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Search forAdmirals lose to rampant Saxons
Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 10:30
Admirals, missing key players, went down 45-0 – although city players said afterwards they deserved to at least score against the Saxons.
The result brought Admirals to earth after they recorded their second win of the season last weekend – 28-0 at Reading Renegades.
But Admirals head coach Steve Perry said pre-game preparations were affected badly by the unavailability of several key players, including some who had played starring roles in the previous week's demolition of the Reading Renegades.
Perry said: “To say I was disappointed to be without those players would be an understatement.
“Marco Pinder, Michael Bearman, Dave Wellbeloved and Iain Wilde are all great players who can make big momentum-changing plays when you most need them.
“The guys who came in to fill their places were not as experienced, and most were offensive players playing in unfamiliar positions.
“Their effort was outstanding, but it was a massive ask to fill the shoes of such established competitors.”
Saxons quickly gained the initiative, scoring touchdown passes of 15 and 32 yards, respectively.
The two strikes were followed by a six-yard run to put the visiting side 19-0 ahead before the first 15 minutes were up.
A shell-shocked Admirals side recovered in the second quarter, as the rushing of Nick Copley and the rapidly-improving Matt Brambles began moving the ball on offense, while the defense started to frustrate the Saxons.
But any Admirals hopes of staging a comeback were quashed by a 63-yard breakaway run which put the Saxons 26-0 ahead as the half time whistle went.
After the half time interval, another long run – this time 70 yards – extended the Saxons lead to 32 before two late runs of 15 and five yards, respectively, brought up the 45-0 victory.
“The best team won on the day, no question,” said offensive co-ordinator and quarterback Mark Tanner afterwards. “But I feel the scoreline was a bit harsh on us.
“We had a pass intercepted in the endzone and a perfectly legitimate touchdown called back by an official who immediately admitted he'd made a mistake, so that performance deserved some points at least.”
Admirals play Hampshire Thrashers next at Parkway Sports Club on Sunday, August 3, kick-off 2.30pm.
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