England travelled to Dublin with an experienced 18 man squad drawn from 6 ESFL sides to take on Ireland in the 2nd Senior Flag International Challenge match between the countries. In warm conditions England came out with an all-out pass attack, but they hadn't counted on the superb secondary of the Irish who shut them out on their opening four drives without completing a pass. Ireland's offense moved the ball well throughout, but England DB's stepped up to the plate and ended all their long drives with interceptions - the most promising drive ending when Vincent Gurrea picked off Ireland QB Kevin Mullen on England's 5 yard line after he had led them down field on the back of good running by Steve Dunne and Liam Farrell. 

 Towards the end of the first half, Andre Clarke picked off Mullen to give England the ball in great field position. Three plays later, QB Roy Tanton found Nick Moffat over the middle from two yards out to put England ahead. Nick Watson hit Gurkinder Mann in the corner of the endzone for the 1 PAT to give England a 7-0 lead at the end of the first half. 

Ireland came out with a time consuming drive at the beginning of the second half that took almost 20 minutes off of the clock, which culminated in Steve Dunne's 5 yard run up the middle on a draw play, but crucially the 2 PAT fell short as Ireland looked to take the lead. 

 Tanton tried to hit straight back for England with a 40 yard pass down the right hand touchline to his North Devon Dogs teammate Johnny Stevenson to give England a 1st and goal from the Ireland 6, but they could not punch the ball in with the closest being Matt Stevenson's catch in the endzone being ruled that he did not have full control as he landed. 

 England did not have to wait long to put the clinching score on the board when Abdul Lawal returned a Mullen's 5th inteception of the game 21 yards for a score to make the score 13-6 with 9 minutes left. Ireland had one last chance to score, and drove down to the England 20 yard line, but strong tackling by Brown, Michael and Clarke, and breaks up by Tim Smith and Lawal snuffed out these chances to give England revenge for the 27-7 loss they suffered in 2000. 

 At the end of game ceremony, Ireland chose Vincent Gurrea as the England MVP who had 3 interceptions in the game, and England chose Ireland DB Peter Mullen for his outstanding play in the Irish secondary. Special thanks must also go to Liam Farrell for organising the game, and the IAFL officials who officiated a game played in good spirits throughout.  

Scoring: 

0-7 Moffat 2 yard pass from Tanton (Watson to Mann 1 PAT) 43.51
6-7 Dunne 5 yard run (2 PAT failed) 60.12
6-13 Lawal 21 yard interception return (1 PAT failed) 81.23 

Squads: 

England:

Nick Watson, Roy Tanton, Simon Allen, John Parsons, Nick Michael, Matt Heasman, Barnaby Kerr, Nick Moffat, Matt Stevenson, John Stevenson, Hitesh Patel, Dave Duncan, Martin Brown, Abdul Lawal, Vincent Gurrea, Andre Clarke, Gurkinder Mann, Tim Smith 

Ireland:

Liam Farrell, Steve Dunne, Bob Curran, Kevin Mullen, Iain McGuinness, John Canning, Peter Mullen, Darren Brady, Aidan Kelly, Cameron Cramer

England Statistics: 

Passing: 

Watson 5-21-45-0-0
Tanton 4-7-53-0-1 

Rushing: 

Brown 1-8,
Parsons 2-4,
Allen 1-6,
Tanton 1-2 

Receiving: 

Mann 3-37,
J.Stevenson 2-46,
Watson 1-5,
Michael 1-5,
Parsons 1-3,
Moffat 1-2-1 

Interceptions: 

Gurrea 3-26,
Lawal 1-21-1,
Clarke 1-0 

Punt Returns 

Brown 1-18 

Kick Returns 

M.Stevenson 2-24 

Punts 

Bournemouth 8-20 Staffordshire University

Trailing 6-0 at half-time, John Parsons broke a number of tackles to run in from distance and tie the scores. On the next drive for Staffordshire, Alan Huddy registered a saefty to put us 8-6 ahead with just 2 minutes to go. Then the story of our afternoon, missed tackles led to Staffs scoring twice to register what looks like a comfortable win.

Bournemouth 0-32 North Devon Dogs

The Dogs were too fast and too organised for us. Missed tackles galore - we thoroughly deserved to be thrashed in this game. Not much to write about here apart from the huge rainstorm that meant we couldn't pass the ball!

Bournemouth 0-15 Birmingham Raiders

Again not able to run or pass the ball, Birmingham broke tackles on two possessions to score from long range, and we gave up a safety too!

Bournemouth 2-20 Leicester Eagles

Looks a hammering but was probably our best performance of the day. The Eagles went 6-0 up by half-time, but defensively we were playing well with good tackling. Offensively, we were also moving the ball well, but couldn't quite punch it in. In the second half, Leicester came out with a 3 RB's in a I formation - our defense lined up all on the center which must have confused them as they fumbled the ball for a safety. 6-2 down with two minutes to go, we shot ourselves in the foot again as we gave up a long distance TD from their 5 yard line on 4th down, and then they returned an interception for a TD on the last play of the game to give them a somewhat flattering scoreline.

Four defeats our of four then, and we really need more players for tournaments if we are to compete effectively. Thanks to the players who did travel.

The next tournament is SATURDAY 5TH JUNE at Portsmouth (United Services Ground), when we will be entering a 5man tournament which features Team USA and the French national team. Let's get a good side out for that one. The following day sees a 9man tournament which we will try to field a side.Later in the summer is a tournament in Barnstable that the North Devon Dogs are hosting (that will be in August).


The Bournemouth Deckchairs that took part in the ESFL tournament at Billesley Common, Birmingham. Standing (from left to right): Vincent Gurrea, Matt Hemsley, Matt Heasman, Barnaby Kerr. Sitting (from left to right): Rich Cleveland, John Parsons, Alan Huddy

Squad: Matt Heasman, John Parsons, Richard Cleveland, Barnaby Kerr, Alan Huddy, Vincent Gurrea and Matt Hemsley

The Northern Knights triumphed 28-6 over the Southern Pirates in the 9man ESFL Allstar match at Witney Rugby Club. The North took the lead on a Martin Brown pass to Nick Moffatt on 4th and 10, to go 6-0 ahead in the first quarter. Despite some impressive drives by the Pirates, the Knights extended their lead when Pirates QB Nick Watson was sacked for a safety, and on the subsequent drive MVP RB Michael Soboagl ran in from 55 yards out to put the North up 14-0. In the third quarter, Bournemouth Raiders QB Brad Smith got the Pirates back in the game with a blistering 70 yard run, and for a moment it looked like the momentum would swing back to the South. Soboagl, on his way to over 100 yards rushing on the day, had other ideas as he burst away for his 2nd TD, and then QB Brown added the icing on the cake with a pass to Lawrence Tallon to seal the win.

The South got some revenge in the 5man challenge with a 18-6 victory thanks to 2 TD passes from Nick Watson to Raiders Tim Smith, and another Raider Barnaby Kerr tacked on a safety.

Raiders represented (9man): MarK Elliott, Bradley Smith, Elliot Smith, Barnaby Kerr, John Parsons, Tim Smith, Matt Heasman, Nick Michael, Vincent Gurrea, Richard Cleveland
(5man) - Mark Elliott, Barnaby Kerr, Tim Smith, John Parsons, Matt Heasman, Nick Michael

Southern Pirates squad

 

GAME SHIRTS

17 of you have ordered new shirts. They have now been received, and I will distribute as and when I see you

LAST TOURNAMENT

Thanks to all of you who played in Beach Bowl III in December. We had 17 players on the day, so we split the squad into two teams - the Bournemouth Raiders and the Bournemouth Deckchairs. The Deckchairs contained many of our new players, and were led by Rich Cleveland and Mark Elliott. Unfortuantely they didn't win a game, but many of them gained good match experience. The Raiders did well and reached the final after 3 wins out of 3 - they lost 7-6 to our arch-rivals (the Leicester Eagles) in the final.

NEXT TOURNAMENT

We play next on Sunday 4th April at Birmingham in EasterBowl II. This will be a 5man tournament, and we will be wearing our new kit. If you can play in this tournament let me know.

2004 SEASON

We will be entering as many 5man tournament as we can, and we are also joining forces with other teams in the South to form a 9man team to take on Fen Harriers and Leicester Eagles in 2 9man competitions later in the year
(one tournament to be held in the South on 22nd August and one in the North on 10th October).

To see the ESFL events in 2004 visit here

http://www.seniorflag.co.uk/2004%20Calendar.htm

SOUTH OF ENGLAND V NORTH OF ENGLAND 9 MAN

Brad Smith, John Parsons, Mark Elliott, Karl Forrest, Matt Heasman, Richard Cleveland, Mike Drobny, Simon Coupe, Barnaby Kerr, Vincent Gurrea and Bene Lewis are all playing for the South of England in the Allstar game against the North of England on Sunday March 7th at Witney Rugby Club (near Oxford). Details can be found here http://www.seniorflag.co.uk/North%20v%20South%202004.htm

If anyone else wishes to play in these 9man and 5man games then let me know. I'll be sending out details of travelling arrangements in the next week or so

DUBLIN TRIP - ENGLAND V IRELAND

The Raiders have 8 players in the England squad for the international against Ireland on Sunday 8th May in Dublin. Details can be found here http://www.seniorflag.co.uk/Internationals.htm

The players in the squad are Matt Heasman, John Parsons, Nick Michael, Andre Clarke, Abdul Lawal, Vincent Gurrea, Richard Cleveland and maybe Mark Elliott.

CHANGES AT THE LEAGUE

The name of the league has been changed from the British Senior Flag League to the English Senior Flag League with immediate effect. With Scotland now having their own senior flag league (www.sffa.org.uk), the decision was taken to change the name of our league at the recent AGM.

LEAGUE WEBSITE AND FORUM

The league website has been tarted up recently and you can view it at www.seniorflag.co.uk I'd also recommend viewing and registering on the league forum at http://forums.4um.co.uk/football/britball/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=12

LEAGUE AGM FEEDBACK

Here is the feedback from the recent league AGM

2(a). Vote for R Cleveland as Chairman Passed
2(b). Vote for M Heasman as Secretary Passed
2(c). Vote for A O'Sullivan as Treasurer Passed
2(d). Vote for D Kangurs to join BSFL committee Passed
2(d1). Vote for D Kangurs as WWW Director Passed
2(e). Vote for N Watson to join BSFL committee Passed
2(e1). Vote for N Watson as International Director (Europe) Passed 2(f). Vote for A Bradshaw to join BSFL committee Passed 2(f1). Vote for A Bradshaw as International Director (North America and Rest of World) Passed
2(g). Vote for L Vos to join the BSFL committee Passed
2(g1). Vote for L Vos as Media Liaison Passed
2(h). Change 5-man rulebook to reflect the current NFL flag rules Passed 2(i). Results from BSFL tournaments not using BSFL rules will not count towards the final table Passed
2(j). Minimum number of teams for a tournament will be 4 Passed 2(k). Bring in overtime (one attempt for each team) for tied games Failed 2(l). Teams must play 3 tournaments to be eligible for the final league standings (currently 2) Passed
2(m). Players must wear popper flags, not velco Passed
2(n). Every team must host a tournament and every team in the league must compete in every tournament Failed
2(o). Any team that fails to show up for a tournament that they have agreed to compete in will be docked points and games Passed
2(p). Change the league name to reflect the actual situation to English Senior Flag League Passed

5 MAN RULE CHANGES

1) No padding or headwear shall be allowed (caps, hats etc included)
2) Flags should be a contrasting colour to the team’s game pants
3) All players must wear a gum shield of any readily visible colour (not white or clear) that covers all upper teeth.
4) Teams may consist of up to 10 players (5 on field, 5 substitute)
5) In regular season tournaments the game length is 20 minutes (two halves of 10 minutes each). For Championship and international tournaments the game length will be 40 minutes (two 20 minute halves).
6) In the event of a tied game in a championship and international tournament, overtime will be played. The period between the end of the game and the start of the overtime period will be two minutes. A coin toss determines first possession of overtime. The team winning the coin toss starts with the ball on its own 5-yard line. Play continues as in regulation until one-team scores. There will be no time outs granted during the overtime period.
7) Games will be played to a running clock. The clock will start at the snap after it has been stopped. The clock will stop for the length of the timeout. The clock will stop to warn teams that there are two minutes left to play in each half (No time out is given).
8) Once the ball carrier has crossed the line of scrimmage the ball cannot be handed off, tossed or pitched in any way.
9) "No-running zones" are located 5 yards in front of each end zone. When the ball is on or inside the 5-yard line going towards the opponent’s end zone, the offense cannot run.
10) Only the team captain and Head Coach may ask the referee questions about rule clarification and interpretations. Players and Coaches cannot question judgement calls.
11) Each team must register at least one Team Judge.

21st November 2003 - BEACH BOWL III

The Bournemouth Raiders will be entering the third annual Beach Bowl competition on SUNDAY 14th December.

The tournament will be played in Portsmouth, and kickoff no later than 12pm. It must finish by 4pm as light will be fading by then. We will play 3 or 4 games on the day.

Our plan is to enter two squads - an A side and a development side. The development side will be run by Mark Elliott and Richard Cleveland.

Can you confirm if you can play in this tournament

21st November 2003 - NORTH V SOUTH ALLSTAR GAME

If you wish to play for the South of England team against the North in a 9-on-9 contact game please let me know. I have to submit names within the next 2 weeks.

The game will be played on the 7th March 2004 at Oxford. Myself and Mark are two players who will be playing.

The England side will be selected from the outstanding performers in this game. There will be 1 training session that will be held on the day of the game.

The South of England side will be made up of players from Bournemouth, Chichester, PA Knights, North Devon and Sussex.

28th September 2003 - Autumn Bowl I - BSFL 5 ON 5 TOURNAMENT

Venue: Chichester, W.Sussex

Results:

Bournemouth Raiders 26-0 Team Extreme
Bournemouth Raiders 19-12 PA Knights
Bournemouth Raiders 27-6 Sussex Thunder

Semi-Final

Bournemouth Raiders 23-12 Kent Exiles

Final

Bournemouth Raiders 6-6 Chichester Sharks

The Bournemouth Raiders returned to British Senior Flag League action and winning ways on Sunday with a fantastic team effort to go through the day unbeaten and jointly share the Chichester Autumn Bowl. Using an unorthadox offense of two QBs playing at the same time (Matt Heasman threw for 5tds and Brad Smith both threw for 6), they won 3 out of 3 group games, and then defeated the Kent Exiles 23-12 in the semi-finals. In the final they tied 6-6 with the Chichester Sharks.

The Raiders split their 12 man squad in two to have a separate offense and defense, which helped players keep their fitness throughout the day. As a result of the Raiders good results, we have now moved up to 4th in the league out of 19 teams. The table can be found by clicking here

http://www.seniorflag.co.uk/2003%20BSFL%205%20on%205.htm

Squad: Matt Heasman, Brad Smith, Allen Gilbert, Mark Elliott, Nick Michael, Dan Rochester, Duncan Rochester, Bene Lewis, Alan Huddy, Vincent Gurrea, Mike Drobny, James Law

Group Games

Bournemouth Raiders 26-0 Team Extreme Derby

The Raiders opened the tournament with a comprehensive win over Team Extreme from Derby. Matt Heasman fired two TD's, one each to Brad Smith and the other to rookie Dan Rochester who showed good hands to catch a low pass over the middle, and in between Brad Smith threw a long range TD to debutant Mike Drobny, and pass into the corner of the endzone to Nick Michael.

Stats:

Matt Heasman to Brad Smith (Brad Smith to Mike Drobny for the 1PAT) 7-0 Brad Smith to Mike Drobny (Matt Heasman to Dan Rochester 1PAT) 14-0 Matt Heasman to Dan Rochester (1PAT failed) 20-0 Brad Smith to Nick Michael (1 PAT failed) 26-0

Interceptions: Bene Lewis, Mike Drobney, Duncan Rochester

Bournemouth Raiders 18-12 PA Knights

Against the PA Knights, the Raiders raced into an early 12-0 lead on the back of Heasman's short pass to Smith who ran in from distance, and straight afterwards Nick Michael scored on an interception return for a TD. The Knights came back and scored on two passing TD's to tie the scores. Late in the game, following a good drive Brad Smith ran in from 6 yards out to win the game for the Raiders.

Stats:

Matt Heasman to Brad Smith (1 PAT failed) 6-0
Nick Michael interception return (1 PAT failed) 12-0
PA Knights TD 12-6
PA Knights TD 12-12
Brad Smith run (1 PAT failed) 18-12

Bournemouth Raiders 27-6 Sussex Thunder

In a really tight opening, it took a sack from rookie James Law to put the Raiders in the lead. With the Raiders then receiving the ball, they marched straight down the field to open a 9-0 lead on Brad Smith's pass over the middle to Mike Drobny. The Raiders offense really came into their own thereafter as they marched down the field at will, and Brad Smith put them 15-0 up on a pass to Mark Elliott right in the middle of the endzone. Sussex scored to make it 15-6, but Smith hit back with a long pass over the middle to Bene Lewis, who made a spectacular catch over his shoulder to restore the Raiders commanding lead. James Law sealed the impressive win over the BSL Division Two side with an interception at the back of the Raiders endzone, and he ran it back the full length of the field.

Scorers:

James Law safety 2-0
Brad Smith to Mike Drobney (Matt Heasman to Brad Smith for 1 PAT) 9-0
Brad Smith to Mark Elliott (1 PAT failed) 15-0
Sussex Thunder TD 15-6
Brad Smith to Bene Lewis (1 PAT failed) 21-6
James Law interception return from own endzone (1 PAT failed) 27-6

Semi-Final - Bournemouth Raiders 23-12 Kent Exiles

Against another BSL Division Two outfit, the Raiders triumphed again with a hard fought 23-12 semi-final victory. The Exiles defense was the hardest the Raiders had played against so far and the Raiders had to improvise superbly on a number of occasions to overcome them. Brad Smith opened the scoring throwing a long distance pass to Drobny to put the Raiders 7-0 up, but the Exiles were moving the ball well - each of their first 3 drives went to the Raiders 1 yard line - but crucially they only scored 1 TD in these drives. The Raiders moved into a 14-6 half-time lead when Heasman dumped off a pass to Smith who ran in from half way. Early in the second half the Raiders scored on a safety when the Exiles QB under pressure threw the ball out of the endzone, and then Smith extended the lead to 23-6 with a run from a few yards out. Exiles hit back late on, interceptions by Gurrea and Drobny protected the lead.

Stats:

Brad Smith to Mike Drobney
Bournemouth Raiders safety after QB threw ball away
Matt Heasman to Brad Smith
Brad Smith run
Interceptions: Vincent Gurrea, Mike Drobney

Final - Bournemouth Raiders 6-6 Chichester Sharks

Against their big rivals from the south coast, the Raiders took the lead in the championship game on a 5yd pass from Heasman to Dan Rochester, but the Sharks hit back with a TD to tie the scores at 6-6 apiece. With a strong defensive performance by the Raiders, the high powered Sharks offense did not come close to scoring again, and Nick Michael came close to winning it for the Raiders with an attempted interception but he could not quite hang on. In fading light it was agreed not to play overtime and the tournament was shared.

Scorers:

Matt Heasman to Dan Rochester (1 PAT failed) 6-0
Chichester Sharks TD 6-6

Bournemouth Raiders team photo at the BSFL Autumn Bowl in Birmingham- September 28th 2003
Back row (left to right): Vincent Gurrea, Mark Elliott, Bene Lewis, Dan Rochester, Matt Heasman, Mike Drobney
Front row (left to right): James Law, Alan Huddy, Allen Gilbert, Duncan Rochester, Nick Michael

For other photos click here

12th May 2003 - Raiders pull out of BSFL 9-on-9 league

The Bournemouth Raiders will not be able to enter a side in the BSFL 9-on-9 league for 2003. After very disappointing turnouts for our last 3 tournaments (8 in October, 9 in December and 8 in April), and having canvassed opinion we cannot guarantee being able to field a squad for a full season.

The Raiders will continue though! Our suggestion is for a 9-on-9 championship day in London for 4 sides. We would be able to get Bournemouth to enter a one off 9-on-9 tournament in London. They would be two semi-finals, a 3rd/4th place playoff and a championship game.

We also will continue to play in the BSFL 5-on-5 championship, and the next tournament is to be played in London (Hyde Park) on the 13th July.

27th April 2003 - EASTER BOWL I - BSFL 5 ON 5 TOURNAMENT

Venue: Billesley, Birmingham

Results:

Bournemouth Raiders 6-14 Chichester Sharks (Raiders scorer: Matt Heasman pass to Daniel Nehorai - 1PAT failed)
Bournemouth Raiders 18-0 Topgun Miramar (Raiders scorers: Matt Heasman 3 TD passes, 2 to Vincent Gurrea and 1 to Daniel Nehorai)
Bournemouth Raiders 0-19 Team Extreme (Derby)
5th/6th playoff: Bournemouth Raiders 7-24 North Devon Dogs (Raiders scorer: Matt Heasman to Andrew Clowes - Karl Forrest with the 1PAT)

Raiders opened up against the Chichester Sharks, and fell to a disappointing 14-6 loss. 7-0 after one possession, Heasman hit Nehorai on a short pass, and he brought several tackles to score. The PAT failed to leave the score 7-6. The Sharks scored again on blown coverage, and the Raiders couldn't get back into the game after that. Raiders suffered a loss in this game, as Mark Elliott suffered a neck injury which caused him to taken in an ambulance to hospital. Elliott returned later in the day, but his loss was missed over the coming games.

In game 2, the Raiders destroyed a poor Topgun Miramar side with 3 TD passes from Matt Heasman (2 to Daniel Nehorai and 1 to Vincent Gurrea). The Raiders small squad was stretched in the limit from game 3, as Heasman twisted his ankle and was immobile (nothing changed there then!) for the rest of the tournament, and injuries to Gurrea and Nehorai meant Raiders struggled in their 2 remaining games and couldn't go themselves justice. A 19-0 defeat to Team Extreme, was followed by a 24-7 defeat by North Devon Dogs. Against the Dogs, the Raiders trailed early 14-0, but a long range pass from Heasman was caught by rookie Andrew Clowes who turned it into a TD. Raiders then got the ball again, and drove to the Dogs 1 yard, but couldn't score to tie the scores. The Dogs pulled away in the second half to leave the Raiders finishing 6th in the 8 team tournament.

Special mention should be made to Andrew Clowes who made his debut for the Raiders, escorted Mark Elliott to hospital and still returned to score a TD against North Devon.

Thanks to all who attended, and hopefully the next tournament we play will have more people turning out for us. Next tournament is due to be played in Chichester.

Squad: Matt Heasman, Mark Elliott, Vincent Gurrea, Andrew Clowes, Bene Lewis, Daniel Nehorai, Alan Huddy, Karl Forrest

The tournament was won by the Leicester Eagles who defeated Chichester 16-7 in the final.

5th March 2003 - Raiders regroup for 2003

The Bournemouth Raiders have made a number of new signings in the off-season, with 6 players contacting us through the website. Our first tournament of 2003, is on Sunday 27th April at Birmingham in the BSFL Easterbowl senior flag 5-on-5 competition.

25th January 2003 - Raiders represent the BSFL

Four Bournemouth Raiders (Vincent Gurrea, Mark Houston, Abdul Lawal and Nick Michael) played for the BSFL Allstars team in a game in Dublin against the Drimnagh Cycos. The Allstars won the match 18-12.

Matt Heasman
Mark Elliott
Bene Lewis
Ryan McKeon
Mark Houston
Daniel Nehorai
Allen Gilbert
Vincent Gurrea

All results from this tournament count towards the final BSFL 5-on-5 table.

28th September 2002 - Articles added

I've added articles concerning the upcoming Xmas Party, Beach Bowl and Dublin trip. See below for links.

Xmas Party/End of Season awards ceremony
Beach Bowl II - our 5 on 5 tournament
Dublin trip

8th September 2002 - BSFL Finals review

Semi-Final - Invicta Coyotes 0-6 Bournemouth Raiders - Match report
Final Leicester Eagles 45-21 Bournemouth Raiders - Match report

The Raiders, therefore, finished national runners-up. A tremendous achievement, considering we were not even playing until last season.

4th September 2002 - BSFL Finals Day info

We will face the Invicta Coyotes in the second semi-final of the day with a 2.30pm kick-off.

The finals are to be held at Coldham Common in Cambridge on Sunday 8th September, and the day kicks off at 1pm with the first semi-final between Fen Harriers (seeded 4) and the Conference champions, the Leicester Eagles (seeded 1). We will play shortly after that game finishes in the second semi-final. The two semi-finalist winners will then meet for the BSFL Championship. There is no 3rd/4th place play-off.

We will be leaving Bournemouth at 9am, and will be meeting the rest of the squad at Cambridge at approximately 12-12.30pm.

25th August 2002 - Photos now on-line from the Cambridge tournament

Click here to view them

19th August 2002 - Chichester tournament results

Well we didn't win both games, but considering we had so many injuries we did pretty well. Allen Gilbert kept up his sack per game record, and Nick Michael shone on defense. We did well on offense against the Sharks, but the Leicester game was tough.

Chichester Sharks 8-24 Bournemouth Raiders - Match report
Leicester Eagles 10-0 Bournemouth Raiders - Match report

The Raiders have now finished 3rd in the National Conference, and will play the 2nd placed team in the National semi-finals in Cambridge on September 8th.

16th August 2002 - Chichester tournament details

Our squad for for this tournament is:

Matt Heasman
Mark Elliott
Matt Hemsley
Lee Eatly
Mark Houston
Vincent Gurrea
Jon Wells
Tim Smith
Allen Gilbert
Karl Forrest
Ryan McKeon
Daniel Nehorai
Nick Michael

11th August 2002 - Raiders win in Cambridge

The Raiders came away from Cambridge with their unbeaten record intact. In their first game of the day, they defeated the Fen Harriers 8-6 thanks to a 62 yard pass from QB Brad Smith to WR Mark Houston. They then tied with the Invicta Coyotes 12-12, with Smith hitting Houston again for a long pass, and then Matt Heasman stepping in for the injured Smith to throw a 22 yard pass to Jonny Wells to tie the scores near the end. The Raiders have improved to 3-0-1, and have now qualified for the BSFL Finals day on September 8th in Cambridge.

31st July 2002 - Cambridge tournament details

The Fen Harriers have now confirmed that their pitch in Cambridge is available so we can now make arrangements for the tournament there on August 11th. We will be travelling up on the Saturday night to enjoy a night out in Cambridge to unwind before the games. The accommodation has now been booked and travel arrangements will be made next week. I am anticipating the schedule for the tournament to be: Fen Harriers vs. Bournemouth Raiders, Bournemouth Raiders vs. Invicta Coyotes, Invicta Coyotes vs. Fen Harriers

Matt Heasman
Mark Elliott
Stuart Winship
Richard Cleveland
Brad Smith
Matt Hemsley
Lee Eatly
Mark Houston
Vincent Gurrea
Jon Wells
Allen Gilbert
Karl Forrest
Ryan McKeon
Tom Jenkins
Kirk O'Field
Richard Tollervey
Daniel Nehorai
Roland Coutts
Nick Michael
Abdul Lawal

28th July 2002 - Recent BSFL result

Leicester Eagles defeated Fen Harriers 10-8. Leicester have improved to 2-0, and the Harriers drop to 3-3. Our games with the Harriers and Invicta are now crucial if we are to gain ourselves the number 1 seeding in the playoffs.

16th July 2002 - Raiders 2nd in 5-on-5 Hyde Park tournament

The Raiders finished 2nd, in the BSFL 5-on-5 tournament at Hyde Park on Sunday. Victories against Leicester and Birmingham, and ties with Leicester and Invicta led Bournemouth to a 0.500 record. We were unbeaten in our last 4 games of the day. Full match reports and can be found by clicking here and photos from the tournament can be found by clicking here.

9th July 2002 - Hyde Park tournament details

The Raiders have entered the BSFL 5-on-5 tournament at Hyde Park on Sunday 14th July. It starts at 12pm, and each team will each other twice making a total of 6 games (20 minutes each). There are 4 teams entered in the tournament - Bournemouth Raiders, Birmingham Raiders, Invicta Coyotes and Leicester Eagles. All results from this tournament count towards the final BSFL 5-on-5 league table.

12.00pm - Bournemouth Raiders vs. Invicta Coyotes (Leicester reffing)
12.25pm - Invicta Coyotes vs. Leicester Eagles (Bournemouth reffing)
12.50pm - Bournemouth Raiders vs. Birmingham Raiders (Leicester reffing)
1.15pm - Birmingham Raiders vs. Leicester Eagles (Invicta reffing)
1.40pm - Bournemouth Raiders vs. Leicester Eagles (Birmingham reffing)
2.05pm - Birmingham Raiders vs. Invicta Coyotes (Leicester reffing)
2.30pm - Invicta Coyotes vs. Bournemouth Raiders (Birmingham reffing)
2.55pm - Bournemouth Raiders vs. Birmingham Raiders (Invicta reffing)
3.20pm - Leicester Eagles vs. Invicta Coyotes (Bournemouth reffing)
3.45pm - Leicester Eagles vs. Bournemouth Raiders (Birmingham reffing)
4.10pm - Birmingham Raiders vs. Invicta Coyotes (Bournemouth reffing)
4.35pm - Birmingam Raiders vs. Leicester Eagles (Invicta reffing)

We will be meeting at the Edinburgh Gate on the south side of Hyde Park (just over the road from the Knightsbridge tube station) at 11.30am, and will then look to try to mark the pitch out in the same place as the Brighton game (over the other side of the Serpentine - where the K is on Park). Our first game is 12.00pm, so be there prompt.

Our squad currently is: Bene Lewis, Matt Heasman, Mark Elliott, Lee Eatly, Rich Cleveland, Brad Smith, Jon Wells, Kirk O'Field, Richard Tollervey, Tom Jenkins, Ryan McKeon, Vincent Gurrea, Mark Houston, Roland Coutts

After the tournament we intend to go for a couple of beers in a nearby bar.

4th July 2002 - Senior Flag Forum

The British Senior Flag League has a forum which can be located at the following address - http://forum.onecenter.com/bsfl It can also be found by clicking on the forum link on the league website (www.seniorflag.co.uk). You do not need to register to post, but any offensive comments will be removed by the administrator.

3rd July 2002 - BSFL Week 2 preview

We'll get a guide to our form when Brighton and Chichester take on the Fen Harriers this weekend. After comprehensively beating both of them, it will be interesting to see how the Harriers match up to them. Here's a preview taken from the league website.

The venue is a place called Waterhall and it is located just off the A27, North of Brighton.

The order of play is :

Game 1 : Brighton v Chichester (Kick-off approx 11am)
Game 2 : Fen v Chichester
Game 3 : Brighton v Fen"