From bafa.org.uk
Chieftains lead the charge!
By National Programme
Jun 1, 2023 - 10:01:43 AM
On a glorious sunny Sunday (May 24) in Leicester, The Chieftains, Dragons and Crusaders adult flag football teams came together to battle it out for the inaugural Kukri Home National Flag Football Challenge Trophy.
The Crusaders, led by coach Dave Lee, sportingly agreed to divide their team into a Red and White squad to provide a fourth team after the unfortunate late withdrawal of Team Ireland. This maintained the original competition format and provided three games per team.
The tournament started with a win for Crusaders Red over the Dragons and the Chieftains snatching a very close game from Crusaders White. The second round delivered big wins for the Chieftains over Crusaders Red and also for Crusaders White over the Dragons. The final games saw the two Crusaders teams battle to a close finish with the Whites just taking the victory. In the other game, the 2-0 Chieftains promised to swamp the 0-2 Dragons, but the Wales and West Country team put in their best performance of the day to give the leaders a run for their money. Despite the heroic effort by the Dragons, led by tournament MVP Adam Davis, the Chieftains secured the victory and finished undefeated to lift the Kurkri Trophy.
Tournament organiser and GB Team Manager, Dayle Kirby said, "This tournament provided the added benefit of a chance for the Great Britain team coaches to see the many talented players we have in a high-level competitive setting. Everything went very smoothly and I would like to thank all the many people who helped make the event happen." He continued, "I would also like to thank our sponsors; Kukri; Ibis Hotel Leicester City; Tesco Extra, Beaumont Leys, Bradgate Mall; and the staff of the St Margaret's Pasture Sports Centre for their support."
BAFA National Programme Lead Director, Jim Messenger commented: "It was a fantastic day with some very competitive football. Everyone competed with great passion and I was extremely impressed with the skill and commitment of players and coaches alike. We plan for this now to become an annual event that we can build on each year."
The focus now switches to the GB team and the European Championships in later Summer. The GB Lions Flag team will compete in Belfast against the best in Europe on the weekend of the 12-13th September.
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