the Knights first head coach.
The GB Crusaders travelled to the United States to
play two matches in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They lost both games - scores
unknown.
Following the end of the 1993-94 BCAFL season, the
GB Bulldogs were formed as the first official Great Britain student
team with a recognised affiliation from the British Collegiate American
Football League. Organised by general manager Nick Baldwin and head
coach Beau Riffenburgh, the team won all six games it played, one
against a travelling American all-star team, two against BAFA Senior
League Division-Three teams, and three against German teams. The scores
were:
GB Bulldogs 14 Oregon All-Stars 8
GB Bulldogs 28 Derbyshire Braves 6
GB Bulldogs 26 Oxford Saints 10
GB Bulldogs 8 Berlin Bears 0
GB Bulldogs 42 German National Student Team 0
GB Bulldogs 37 North of Germany All-Stars 9
The game against the German National Student Team
in Cottbus, was the championship game of the first-ever European
Student Championships, an event suggested by representatives of the
National Football League. Jay Spring ran for 144 yards and 2 TDs, and
the D led by MVP Ian Lipscomb (10 tackles) limited Germany to just 17
yards. The Bulldogs received a trophy, donated by the NFL, recognising
them as the European Student Champions.
1995
Highlights of the year:
Monarchs return, but crowds fail to show
SGA formed, Lions take title
Bulls win BAFA championship
O's miss out on Euro hat-trick
Irish national side makes debut
Before the 1995 season started there were further
withdrawals of teams. All the Scottish sides withdrew from the BAFA
Senior League. The reasons for this were that in 1994, the Glasgow
Lions were expecting to play two regular season games against the
London Olympians and Thames Valley Aces in neutral Manchester, but the
league switched both games to Burton-on-Trent in Derbyshire, an hour
from London but eight from Glasgow. Grudgingly the Lions fulfilled the
trip to play Thames Valley(and won), but were not prepared to do it
again for the London game and, in protest, forfeited. One week later
Glasgow won at home against the Leeds Cougars to compile a 6-4 record,
but the league ruled the Lions ineligible for the playoffs. It was the
last slap in the face they were prepared to take, and they quit the
BNGL. Other Scottish teams followed suit in solidarity with the Lions
and in 1995 Scotland was to go it alone as the Scottish Gridiron
Association was formed.
The Scottish Claymores announced their national
players for their inaugural 1995 season and the Lions provided the core
of the unit. Wide receiver Scott Couper, defensive lineman John Letham,
and linebacker Paul Balfour made the roster at some point of the season
while offensive linemen Steve McCusker (now the Claymores' national
coach), Pat Shields and also Gary McNey were victims of notorious
then-Claymores head coach Lary Kuharich. A former Lions RB, Mike Kenny,
was appointed National coach on the Claymores' staff. McCusker, Shields
and McNey returned to the Lions in time for their first SGA campaign to
kick off, with the Capital Bowl as a curtain raiser. Glasgow won the
tenth - and final - Capital Bowl, their seventh triumph in the
competition. The Lions sent the tournament out in style with a 34-0
semi-final victory over the Fife 49ers and 31-8 in the final against
the Clydesdale Colts, as QB Darryn Trainor connected on 10 touchdown
passes.
The London Monarchs returned, and Gareth Moores
was named as the club's second general manager and the World League
returned in 1995 as a joint venture between the NFL and America's Fox
TV with six European teams. Playing their home games at White Hart Lane
- home of Tottenham Hotspur FC - and coached by former NFL running back
Bobby Hammond. The Monarchs announced their national players in Victor
Ebubideke, Stephen Hutchison, Mark Cohen, Gerry Anderson, Lewis Capes.
The Monarchs finished with a 4-6 record, averaging crowds of 10,400.
The Frankfurt Galaxy won World Bowl '95 in Amsterdam, defeating the
hometown Admirals 26-22.
Other teams not returning for 1995 included the Nottingham Hoods,
Thames Valley Chargers, Bedford Bombardiers, Trafford Falcons, London
Rockets & Thunder, Derbyshire Braves, North Sea Hurricanes,
Swindon Steelers, South Coast Raiders, Harrogate Hawks, Colwyn Bay
Dragons, Stratford Tempests, F14 Tomcats and the Taunton Wyvern. Hayes
Generals and Enfield Bullets merged into one another to form the London
Blitz.
n BAFA Division One, there were six teams competing: Olympians, Bulls,
Leicester Panthers, Milton Keynes Pioneers, Northants Storm and the
Leeds Cougars. Leeds Cougars suffered with player numbers and were
forced to quit after a 0-5 start - their last game being when just 18
players travelled to Milton Keynes in May. There were many close games
in the regular season, notably a 22-15 win for Birmingham over
Leicester which saw three ejections, Panther QB Thad Trujillo taken to
hospital with a dislocated elbow and over 200 yards in penalties.
Radical changes were made for the playoffs, with
the Division One and Two bowl games being moved from Leicester to the
Norman Green Stadium in Birmingham. In the semi-finals, the Olympians
rolled over Milton Keynes 26-6 and they were joined in the final by
Birmingham. The Bulls met Leicester in the other semi-final, and John
Riggs's 26 completions and 236 yards with 4TDs were the difference.
Marc Cohen caught a hat-trick of 4th quarter TDs to edge the Bulls
through 36-19 in another bad tempered clash.
The Bulls and Olympians finished with 9-1-0 records, and following
semi-final victories met to decide the 1995 national title. Birmingham
Bulls pulled off their third national success with an exciting 34-30
victory. In his last game for the Bulls, John Riggs was voted MVP for
completing 15 of 28 for 251 yards and 3 TD's, and also running in two
himself. Marc Cohen caught eight passes for 157 yards and caught two
TDs.
Marc Cohen, Bulls, 1995 vs
Milton Keynes
The 15 team Division Two was split into three
conferences, with Plymouth Admirals, Crawley Raiders and Lancashire
Wolverines taking the South West, South East and North/Midlands titles
respectively. Only Plymouth made the final, and they were beaten by the
Cambridge County Cats 28-13. Britball veteran Simon Kucia retired after
leading the Cats to victory with a 200 yard passing game. Oxford Saints
and the Gwent Mustangs came through a tough 30-team division three, and
it was the Saints who won the final 14-6.
In the first season of the SGA, the Glasgow Lions,
lost one regular season game, but come the playoffs were unstoppable
thrashing Dundee Whalers 88-0 in the semi-final and Granite City Oilers
76-0 in the final.
BAFRA quit BAFA in 1995 after BAFA refused to sanction the breakaway
SGA and tried to prevent the referees from working their games. BAFA's
decision contravened BAFRA's constitution which stated "to enable all
American Football games in Britain to have neutral officials." BAFRA's
general secretary, Ian Coleman, said,"BAFA's decision went against our
policy of providing officials to all British games."
After the success of 1994 the Football League
Europe was back for its second season with the GB Spartans as Britain's
only representative. The league began under pressure by the return of
the World League, and a few teams pulled out - including the London
Express. A few teams tried to carry on under sponsorship and money
promises by the new League owners (that never materialised and left all
of the teams losing a lot of money) and the league was again aligned
into 2 divisions, North and Central. The Spartans lost their opener to
Stockholm at Don Valley, and then the rest of the season just seemed to
fade away. News of the league in First Down ended with the Spartans
forfeiting their game against Frankfurt. The entire league closed down
after the 1995 season because the World League had taken their market
away. The Spartans did a lot of very positive things
with the Spartans in Sheffield in the European League, and carried a
British team to its highest point, but in the end, just like the
Monarchs, they could not escape the downward trend of the sport at that
time.
Spartans v Munich
The GB Lions National team were supposed to play
in the 1995 European championships, the first round tie was to be
against the winners of Germany and Ukraine but after a lot of mucking
about eventually the tie didn't go ahead as Germany sensationally
pulled out at the last minute leaving GB having to play Ukraine and
then 2 more games in Austria in 8 days. Not surprisingly GB pulled out
handing a bye to the semis to Ukraine.
A scheduling cock-up forced BAFA to pull out the
GB Lions from the 1995 European Championships in Austria. EFAF informed
BAFA that the Lions would have to play three games in seven days and
BAFA withdrew on safety grounds. The catalogue of disasters began when
Germany pulled out of their qualifying game with Ukraine. GB were due
to play the winners on April 2nd, but the opposition failed to stick to
the timetable. EFAF then told the Lions that they would have to play
Ukraine in Austria 4 days before the semi-finals. BAFA pulled out in
protest and Ukraine took their place in the semi-finals against Finland
(Finland won 37-0).
After four years without a game, BAFA got the
national team back together and started preparations to enter the 1997
European Nations Championship. GB took on Ireland (Ireland's first ever
game) at the Saffron Lane Sports Stadium in Leicester and won 22-0.
Ireland also played games v Team Canada winning 27-24, v Hannau Hawks
losing 6-19 and BAFA div 3 North West all stars winning 40-0.
The GB Crusaders played a European Junior
Championship qualifier, at White Hart Lane before one of the Monarchs
games. They lost disappointingly to Switzerland 28-23.
A British club did achieve great success in 1995
in Europe. The London Olympians and the Birmingham Bulls both entered
the EuroBowl competition in 1995. In the first round, Birmingham dealt
with the challenge of the Rotterdam Trojans winning 40-12, and setting
up a quarter-final match-up with the London Olympians. In a titanic
battle at the Norman Green Stadium, the Londoners held on for a 14-13
triumph. In the semi-finals, the O's edged the East City Giants from
Helsinki by an identical 14-13 scoreline. Their run came to an end in
the final of EuroBowl IX, as they gallantly lost 21-14 to the
Dusseldorf Panthers despite Richard Dunkley's 117 yards on 24 carries.
In 1995 the GB Bulldogs again represented BCAFL
against a variety of opponents. They played five games, again defeating
the Oregon All-Star team, a BAFA Senior League Division-Two team ((the
Gateshead Senators), and the defending Irish senior league national
champions, the Dublin Tornadoes. The Bulldogs' first two losses ever
came to the BAFA Senior League Division-One Leicester Panthers and the
BAFA Senior League Division-Two national champions, the Cambridge Cats.
The scores were GB Bulldogs 16-6 Oregon All-Stars, GB Bulldogs 21-6
Gateshead Senators, GB Bulldogs 10-14 Leicester Panthers, GB Bulldogs
68-8 Dublin Tornadoes and GB Bulldogs 14-26 Cambridge Cats.
1996
Highlights of the year:
Panthers win the big one at last
O's/Bulls re-invented
Scotland/Wales national sides set up
In 1996, the BAFA Senior League name was changed
to the British Senior League which itself was affiliated to BAFA.
Before the 1996 season started there were further
withdrawals of teams from the newly formed league. Teams not returning
for 1996 included the Leeds Cougars, Colchester Gladiators, Trent
Valley Warriors, Rockingham Rebels, Stockton Gators and West Country
Phoenix. The Wessex Buccaneers folded, which meant that there would no
longer be a team in Bournemouth - traditionally a footballing area. The
legendary Tiptree Titans also disbanded.
The big surprise was the reformation of the London
Olympians and the Birmingham Bulls. For the past couple of seasons,
both sides had been running reserve sides - the Olympians II actually
had been competing in the official leagues. Both teams re-invented
themselves in Division Two.
The Bulls team
that had won the bowl the previous year now ceased to exist, the name
living on from the old Bulls 2 team. The Olympians owner stopped the
team dead and kept the name, so the old Olympians 2 team took the name
London O's to keep the team together. Both clubs maintained much
of the same playing personnel as 1995 but in division Two.
Unsurprisingly, they both romped to conference championships, with
unbeaten regular seasons, and it was the O's who won the Division Two
title with a 32-7 win. As a result of these changes, no British side
took part in the 1996 EuroBowl competition.
Sheffield Cyclones played
in Division One after signing many of the ex-Leeds Cougars team. They
also signed former Cincinnati Bengal, James Brooks, who was living in
the UK at the time. He rushed for over 120 yards on his debut versus Cambridge Cats.
Brooks rushing vs Brighton
In Division One, Milton Keynes Pioneers romped to an unbeaten regular
season as they won the Southern Conference, with the Chiefs (formerly
the Basildon Chiefs) grabbing second spot from the Sussex Raiders. In
the Northern Conference, the Leicester Panthers and the Sheffield
Cyclones were a class apart, with Leicester taking the title. In the
semi-finals, Leicester received a walk-over into their first ever
national final when the Chiefs failed to play the game. The reason is
unknown at present. Milton Keynes defeated Sheffield 34-20 to set up a
final between the two conference championship winners. In the final,
Leicester achieved their dream of winning the national title with a
10-6 win, in a hard fought defensive battle.
Leicester Panthers with the trophy
In Division Three, Chester Romans, Norwich
Devils, Redditch Arrows and Winchester Rifles all won conference
titles, and it was the Rifles who won the title after failing to
concede a single point in the playoffs. In the final they destroyed
Redditch 48-0.
Rifles QB Cliff Boddington
Glasgow Lions won the SGA title, and then won SGA
Bowl II 60-6 against the Stirling Broncos. In other finals in 1996, the
Leeds Celtics won College Bowl X with a 14-8 win against Cardiff
Cobras. Farnham Knights won the Youth Kitted title with a 22-0 victory
against the Lancashire Wolverine Colts. Fen Harriers took the Youth
Flag title with an exciting 44-22 win against the Plymouth Commodores.
Doncaster Wildcats won the Junior Flag title with a 20-8 win against
the Brighton B-52s.
The GB senior squad did not play any international
games in 1996, but the GB Crusaders played Switzerland in a European
Junior Championships qualifier at White Hart Lane prior to a Monarchs
game, losing 23-28. The Crusaders also played Team USA Milwaukee at
Finsbury Park, losing 42-12.
Other international matches played in 1996,
included a double header between Scotland and Ireland. Scotland winning
20-6 at home in their debut game, and then winning 14-3 at Birmingham.
Ireland also played Wales in a friendly at Nottingham, winning 44-21.
The 1996 season was a difficult one for the London
Monarchs, who began the campaign in a blaze of publicity following the
signing of former Chicago Bears defender William 'Refrigerator' Perry.
Hammond was released after opening the season with two losses but his
replacement - offensive co-ordinator Lionel Taylor - steadied the ship
as the team rallied to a 4-6 record. London's attendances rose by 25
per cent.In December 1996, Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC, was
named as the Monarchs new venue. London had played the final game of
1996 at the stadium and attracted over 11,000 fans.
The Claymores hosted World Bowl '96, defeating the
Frankfurt Galaxy 32-27 in front of 38,982 fans at Murrayfield on June
23.
In 1996 the GB Bulldogs (the College All-star
team) had an abbreviated season consisting of only two games, against
the Oregon All-Star team and against the Cambridge Cats, now a BAFA
Senior League Division-One team. The scores were GB Bulldogs 20 Oregon
All-Stars 38 and GB Bulldogs 34 Cambridge Cats 27. The victory over the
Cambridge Cats was the first ever by a BCAFL team over a BAFA Senior
League Division-One team.
In '96 the BAFA Senior League attempted to launch
their own Senior Flag league on the same semi-contact basis. Despite
gaining serious interest from 4/5 teams, the BSL failed to get behind
the league and left the teams (Leicester, Birmingham, Peterborough
& Bath) to organise their own games.
A new senior kitted league, the BIGC (British
Independent Gridiron Conference), was formed very soon after the end of
the 1996 BSL season in direct response to ever-increasing league fees
(at the time the BSL employed a full time commissioner) and lack of
competition. Originally it was called the Big 6 but changed it's name
in early 1997.
1997
Highlights of the year:
BIGC 'superleague' formed
Panthers/Pioneers fold
GB fall to Italy and Finland
Scotland win 'Home Nations' championship
The BIGC league intended to get a TV deal and had
a rule where member clubs must form a youth policy. Dan Brooks was
behind the new league. The top teams were unhappy about the NDMA/BNGL
merger 3 years previously, and about the way the new league was run.
Dan Brooks offered an alternative to "high overheads of BSL membership"
and complained about the BSL "lacked vision". The NDMA had sponsorship
(until the last year), the clubs had not previously paid high league
fees. The BSL was self-financing and this was always a sore point with
the top clubs. They considered the league did not do enough to raise
the profile of the sport or attract sponsorship. The O's and Bulls had
already shown how they would dictate to the league when they persuaded
Dave Quincey to place them in Division 2 in the 1996 season. Dave
Quincey had already fought off a rival league the previous autumn when
the UKFL was announced as a "viable alternative to the stagnation and
decline of the British game". The six BIG C teams were Leicester
Panthers and Milton Keynes Pioneers (1996 DIV 1 finalists) London O's
and Birmingham Bulls (1996 DIV 2 finalists), Brooks' own team Sheffield
Cyclones and a new club in Manchester intended to be called the Force
and run by ex-GB (and ex Cyclone) QB Paul Ashton.
The league was struggling before the season
started, since Leicester Panthers folded and the new Manchester team
never got off the ground. The former as the majority of players had
decided to call it a day once the Panthers had at last been crowned
British champs and in the case of the latter it seemed to be a case of
putting the cart before the horse, the organisation appeared to be in
place before any players had registered. Ultimately they were unable to
commit themselves to the league and shut up shop before a game was
played. The league was barely viable with only the 4 remaining
teams,and there was no interest from other prospective members. This
gave the league two options, either cancel the whole thing or press
ahead with four teams, the league chose to continue.
The season was marked out by highly skilful,
competitive matches
and the crowds turned out, too. Milton Keynes could get 4-500 a game,
the Bulls a similar figure but the problem was there were only so many
times you could play the same teams and the playoffs were simply the
Big4 (as they became known) playing each other in the semis. Perhaps surprisingly, the
Pioneers actually won the 6-game regular season, but come the playoffs
they struggled to get past the 0-6 Sheffield Cyclones. In the other
semi, the O's defeated the Bulls 17-7.
The bowl itself was a different matter. Well
advertised, shown live on cable TV and a beautiful day to boot in a
great stadium (Milton Keynes National
Hockey Stadium)
drew in a crowd of 2,500 who witnessed, according to First Down "the
greatest game ever played in the UK", the title went to the O's
who beat the Pioneers 26-20 in overtime.
O's WR Palumbo scores in the final
Despite early plans to continue the league it was
felt that a new regime had begun in the BSL and that it was time to
return to the fold and that is what the Cyclones, the O's and the Bulls
did. It was left to the Pioneers to go it alone, looking across the
water for top-notch European competition and a place in the new indoor
league that was opening in 1998. Sadly for football none of these
things got off the ground and the Pioneers faded from the scene.
In the BSL another drop in teams ensued as the
Brighton B-52's merged with the Sussex Raiders to form the Sussex
Thunder. The Southern Seminoles merged with the Farnham Knights to form
the PA Knights. Manchester Falcons and Duchy Destroyers both pulled
out, and Portsmouth Tridents, Winchester Rifles and Southern Sundevils
all merged into one club with the Sundevils the surviving name. The
number of divisions also fell - from three to two.
In BSL Division One, no side went through the
season unbeaten, though three teams finished with a 9-1 record. In the
South East & Midlands Conference, the Essex Chiefs won the
title, but in the South West & Midlands Conference two sides
vied for the title. Oxford Saints and the Sussex Thunder were only
separated by point's difference after the regular season and identical
9-1 records, but Oxford took the conference title. In the playoffs,
Redbridge Fire, despite finishing third in the South East &
Midlands Conference defeated three sides with superior records and
completely against the odds won the Division One title with a 26-7
victory against the Nottingham Caesars.
In Division Two, West Bromich Vipers, Leicester
Huntsmen, PA Farnham Knights and Bristol Aztecs all won conference
championships, with Bristol winning the final against the Chiltern
Cheetahs (who had finished 2nd in West Bromich's conference) 27-6.
The 1997 London Monarchs campaign began with Alton
Byrd being appointed as the team's third general manager following the
resignation of Moores in December. Just days later, Muhammad created
history when he was named as a London national player for the fifth
straight season - a World League record at the time. However, once
again the Monarchs could only manage a 4-6 record as injuries took a
heavy toll particularly at quarterback where five different players
were used. Two of the few high points of the difficult season were a
pair of victories over arch rivals the Scottish Claymores.
Before the SGA season started in 1997, the shock
news came that the Glasgow Lions were quitting. They were probably
victims of their own success. They had won the league in 1995 and 1996
with overwhelming SGA Bowl wins over the Granite City Oilers (76-0) and
Stirling Broncos (60-6) respectively, but blow-out wins week after week
didn't provide a great deal of incentive for players to continue. With
the level of competition not what they were used to, the regrettable
decision was taken not to go on. Players moved on to other teams, most
of them to East Kilbride, based a few miles south of Glasgow. In 1997
East Kilbride Pirates won their first title with a 24-6 victory in SGA
Bowl III against the Dundee Whalers.
In the 1997 EuroBowl competition, Britain was in a
strange position as the 1996 title holders Leicester Panthers had
folded in the off-season. Milton Keynes Pioneers (who had lost last
season's final to the Panthers, and were not playing in the "official"
league) took their position and travelled to Paris to face the
Mousquetaires in a quarter-final match-up. The Paris side had too much
for the Pioneers and won 22-0.
Great Britain took on Spain in a qualifying match
in Madrid in February for the European Championship finals in Bolzano,
Italy that summer. In a game that was a lot tighter than most people
expected, GB won 17-14, but only after a last minute 41 yard TD pass
from Stuart Franklin to Mark Cohen. Sean McConie had put the Brits on
the board in the second quarter with a 10 yard run, but Spain responded
before half-time to make the score 7-6 to GB at the break. In the third
quarter Jon Wyse's 20 yard field goal put GB 10-6, before Spain took
the lead with a 1-yard run and converted the 2 PAT to go 14-10 in
front. Cohen's catch saved red faces all round.
GB, therefore qualified for the four nations
finals in Bolzano and they faced Finland in the semi-finals. GB quickly
fell behind 10-0, but Victor Mohammed's 80 yard TD run reduced the
scoreline to 10-6 at half-time. Finland pulled away in the second half
with two further TD's to win the match 24-6. In the third/fourth place
playoff, Britain finished the tournament with a disappointing 14-7
defeat against the hosts, Italy. Victor Mohammed scored the sole
British TD of the game on a 1 yard run in the second quarter with Jon
Wyse adding the PAT. Italy levelled the scores before half-time on a 8
yard TD catch from Barbaotti. Italy won the game in the fourth quarter
on a 2 yard TD run from Angeloni.
Finland went on to win the 1997 European
Championships with a 27-6 win against Sweden in the final.
The GB Crusaders played one game in 1997, a
friendly against the touring US side from Mount St Josephs High School.
The game was played at Crystal Palace, and the Americans won, but the
score is currently unknown.
Scotland won the Home Nations title after
defeating Ireland 31-6 in Belfast, and Wales 38-6. Ireland took second
spot after a 40-20 win against the Welsh.
Scotland celebrate their Home
Nations win
Loughborough Aces won College Bowl XI, defeating
Tarannau Aberystwyth 28-19. In the other Britball finals in 1997,
Lancashire Wolverine Colts won their first title by winning the Youth
Kitted Bowl 24-12 against the Farnham Knights. UDL Longhorns picked up
the Division Two title with a 22-12 win against the Kent Pumas.
Brighton B-52s won the Youth Flag final defeating the Doncaster
Wildcats 36-14, but the Brighton Junior Flag side lost out in trying to
make a Brighton double as they lost the final 2 matches to nil to the
Bournemouth Renegades.
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