Destroyers at Buccaneers

As the Destroyers came face-to-face with one of the few teams who got points against them last season, it was obvious that this game was going to be a good one. It certainly did not disappoint the spectators, one of whom was TV Presenter Vernon Kay.

A minute’s silence was held before kick-off for Remembrance Sunday and all players wore a poppy on their helmet to show their respect. 

BNU opened the scoring with a 2 point safety after a bad punt from Portsmouth, the only score in the 1^st quarter. The Destroyers were a man down during the start of the 2^nd quarter, #22 Chris (Ches) Percival dislocated his shoulder and was taken to hospital.

But the Destroyers weren’t shaken and Tomi Olusanya scored a touchdown and a 2 point conversion. This was quickly retaliated by a short touchdown from BNU as well as a 2 point conversion; they were leading the score board 10-8.

Their glory didn’t last long thanks to a 25 yard touchdown run from Simon (TeBlow) Blow, the 2 point failed but Portsmouth were leading. Just before the half-time whistle, within the space of just 4 plays, running back Folahami Dare scored two touchdowns, with Brooke Ince successfully converting the first 2 points, the half-time score was 26-10 to the Destroyers.

The 2^nd half was fairly un-eventful, with only a few flags thrown (a welcomed change from last week’s game) and no score until the last 40 seconds of the game. However, an injury for BNU saw another player taken to the hospital, this time with a suspected broken leg.

BNU closed the game with a short running touchdown and the final score was 26-16 to Portsmouth. The Destroyers’ defence certainly stepped up this week, blocking many attempts by BNU, but after gaining only 177 yards throughout the game, it seems Portsmouth need to work on their offence.

Destroyers now enjoy a week off before facing the top of the league Imperial Immortals on the 27^th November.

FULL-TIME SCORE: DESTROYERS 26-16 BUCCANEERS

Destroyers promote American football in the UK

After winning the BUAFL championship, it would be insane to think that the Portsmouth Destroyers would have a ‘quiet’ summer. In fact, the boys and their coach have been very busy in their ‘time off’ to help promote the sport of American Football in the UK.

Shortly after claiming the trophy, the Portsmouth Destroyers were approached by the NFL (pro- American Football League) to take part in a corporate sponsor with Best Buy UK and their partnership with the NFL international series, hosted in London on the 23rd October. Two players from the Destroyers were picked to take part in a photo-shoot and even help out Best Buy with deliveries. Ian Boyton, Sponsorship and Events Manager at Best Buy UK, said “it’s hugely exciting for all of us at Best Buy to be developing this new partnership with the NFL here in the UK.”

As well as getting their name out there through the power of advertising, the team also embraced the power of the internet and released a documentary. Chris Richards, a Southampton graduate and ex- Southampton Stags and Solent Redhawks player, approached Destroyers Head Coach, Russ Hewitt with the idea of creating his own version of HBO’s ‘Hard Knock’ documentaries, which look inside pre-season training camps. Chris went along to the Destroyers’ training for four days and filmed behind the scenes, highlighting the ups and downs of being the best university football team in the country. The end result was released in June 2011 and has since had 50,000 views from all over the globe.

But it wasn’t just the players who were busy keeping the Destroyer’s name fresh through the summer, Head Coach, Russ Hewitt was invited to the House of Commons to help the APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) raise awareness of the sport in the UK and get official recognition from the British government. Among those in attendance were also coaches from British teams such as the London Blitz and Exmouth Raptors and representatives of NFL teams the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears. The British American Football Association chairman, Gary Marshall, said “this is a fantastic initiative and for those of us involved in developing the sport here, it is great to know that we now have a voice in Parliament.”

Getting the sport more well-known over here is going to be an on-going challenge, but it seems that the Destroyers are doing more than their fair share to help.

Follow their journey on their Facebook Page. You can watch the team’s documentary at http://vimeo.com/24269307

Brunel Burners extinguished – but work to be done

As reigning BUAFL (British Universities American Football League) national champions, the Portsmouth Destroyers have the highest of standards.
So when Portsmouth took to the field for the first game of the 2011/12 campaign against the Brunel Burners on the 6th November, the atmosphere was tense and the nerves were showing on the rookies’ faces.

The game got off to a shaky start with both teams losing precious yardage due to flags thrown. But it was Portsmouth who opened the scoring with a touchdown by Brook Ince, swiftly followed by a conversion for an added two points.
Anthony Olawale scored another touchdown for Portsmouth shortly after, but the conversion failed. There was no score in the second quarter, but once again, a lot of flags were thrown for personal fouls, proving irritating for both teams.

The second half got off to a good start with quarterback Ben Clift throwing a four yard touchdown to tight-end Elliot Howes, though once again the conversion failed. Brunel’s frustration began to show and the players started exchanging harsh words with each other; they wanted to beat the champions as much as Portsmouth wanted to prove themselves. But as the whistle blew for the start of the fourth quarter it was apparent that they weren’t going to make a comeback.

There was no score in the fourth, meaning Portsmouth had their first win in the bag, but the atmosphere wasn’t as celebratory as it should have been. This could have been down to first game rustiness which meant the Destroyers weren’t on their top form, but they know they have a lot of improvement to do if they want to repeat their performance from last year and retain their champion status.

Destroyers celebrate their win with some chicken!

Intro

Hi there, first of all, thanks for visiting!
I thought I'd start this blog as it'd be a way for me to post things I've been writing. So, before I start here's a little about me:
My name's Rhianna, I'm 20 and I study Journalism and Media at Portsmouth Uni. I love American Football, more specifically the Green Bay Packers (hence the colour scheme). This summer, I was asked by BAFA to help raise the awareness of the sport here in the UK and since, I have been writing for different magazines and media outlets to try and increase the popularity of the sport.
I am currently focusing on my university's team- The Portsmouth Destroyers (BUAFL Champions 2010/11).
On this blog you'll find me writing about them and maybe other teams within BUAFL or NFL.
Feedback is always welcome.
Enjoy!
P.s. Here's a photo of me 'tebowing' by my home town's only tourist attraction