Kian Gadsby
With seconds left of the National Championship final, the University of West England Bullets had the ball deep in the red zone. The centre put his hand on the ball, poised to snap, with his team needing only a couple of yards to score.
He never played the ball. He didn’t need to. Six prior touchdowns had fired UWE into an unassailable 42-12 lead, rendering the final moments a formality. As the final buzzer sounded, black and red jerseys streamed onto the pitch in delight to celebrate a fourth successive national title.
On the sidelines, the defeated University of Nottingham Gold were once again forced to watch these jubilant scenes in despair. The result marked a third defeat to the Bristolian outfit in the past four finals, with the outlier an even more heartbreaking semi-final upset at the hands of Durham Saints.
There is no shame in losing to UWE. Their roster is packed with stars who have played at the highest level in the UK, Europe, Canada, US College Football or even practice squads in the NFL. Even competing with them is an arduous task – an impossible one for most teams in the country.
But losing hurts. Years of being second best have left Nottingham desperate to break their streak and finally take their revenge.
This season may be their chance to do so. A dramatic 27-26 win over the Bullets on Matchday Three suggested that they may finally have their rivals’ number, but a frustrating 38-13 loss to Durham meant they squandered their lead at the top of the Premier National table. The three teams have endured one defeat each heading into the final part of the season, and with Nottingham facing trips to both sides for their final games of the season, we may be in for an enthralling finale.
Of course, it is future results that will determine the legacy of this season. Last year, Nottingham were stunned by Durham in the league but got their revenge in the playoffs, while a one-point victory at UWE was swiftly forgotten as Gold lost on the final game of the season to surrender the league title before the National Championships heartbreak in Loughborough.
This year has been enough to give everyone associated with the American Football team déjà vu. Hopefully this time the rest of the story is different.
Nottingham have the squad to change the ending. It would be perilous to underestimate their offence, with wide receiver Daniel Pedro being a dangerous weapon having helped Stuttgart Surge win the ELF last year with 318 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, while on the other side of the ball linebacker Jack Redhead has experience playing for the Team GB National side and club President Miles Butt took 3 interceptions in the ELF for Fehérvár Enthroners.
If all goes to plan, Nottingham have five games remaining in their season. They resume on 1st February when Nottingham play Loughborough, before there will be no love lost on Valentine’s Day as the Gold take on UWE in a clash that will likely determine the fate of the league title. The regular season rounds out with a match against Durham, before the playoffs and the quest for silverware really begins.
Five wins will secure a first-ever National Championship to avenge years of disappointment and cement themselves into legend. Anything less, and once again Gold will see the familiar silence of heartbreak.
Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of Ben Lumley for BUCS Sport via Flickr. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of Ben Lumley for BUCS Sport via Flickr. No changes were made to this image.
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