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Nine different players scoring points and a defense that allowed only 39 yards and one first down were the key
aspects of an all-round team performance put in by the Redditch Arrows on Sunday - good enough to beat the visiting Merseyside Nighthawks by a resounding 52 points to 8.
After the Nighthawks were held to two 3-and-outs on their first two possessions, Arrows quarterback Richard Wilde
wasted no time in hitting wide receiver Phil Grove deep down the sideline. Grove then jinked inside the last defender to score the games first touchdown, and provide a 6-0 lead to the
Arrows. This was just a taste of what was to follow, as the second quarter saw an explosion of points, starting with running back Dave Mills running 14 yards off right tackle for the
Arrows' second 6-pointer of the day (K John Riddell adding the extra point). The Nighthawks were quick to respond to this however, with kick returner Mike Banks weaving 78 yards with
the ensuing kickoff, and the perfect repost was completed when Nighthawks quarterback Tim Parr found receiver Craig Roe for the 2-point conversion. This was soon cancelled out on the
Arrows next possession when QB Wilde rolled out of the pocket and from 11 yards out found the path clear to the endzone, extending the Arrows lead to 19-8.
With time running down in the first half, free safety Karl Watkins gave the home side another scoring opportunity
by picking off a stray Nighthawks pass and returning it 14 yards. This was duly converted when Wilde fired a pass to WR Steve Bell from 8 yards on a quick-out pattern, and the Arrows
now led by 25-8.
A lucky break fell in Redditch's favour on the following kickoff when kicker Alan Harris scuffed his kick
into the Nighthawks front line. Defensive end Martin Hill reacted the quickest to fall on the loose ball, and the Arrows were on the move again. It took just one play for Wilde to
find WR Phil Grove across the middle and he raced between defenders to complete the 29-yard scoring play. A Wilde pass to WR Matthew Robertson added a further 2 points, and brought the
halftime score to 33-8.
The second half was disrupted by a passing thunder cloud, which meant the game was delayed and then shortened to
10-minute quarters. The first half pattern of play resumed however, when following linebacker Andy Mortimer's interception and 10-yard return, runningback Mark Collett made several
decent gains before taking the ball up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown run and his first score for the club. Kicker John Riddell tacked on the extra point and the third quarter ended
with the score 40-8.
With the Arrows' defense in dominant form (linebacker Jim Mortimer and cornerback John Ward paced the unit with 6
tackles apiece), the fourth quarter was merely a matter of what the final score would be. Trevor Savatard rumbled 4 yards for his first ever score, whilst defensive most valuable player
James Chattoe provided the icing on the cake for the Arrows when he returned a fumble 8 yards for the final score, on the last play of the game.
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