Following victories over Bolton Bulldogs and Manchester Titans in their recent double-header at Blackburn RUFC, the Lancashire Wolverines youth and senior teams face their next challenge this Sunday (1st June) with visits from Yorkshire side, Sheffield Tomahawks and Scottish side, Edinburgh Wolves in what promises to be yet another great day of American Football action.

The 2008 British American Football League got underway on Sunday for Blackburn-based outfit the Lancashire Wolverines, with a visit from local rivals the Manchester Titans. A crowd of around 200 had assembled at Blackburn RUFC to watch this fixture, which was a repeat of the 2007 season opener in which the Titans defeated the Wolverines 14-26. The Wolverines had earlier seen their Youth team beat the Bolton Bulldogs 20-0 and were determined to avenge last year’s defeat and continue the success of their youth team.

Manchester received the opening kick-off and quickly moved into Wolverines territory before 19-year-old youth-graduate Dave Barnett scampered 35 yards for the first touchdown of the afternoon to put the Titans up 0-6. The PAT was unsuccessful.

The Wolverines first offensive drive saw a determined effort from the Titans defence force the home side to punt. On a day that saw four Wolverine touchdowns called back for penalties, the Wolverines got a lucky break when the Manchester returner fumbled the punt to return the ball to the Wolverines. This time the Wolverines offence made no mistake in driving the ball down field before Daniel Bowles ran the ball in from 16 yards to level the scores at 6-6. A quick reaction by birthday boy Jonathon Peachey on a fumbled PAT snap saw the quarterback find tight-end Nick Russell alone in the end zone for a successful conversion to put the Wolverines in the lead 8-6.

The second quarter saw the Titans regain the lead when quarterback James Keogh found Phil Waldecker with a 22-yard touchdown strike. The PAT was good to leave Lancashire trailing 8-13. The lead didn’t last long however. A 42-yard kick-off return by Sam Fogg gave the Wolverines excellent field position and strong running by Chris Littler took the ball deep into Titans territory before Fogg ran in from 10 yards to make the score 14-13 in favour of the Wolverines. This seemed to give the Wolverines the confidence they needed as they went on to score a further 3 unanswered touchdowns.

A forced fumble and recovery by linebacker Lee Callister gave the Wolverines the ball in Titan territory and the Wolverine offence marched downfield marshalled by quarterback Paul Fallon. It was Fallon himself who took the ball in from 3 yards. Peachey slotted over the PAT to give the Wolverines an 8-point advantage, 21-13.

The Wolverines almost extended their lead before half-time when linebacker Damien Szabo intercepted a Keogh pass 30 yards out. The Titans defence stood firm however to give the Titans an opportunity to level the score before half time. Rookie cornerback Danny Morton had other ideas and snared the Wolverines second interception of the day to end the half. Wolverines 21-13 Titans.

The Wolverines received the opening kick-off of the second half and Bowles, sponsored by Topping Partnership, quickly scored his second of the day on a dazzling 56-yard run to give the home side breathing room at 27-13. The remainder of the third quarter was a defensive battle with both sides holding firm, with notable performances from Lancashire’s defensive backs Ian Nicolson and Joey Douglas.

A 42-yard strike from Fallon to Iain Pearson early in the 4th quarter extended the Wolverines lead and a successful PAT left the score line 34-13 in favour of the home side. The Wolverines seemed to be in control until Titans cornerback Stuart Hay intercepted a Fallon pass. Encouraged by this the Titans drove to the Wolverines 4-yard line before Barnett ran for his second touchdown of the day. The PAT was unsuccessful but Manchester had closed the gap to 34-19.

The ensuing kick-off was fumbled by the Wolverines returner to gift the ball to the Titans at the 8-yard line. The Titans scored on the first play when Keogh again found Waldecker open in the end zone. The 2 PAT was successful to leave the score 34-27 in favour of the Wolverines but with the game finely in the balance.

Manchester elected to kick deep on the following kick-off and the Wolverines offence drove downfield and ran out the clock to ensure the Titans weren’t given another scoring opportunity.

After the game an upbeat Paul Horsburgh, head coach of the Wolverines said: “Today we saw what 5 months hard work and playing as a team can achieve. We dominated both sides of the field and should be proud of our team performance. There were a few mental mistakes that we need to work on but this year for a change we didn’t get at each other; instead we helped each other and looked out for our teammates. From here we need to iron out the creases and prepare ourselves for a tough game against Edinburgh.”

Final Score: Lancashire Wolverines 34-27 Manchester Titans

Both Lancashire senior and youth sides now have a week off to rest before they face the visit of Edinburgh Wolves and Sheffield Tomahawks respectively. Those games will kick off at 11.30am with the ‘Colts’ looking to go 3-0 before the seniors take on a tough Wolves side. We hope to see you there!

More information, including how to get involved and match pictures can be found online at www.wolverineden.com.

Game MVPs:

Offense: Daniel Bowles
(3 receptions for 74 yards, 8 carries for 93 yards – 2TDs)

Defense: Danny Morton (Rookie playing first ever game)
(3 solo tackles, 2 assisted tackles, 1 interception, 3 kick-offs for 112 yards)

Overall: Damien Szabo
(5 solo tackles, 7 assisted tackles, 1 Interception, 1 Kick return for 6 yards)

Box score:

American Football returns to Blackburn with a bang this Sunday (18^th May) as The Lancashire Academy of American Football presents “Homecoming” at Blackburn RUFC. Two local teams, the Bolton Bulldogs and the Manchester Titans travel to Ramsgreave Drive to take on the Lancashire Wolverines youth and senior teams respectively.

For the Colts, the Wolverines youth team, this game will be their second of the 2008 season after defeating the Yorkshire Rams 24-2 in their season opener. The Wolverines Senior team will kick off their 2008 campaign with this fixture against a Manchester side that inflicted 2 narrow defeats on the team in 2007. The Wolverines have been training hard since January and will be looking for revenge!

The ‘Homecoming’ event will kick off at 12 noon when the youth fixture gets underway. Throughout the day a BBQ will be serving American style burgers and hot dogs and refreshments will be available all day at the bar. American football merchandise will be on sale and at half-time there will be a dazzling display from the Wolverines cheerleaders, Cheer Valley. Fancy yourself as an American Footballer? During the day there will be opportunities to speak to the coaches and players of the Wolverines and try on the kit for yourself!

For more information on American Football in Lancashire and how to get involved please visit www.wolverineden.com or email head coach, Paul Horsburgh at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Lancashire Wolverines are 1 of 8 teams in the Lancashire Academy of American Football, which is able to offer the sport to boys and girls from the age of 7 upwards.

With just 5 weeks to go until the start of the Lancashire Wolverines assault on BAFL Division 2 North, preparations for the season are well under way. The Wolverines have recently returned to their regular home, Blackburn RUFC, following a highly successful preseason training camp at Horwich Astrodome.

The Wolverines start their season on Sunday 18^th May at 2.30pm with a home opener against local rivals the Manchester Titans at Blackburn RUFC. In the 2007 campaign the Titans edged out the Wolverines in two close fought games, with the Titans eventually reaching the playoffs. The Wolverines will be hoping to get their revenge on the Titans, and on the opening day will be playing a double-header with the Lancashire Wolverine Colts youth team, who will start proceedings with a midday kick-off against another local rival, the Bolton Bulldogs, also at Blackburn RUFC.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming campaign, Wolverines Head Coach Paul Horsburgh said “We are extremely pleased with the way preseason has gone so far, and we’re all looking forward to kicking off the season at home with the game against the Titans. As a club we’re looking to build on last season, and with our mix of established talent, combined with an excellent set of rookies, we’re hoping we can progress from last year, and make it through to the postseason”.

The Wolverines are always looking for new talent, so if you are interested in playing, coaching, refereeing or helping behind the scenes, all are welcome. If you are interested, please contact Paul Horsburgh on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 07738 446 001.

For the full Lancashire Wolverines fixtures please see the 2008 Schedule on the Wolverines website, http://www.wolverineden.com/.