First Ever Women's 5v5 Tournament

On 9th June 2012 history was made as the Hertfordshire Tornadoes became the first ever Women’s American Football National Champions after beating both Portsmouth and Southampton.

The Destroyers (minus Vicki Hellard)
L-R JoJo Stacey, Francisca de Tavora
 Maria Peeters, Jessica Lapthorn and Afia Law

The first game of the tournament, played at Hertfordshire University, was intense and the nerves were showing for a lot of players. Hertfordshire showed great promise and no sign of faltering throughout, improving their plays on each down and beating Portsmouth’s defence to gain touchdowns. Hertfordshire’s offensive play was strong thanks to their quarterback Audrey Mann who was quick to find an open receiver.

Throughout the tournament, Mann impressed the crowds as she scored eight touchdowns. Portsmouth unfortunately succumbed to injuries throughout the game and had to end it early after it was clear they could not continue for a while. The final score was 34-0 to Hertfordshire.

After a break for Portsmouth to compose themselves, they took to the field for the game against Southampton. As Southampton only bought five girls with them, it was agreed that they would play a 4v4 format game to make sure the girls were not overtired. Unfortunately Portsmouth’s confidence had been knocked after their loss against the Tornadoes and this showed as the first play of the game resulted in a safety.

Southampton’s passing game was resilient as they made completions and were in the end zone continuously and their running back Lauren Hackney was also quick to find gaps and gain important yardage which was then converted for touchdowns. 

Alice Sadler from the Stags intercepted Portsmouth’s ball twice and returned one for a touchdown. 

Once more, injuries ended the game early after centre Vicki Hellard was taken off on a stretcher and kept in hospital overnight after a neck injury but was given the all clear the next day. The game ended 66-0 to Southampton.

MVP Hertfordshire's #12 Amanda Casey

In the third and final game of the day, Hertfordshire and Southampton were both keen to win the title of the first national champions and both put up a fair fight but it was the Tornadoes who came out on top after continuously getting through the Stags’ defence. Audrey Mann and Amanda Casey’s partnership was working fantastically and throughout the tournament Casey scored two passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns as well as playing on defence, making her MVP award well deserved.

The Stags weren't going to be shutout though and in the second half their quarterback Laura Hill made good completions and gained yards that were converted to put 8 points on the board but they were no match for Hertfordshire who continued to score touchdowns. The final score was 44-8 to Hertfordshire.

Dr Elesa Zehndorfer, head of the Women’s league revealed on the day the creation of a Great Britain women’s team who will play against Sweden in a fixture that was announced a couple of months ago together with a men’s team from BUAFL squads.

Zehndorfer said about the new women’s league: “having a women's full tackle league represents a really positive move forward for the sport. It opens up the game to a new demographic and attracts a lot of new talent to the sport. Anyone who has watched will agree that this is not a gender specific sport and that women bring a lot to the game.”

Dr Elesa Zehndorfer presents Hertforshire with the trophy

When asked about how she plans to further the development of the league next year, Zehndorfer said: “we will continue to support any BUAFL clubs that wish to start women's teams. The formation of a GB’s women’s BUAFL squad establishes a national presence for the sport. The game against Sweden will showcase GB student talent and further increase exposure to, and interest in, the game.”

After the tournament, Zehndorfer was happy with how the day played out and was impressed with all three teams. She said: “It was clear that there was a lot of talent on the field and that the confidence of a lot of the players increased as the tournament progressed. There were some stand out players and Hertfordshire emerged as worthy winners, but with another year of practice, next year’s championship is anyone's to win.”

It was clear that everyone was extremely proud of all three teams for making it to the tournament and setting the date in American Football history and Hertfordshire can now set their trophy alongside their men’s team’s national championship trophy. Portsmouth now plan on recruiting at fresher’s fayre to increase their squad number and go back to training so they can hopefully improve their performance for next year’s tournament as well as taking part in flag football competitions beforehand to keep their gameplay fresh.

Women's 5v5 update

Hertfordshire 34-0 Portsmouth

Southampton 66-0 Portsmouth

Hertfordshire 45-8 Southampton

HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES ARE THE FIRST EVER WOMEN'S NATIONAL.CHAMPIONS! Congratulations to them!

Our centre Vicki Hellard who was taken by ambulance with neck injury after a hard hit in the Soton game and I'm sure I'm with everyone present today when I wish her a speedy recovery.

All girls who played today should be proud, I'm glad the league made it and hopefully next year there will be more teams involved!

Women's 5v5 Tournament Preview

Tomorrow American football history will be made as the first ever women’s tackle league tournament takes place at Hertfordshire University.

Battling it out for the title of the first ever women’s national champions are the Hertfordshire Tornadoes, the Southampton Stags and the Portsmouth Destroyers. Each team will play each other in a 40 minute game played on a 50yard pitch (half the size for men’s league).

The Hertfordshire Tornadoes are the sister team to the Hertfordshire Hurricanes who were crowned national champions in March after their win against Birmingham.

Christine Miles who plays centre and corner for Hertfordshire said “we are all aware of the high standards that are expected of us, but I think this has just given us more drive to work harder because none of us want to tarnish Hertfordshire’s reputation”

As with many of the other women in the league, this is Miles’ first time playing American football when asked about how she is feeling about the tournament and what it would mean to win she says “we have all worked so hard, trained so hard and put so much effort in and it’s all coming down to this Saturday. Winning would be a fantastic reward and recognition of our hard work.”

Lauren Hackney from Southampton was amongst some of the original girls who helped develop the idea of a women’s team.  After following the Southampton Stags men’s team, Lauren and team-mate Laura Hill jumped at the chance to start a team amongst the new league.

Lauren, who plays as running back said that starting a team from scratch was “difficult, there were a lot of obstacles but we had great support from both the Stags players and their coaches. Learning a new sport was a great challenge and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We have a few rugby players so I think it was interesting for them to learn the differences between the two sports. I relished the opportunity to take part in such an interesting sport.”

On what winning would mean to her and the stags, Lauren said “Getting this far has been an achievement of its own and I am so proud of each and every person involved. But winning would mean so much as it would be a privilege to win the first women’s football competition and that our hard work has paid off. It would also hopefully ensure the future of our club and help raise awareness for the future of the sport.”

Jo Stacey from Portsmouth is also new to the sport. After watching the Super Bowl for many years she gained an interest and when she found out about the new league, she was keen to get involved. “Learning a new sport from scratch is tough but it’s a good sport and hopefully we’ve done well enough to make our coaches proud at the tournament. We’ve had amazing support from our coaches and the university to help us get to where we are today.”

Stacey continues “If we win, it would be incredible as it would really show how much work we have put into becoming the team we are, but I am proud of the team either way. I can’t wait to play Southampton and Hertfordshire and hopefully next year there will be more teams involved in the league and it will continue to grow.

The first game kicks off at 12.30 at the De Havilland Campus with Hertfordshire v Portsmouth. For updates follow @ReeDawes on Twitter and stay tuned on this blog for post-match reports/photos and interviews.

Injuries end Destroyers' trophy dreams

After finishing third in the Thames Valley Conference tables, Portsmouth had a chance at claiming the Challenge Trophy but they first had to beat the Bath Killer Bees at home, something which was going to be difficult after losing 22 players because of injuries. However, what might have been seen as an easy game last year, the Bees showed no sign of faltering as they, too, wanted the trophy.

Portsmouth's defence halt Bath (Photo- Dan Chesterton)

The game started with flags being thrown against both teams but Bath were soon gaining yards and their running game was strong, pushing them into the end-zone and a successful kick meant the Killer Bees were leading 7-0. Portsmouth’s special teams were struggling against Bath, they had lost one of their key kick-returners but their other, Fola Dare, made a huge run with the ball to gain Portsmouth the yards that they needed to shake Bath’s nerves. 

Fola makes a run to gain some yards (Photo-Dan Chesterton)

The Destroyers shaped up their running game and between quarterback Ben Clift and running backs Brook Ince and Mani Gabiddon however, a flag on the field meant Bath had the ball back in their possession but not for long as Portsmouth forced a fumble which they were quick to recover.

QB Ben Clift has been making daring runs these past few games (Photo- Dan Chesterton)

Portsmouth were using their running game once more in the second quarter but more flags meant Portsmouth were being pushed back into their own territory when the ball slipped out of their arms for a Bath recovery meaning Portsmouth’s defence were back on the field. The Killer Bees once more got the better of Portsmouth and managed to fight their way into the end-zone and a successful kick left the half-time score at 14-0 to Bath. 

An interception by Bath resulted in another TD (photo- Dan Chesterton)

The third quarter didn’t start any better for Portsmouth after a bad punt made its way into Bath’s possession and they were quick to take advantage and another 6 points were on the board against Portsmouth. Quarterback Ben Clift was injured during a play and stepped off for Simon Blow to take over but a bad throw led the ball straight into the arms of Bath who ran for another touchdown and extra point. In the fourth quarter Portsmouth managed to throw the ball into the safe hands of James Haggarty for their only score of the game, but the spirits were lifted knowing they weren’t going to be shut-out. 

James Haggarty out-runs bath for Portsmouth's only TD (Photo-Dan Chesterton)

An error by the officials meant Bath went for a field goal on their fifth down but Portsmouth managed to block which was then picked up and ran by Matt ‘Ron’ Doherty. As it became apparent that Portsmouth weren’t going to win, they bought on third-string quarterback Sam Forster who made completions that were becoming a rarity in Portsmouth’s throwing game but nothing came of them and the game ended 27-6 to Bath, Portsmouth’s biggest loss in over 18 games. 

FINAL SCORE: KILLER BEES 27-6 DESTROYERS

Portsmouth were doing well before Christmas (undefeated for 15 games) and before the number of injuries increased rapidly, there is no doubt next year Head Coach, Russ Hewitt, will be making sure the boys are fit and healthy and not so prone to injuries for the next season so they can try and add another BUAFL trophy to their cabinet.

The Destroyers now bid farewell to 10 graduates whose shoes (or boots) will be hard to fill but recruitment next year should help fill the void. 

The Destroyers are in the Challenge Trophy playoffs

This comes after Reading conceded to BNU at half-time after leaving the field 48-0 (apparently due to bad conditions and looking out for the players' safety)

But after losing a lot of players due to injury in the game against Southampton, will Portsmouth be able to win?

We will find out soon...

Portsmouth Destroyers v Southampton Stags

The sun was shining as the 8-0 Southampton stags visited Langstone for a huge rivalry game and it soon became apparent that both teams were going to put up an incredible fight. Portsmouth lost nine players to injuries, an accurate reflection of their valiant effort in the game.

QB Ben Clift runs and jumps for some yards (Photo- Dan Chesterton)

The stags weren’t alone in their visit; they bought along two squads of cheerleaders to rival the Portsmouth Phoenix who were fresh from their championship win the day before, but on this occasion Southampton’s side-line were louder with their cheers echoing throughout Langstone campus and keeping their boys going.

The game started with no hesitation from Southampton and soon they were near Portsmouth’s end zone, but on the fourth down they opted for a field goal which was unsuccessful. However, they soon got the ball back and broke through Portsmouth’s defence to score the first touchdown of the game with no conversion.

Portsmouth’s Brook Ince scored another of his powerful running touchdowns in the second quarter but Southampton had the same idea and soon they had another touchdown on the board leaving the half-time score 12-6 to Southampton.

TD scorer #47 Brook Ince (photo- Dan Chesterton)

Southampton’s defence were denying Portsmouth the yards they needed to make big plays, making sure the wide-receivers couldn’t get their hands on the ball and the running backs couldn’t advance. Portsmouth’s defence had stepped up since last week’s game against Reading but were no match for Southampton’s offence and they, once more, advanced down field and put another 7 points on the board after successfully converting their touchdown. Quarterback Ben Clift was making daring runs with the ball throughout the game, some of which paid off and gained Portsmouth yards but other times Southampton’s defence were quick to figure out who had the ball.

Jesse Joseph reaches high for the ball (photo- Dan Chesterton)

Portsmouth were gaining yards in the fourth quarter but after the two-minute warning, it became apparent that they weren’t going to get the points they needed to win and the final score was 19-6 to Southampton.

The playoffs are dependent on three matches on the 4^th March (Portsmouth v Surrey, Reading v  BNU and OBU v Imperial). Portsmouth have the home-field advantage against bottom of the league Surrey Stingers.

FINAL SCORE DESTROYERS 6-19 STAGS

Portsmouth Destroyers (photo- Me)

Destroyers @ Reading Knights

FINAL SCORE: DESTROYERS 4-12 KNIGHTS


I was rather spectacularly taken out on the sideline during this game and got me a lovely concussion meaning I can't actually remember much of the game so, unfortunately, there will be no write-up for this week. I also broke my lens in said accident so I didn't take many pictures... it wasn't a good game for me

But- next week (26th feb) the Destroyers host the Southampton Stags. It is a HUGE game with a HUGE rivalry, the write-up will be online that evening.

Peace,
Ree