The Lancashire Academy of American Football will hold its Annual General Meeting at 2pm on 7th November 2010 at Blackburn RUFC. All members of the Academy are asked to attend.

At the AGM, election of the committee for 2010/2011 will take place. If you are interested in standing for a position on the committee, you can see an overview of the roles and responsibilities here. Further information is available in the constitution here. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with Chairman Paul Horsburgh at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Further information regarding the election process will be announced closer to the time.

In the second instalment of the Academy’s double header last Sunday, the Lancashire Wolverines took on local rivals the Manchester Titans. Despite a dogged performance, the Wolverines couldn’t quite capture the victory they needed to stay in the playoff race. Like the first meeting between the two teams, a close 26-20 win by the Titans, the rematch again proved a tightly contested affair. However, the visitor’s ability to turn sustained drives into points, combined with the ability to defensively turn the screws when needed were the difference reflected in the final score.

It helped of course that the Titans caught the Wolverines cold on the game’s opening drive. Wrestling an early momentum, they drove seventy yards for the first score of the game. The running of Nick Copley helped Manchester progress down field. Quarterback Rik Lowthion’s darted pass to wide receiver Will Kinghorn was caught for a 24 yard touchdown to give the Titans the early lead. Their extra point attempt bounced off the post leaving the Titans 6-0 ahead.

Looking to counter, the Wolverines started their first offensive possession well. A pass interference call helped them collect their initial first down and then the good running of Lee Nelson furthered the drive. An eleven yard rush by the back put the Wolverines at the Manchester 13 yard line but they failed to translate yards into points. And when they looked to pick up a touchdown on fourth down David Mead couldn’t quite force the ball to his intended target.

The Wolverines defence did a good job of making sure the Titans couldn’t stretch their lead as they picked off Rik Lowthion passes on two consecutive drives. Jim Mawson and then Eden Quigley were the players that came away with those interceptions. Sandwiched in between those two Titan drives was another attempt by the Wolverines to convert for a touchdown on fourth down. On this occasion they were frustrated by Titans safety Dave Barnett who batted down David Mead’s pass to the endzone.

In the second quarter a tremendous punt by Wolverine’s punter Chris Astley was downed at the Manchester two yard line. However, what at first appeared to be a fantastic opportunity to for the Wolverines to stuff the visitors in their own endzone turned out to be the beginnings of a backbreaking 88 yard drive (90 yard field). Running by committee were Titan’s backs Kenny Harrison and Ross Profit who slowly matriculated the ball down field. When at the Wolverines nine yard line, a neat pass by quarterback Lowthion found wide receiver Adam Simms for the Titans second score. The visitors then added a two point conversion to extend their lead to 14-0.

Just before the half, a nine play drive by the Wolverines came to an abrupt end as a fake punt run came up short and turned the ball over on downs. With time to launch a few deep passes downfield before the second quarter was over the Titans searched for another score. However, the Wolverines defended these passes well and prevented the Titans from taking a 3 score lead into the third quarter.

In the third quarter both teams traded possession, each failing to move the ball significantly early in the second half. Indeed most of the third quarter would ebb away without incident apart from a few sacks by the Manchester defensive line and a period of good, consistent defensive play by the Wolverines. Nonetheless it was at the very end of the third quarter that Titans running back Nick Copley broke off a 23 yard run. This marked the beginning of another Titans scoring drive, one that unfortunately put the game out of reach for the Wolverines. The Titans tight end Chris Heap did the damage on the rest of the drive including a diving, 17 yard touchdown reception. Extra points were again added to push the score to 22-0.

Despite the regrettable score, the Wolverines continued to show great character as they fought tooth and nail to the end. A string of tackles were made by Alex Dunn and good pressure and coverage forced incompletions to ensure Manchester couldn’t stretch their lead. On the Wolverine’s penultimate possession they made sure that they weren’t held off the scoreboard. Colts graduate Eden Quigley bounced outside, turned up field and sprinted away from chasing defenders for an impressive 49 yard touchdown to give the Wolverines a consolation. The two point conversion attempt failed which left the score at 22-6 and though both teams had time for one more possession that was how it remained at the close of play.

Although this defeat was tough for the Wolverines to swallow their 6-3 record should give them optimism for the future as winning twice as many games as they have lost is no mean feat. In another division their record might have been good enough for a playoff spot. A win against the West Coast Trojans in the their next outing would take the Wolverines to 7-3 but the loss to Shropshire earlier in the season means that they would lose out on the playoffs in a tie breaker. However, it is still important that the Wolverines finish off their season on a high note and they have that opportunity to do so against West Coast on Sunday 22^nd.

Article by Chris Ollett

The Lancashire Wolverine Colts defeated the Manchester Titans this past Sunday to win the BAFA Youth Northern division, celebrating their second consecutive division title. The win also meant that for the second straight year, the Colts finished the regular season having won every home match. By virtue of winning the division they guaranteed that their quarter final fixture on the 5^th September will be played at home at Blackburn Rugby Club.

The Colts won the opening coin toss and elected to return. However, their first offensive series proved to be unsuccessful. Following the punt the visiting Titans took possession for their first offensive outing. On third down and inside their own 20, the Manchester quarterback slipped out of a tackle and scrambled up the middle for a first down. The Titans constructed a lengthy drive as the Colts defence initially struggled to contain the visitor’s wildcat formation. However, as the Titans looked to capitalize, a sack by Jake Hodgkinson relieved the pressure on the defence. On the next play the Colts forced Manchester to turn the ball over on downs as the visitors could not reach the 1^st down marker.

The Colts moved downfield on their second offensive possession and looked to have finished off the drive with a touchdown. However, Christian Facchin’s score was ruled out because of a penalty. The Colts failed to reclaim the touchdown but had the opportunity to apply pressure on the Manchester offence as they re-entered play close to their own goal-line. A sack may have left the Titans fighting desperately to stop out of their own endzone but they were relieved of that pressure when penalty yardage propelled them forward to the 44 yard line. They did not profit from this and both teams continued to struggle getting on the scoreboard throughout the first two quarters.

However, with the second quarter nearing completion, a terrific throw by Colts quarterback Lawrence Quinn was caught by Lee Horrocks who darted down the right sideline for a 64 yard touchdown. Alex Hodson’s extra points attempt was good giving the Colts an 8-0 lead at the break. Buoyed by the score before the half, the Colts looked a team full of vigour in the early third quarter. The defence quickly smothered the Manchester offence allowing the Colts “o” back on the field. An excellent run by Christian Facchin set the wheels in motion for another scoring drive. Receptions by wide receivers Rihan Malik and Jack Ginger extended the drive. After that, Johnny Glover continued his series of completions when he found GB tight end Seb Kerridge in the endzone for a touchdown. Alex Hodson maintained his fine kicking streak as he added the extra points once more.

The Colts defence quickly thwarted any immediate reply from the Titans who were forced to punt. Kyle Martindale fielded the boot at the Wolverine 30 and then proceeded to expertly cut his way through the coverage unit returning the ball all the way to the Manchester fifteen yard line. Energized by the huge return Alex Hodson weaved his way into the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown run only to be denied by a flag. However, with a series of powerful runs, the big back found himself in the endzone again moments later and this time without flags littering the field. The extra point attempt was blocked but the Colts still took a commanding 22-0 lead into the fourth quarter.

Quietly putting together a strong 3^rd quarter performance, the defence again forced Manchester to turn the ball over on downs aided by a Christian Facchin sack. The Colts next offensive series proved to be the fourth consecutive scoring drive. It got underway with a reception by Rihan Malik. Sam Johnson’s excellent 24 yard run then took the Colts into the red-zone. With first down at the 20 yard line, Johnny Glover neatly threw to Sam Reed prior to completing the drive with a throw to Seb Kerridge, who collected his second touchdown of the game. The Colts looked to have added two more points when Glover found a wide open Jon Varney but he was adjudged to have been ineligible down field on the conversion attempt. The scoring was complete at 28-0 but there was still time for history to be made. Wide receiver Rihan Malik’s 21^st reception of the season was greeted by rapturous applause from teammates, coaches and fans alike as he broke the Colt’s record for receptions in a regular season. The previous record of 20 receptions had been held by Steve Liggett since 1997. The proud moment for the receiver and for the Colts was a perfectly fitting end to the division winning day.

The Colts will now complete the regular season against the Gateshead Senators next Sunday before gearing up for a playoff quarter final at Blackburn Rugby Club on the 5^th September.

Article by Chris Ollett

This weekend saw the Lancashire Wolverines play the Sheffield Predators at Blackburn Rugby Club, with the Wolverines looking to continue their push to make the playoffs. Earlier this season the Wolverines travelled to Sheffield and inflicted a 47-0 loss on the league newcomers.

With Sheffield choosing to receive the ball to start the game, Kicker Danny Morton set the tone for the day by kicking the ball deep into the end zone for a touchback. This brought the Wolverines defence onto the field. The defence was missing several key starters on the day, but this didn't show and the Wolverines quickly shut down the Predators with tackles flying in from Colts graduate Sam Bloomfield and veteran Linebacker Carl Rimmer. Both teams failed to register on the scoreboard on their first two offensive drives, although Bloomfield made his presence felt with two sacks of the Sheffield Quarterback.

Following a booming Chris Astley punt, the Predators began their third drive on their four yard line. The drive started out with a successful pass for five yards, but the Predators were soon brought back to earth when the ball was fumbled on the next snap under pressure from the swarming Lancashire defence. The ball was bobbled around with Sheffield attempting to get it out of their endzone, but it was Defensive Lineman Matt Lago who managed to pounce on the football in the endzone to give the Wolverines the touchdown. Experienced Kicker Danny Morton made no mistake with the extra point to put the home side up 7-0.

After another touchback from Morton Sheffield were unable to move the ball and were forced to kick it away. The Wolverines offence effectively moved the ball down the field led by Quarterback David Mead and offensive captain, Running Back Lee Nelson. Once into Predator territory the drive stalled however, leaving Morton to attempt a 29 yard field goal to stretch the Wolverines lead. The kick was uncharacteristically missed, leaving the Sheffield team with the ball at their 16 yard line.

The drive again started with promise for Sheffield, with a pass complete for a 5 yard gain taking the Predators to their 21 yard line. Another pass attempt however didn't go so well, with Linebacker Carl Rimmer picking off the pass and using his speed to return the ball to the Sheffield 1 yard line. Rimmer then stepped into his role on the offence and finished off what he had started by powering the ball into the endzone. Morton returned to his usual form and successfully kicked the extra point and making the score at the half 14-0 to the Wolverines.

The Wolverines came out fast in the second half, with Sam Bloomfield returning the ball to midfield to start proceedings. Mead swiftly moved the offence up the field and the drive came to a quick end with Mead finding Tight End Chris Astley in stride for a 26 yard touchdown. Astley also took over kicking duties for the second half and converted his own touchdown to put the score at 21-0. The following drive from Sheffield was quickly snuffed out due to constant pressure from Rimmer, Bloomfield and Martin Williams. With a taste for the endzone the Wolverines offence drove down the field on the back of running from Nelson and former Colts Running Back Eden Quigley. It was to Quigley that Mead looked when deep in Sheffield territory and showing lightning fast reactions he made no mistakes, catching the ball and weaving through the Sheffield defence for a 17 yard touchdown. Astley continued his good day by converting the kick for a score of 28-0.

The next couple of drives saw both teams able to move the ball but neither able to get into scoring territory. On the Wolverines following drive a pass by rookie Quarterback Jack Barton was intercepted and returned to the Wolverines 9 yard line. From here the Predators made no mistake and on their first play converted a pass to put their first points on the board against the Wolverines in two games. Sheffield attempted a 2-point conversion, but this fell incomplete for a score of 28-6.

The Wolverines had one last score in them for the day and it was fittingly Barton who threw his first touchdown pass for the Wolverines. The recipient was Wide Receiver Phil Riley who streaked down the sideline to run under an inch perfect pass from Barton and in for the score from 41 yards out. A fumbled snap left Astley unable to convert the touchdown and the score remained at the end of the game at 34-6.

After the game Wolverines Head Coach Paul Horsburgh said:

"Today was an efficient performance in which we controlled the game well. We managed to knock off the rust of having a few weeks without a game and our focus will now turn to Manchester next week."

The Wolverines will play the Manchester Titans at 3pm on Sunday 15th August at Blackburn RUFC. Entry is free as is the game between the two sides' youth teams which kicks off at 12. For more information about the Wolverines, please visit www.wolverineden.com