Just 7 days after a very wet encounter with the Warriors on their home field, the Sharks swept the series against the Welsh with an emphatic 46-13 victory in Winchester this past Sunday.
Having quickly fallen behind by 2 scores last week, we were again on our heels early on as the Warriors used their speed and elusiveness to break tackles and score on a quick slant that went the distance. Confidence in our ability to come back – as proven last week – meant a calm Sharks O went to work, and quickly started racking up the scores.
With a few Offense regulars unavailable for the fixture, new faces stepped up and made their mark. Most notable was James Taylor, who used his his most extensive time on O this season to haul in 3 TDs and 1 XP. In his 3rd match of the season, Pete Steel jumped up the scoring leader board, with 2 TDs (1 XP), to make it 3 on the season. QB Neil Henderson had a good day directing the Offense, throwing 6 TDs and 0 picks.
With Chichester’s lead stretching as the game wore on the Warriors began taking more risks to close the gap. The Sharks D took full advantage, picking off two errant passes (Mike Thompson, Neil Henderson) and sacking the QB twice (Taylor, Steel).
To cap off the game, C/WR Gary Robinson ran in his 2nd rushing TD in the space of a week, to end the game 46-13. As uncommon as rushing scores are in Flag that may well just be a Sharks record!
That was the only Sharks game that counted towards the league standings on Sunday, as the Kent Exiles had pulled out earlier in the week due to lack of players (which is a bit lame when your kitted team has the week off).
Instead the Sharks played a friendly against the Hampshire Thrashers. Martyn Emmens took the QB slot and directed the Sharks to an enjoyable (32-13 Neil?) win. All 3 QBs (inc. Bruno Bergamaschi who led a scoring drive in the Thrashers game) played very well on the day, which bodes well with the imminent arrival of Henderson Jnr.!
The Sharks victory over the Warriors jumps them up to 2nd in the English Conference.
Please add your comments about Sunday below.
Next up London Rebels and Coventry Jets this weekend – 01/08/09 (NOTE: this is a SATURDAY game)