Sapphire Series Round 3 - Results and Standings

Round 3 of the BAFA Women’s Sapphire Series played out this past Saturday, and as was the case with the first two rounds it was a tale of dominance from two teams and a close set of games in one Division.

PREMIER DIVISION

The Birmingham Lions are on the brink of another Premier Division title after winning their two games. The match against their closest challengers, Herts Tornadoes, being a very one sided affair. Derby put up some resistance but still came away scoreless in their encounter with the Lions. Leeds are now joint second after an impressive day. It will be a battle to avoid the wooden spoon as both Manchester and Derby lost their games and prop up the Division.

HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES 6 BIRMINGHAM LIONS 61

BIRMINGHAM LIONS 28 DERBY BRAVES 0

MANCHESTER TITANS 6 LEEDS CARNEGIE 23

MANCHESTER TITANS 24 HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES 46

LEEDS CARNEGIE 30 DERBY BRAVES 6

DIVISON ONE NORTH

Images courtesy of Geoff White - gw-images.com

Teeside Steelers remain unbeaten in Division 1 North, but they are not having it all their way, their game against Edinburgh proved that with both teams playing a game with no points scored. There was another tied game for the Wolves, this time with Chester. The Romans have improved steadily, and beat East Kilbride impressively with a shutout.

TEESIDE STEELERS 18 EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES 0

EDINBURGH WOLVES 6 CHESTER ROMANS 6 - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.483204658538179.1073741900.187980794727235&type=3

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES 0 CHESTER ROMANS 54 - https://www.facebook.com/geoff.white.127/media_set?set=a.975775582506546.1073741973.100002223392245&type=3

TEESIDE STEELERS 0 EDINBURGH WOLVES 0

DIVISION ONE SOUTH

It was a case of business as usual for the London Warriors as they racked up two more wins, putting up 84 points without conceding. The battle for second place is heating up with just 4 point in the standings separating 3 teams. Sandwell have the edge despite losing both games in Round 3, and they will be mindful of a fast improving Wembley team that won both their games in two close matchups.

LONDON WARRIORS 62 PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS 0

LONDON WARRIORS 22 SANDWELL STEELERS 0

SANDWELL STEELERS 0 WEMBLEY STALLIONS 8

WEMBLEY STALLIONS 12 PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS 6

DIVISION ONE			F	A	PT
BIRMINGHAM LIONS			246	16	18
HERTS.TORNADOES			216	175	14
LEEDS CARNEGIE			154	110	14
DERBY BRAVES			26	242	6
MANCHESTER TITANS			48	147	4
DIVISION TWO NORTH
TEESIDE STEELERS			96	20	16
EDINBURGH WOLVES			61	37	13
CHESTER ROMANS			138	94	11
EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES			28	172	8
DIVISION TWO SOUTH
LONDON WARRIORS			323	6	18
SANDWELL STEELERS			71	77	12
WEMBLEY STALLIONS			62	91	11
PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS			44	197	8
ICENI SPEARS			11	140	3

The teams all meet up again on April 16^th for the 4^th and final Round of games.

Sapphire Series Round 3 Schedule

Round 3 of the Sapphire Series is already upon us, it only seems like yesterday we were reporting on the hard hits and bruises from Round 2.

This is generally the time we find out who is the real deal and looking like serious contenders for the title. Of course given that there are 3 titles up for grabs this year, there is more opportunity to shine across the country.

In Division 1 the Birmingham Lions have once again set the early pace and it will take a really strong performance to knock them off their top spot, but as we all know it only takes an inspired moment to upset the odds. The Lions closest challenger is once again the Hertfordshire Tornadoes and they are the host team this weekend and the two clash for the second time this season, Birmingham having won the first encounter 35-10. Leeds could take advantage of any slip up by the Tornadoes as they play the Titans and Braves.

Host – HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES. Venue – University of Hertfordshire, Herts Sports Village, de Havilland Campus, Hatfield, AL10 9EU. Approx. 12.30 start.

HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES v BIRMINGHAM LIONS

BIRMINHAM LIONS v DERBY BRAVES

MANCHESTER TITANS v LEEDS CARNEGIE

MANCHESTER TITANS v HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES

LEEDS CARNEGIE v DERBY BRAVES

Division 2 North is the closest so far and it’s still very wide open to predict the winner at this stage. Edinburgh started strong but it’s the Teeside Steelers who had a strong Round 2 and are unbeaten as they look to extend their lead on their home turf. East Kilbride and Chester will not be there just to make up the numbers however so you could see another shift in power.

Host – TEESIDE STEELERS. Venue – SRC Bede Sixth Form College, Marsh House Avenue, Billingham, Cleveland, TS23 3HB. Approx. 13.00 start.

TEESIDE STEELERS v EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES

EDINBURGH WOLVES v CHESTER ROMANS

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES v CHESTER ROMANS

TEESIDE STEELERS v EDINBURGH WOLVES

In the Division 2 South it seems to be one way traffic as the London Warriors are yet to be troubled and it’s their turn to be the host team. Depending on how busy their opponents have been in preparation over the last fortnight it could be a long afternoon for Wembley and Sandwell, the two teams the Warriors face off against. Those two along with Portsmouth and Iceni are facing the prospect of battling for second place such has been the early dominance of the Warriors, but as in Division 1 the leaders cant rest just yet and will be naïve to underestimate anyone.

Host – LONDON WARRIORS

LONDON WARRIORS v WEMBLEY STALLIONS

ICENI SPEARS v PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS

LONDON WARRIORS v SANDWELL STEELERS

SANDWELL STEELERS v ICENI SPEARS

WEMBLEY STALLIONS v PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS

We will bring you all the results and updated standings as soon as possible as the Sapphire Series builds up to its exciting climax.

Saphire Series Round Two - Results, Reports and Standings

Round 2 of the Sapphire Series played out this past Saturday and left some more teams bruised and battered. Already suffering from the last round were the Derby Braves who couldn’t make the trip to Manchester to fulfil their Division One games. This was due to not being able to field a full strength roster and therefore risking player safety.

As the day wore on the Iceni Spears of Division Two South suffered the same fate and were unable to play their second game of the day. Such is the learning curve when you have new teams featuring new players that these unfortunate incidents occur. From what we understand the injured players are recovering well and will hopefully not be put off by their misfortune going forward.

So onto the action and as somewhat expected the Birmingham Lions continued their dominance of Division One with two shutout wins. Hertfordshire kept up the pace though and should the Lions slip up they will be the first team to capitalise. Leeds will take something from the day as they were not completely humiliated by Birmingham and put up some decent numbers against the Tornadoes.

Images from the Division One games in Manchester can be found here courtesy of Geoff White - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.474854929373152.1073741894.187980794727235&type=3&__mref=message_bubble

Division Two North looks to be the most evenly matched. After a good opening round Edinburgh were pegged back and could only manage a tied game and a narrow loss. They were leapfrogged in the standings by Teeside. Chester won big against host team East Kilbride, before succumbing to the Steelers.

Division Two South is in danger of becoming an exhibition for the London Warriors. Outscoring their opponents 114-0 on the day they are the dominant force right now and even though Sandwell are tucked in nicely behind them in the standings they are going to be at their best in a fortnight to derail their free scoring rivals. Portsmouth and Wembley will be a good test for Sandwell in the race for second spot.

DIVISION ONE

BIRMINGHAM 28 LEEDS 0

LEEDS 29 HERTFORDSHIRE 58

BIRMINGHAM 43 MANCHESTER 0

MANCHESTER 20 HERTFORDSHIRE 50

DIVISION TWO NORTH

CHESTER 46 EAST KILBRIDE 13

EDINBURGH 2 TEESDIE 2

EAST KILBRIDE 8 EDINBURGH 6

CHESTER 6 TEESIDE 12

DIVISION TWO SOUTH

PORTSMOUTH 0 LONDON 60

WEMBLEY 18 SANDWELL 6

ICENI 0 LONDON 54

PORTSMOUTH 18 SANDWELL 19

Gordon Dedman reports from the games played in Portsmouth with some great images from the day.

The latest round of the Sapphire Series South took place on the sunny south coast with Portsmouth University hosting the London Warriors, the Sandwell Steelers, the Wembley Stallions and the Iceni Spears.

The most proficient team, confirmed by the dominance in their 60-0 and 54-0 victories over Portsmouth and Iceni, was London. Slick and athletic, they oozed the professionalism you would expect from a Warriors organisation and certainly expressed it on the field with their high scoring offense and commanding defense.

In the round robin process that is the Sapphire Series, Sandwell lost to a spirited Wembley team who overcame the loss of their starting quarterback at the end of the first half to win 18-6. The Stallions have the smallest squad, but maintained their focus to gain the victory.

With Iceni forgoing their second game, it was left to Portsmouth and Sandwell to put on a display of flip flopping football in the final act.

Sandwell scored early, but Portsmouth hit back and took an 18-7 lead with four minutes remaining.  The Steelers warming to their task put together two scoring series to win 19-18 with just one successful point after separating the two teams.

If there are any doubts about the intensity of the ladies game, the two injuries that delayed proceedings awaiting ambulances confirmed the fervour the game is played in. I wish the Iceni and Wembley injured players a speedy recovery.

LONDON WARRIORS v PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS - https://www.flickr.com/photos/107007642@N02/albums/72157665733755532

SANDWELL STEELERS v PORTSMOUTH DETROYERS – https://www.flickr.com/photos/107007642@N02/albums/72157665866731116

SANDWELL STEELERS v WEMBLEY STALLIONS - https://www.flickr.com/photos/107007642@N02/albums/72157663583477834

STANDINGS AFTER ROUND TWO

DIVISION ONE                                                F A             PTS

BIRMINGHAM LIONS                                     157         10           12

HERTS.TORNADOES                                        164         90           10

LEEDS CARNEGIE                                              101         98           8

DERBY BRAVES                                                 20            184         4

MANCHESTER TITANS                                    18           78           2

                                                                               

DIVISION TWO NORTH                                                                 

TEESIDE STEELERS                                            78           20           11

EDINBURGH WOLVES                                    55           31           9

CHESTER ROMANS                                          78           88           6

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES                                 28           100         6

                                                                               

DIVISION TWO SOUTH                                                                 

LONDON WARRIORS                                      239         6              12

SANDWELL STEELERS                                      71           47           10

PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS                       38           123         6

WEMBLEY STALLIONS                                    42           85           5

ICENI SPEARS                                                   11             140         3

Sapphire Series - Gameday 2. Unbeaten teams look to stay perfect.

It’s Gameday 2 in the Sapphire Series today and that means more hard hits and touchdowns from the Women’s teams around the country.

After the first set of games a fortnight ago there were 5 unbeaten teams – Birmingham Lions, Edinburgh Wolves, Teeside Steelers, London Warriors and Sandwell Steelers.

These teams once again take to the field today in a bid to stay perfect, but the teams in the pack will be wanting to claim a prize of big scalp or two so they have to be at their best to remain at the top of their respective divisions.

 

Here is today’s complete schedule.

DIVISION 1

Host – MANCHESTER TITANS. Venue – AJ Bell Stadium, Barton-upon-Irwell, Salford, M30 7EY. Approx. Start – 1pm.

DERBY BRAVES v MANCHESTER TITANS

DERBY BRAVES v HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES

BIRMINGHAM LIONS v LEEDS CARNEGIE

LEEDS CARNEGIE v HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES

BIRMINGHAM LIONS v MANCHESTER TITANS

 

DIVISION 2 NORTH

Host – EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES. Venue – Hamilton Palace Sports Ground, Mote Hill Road, Hamilton, Lanarkshire, ML3 6BY. Approx. Start Time – 1pm.

CHESTER ROMANS v EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES

EDINBURGH WOLVES v TEESIDE STEELERS

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES v EDINBURGH WOLVES

CHESTER ROMANS v TEESIDE STEELERS

 

DIVISION 2 SOUTH

Host – PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS.

PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS v LONDON WARRIORS

WEMBLEY STALLIONS v SANDWELL STEELERS

ICENI SPEARS v LONDON WARRIORS

PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS v SANDWELL STEELERS

ICENI SPEARS v WEMBLEY STALLIONS

 

*The Derby Braves have announced that due to injuries we they are not able to take a full roster to the Series today. We await an announcement as to how their games will be awarded.

Sapphire Series Round One Results and Standings

Round One of the 2016 BAFA Women’s Sapphire Series took place this past Saturday, and where it didn’t bring many surprises on the scoreboard it did give a chance for the new teams to settle down and see the standard of play.

Of course we know that standard is already high from the likes of returning Champions Birmingham Lions and their Division 1 rivals Herts. Tornadoes, as well as established teams like Derby Braves.

With more teams entering than ever before it made sense to split them up and have three separate titles to play for. This will ensure all teams stay competitive through the three planned rounds of games.

 

Images from the Division Two South games courtesy of Andy Neale – Whizzyfingers Photography - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.532954536877005.1073741912.158374481001681&type=3

Round One Results – Saturday February 27th

DIVISION ONE

DERBY BRAVES 12 LEEDS CARNEGIE 32

BIRMINGHAM LIONS 35 HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES 10

MANCHESTER TITANS 0 BIRMINGHAM LIONS 51

HERTFORDSHIRE TORNADOES 46 DERBY BRAVES 6

LEEDS CARNEGIE 40 MANCHESTER TITANS 0

 

DIVISION TWO NORTH

CHESTER ROMANS 14 EDINBURGH WOLVES 25

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES 0 TEESIDE STEELERS 26

EDINBURGH WLVES 22 EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES 7

TEESIDE STEELERS 38 CHESTER ROMANS 12

 

DIVISION TWO SOUTH

WEMBLEY STALLIONS 6 LONDON WARRIORS 59

LONDON WARRIORS 66 ICENI SPEARS 0

SANDWELL STEELERS 26 PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS 0

PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS 20 WEMBLEY STALLIONS 18

ICENI SPEARS 11 SANDWELL STEELERS 20

 

DIVISION ONE                                                F            A             PTS

BIRMINGHAM LIONS                                     86         10           6

LEEDS CARNEGIE                                            72          12           6

HERTS.TORNADOES                                       56          41           4

DERBY BRAVES                                               18           78           2

MANCHESTER TITANS                                    0            91           2

                                                                               

DIVISION TWO NORTH                                                                 

TEESIDE STEELERS                                            64           12           6

EDINBURGH WOLVES                                    47           21           6

CHESTER ROMANS                                          26           63           2

EAST KILBRIDE PIRATES                                 7              48           2

                                                                               

DIVISION TWO SOUTH                                                                 

LONDON WARRIORS                                      125         6              6

SANDWELL STEELERS                                      46           11           6

PORTSMOUTH DESTROYERS                       20           44           4

WEMBLEY STALLIONS                                    24           79           2

ICENI SPEARS                                                    11            86           2