NFL KICK OFF 2003

As America was getting themselves ready for the first Sunday of the NFL season, hundreds of young Scottish Gridiron Guerrillas were preparing for on field action a bit closer to home with the Scottish Claymores annual NFL Kick Off Tournament at Glasgow's Scotstoun Stadium.

On show was  Flag Football teams from around the country, battling for National supremacy at under 16 level, a repeat of last year's Scottish Youth Gridiron League final between Clyde Valley Hawks and North Lanarkshire Rams - and not forgetting the latest innovation in the development of the sport in Scotland, Junior Kitted Football.

All of the back pitches of Scotstoun were taken up by Flag Football players of all shapes and sizes competing at Junior and Cadet Level, including the reigning Claymores Bowl Five on Five Flag Football Champions, the Carluke Predators - too many games to mention, but would gladly put up match reports if any one out there has any.

And in what was a step up from Five on Five Flag Football, the far corner of the field featured the latest innovation in the grass roots development programme, a three way junior kitted contest between Clyde Valley Hawks, North Lanarkshire Rams and Inverclyde Raider - the junior section of the Inverclyde Sharks.

With the Sharks set for another big crunch match against the Hawks in the BYAFA league this coming Sunday, the Raiders showed them the way forward by completing a clean weep of the tri-contest, including the first ever defeat of the Hawks in two years.

Unlike the normal version of the kitted game there was no linemen on either side of the ball, the quarterback was a protected species, until he ran with the ball - then anything goes.

And in what was an end to end battle, the Raiders got off to the perfect start with a moral boosting 20-14 victory over the Hawks, which was followed by an even more convincing 30-19 win over the Rams.

The final standings showed the Inverclyde Outfit with two wins out of two, Clyde Valley second with one victory and the Rams bringing up the rear with the wooden spoon.

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