The 2011 BAFACL flag season started with a bang this weekend, with 4 of the 6 teams in action, racking up 45+ points in their opening matches.

Saturday saw the Chichester Sharks and London Rebels travel to new team, the Chiltern Fyrd. The rival Sharks and Rebels squared off first and set the tone for hopefully a competitive season.

The teams were even for most of the first half, before the Sharks were able to capitalise on late Rebel turnovers to forge a 13 point lead going into the break. Unfortunately, the Sharks intensity slipped after halftime and they allowed the Rebels to quickly claw back the two scores. Responding to the surge, the Sharks stepped up their game and exchanged TDs with the Rebels before a heartbreaking long touchdown throw put London ahead 40-33 with less than a minute to go.

Most teams consider the game over at this point, but the Sharks have a record of thriving in this scenario. Unfazed, Chichester nabbed a score in the dying seconds and converted the extra point to tie the game at 40-40.

An unusual occurrence, but the game and both teams were worthy of the tie.

The second game for the Sharks saw them up against the Chiltern Fyrd, a youthful, inexperienced, but well coached team. Unfortunately, opening weekend was a painful welcome for the squad, as they faced two of the most experienced and competitive teams in the league.

It was a points-fest for the Sharks, as the Offense and Defense racked up 10 touchdowns between them. The game was out of reach midway through the first half, but the Fyrd showed a great attitude and competitive spirit to the final whistle. The game ended 66 – 0. The Rebels also beat Fyrd 68 – 7.

With a couple of promising players on the team and a few more games under their belts, look for the Fyrd to make an impact as the season progresses.

Other results this weekend:

Coventry Jets 46 – 19 Leicester Eagles

Coventry Jets 27 – 46 Woodham Warriors

Woodham Warriors 81 – 6 Leicester Eagles

More details on individual player performances will be added later this week.

Please feel free to add your comments on the weekend’s football below…

As is traditional this time of year, we have a chance to reflect on 2010. It was a challenging season for the Sharks, but a successful one.

Our player numbers were a little lower than in previous years and we had a tough playing schedule, but through it all we preserved and produced our eighth consecutive winning season.

Whilst there were many personal highlights for players – some mentioned below – 2010 was a season defined by teamwork. Some of our finest moments came in times of difficulty, whether it was winning with ironman football with 5 players against the Welsh or travelling away for 5 consecutive weekends for fixtures.

So without further waffle, let’s get to the numbers that made up the 2010 Flag Football season…

• The Chichester Sharks qualified for the 2010 BAFA Finals for the 2nd consecutive year, following a 2nd place finish in the BAFACL South Conference. In a 14 game season, we finished with a record of 9-5. Unfortunately, we lost in the first round in a close fought game with eventual finalists, the London Rebels. Despite the result, the day was a great experience.

• In the 3 year history of BAFA Flag, the Sharks overall record is now 31-11 (0.738%) – the most wins by any English flag football club during that period.

• In our 9 season history (BAFA, ESFL, BSFL), the Chichester Sharks have totalled 100 victories. With 161 regular season games played, that is an all-time winning percentage of 0.621%. A pretty impressive feat.

• The Sharks still have had only one losing season – the inaugural 2002 campaign, with a record of 2-5.

• 5 Sharks’ games were decided by a TD or less in 2010 (3 wins, 2 losses)

• The Sharks scored over 30 pts in 69% of games (and conceded over 30 pts in 31% of games)

• The Sharks won 0 games when scoring less than 27 points

• QB Neil Henderson’s 56 TDs in 2010 averaged out at 4.31 per game, his highest in 3 years of BAFA Flag (4.25 in 2009, 4.29 in 2008)

• Conversely, 2010 saw an increase in the number of interceptions per game by Neil – 1.15 in 2010, 1.00 in 2009 and 0.57 in 2008.

• In 2010, Simon Merton set 3 Sharks records – 1) most TDs scored in a season by a non-QB, 2) most receiving TDs in a season and 3) most total points scored in a season by a non-QB with 116 (92 Gary Robinson, 2009; 84 Tom Newberry, 2008; 80 Mike Thompson, 2010). His claim on a 4th record – ‘Highest number of seasons wearing the same pair of football cleats’ – unfortunately cannot be verified.

• Nine different receivers caught touchdowns in 2010 from 2 QBs. Okay, one QB and Justin Handley

• Gary Robinson set a new Sharks sack record with 17 on the season. He also set the single game record with 10 sacks against Woodham Warriors (White) in May. (5 Josh Amis, 2009; 3 Tom Newberry, 2008; 3 Pete Steel, 2008)

• 3 players scored defensive touchdowns in 2010 – Dave Lee, Mike Thompson and Justin Handley

• Mike Thompson led the team with interceptions for the 2nd consecutive year (4 in 2010, 6 in 2009)

• Interceptions by the team dropped from 21 in 2009 (12 games) to 14 in 2010 (13 games)

• The Sharks were kept out of the endzone for Safeties in 2010, following 4 in 2009 and 5 in 2008 (we were pretty damn close on a few occasions though!)

• In the regular season finale, needing a win, the Sharks had a recording setting day from Justin Handley. Scoring 4 TDs on the day, Justin did it in the hardest way possible – 1 TD passing, 1 TD receiving, 1 TD rushing and 1 TD on an interception return. The four scores contributed to a convincing 50-7 victory over the Coventry Jets and a place in the Finals.

So plenty of records, plenty of wins and plenty of fun. Hopefully, all three with be plentiful in 2011.

If you have any other good stats or stories from 2010, please feel free to share in the Comments below.

See you all on the playing field in 2011

Needing a win to qualify for the playoffs, the Chichester Sharks did it in emphatic style beating the Coventry Jets 50-7 in their final regular season game.

With Woodham Warriors (White) already qualified, four teams – Basingstoke, South Wales, London and Chichester – were fighting for the final two playoff places. After the Sharks’ last two shockingly poor home games, it was essential that they came out and made a statement. And that they did.

From the outset the Sharks controlled the game, playing aggressively on both sides of the ball. From the first through to the last score (8 TDs), the Sharks were dominant.

If we had such an award, the player of the game would have to go to Justin Handley, who managed to score 4 TDs in 4 different ways – 1 catch, 1 pass, 1 run and 1 interception return. The pick and run were both length of the field plays too (not bad for an old fella).

Justin didn’t have all the fun to himself as Simon Merton (3 TDs) and Mike Thompson (2 TDs) also joined the scoring party.

The Sharks defense played outstanding; snuffing out drive after drive and collecting 3 picks in the process. It could have been a shutout, but a miscommunication on the Sharks Offense led to a turnover and a 7 yard field for the Jets to drive for their only score.

The result put the Sharks into the playoffs and eliminated the Basingstoke Zombie Horde. The final spot is now between South Wales Warriors and the London Rebels. The Warriors currently occupy the final spot, but it will go to the London Rebels if they win 1 of their final 2 games (vs Leicester Eagles, Coventry Jets).

The finals are next Sunday in Worcester.

Bouncing back from two agonizing losses the previous week the Chichester Sharks posted two excellent wins this past weekend vs the London Rebels and previously unbeaten Basingstoke Zombie Horde in rural Northern Hampshire.

First up were the much fancied London Rebels (who the Sharks split the series with last season). A first half saw the lead exchange hands several times, with the QB to WR connection of Henderson to Merton proving particularly effective (3 TD catches for the game). In the 2nd half, the Sharks were able to make a couple of key defensive stops and managed to pull ahead to seal the victory, ending the game 34-24 to the Chichester.

In the second game the Sharks faced new league team the Basingstoke Zombie Horde, which is led by two former Sharks players. The Horde pulled out a 2 score lead at half time but strong defence in the second half by the Sharks brought them back into contention. The Sharks just manged to sneak in front as time ticked down and were able to halt the Horde as time expired for a superb 36-33 victory.

Speaking about the teams performance, Sharks QB and Offensive co-coordinator Neil Henderson (who himself threw 10 TDs under centre) said “We had a tough job picking ourselves up after the losses last week but the performance today by everyone was outstanding. We were up against two very good teams today so to come away with two wins is fantastic.”

“Both games were very close and could have gone either way but our experience and patience showed as we were able to adapt to what they threw at us. We still made mistakes though and still have much to work on…..we gave up too many touchdowns and dropped too many passes so we can’t rest up”.

Game balls went to Simon Merton (5 TD receptions and 3 XP receptions) and Mike Thompson (2 TD receptions, 1 XP catch, 3 interceptions and 1 XP interception returned the length of the field for 2 pts. Next week the Sharks travel to Coventry for a game against the new Woodham Warriors (Black) team.

For an update on player stats for the season so far click here

So two games are in the books but we’ve got a long way still to go.

Whilst we started with two losses, everyone that travelled put everything into the games. Those competing on the day were:

Neil Henderson
Dave Lee
Gary Robinson
Pete Steel
Scott Wilson
Simon Merton
Justin Handley

Speaking of the two disappointing losses QB and offensive coordinator Neil Henderson said “Things just didn’t go our way, the windy conditions didn’t help and luck just wasn’t on our side. We travelled with a small squad and picked up a few injuries which never helps. These were our first games of the season and we were just too rusty. We have played a lot worse and won so we were beaten by two good teams today, but we can take a lot of positives out of how we played and the whole team is very optimistic of the rest of the season and the return fixtures against Woodham White and Leicester in particular now to avenge today’s losses”.

Player stats as of 01/06/10 from 2 games:

Passing Statistics '10

Receiving / Rushing Statistics '10

Defensive Statistics '10

It looks like this season is going to shape up to be very competitive and wide open. That’s the verdict, after the Sharks suffered a disappointing double loss of the opening weekend of our season.

On a weekend that saw new team Basingstoke Zombie Horde beat recent title contenders, London Rebels and Coventry Jets, the Sharks fell to another new team Woodham Warriors (White), plus to longstanding rivals the Leicester Eagles.

Both games were extremely close and the result could have gone either way, which is encouraging in regards to our prospects this season. One or two plays in each game could have made a difference. Hopefully, as we get a few more players back (travelled with only 7) and get back into game-shape, we can turn this around quickly.

In the first game, the Sharks got behind early and found themselves in a hole, down 3 scores to 1. The speed and conditioning of the young Warriors team was proving the difference maker, as the Sharks repeatedly had to resort to multiple tacklers to corral the opposition.

However, the experience and resolution of the Sharks players shone through as we managed to claw our way back to tie it up right before time expired.

A new one for this season, we then had to play overtime. Which for flag means two drives each from halfway, followed by a further drive if the scores are still tied.

Whilst we matched them drive for drive for the first two, they managed to score on the third. Then our third drive led us to a 4th down on the half yard line but we were unable to complete the final pass, sealing the win for Woodham.

Unfortunately, we were up immediately again to play Leicester. The small squad was suffering, due to the long overtime game and the injuries began to mount up. Neil was playing with a popped thumb, I had cramps and Scott was struggling having been ill all week.

Despite that we managed to hold a 7-6 lead for much of the game. We had a couple of chances to put the game away but the drives stalled in the redzone. It looked like we were going to have to win this one with defense, but it was the Eagles defense that made the play of the game. Leicester’s Charlie made an outstanding interception, scooping the ball up off the tips of the grass before sprinting into the endzone.

With the two teams so evenly matched, we were unable to mount a final winning drive and the Eagles secured the 12-7 victory.

Whilst everyone was disappointed with the results, we should be encouraged by our play. Yes, we made some mistakes, and yes, some of us need a little more conditioning, but we made a lot of good plays and we will be competitive this year.

This coming Sunday, we have games against the Zombie Horde and the London Rebels in Basingstoke. We’re anticipating having more players available this time, so there won’t be such a need to play both ways, which should help.

Please make every effort to be available; we’ll be in touch with details during the week.

Please feel to add any comments about this weekend’s games below. Thanks

With the 2010 season just days away, take a look at our new player recruiting video. Those who were there that day, will recognise the footage from the last game of the 2009 season – a victory over the St. Albans Kings.

Sound ON, turn it up, maximise the video window and enjoy!

The Sharks travelled north on Saturday to take on the cream of British flag football in their first appearance at the BAFL Flag Finals Day.

Having finished second in the English conference during the regular season, the Sharks were drawn to meet defending British champions and Scottish conference winners Kirkcaldy Bulls in the semi finals, held at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium.

The Bulls proved formidable opponents, with a well-executed run option scheme and pin-point passing keeping the Sharks defence at bay, and the Scots notched up 3 TDs in the first half.

The Sharks were a fingertip away from a score themselves, when QB Martyn Emmens spotted Simon Merton wide open in the end zone, only for a Bulls defender to scramble back and tip his pass away with the faintest of touches.

Emmens and his receivers took the game to the Bulls in the second half, marching the ball down to the goal line on several occasions, but the stifling Bulls defence kept them out on each occasion.

The Sharks defence was tighter in the second period, but the Bulls converted several 4th downs with perfectly executed plays, and crossed into the end zone twice more. Final score: Sharks 0 - 32 Bulls.

In the second semi-final English conference winners Leicester Eagles defeated Scotland’s second team, the Carluke Cobras, to clinch a place in the grand final — and avenge their defeat by the Cobras at this stage last year.

With a shot at the title gone, the Sharks had to pick themselves up to contest the Third Place Playoff against the Cobras, and when the Scots scored twice early on, things didn’t look good.

But the Chichester squad showed the mental strength to put their earlier defeat behind them, and came out firing. The star of the show was Sharks safety Mike Thomson, who moved on to the other side of the ball, scoring three long-distance touchdowns on offence, shredding the Cobras defence. He also ran back an interception for six points to compound the damage.

The Sharks defence eventually got the measure of the Cobras, pressuring their quarterback and restricting them short yardage plays, and when Sharks receiver Scott Wilson capped a great rookie year with another touchdown catch, the Sharks led 31 – 26 with less than 2 minutes on the clock.

But with the game there for the taking, the Sharks faltered at the last. A vital missed tackle, followed by a penalty for roughing the quarterback gave the Cobras a first down in Sharks territory, and with time ticking away, the Scots’ QB picked out a receiver in the corner of the end zone with a great pass, clinching a 32-31 victory.

In the final, the Kirkcaldy Bulls defeated the Leicester Eagles by 32-14 to clinch their second successive British title, going undefeated all year once again.

For the Sharks, it was case of what might have been, but having tasted the Finals Day once, they will be determined to be back next year.

Match report written by Toby Chopra

A great season by the Sharks was rewarded with a place in the Semi-Finals yesterday, as the Rebels lost their final game against the Eagles and fell out of contention.

London’s lost meant that both they and the Sharks finished with 11-3 records on the season. However, with the head-to-head tiebreaker even at 1-1, the Sharks took the final place by merit of a 44-40 aggregate scoreline over the two fixtures this year.

Chichester now join the first place Leicester Eagles as the English representatives at the BAFL Flag Finals Day in Doncaster next Saturday (5th Sept.). The two Scottish representatives are Kirkcaldy Bulls and the Carluke Cobras. Sharks will play the Bulls in the semi-final.

We need the best squad available for the trip so please do everything you can to be there this weekend. Travel plans will be confirmed shortly.

UPDATED:

Well done everyone that played day – it was a great way to end the season.

For those not there, Sharks beat Kings 60-12 in a very good natured game. Thanks to St. Albans for making the trip and being good opponents.

The regular season is now complete, and the Sharks finished with a 11-3 record. This leaves us either 2nd or 3rd in the table, subject to the Eagles/Rebels result next week. If we finish 2nd, the Sharks will be going to the playoffs.

Whilst we only played 1 league match on the day, we crammed a lot into that 40 minutes.

For a start, the Defense was awesome. The Kings completed 2 long passes to set up their only scores on the day, but other than that the Sharks D completely stifled the opposition. Full credit goes to the D, they controlled the game throughout, letting the Offense rack up the points.

And score we certainly did, notching up 9 TDs  on the day. What was notable about this game though, was that the 9 TD passes came from 3 passers – Neil Henderson, Martyn Emmens and Gary Robinson (me) – a first for the Sharks. (And I use the term ‘passer’ very loosely in my case!). Well done to Martyn, throwing 3 TDs and 0 picks in the quarter of a game after he replaced Neil.

Leading receiving on the day was Pete Steel with 3 TD/1XP, followed closely by myself and Simon Merton with 2 TDs apiece. Another notable first for the season was a TD catch from QB Neil Henderson – third time lucky for me throwing the ball in a game (though I still reckon the other two were TDs!).

Another amusing highlight from the game were the two interceptions that Bruno ‘stole’ from his teammates – the first stripping the ball from Josh on a pick and the second jumping in front of a shouting Dave. Good natured jesting followed – check the upcoming video for Dave’s expression! – but you have to love Bruno’s single minded focus on both plays.

The final player stats tables are now available.

Thanks to everyone that came to the BBQ afterwards, hope you enjoyed yourself. I’d like to do it again sometime, but I reckon I’d go for ‘real’ burgers next time!