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1999 saw the Arrows promoted into Division 1 and competing with some of the best teams in the country. Pre-season saw the now
annual visit of the visiting USA (Oregon) Allstars, however this time the Arrows hosted two games, the first against a squad from Oregon, the second from California. The first, played in atrocious
conditions saw the Arrows narrowly lose 6-8, the second saw them well beaten by a strong Californian squad.
The regular season, shortened by the late withdrawl of Lancashire saw the Arrows face some very tough matches. Despite this
they were competitive in all of the games, the highlights being two victories over Mersey Nighthawks, and a very narrow 30-32 defeat at Ipswich. The club having many regular players unavailable due to
work commitments increased the difficulty of these matches. This saw them play the last two matches with almost no recognised linemen.
Despite this the Arrows only failed to make the playoffs, due to a league ruling over there failure to fulfil a fixture at
Gateshead due to lack of available players.
Even though 99 was a disappointment, the general feeling is one of optimism for 2000. 1999 saw the Arrows form
close links with the University of Birmingham which resulted in several of Birmingham talented young players joining the Arrows, and it is hoped that this relationship will continue in the future.
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