Sapphire Series Division One Finals Day

In my blog at the start of the Sapphire series I posed the question “Are there any lion tamers out there” by the end of series four, the finals day, we had an emphatic answer, no…not yet. Birmingham continued their domination taking a fourth successive title. For the season, they were 8 and 0, on the day they amassed 104 points over two games, and conceded only 6. The strength of the programme, is their depth, they have potential playmakers throughout the roster. The stats don’t lie. Led by linebacker Phoebe Schecter they had ten different players making tackles or assists on their dominating defence. The offence had nine different players moving the ball, given space by an aggressive O line and marshalled by Jo Kilby at quarterback and QB 2 Natalie Parker.

That said, the event wasn’t all about Birmingham, the biggest winner on the day was Women’s Football itself. All the teams could be proud of their efforts as they battled for ranking points. The format for the day consisted of two semi-finals, a third place play-off and a fifth place decider, before the big game, the final itself.

First up were the semis, where Birmingham took on Manchester, whilst Hertfordshire were matched with Leeds. The Lions never looked in trouble against a resolute Titans team, and took the opportunity to rotate players once they had established a lead, eventually running out winners by a convincing 48-0. The other semi was a much closer affair. The traditionally strong Tornadoes were expected to get the better of the surging Chargers, but in a season where teams from Leeds have overturned the formbook in Britball terms, the women in black secured a place in the final with a deserved 20-14 win.

Next in the running order was the game to decide who would place fifth and six. This turned out to be the most competitive encounter of the day, as the Derby Braves and Edinburgh Wolves went toe to toe. Catriona McDougall sparked the Wolves with some precision passing, whilst Braves receiver Laura Thompson-Stevens was always a threat deep in the backfield. With the momentum swinging between the teams, it could have gone either way, but Edinburgh held on to take it 20-14.

The battle for third place saw the Tornadoes looking to restore their pride against the never say die Titans. Herts quarterback Sydney Green was without GB receiver Oli Davies (out with a foot injury) but fellow international Sarah Glassborow was able to spark the offence into action. Both teams racked up points, with the final tally being 40-20 in favour of Hertfordshire.

The final saw the Chargers get their chance to pull off the shock, but the Lions were too well organised and in no mood to give up their title. They never let up, and ran away with the win 56-6. Head coach Jamie Kilby and his assistants should be commended for the way they prepared their team, and the players should take the plaudits for the way they delivered the game plan. They all received individual medals, with Kilby getting the extra “reward” of the obligatory ice water shower!

The biggest takeaways from the day for me were the obvious camaraderie amongst all the players and the way the Women’s game is moving forward in leaps and bounds with regard to the participation numbers and level of play. BAFA Women’s Football supremo, Jim Messenger is doing an excellent job, as evidenced by the GB Lions team ranking second in Europe, and being deep in preparation for the Women’s World Championships held in Canada in June.

The final rankings for the Sapphire Series season 2017 were as follows.

1 – Birmingham Lions

2 – Leeds Chargers

3 – Hertfordshire Tornadoes

4 – Manchester Titans

5 – Edinburgh Wolves

6 – Derby Braves

7 – London Warriors

8 – East Kilbride Pirates