BAFA Leagues 2014 season – Week Three schedule

Another eleven teams start their campaigns this coming Sunday as the 2014 British American Football season begins to gather pace.

Where it’s just the beginning for some, two teams will be competing in their third game already, and so far they have had very different starts.

The 1-1 Gateshead Senators have won big, and lost even bigger in their opening two games as they try and find their feet in the Premier North. This week they go to veteran team Coventry Jets. For the Jets it’s their first game of the year and they will look to open well so to improve on last year’s somewhat disappointing 3-6 record.

Tamworth Phoenix go on the road to the Nottingham Caesers aiming to build upon their win last week in Lancashire.

Unfortunately the other game in the North has been postponed until further notice, this may well suit the Doncaster Mustangs as they were due to host East Kilbride who ran up the seasons biggest score last Sunday – 72 at Gateshead.

London Blitz start their domestic season, after being humbled in Paris last week, and welcome South Wales Warriors to Finsbury Park in the Premier South.

The National League could be the place to see some wonderful close games this year, especially in the North West, more specifically in Chester. The Romans are 1-1 and the margin in each of their games has been just two points. They travel to Manchester Titans this week in what could prove to be another classic game.

In the Midlands, it’s hard to see where a dominant team could emerge as this is a conference that had no playoff contenders in 2013. Peterborough Saxons finished 2-8 in the Premier South last year and have dropped down into the National League. They have a chance to show they could be a force when they play their home opener against Shropshire.

North of the border, both Glasgow and Aberdeen will have their work cut out to avoid 0-2 starts as they travel to Dundee and Clyde Valley respectively.

Down to the South West and we have our first battle of the year between two unbeaten sides. Something has to give when the Cornish Sharks and Farnham Knights put their 1-0 records on the line.

Last Sunday there was some confusion as newly formed London Hornets had a walkover loss handed to them by the league when they couldn’t fulfil their game against Ipswich. It has since emerged that they wanted to change the day of the game away from Easter Sunday, and apparently offered three alternative dates, even wanting to reimburse the cost of Ipswich’s already booked travel arrangements. The league however could not see any way around this and so the Hornets go to the Ouse Valley Eagles to play their first game already with an 0-1 record.

BAFA Week 3 schedule

PREMIER NORTH

Nottingham Caesars v Tamworth Phoenix
Coventry Jets v Gateshead Senators

PREMIER SOUTH

London Blitz v South Wales Warriors
Cambridgeshire Cats v East Kent Mavericks

NATIONAL NORTH WEST

Manchester Titans v Chester Romans
Crewe Railroaders v Staffordshire Surge
Merseyside Nighthawks v Walney Terriers

NATIONAL MIDLANDS

Lincolnshire Bombers v Oxford Saints
Peterborough Saxons v Shropshire Revolution

NATIONAL NORTH

Dundee Hurricanes v Glasgow Tigers
Clyde Valley Blackhawks v Aberdeen Roughnecks

NATIONAL SOUTH EAST

Ouse Valley Eagles v London Hornets

NATIONAL SOUTH WEST

Torbay Trojans v Bournemouth Bobcats
Cornish Sharks v Farnham Knights
Bristol Apache v Solent Thrashers