History 2004
2004 was the club's first year where from the start it had enough players for a team in each age group. The cadet team went from strength to strength, with a committed squad of six players. The jr flag, although losing its team captain Dominic Gough to the kitted team, and losing the Bolton players early on in the year, quickly gained some new recruits. The kitted team changed a lot from the year before, with only 5 returning players from 2003.
2004 Cadet Flag
The cadets kept a few of their core players from 2003, and recruited some new players for the future of the club. Elliott Hindle, Edward Glynn and Mark Taylor were all new to the sport, and along with Team Captain Rachel Hull, managed to win every tournament they entered. They secured the Darlington, Leicester and Festival of Football Flag Bowls in the first half of the year to cement themselves as the best cadet team in the country. Throughout the first half of the year as well, there were three tournaments where some of the cadet team played junior flag to gain experience. Elliot Hindle in particular, played junior flag in Loughborough, Darlington and Sheffield to gain playing time. September saw the team make the Cadet Flag Championship game, the first time any Lancashire side has made any under 16s championship game. Click here for a game review from byafa.org The commitment of the coaches, Joe Eastham and Peter Simpson, has been shown by their attendance at the BAFCA Convention that year, and throughout the year Pete and Joe picked up both their Leaders Award, and their BRM Level One coaching qualifications. During October, Edward Glynn starred for the GB Lions team in Dusseldorf, as the team finished 2nd overall, with Ed at the Quarterback position.
2004 Cadet Flag Roster
Players
Rachel Hull
Daniel Harrison
Mark Balcombe
Mark Taylor
Elliot Hindle
Edward Glynn
Coaches
Joe Eastham Head Coach
Peter Simpson Assistant Coach
Paul Mather Club Manager
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2004 Junior Flag
The team benefitted from another cadet player moving up through the ranks in the form of Lawrence Quinn, which added experience to the team. In addition, a new core of friends started to train which meant by the summer, the team had a strong core led by Captain James Hull and Coach Ian Nicolson. The team entered 6 tournaments by the time June came around, with the team being competitive at each event. Through the summer, Paul Mather and Ian Nicolson helped set up a new team in Bolton called the Braves, which resulted in the Braves making their debut against the Bucs in July in 2 games back-to-back. The Jr Flag entered their last tournament of the year in November against the Bolton Braves and the St Peters Pumas. The Bucs were victorious on the day, beating both teams to remain the best team in Lancashire. During the Autumn, the team managed to recruit an amazing 5 more players from the Blackpool area to see the team looking good for 2005.
2004 Junior Flag
Players
James Hull
Lawrence Quinn
Danny Fitzgerald
Jonathan McLoughlin
Mark Stickland
James Wright
Tom Walsh
Chris Duckworth
Joel Wilson
Phil Hooper
Alex Hughes
Sam Bloomfield
Eden Quigley
Coaches
Ian Nicolson Head Coach
Nik Haywood Assistant Coach
Paul Mather Club Manager
2004 Junior Kitted
2004 wasn't an easy year for the kitted team, although it did show signs of potential throughout the year. Changes to helmet regulations, and a small squad size, meant it wasn't easy to compete at tournaments. However, the team showed a lot of heart, and the players' attitude pulled the squad through. In March, the team entered its first tournament, with 1 win, 2 draws(!) and a loss showed a good performance. The next time the team would enter a kitted event was early July in Merseyside, with a team of only 7 in kitted football isn't easy, however our new shirts did make us look the bees knees! After that, the decision was made to join forces with the St Peters Pumas to play as one team in order to get game time. A nice close trip to Wigan in July and then a daft journey all the way to North Glasgow and back in one day were what was called for. The 'Lancashire Jr Wolverines' put on great performances against national competition and managed a 2nd place in Glasgow, only losing to eventual Runners up the Inverclyde Raiders.
With only 8 players in the squad in October, the team played in the Youth Flag division of the NFL Kickoff event in good old Loughborough, finishing runners up to Belfast Bulls. The team managed one final tournament of the year in Sheffield, playing 4 long games with a lot of heart. It marked the last Bucs event for long-time players James Mather, Nik Haywood and Rik English, who all had played for the club for 4 memorable years.
Dominic Gough, while playing Receiver and Corner for the kitted team, also managed to earn representational honours in October, playing for the GB Lions Jr Flag Squad.
2004 Junior Kitted
Players
James Mather
Nik Haywood
Rik English
Dean Banks
Chris Martin
Tom Hindle
Craig Davidson
Dominic Gough
Coaches
Paul Mather Head Coach
Mark Greally Assistant Coach
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