The Broncos traveled to Sheffield last weekend for a National Cup Competition featuring clubs from all over the UK.
The British American Football Association are running a pre and post season cup tournament for the first time in 2018. The Broncos were one of the first teams to sign up for the Pre-Season event.
The group stages of the tournament were to be held on Saturday, and even up to an hour before the first kick-off there was debate about whether the event could go ahead given the amount of rain that had fallen overnight in Sheffield. With all the teams already present, thankfully the venue, Davy’s Sporting Club, gave the go-ahead.
The Broncos had five games to play on Saturday. With work and family commitments over the Easter Weekend, the Grangemouth team had made the journey south with only six players. Fraser Thomson, Kevin Woods, Callum Woods, Liam Fleming, Mark Wallace and Jimmy Thomson.
Grangemouth’s first opponents were the Leeds Samurai. Last year Leeds made the BAFA League Regional Finals, but were drawn against the Broncos. As with that game, the Broncos were just too experienced, and quickly put the Samurai to the sword. 35 – 0 was an impressive start for the Broncos.
In their second game against the Newcastle Blackhawks. The two teams have had many tight tussles in the past. This year though they have lost a couple of starters, but still retain a good core of experienced players. When the Grangemouth QB Fraser Thomson threw an interception in the first drive, the game could have gone either way. The Broncos held their nerve though and with the help of three interceptions, 2 from Liam Fleming and Thomson redeeming himself by making an interception of his own, the Broncos won 19 – 0.
Game three was against the Sheffield Vipers. The Vipers were another team who made the Regional Finals last year, and are regular practice opponents for the Great Britain team, so have experience of big games. However, the Broncos four GB players are well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Vipers. With that knowledge it was no surprise the Broncos would win. 32 – 0.
Game four was against the Sheffield Giants (2). Like a number of clubs around the league, including the Broncos, the Giants are fielding a second team this year. This was their first opportunity to play in a competition. While the Giants second team are likely to do well in the Division 1 League this year, as the only Div 1 team in the group they were always going to struggle against Premier teams. The Broncos coasted to a 47 – 0 win.
In the final game of the day the Broncos were playing the Reading Lions. Another Regional finalist from 2017. This game was effectively for the top seed place in the semi-final. While the Lions did manage to score the only points the Broncos conceded on Saturday, the Broncos had already built a substantial lead and the Lions seemed to lose interest in the game early on. A 51 – 6 win for the Broncos made everyone take notice.
The final tally for day one was everything the Broncos could ask for. Played five, won five. Scored 184 points and conceded 6. Even more impressive given the playing conditions, cold, wet and windy. The Broncos seemed to adapt best to the weather.
Day two, and into the semi-finals.
The Broncos were matched with the Sheffield Giants. The Giants are another of the top teams in the UK, and as tournament hosts were widely tipped to win the tournament. Unfortunately for the Giants, the Broncos picked up from where they left off the day before. They did get a late consolation TD, but by then the Broncos were well in the lead. Final score 35 – 6
Into the final, and the Broncos would once again face the Reading Lions, who beat Victoria Park Panthers in the other Semi-Final.
That is the point where it seemed to all go wrong for the Broncos. With one or two uncharacteristic drops at crucial moments the Broncos found themselves chasing a game that they should win comfortably. And, when you are chasing the game, little mistakes become exaggerated. The Broncos never recovered from a half time deficit and had to concede to the Lions at 26 – 12.
Unfortunately, due to the horrible weather conditions there are no photos of the event.
Designed By HowlThemes