Women's 5v5 Contact Tournament

On the 9^th March, the Portsmouth Destroyers hosted the first women’s contact tournament of the year. The event was classed as an open development day, inviting teams down to try out the sport.

The RHUL Bears took part in the day

The current champions, the Hertfordshire Tornadoes and the Southampton Stags were to play Portsmouth in a round-robin style tournament whilst the RHUL Bears came down and played a flagged game whilst wearing kit.

The day kicked off with Portsmouth playing Hertfordshire and the Destroyers got off to a quick start with a first down pass from Marcelle Levine to Afia Law. Both teams’ defences then stepped up with interceptions by both and soon a bad snap by Portsmouth resulted in a safety for Hertfordshire’s first points of the day.

Hertfordshire then pushed their way down to the three yard line before passing it into the endzone. The PAT failed but Hertfordshire were now leading 8-0. It wasn’t long before Afia then intercepted a ball, putting Portsmouth on offense and she was able to run the ball into the endzone, the PAT failed meaning the score was 8-6 to Hertfordshire. 

Destroyers' Afia scores their first points of the day

After a quick break for half-time, Hertfordshire’s Amanda Casey made her way into the endzone on their first drive, the PAT failed once more. Soon enough Amanda ran the ball down to the ½ yard line but Portsmouth’s defence stepped up and put the pressure on and they failed to convert on fourth down.

Portsmouth responded strongly with running back Francisca de Távora and centre Amy Dyfan gaining yards to then enable Afia to get her second touchdown of the day. The score was now at 14-12 to Hertfordshire with mere minutes left on the clock.

Hertfordshire’s offense answered with a huge run by Amy Schiller down the field and into the endzone and a one point conversion gave the Tornadoes a 21-12 lead.  Portsmouth’s offense were failing to make it through Hertfordshire’s defence and in the last 10 seconds, the Tornadoes intercepted the ball and with four seconds left on the clock Schiller made her way into the endzone for the last points of the game. The final score was 27-12.

Lauren Hackney scores for the Stags

After a short break, Portsmouth were back on the field for their Varsity fixture against the Southampton Stag.  The Destroyers’ defence intercepted the ball but couldn’t make anything of it and when the ball was turned over, Lauren Hackney ran the ball into the endzone for Southampton’s first points of the game.

When Portsmouth’s offense were back on, Afia went to run the ball with the endzone in her sight but Laura Hill stripped the ball from her hands and ran it for a further six points. The PAT failed but Southampton were leading 12-0.

Destroyers’ centre Amy Dyfan then gained Portsmouth a first down but the effort was wasted as two plays later they fumbled the ball away for Southampton to recover.

As hard as they tried, Portsmouth couldn't stop the Stags

Southampton then made the most of the opportunity with a run from Lauren again into the endzone who then also put another point on the board. After a turnover of downs, they were in the endzone again for another 7 points.  With the whistle being blown for half-time, the Stags were leading 29-0.

After the break, Portsmouth managed to get their first points of the game after centre Amy Dyfan blocked a path for Afia for her third touchdown of the day. The PAT failed but shortly after, a bad snap from Southampton resulted in a safety and the score was 29-8 to Southampton.

Southampton’s defence then responded strongly, intercepting the ball and running it for a touchdown and a one point conversion gave them a 28 point lead over the Destroyers.  Portsmouth’s offense failed to convert on fourth down and the ball was turned over to Southampton who were quick to get into the endzone once more.

When the Destroyers’ had their offense on, the ball was passed to Afia but once more the Stags’ Laura Hill stripped the ball from her hands and ran it for another touchdown. This soon became a standard move for Laura as she did it once more for yet another touchdown.

The final whistle blew and Southampton had the game in the bag with a 55-8 win.

With the sun going down and time running out, the final game of the day between Southampton and Hertfordshire could only be played for ten minutes. The game started with turnovers by both teams and soon Hertfordshire’s Amy Schiller ran for her third touchdown of the game. Steen Miles added a one point conversion.

Herts' Amy makes her way to the endzone

On the next play, Southampton were pushed into their own endzone, adding two more points for Hertfordshire. The Tornadoes’ offense were strong once more and the Stags were lacking due to the fact that they only had four players for the day.

Both teams failed to convert on fourth down and at 10 minutes into the game, the final whistle was blown and Hertfordshire had yet another tournament win in the bag.

The next tournament will take place on the 20^th April (place TBC)

PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND HERE

Destroyers v Kingston- National Championship playoff game

The first National Championship playoff game

After a week of well needed rest, the Portsmouth Destroyers were back at their home-ground for their first National Championship playoff fixture against the Kingston Cougars.

The two teams had faced off at these very grounds at the beginning of the season with Portsmouth edging out in front against the Cougars who were new to the league this year. For their first year in the league, the Cougars showed that they are a team who will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come.

Portsmouth fumble the ball

Kingston kicked off the game but with both kick-returners absent, Portsmouth weren’t able to run it very far. On the third possession, Portsmouth fumbled the ball away for Kingston to recover. But Kingston couldn’t make anything of the opportunity as they failed to pass and were forced to punt which they fumbled but recovered for a large lack of yards. Portsmouth weren’t on offense for long as they fumbled the ball once more which Kingston recovered at their own 20.

Things were then looking up for Portsmouth as RB #8 Lewis Popely ran the ball for two first downs. But on the next possession, Portsmouth fumbled the ball away which Kingston recovered.

With Kingston’s offense on the field, they had the end-zone in their sites and with a long pass; they managed to secure the first 6 points of the game. The PAT failed.

Penalties pushed both teams back into their own territories and were forced to punt on occasions. It wasn’t until late in the 2^nd quarter that Portsmouth got a bit of luck. After #32 Billy Thomson (wearing #1) sacked Kingston’s quarterback the Destroyers were on offense at Kingston’s 41.

Lewis Popely runs for a 1st down

The Destroyers handed the ball to Lewis who gained a first down and got the ball down to the 13. A penalty on Kingston got Portsmouth closer and a pass from #3 Ben Clift to #83 James Haggarty tied the score. #9 Glenn Burgess’s one point kick gave the Destroyers the lead.

With the time running down in the first half, the pressure was getting to both teams who failed to convert on fourth down, despite the efforts of Ben leaping over Kingston’s defence. 

With half-time over and Portsmouth leading by one point, Kingston’s fight was showing as their running game stepped up and got them first downs and down to Portsmouth’s four yard line. A short run got them another six points as their second 2 point conversion attempt failed.

Portsmouth responded strongly with a 34 yard run from #22 Chris Percival and a long pass from Ben to #10 Gus Frazer before Ben took to running and a ruling on the field stood that there was a fumble which Kingston recovered.

With only 15 minutes left to decide the game, Portsmouth showed no signs of crumbling under the pressure as they got through 18 possessions, gaining 73 yards and getting them down to the 10 yard line before fumbling it away.

Portsmouth's defence try to shut down Kingston

Kingston couldn’t make anything of the chance handed to them as they were forced to punt it away and only managed to punt the ball for 3 yards, giving Portsmouth an advantage.

A long pass from Ben Clift to James Haggarty to the endzone was called back by a penalty but it was repeated again and Portsmouth had another six points. A two point conversion from Chris Percival gave the Destroyers a lead of 15-6.

But the lead wasn’t there for long as Kingston ran a huge kick-off return and on the next play they ran it into the endzone and even with the PAT fail, the Cougars were leading by three points and under two minutes to go.

Portsmouth weren’t going to let this stop them though and a long pass from Ben Clift to Gus Frazer got them a fresh set of downs. A pass interference penalty on Kingston got the Destroyers to the 19 yard line before a penalty on their side-line got them down into 10 yards of the end zone.

Ben takes to the run himself for the final score

With mere seconds left on the clock, Lewis Popely ran the ball down to the three yard line before QB Ben Clift took matters into his own hands and ran the ball into the endzone. Another successful kick by Glenn Burgess and the Destroyers had the lead 22-18.

All that was left was for Portsmouth’s defence to stop the Cougars from attacking again, something they managed without hesitation and the final whistle was blown.

The Destroyers now go on to face Derby for the next game on the way to the National Championship to Bring it Back.

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Destroyers v Bears

Exactly one week after the Destroyers faced Southampton in their first game of ‘Hell Week’, their last game of the regular season was upon them, facing the 0-6 RHUL Bears.

Already guaranteed a place in the playoffs, winning this game would secure the Destroyers the title of Thames Valley Champions once more. The game was eagerly anticipated with people wondering how the week had affected the Destroyers.

Portsmouth’s offense started strong with a mix of passing and running plays securing them a first down but a penalty pushed them back and they were forced to punt the ball away.

RHUL responded by gaining a first down themselves but the Destroyers’ defence were proving themselves once more as #44 Abdullahi Hamza blocked a long pass. RHUL were pushed back by a penalty and the ball was turned over to Portsmouth.

Starting at RHUL’s 17 yard, Portsmouth didn’t have far to go to the endzone and once again the running game was strong as #22 Chris ‘Chesney’ Percival fought his way into the endzone to secure the first points of the game. #9 Glenn Burgess’ PAT was successful and Portsmouth were leading 7-0.

RHUL’s offense were, once again, no match for Portsmouth’s defence and it wasn’t long before #41 Matt Doherty got his fifth interception of the week. When the ball was turned back over to RHUL, they were forced to throw a long Hail Mary pass which miraculously got them a first down. But the ball wasn’t in their hands for long as #30 Craig Abercrombie intercepted the ball.

After both teams were forced to punt the ball, Portsmouth’s offense were on with #7 Sam Forster as QB after Ben Clift was injured in the game against Solent. The Destroyers secured three 1^st downs in a row through Sam and #15 Mani Gabbidon’s runs. However at the 2 minute warning of the half, the Bears intercepted a ball. But their passes were blocked and when they were called offside, they were forced to punt the ball away, ending the half.

The 2^nd half started shakily with three flags being thrown on the kick-off alone. Neither teams succeeded at converting the downs and the ball was turned over continuously until the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter contained enough excitement for the whole week, with OL #62 Adam McClure recovering a fumble and running it down and into the endzone. But the TD was cancelled by a penalty, starting Portsmouth’s offense at the 10 yard line.

Failing to get into the endzone, Portsmouth attempted a field goal which was blocked, bringing RHUL’s offense back on at their own 20. But the Bears couldn’t hang on to the ball and it was fumbled in the endzone for McClure to jump on it and get the Destroyers another 6 points. #8 Lewis Popely added two more points, giving Portsmouth a comfortable lead of 15-0.

The final whistle blew and Portsmouth had secured the fourth win of ‘Hell Week’ and were crowned Thames Valley Conference Champions!

FULL TIME: BEARS 0-15 DESTROYERS

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Destroyers v Solent

Hell Week part three saw the Destroyers travel to Solent for a game against the Redhawks who had already been denied into the playoffs.

Solent started the game on offense but on their first possession they fumbled the ball away which Portsmouth recovered. The Destroyers had their offense on the field and through their running plays, made it hastily downfield. #22 Chris Percival ran down the field, taking a Solent player out of the game as he did so.

QB #3 Ben Clift then missed the snap and was forced to run the ball and then handed it off to Ches who got through Solent’s defence and into the endzone for the first points of the game. Destroyers kicker #9 Glenn Burgess then added a one point conversion and the score was 7-0.

Unfortunately after his run, Clift was the victim of a late tackle as he went out of bounds and injured his elbow, he chose to leave the game to rest it for playoffs. When Solent’s offense were back on, they managed to get down to the 50yd line before #44 Matt Doherty added another interception to his Hell Week stats.

The game had so many interceptions and fumbles; it was hard to keep track of who was supposed to be on the field. Unable to get through Portsmouth’s defence, Solent were forced to punt the ball away on many occasions.

Portsmouth’s offensive line were working hard to keep a path clear for the Destroyers to run, but Portsmouth were riddled with penalties which meant that their efforts and first downs were wasted as they were also unable to get into the endzone and add to the scoreboard.

After half-time and a brief time to warm up, Portsmouth’s offense failed to convert on their downs  but the defence were proving themselves, sacking the QB and once again disallowing Solent to get through and forcing them to punt. More penalties were thrown on both teams, the biggest being a penalty on Portsmouth for ‘taunting’ which cost them 32 yards.

Portsmouth’s running  game was strong once more, racking up a total of 312 yards during the game, 104 of those coming from #8 Lewis Popely. But they could not make anything of these yards and the game ended with just the one score from Portsmouth.

However, although the score wasn’t large, it was still a win for Portsmouth as their defence had shut-out another team and they had won their third game of ‘Hell Week’ and guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs.

FULL TIME: SOLENT 0-7 DESTROYERS

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Destroyers v Burners

For the second game of ‘Hell Week’ the Destroyers travelled to Brunel for a Tuesday Night Lights fixture. Four generator powered floodlights attempted to light the field, but shadows still covered the majority and it was clear these conditions would make for an interesting game.

Brunel started the game with good momentum and soon they were close enough for a field goal which secured them the first three points of the game. Portsmouth’s offense responded strongly with quarterback #3 Ben Clift connecting with #83 James Haggarty for 31 yards and #8 Lewis Popely running for another 17, but the Destroyers couldn’t advance and the ball was turned back over.

Destroyer #41 Matt Doherty had other plans and intercepted Brunel’s first ball and gained 26 yards on top of it and when the ball was turned over once more, Doherty proved himself once again by picking up a fumble recovery meaning Brunel’s offense were denied from the field twice in a row.

Portsmouth’s offense were continuously denied yards and it was the defence who were shining at the start of the game, blocking Brunel’s attempted passes and forcing them to punt. After the punt, #8 Lewis made a huge run of 39 yards but the effort was wasted as Portsmouth fumbled the ball, on the next play, for Brunel to recover. 

Once again, it was the Destroyers’ defence’s time to deliver and certainly they did as #91 Steven Olajide and #74 Lloyd Scott sacked Brunel’s quarterback, once again forcing them to punt. The Destroyers had the ball once more and despite the dark conditions, went for a long pass from #3 Ben to #84 Immanuel Olawale Olaniregun which resulted in a 36 yard touchdown, the PAT failed.

With the score now at 6-3, Brunel responded by making their way down field until they thought they were close enough for another field goal to tie the score. But once again #41 Matt Doherty shone through and secured his chicken dinner by picking up the blocked ball and running it for over 90 yards for the longest touchdown run of the season. 

Passing the ball to #22 Chris Percival, the Destroyers got themselves another two points before the half-time whistle, leaving the score at 14-3 to Portsmouth. After a short half-time break (shortened due to the lights having to be turned off at 9pm) the second half was underway. It was a shaky start for Portsmouth as their offense failed to convert downs and they were forced to punt.

A few drives later the Destroyers once again showed that the dark was no problem for them as QB Ben Clift once again launched the ball, this time to #10 Gus Frazer for a 38 yard touchdown pass. Kicker #9 Glenn Burgess secured the 1 point conversion making the score 21-3 to Portsmouth.

Brunel felt the pressure and stepped up in the fourth quarter, intercepting a Portsmouth ball and driving their way into the endzone for their first touchdown of the game. The PAT failed meaning the score was 21-9 with mere minutes left on the clock. 

However, despite how long was left on the clock, the time was running out for the lights to remain on and the final whistle blew just before 9pm and the teams had to leave the field in the pitch black darkness.

FULL TIME: BURNERS 9- 21 DESTROYERS

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Destroyers v Stags

When it was announced that the Destroyers would be playing four games in seven days, the British American football community was shocked. Such intensity was unheard with many people asking if it was safe for the team. But this new schedule is necessary if the Destroyers want to complete their 2012/13 season and carry on their campaign to bring the trophy back. 

But the Destroyers took the news in their stride, sporting their new kit for the first time, they took to the field at Southampton for a Varsity matchup against the 6-1 Stags. The new Destroyers kit includes the words ‘Lest We Forget’ across the shoulders as a salute to the Cities Naval and Military heritage.

On their first drive of the game, the Destroyers made it down to the 25yard line for a field goal attempt but Southampton jumped high and blocked the kick, turning the ball over. Portsmouth’s defence were strong, denying the Stags many yards on their first drive. Once again, many flags were thrown during the game, proving frustrating to both sides.

Two drives by Southampton later, Portsmouth’s offense were back on and made their way downfield with steady running plays, with #22 Chris Percival contributing 19 yards before an 18 yard pass from quarterback #3 Ben Clift connected with #83 James Haggarty for the first, and only, points of the game. The PAT failed.

Southampton’s response was weak with their replacement quarterback failing to connect with a receiver and the Destroyers ended the half with a huge run by rookie running back #8 Lewis Popely… which was then cancelled by a holding flag.

The Destroyers’ spirits were high at half-time and when they returned to the field, they only had winning on their mind, and forced a fumble on Southampton’s second play which was recovered by #44 Abdullahi (Abs) Hamza.

The second half consisted of many turnovers, with Portsmouth’s ball being intercepted twice and Abs earning his chicken dinner by intercepting Southampton’s ball twice as well. Southampton’s luck was against them as the ball literally slipped through their fingers, unable to secure it for a score but it kept everyone on their toes.

Portsmouth’s defence stayed strong though the second half, shutting the Stags’ running game out and denying them a score. The final whistle blew, meaning the first Varsity win for The University of Portsmouth Destroyers was in the bag.

FULL TIME: STAGS 0- 6 DESTROYERS

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Destroyers v Tsunami

Postponed and forfeited games meant that the Destroyers had only played two games so far this season, meaning their first game of 2013 was away at Brighton against the Tsunamis who were also 3-0. With a long break between games and many players inactive for Portsmouth added to the fact that Brighton had also won all three of their games this season, this game was going to be too close to call.

Brighton started with the ball but Portsmouth’s defence weren’t allowing many yards so the ball was quickly turned over to Portsmouth to see what they could do. Portsmouth too couldn’t gain the yards they needed to convert their downs, unable to break through Brighton’s defence. Penalties were called on both players and coaches, causing frustration to both side-lines.

Both teams’ defences were playing strong through the first quarter, denying each other the yards to get downfield. Portsmouth missed two vital catches in the second quarter and Brighton almost intercepted a ball, but it slipped through both Portsmouth’s and Brighton’s hands.

The ball was turned back over to Brighton who ran the ball 55 yards down the field to add the first six points of the game. The one point conversion was blocked.Portsmouth’s offense were back on the field, but not for long as Brighton intercepted the ball, however they couldn’t make anything of it before the half-time whistle blew.

The second half couldn’t have started worse for Portsmouth. The kick returner left the ball meaning it was Brighton’s for the taking who then jumped on it in the endzone to add another six points to their score. The two point conversion was good meaning Brighton were leading 14-0.

Portsmouth were back on offense mixing running and passing plays, but flags for holding and illegal blocking pushed them back down the field. 



Brighton’s offense mixed passing and running plays to make their way downfield but also couldn’t convert to a first down. 

The ball wasn’t back in Portsmouth’s hands for long as they fumbled it which was then recovered by Brighton. Brighton attempted a field goal which was blocked by Portsmouth’s Adam McClure meaning the Destroyers’ offense were back on. Using running plays, the Destroyers steadily made their way down field before quarterback Ben Clift threw to James Haggarty for their first touchdown of 2013. The PAT kick was no good.

With the score at 14-6, Portsmouth’s moods were lifted temporarily as Clift got the ball off to rookie Lewis Popely for a first down but it wasn’t long before Brighton’s defense stepped up their game and intercepted the ball once more. Despite five flags being thrown on Brighton, Portsmouth couldn’t make anything in the last minutes of the game and Brighton sacked Portsmouth’s quarterback to end the game and secure their win.

Full Time Score: Tsunami 14-6 Destroyers

Pictures can be found here

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