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The Arrows started the season with a trip against much fancied
Yorkshire Rams, the Arrows dominated the game and ran out 20-0 winners. This set up the first home game of the season against Staffordshire Surge, a team that on paper they should comfortably
beat. The Arrows were to find out that games are not played on paper nor due they have to handle the weather. In a game played under atrocious conditions neither team were capable of putting
any offense together. The key moment came early on in the game when an Arrows fumble deep in their own half gave the ball to the Surge who punished them with a field goal for the only score
of the game and a 3-0 win. As the season unfolded it was this result that the Arrows would look back on as costing them the title.
The following week the Arrows had to pick themselves up and make the
long journey to play West Coast. The Arrows put together one of their greatest ever performances to become the only team ever to beat West Coast on their own ground. In a titanic struggle the
Arrows defense was the key factor, stopping West Coast in excess of 5 times within the Arrows 10 yard line for a 16-8 win.
The Arrows next few fixtures saw them well in control, the defense
only conceding 6 points in 5 games (the other score being an interception) with the result that the Arrows went into the rematch against West Coast with a 7-1 and tied for the lead in the
championship.
In yet another epic encounter the Trojans lead 28-14 in the fourth
quarter, the Arrows however got the score back to 28-26 with a 2 point PAT to tie the game. On this the Arrows came up 1 yard short. Had the game been tied then the Arrows would have taken
the championship.
The regular season ended with the Arrows defeating Staffordshire to
end up with an 8-2 record, second place in the league and a daunting trip to hot favourites Farnham Knights in the play off semi-final.
Against the Knights the Arrows had the worse start possible when the
Knights scored on their first 2 plays to open up a 14-0 lead. The Arrows got back into the game and half time whilst losing were at least causing Farnham some problems. The second half
however saw the far bigger and stronger Knights Team pull away to a final 49-14 win. Without doubt the Knights were one of the best teams that the Arrows had ever faced and who were National
Champions only 2 years previously.
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