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The Redditch Arrows guaranteed themselves post-season
action on Sunday as they eased past a depleted Staffordshire Surge side with a 26-0 victory. With help from other teams in the final couple of weeks of the regular season, the Arrows could
still find themselves as Division 1 - North champions and hosting a semi-final, but the squad know that at least one spot is waiting for them for the second consecutive season.
Redditch know that to have a chance of progressing to the Bowl game they will
have to put in a more complete performance than the one on Sunday against the Surge. Whilst the outcome was never in much doubt, 3 turnovers and a couple of missed assignments meant that the
Surge were able to stay in the game for long periods. It wasn't until the second quarter before the Arrows were able to put a serious drive together. Taking possession on their own 8-yard
line, a 24-yard pass over the middle to rookie tight end David Codrington got the drive going, and with quarterback Richard Wilde mixing his passes with the running of Ian Lakin, the Arrows
were soon deep in the Surge red-zone. The scoring play came on a 9-yard slant pass from Wilde to receiver Andy Kite, and with the extra point being blocked, the score at the half was 6-0 to
the visitors.
In the second half the larger squad size of the Arrows began to show, as the
Surge players, many of whom were playing both ways, started to tire. With the Redditch defence forcing most Staffordshire drives to go three-and-out, the Arrows offence would have several
opportunities to get the scoreboard ticking over. Redditch's second drive was kick-started by a 22-yard punt return by Errol Wilson, and with only a short field left to cover it didn't take
long before Wilde fired a pass that was well caught in traffic by tight end Codrington for his first score for the club. It was Wilson who also capped the drive by running in the conversion
on a sweep to the right to take the Arrows lead up to 14-0.
By now the result was not in much doubt, and the Arrows offence was given
excellent field position almost immediately following a blocked punt by linebacker Karl Watkins. On the very next play, runningback Dave Mills scampered 28-yards - uncharacteristically
avoiding tacklers rather than aiming for them, and in for another touchdown. Again the PAT failed so the score was now 20-0.
With the Arrows defence ensuring there would be no comeback for the Surge - with sacks coming
from Andy Mortimer, Trevor Ballinger, Ian Looms, Noel Fischer and Matt Sheldon, there was just time left for Errol Wilson to rip off a 50 yard touchdown run, on his first and only carry of
the day. With the PAT kick again blocked, the final score was left at 26-0 to the Arrows.
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