Portsmouth Destroyers v Kingston Cougars

Even the sun was out to support the Portsmouth Destroyers in their first BUCS League fixture as they faced the Kingston Cougars.

After a minute’s silence for Remembrance Day the game was underway with Portsmouth kicking off.

The game started strong for the Destroyers who sacked the Cougars’ quarterback and running backs for negative yards.

When the ball was turned over and Portsmouth’s offence was on the field it wasn’t long before rookie running back Lewis Popely scored the first 6 points of Portsmouth’s season, the two point conversion failed.

For the rest of the first quarter it was a battle of the defences with penalties pushing both teams far back into their own yards.

In the second quarter the offences moved quickly down the field but were struggling to convert on fourth down.

After a few passing plays gained Portsmouth yards and moved them closer to the end-zone, quarterback Ben Clift connected with Taofeeq Adeyemi for six more points. Once more the two-point conversion failed.

The first half ended with an interception thrown Clift but the whistle was blown just as Portsmouth sacked the Kingston player.

Portsmouth’s running game was strong at the start of the 3rd quarter and Kingston’s defence couldn’t keep up but once again penalties were getting the better of both teams, with flags thrown for holding and illegal use of hands, common penalties for rookie players in their first game.

Kingston’s offence stepped up in the 4th quarter, mixing up passing and running plays for the yards they needed.
But even pushed back into their own yards wasn’t going to stop Kingston, a 90 yard run from a pass made sure they weren’t shut out and secured the team 6 points.

Injuries tainted Kingston’s game but their defence put up a fight throughout, making sure Portsmouth could only score 12 points which was the lowest winning score in the Thames Valley Conference this week.

Overall, Portsmouth’s passing game has improved vastly since last season gaining 97 yards in total and 104 yards through running but penalties accounted for 125 yards of Portsmouth’s game, which is something that needs to be worked on if they want to bring the trophy back.

FT SCORE: DESTROYERS 12-6 COUGARS

Portsmouth face the 1-1 Brunel Burners on the 24th November in an away fixture. Last time these teams met, the Destroyers won 20-0 but with Brunel working under a new coach and winning their first game 40-6, it’s anyone’s game.