Sunday July 14th 2002 - BSFL 5-on-5 Tournament at Hyde Park, London
At a sun-drenched Hyde Park, the Raiders opened their British Senior Flag League 5-on-5 campaign. The Leicester Eagles came out on top of the league with 3 wins and a draw out of their 5 games played. We were the only team to beat them, also draw with them. All results from this tournament count towards the final BSFL 5-on-5 league table. All in all a good day out had by all. Bene dislocated his finger which hopefully is better now, and Kirk did his shoulder in, but hopefully both
Results:
Bournemouth
Raiders 8-14 Invicta Coyotes
Invicta Coyotes 0-13 Leicester Eagles
Bournemouth Raiders 6-9 Birmingham Raiders
Birmingham Raiders 14-8 Invicta Coyotes
Bournemouth Raiders 15-12 Leicester Eagles
Birmingham Raiders 6-13 Leicester Eagles
Invicta Coyotes 12-12 Bournemouth Raiders
Bournemouth Raiders 12-7 Birmingham Raiders
Leicester Eagles 15-6 Invicta Coyotes
Leicester Eagles 14-14 Bournemouth Raiders
Bournemouth Raiders 8-14 Invicta Coyotes
In the opening game of the tournament, the Coyotes sneaked to a victory over their south coast rivals. QB Lewis Button fired a short range TD to Glenn Lindley for the opening score to put the Coyotes 8-0. Bournemouth came back into when Matt Heasman hit Roland Coutts on a quick out, who turned a small gain into a long range TD. The Coyotes winning TD was fortuitous as Button’s long pass was tipped by CB Ryan McKeon as he collided with fellow CB Vincent Gurrea into the arms of the waiting Coyotes WR Gaz Wright who ran in the score unchallenged. The Raiders offense stalled and the Coyotes took the game.
Bournemouth Raiders 6-9 Birmingham Raiders
Birmingham won the first ‘battle of the Raiders’ with a surprise win, especially after Bournemouth had gone 6-0 up on a crossing pattern with Brad Smith hitting Roland Coutts for a catch in traffic at the back of the endzone. Birmingham got back into the game with a Gary Griffiths pass to Andy Poodle, which was converted to give them the edge 7-6.
Birmingham defense had the measure of Bournemouth’s offense in this game, and Bournemouth rarely threatened. To seal things, Birmingham earnt a safety to go 9-6 up, and then ran out the clock.
Bournemouth Raiders 15-12 Leicester Eagles
In this battle of great rivals, Bournemouth entered this game in resurgent form thanks to an offensive shuffle. QB Matt Heasman starting hitting his receiving corps of Coutts, O’Field, Jenkins and Houston underneath for short but effective yardage. The Raiders took the lead on a trick play where RB Brad Smith threw to Heasman who stepped inside the Eagles D to score. Heasman added the 2 PAT on a pass to Mark Houston to put the Raiders 8-0 up. Leicester hit straight back with a TD after just 2 plays. John Pimperton passed for a TD to his brother on in the corner of the endzone, following a 45 yard gain the play before. Richard Tollervey broke up the PAT to leave Bournemouth 8-6 up. Bournemouth offense was firing, and another long drive led to a Brad Smith running in for a TD, which was converted with Heasman finding Smith at the front of the endzone for the crucial extra point to put Bournemouth 15-6 up. With the Eagles needing to score twice, they got one score on John Pimperton’s second TD pass of the game (this time to James Hossack). The conversion again failed. Leicester had one final chance, but an interception by Jon Well killed that and Heasman took a knee to run out the clock.
Jon Wells making the crucial
interception
Invicta Coyotes 12-12 Bournemouth Raiders
Bournemouth continued their impressive offense from the previous game, and scored early on with Brad Smith hitting Mark Houston on a streak from an option play. The Coyotes tied things up when QB Button found Lindley on a flare. The conversions on both TD’s failed and the score was tied at 6-6. Heasman put the Raiders back in front on a flag pattern, which Houston ran in. The Coyotes set up a thrilling finish when Button threw his second TD pass of the game to Dave Austin to tie things up at 12-12. Mark Elliott broke up Button’s pass to keep the scores level, and Smith’s last ditch pass was incomplete.
Bournemouth Raiders 12-7 Birmingham Raiders
Bournemouth gained revenge for their earlier defeat to Birmingham to reclaim the ‘Raiders’ crown with a 12-7 win.
Heasman found Houston on a bomb
early on to put the southerners up 6-0, but Birmingham hit back on Brian Dick’s
run. The Dick’s TD converted the midlanders held the advantage 7-6.
Bournemouth’s defense led by Mark Elliott effectively stopped the Birmingham O,
with Jon Wells producing a sack. On the final drive of the match, when
Bournemouth clinched victory on an inch perfect 4th down pass from
Heasman to Houston into the corner of the endzone. Birmingham finished the
tournament with a creditable 2-2 record.
Leicester Eagles 14-14 Bournemouth Raiders
Bournemouth so nearly clinched the tournament, but were undone by a last ditch drive from the Eagles. The Eagles went ahead very early on, when John Pimperton hit James Hossack underneath, and the youngster burnt off the Raiders defense for a long distance TD. Raiders QB Heasman hauled the Raiders back into it was a quick out to Roland Coutts who out jumped his man and then streaked into the endzone. The PAT failed and the Eagles led 7-6. The Raiders hit back, and Brad Smith found Coutts for his second TD of the game with a low pass into the corner of the endzone. Smith then found Heasman for the 2 PAT with a pass over the middle to give Bournemouth what looked a winning 14-7 lead, but they hadn’t counted on the Eagles QB John Pimperton, who marched his offense down the other end in double quick time, and then on 4th down and goal on the last play of the game he found James Pimperton who a slant pattern for the score which gave the Eagles the opportunity to tie/or win the game as that made the score 14-13. The Eagles opted to go for the tie with a 1 PAT which was converted to leave the score 14-14 as time expired.
TEAM:
HEASMAN, ELLIOTT, SMITH.B, HOUSTON, MCKEON, WELLS, LEWIS, O'FIELD, JENKINS, COUTTS, TOLLERVEY, GURREA,
STATS
PASSING
HEASMAN 5 TD's
SMITH, BRAD 4 TD's
RUSHING
SMITH, BRAD 1 TD
RECEIVING
HOUSTON - 4TD's
COUTTS - 4 TD's
HEASMAN - 1 TD
SACKS
WELLS
1.0
INTERCEPTIONS