FIRE EDGED OUT IN KINGDOM BOWL FINAL

Report and Pic C/O Fife Fire

The Fife Fire put in their best performance to date, as they set the Beveridge Park alight on Saturday 19th May.

The inaugural Kingdom Bowl, the first American Football tournament to be held in Fife, was hailed a success despite the changeable weather blowing wind and rain across the park.

The first game in the group stages saw the Fire take on new comers West Coast Trojans in their first ever game.

It was to prove a baptism of fire for the Renfrew side as they were handed a 44-19 mauling by the power running game of Fullback Carlo Oliva and Tailback Joel Nwokoye, who both reeked havoc on the Trojans defense.

Although the Trojans gave an impressive account of themselves, the Fire’s defense proved too strong and would ensure a victory in the first game.

The second game was against the current league leaders, and so far undefeated, Highland Wildcats, who when the sides last met delivered a 32-0 blow to the Fire. This time around though, it was to be different with the young Fife team playing for pride in their own back yard.

The lead changed hands several times as both teams traded scores. Going in to the final 2 minutes the Fire were down by 3 and in possession as they marched down the field and gained the all important Touchdown to give them the edge, as the game drew near the final whistle.

With both their time-outs used, the Wildcats steadily worked their way downfield to inside the 5 yard line, with a stand from the defensive unit stopping the TD. With only 2 seconds remaining on the clock, and the Highlanders knocking on the door, it was all to come down to the final play.

Wildcats Quarterback Kenny McKay threw into the endzone for a sure catch, only to find Free Safety Michael Gaughan deny the Touchdown with an excellent read, enabling him to get a hand to the ball and ensure the 27-24 victory for the Fire.

The win placed Fife Fire as winners of group A, and meant that they had to face Glasgow Tigers as winners of Group B in the final.

The final could only be described as a toe to toe battle of wills. The Fire, determined to win on their own doorstep, scored on every offensive down but could not stop the Tigers on defense.

The sides continued to trade scores throughout the game, in the highest scoring game of the day.

It appeared the team with the ball last when the final whist blew would win. The break in the game came when a loose fumble was recovered in the Fire’s endzone to give the Tigers the upperhand, and the breathing space they needed. The change of fortune gave the Tigers a boost and saw them score again as the Fire had no answer for the Glasgow side.

As the game clock ran down, the Fire went all out in an attempt to finish the game on a high note, and went for a series of long passes deep into the endzone for a consolation TD but came up empty handed. The clock expired with a win for the Glasgow Tigers 63-45.

On reflection of the day’s games, Fire Headcoach Mark Bramwell commented, “Today was a turning point for the Fire. Our performance has improved steadily over the past few months, and we have pushed teams harder and harder each time"

" Today we defeated the current league leaders Highland Wildcats, who were previously unbeaten this year, and took second place over all in the day. Not so long ago we were the whipping boys, the rookie team that were usually on the wrong side of a win. We showed our true potential today, beating teams that have previously been over powering when we’ve faced them.”

He continued, “The final was the most intense game I have seen to date, with both teams determined to win. The scores continued to mount up, and we just needed a game breaker to give us the edge."

" The fumble that gets us the ball back, or the interception we return for the score. Unfortunately it was the Tigers that received the break in the game, and they took full advantage of it.”

And although they weren’t to lift the Kingdom Bowl trophy, coach Bramwell was immensely proud of the young team. “We’ve come a long way in a relatively short space of time."

" I’m very proud of everyone who played today, because we played as a team. We are now firmly established as a team that is there to compete. Other teams are now fearful of our hard hitting defense, and awesome running game that saw 2 of our guys receive MVP awards, Joel Nwokoye and Michael MacDonald”

He also expressed his thanks to the supporters who came out to get behind the Fife gridiron team. “We had a good turnout today, and a lot of people were asking questions and really getting interested in what was going on."

" Seeing a home crowd there to cheer you on really gives you a boost, and I’m delighted we could give them some great football games to watch. Of course, the ever faithful Fire Cheerleaders were there braving the Fife weather, and helping us along as well, so our thanks to them."

The next round of the BYAFA Junior season takes place in Cambuslang in Glasgow on June 23rd, when the Fire will be looking to win on the Tiger’s home turf next time around.

Anyone interested in finding out more, can log on to the Fire’s website at www.fifefire.com