Tournament Reports
Westergate (May 07)
Team Voodoo retuned to Westergate this rain soaked weekend for their second tournament of the ESFL season.
Team Voodoo opened the tournament against a new American team the London Warriors and didn’t get off to the start they had hoped. Not helped by the weather, Team Voodoo lost the opening match 21-6. Despite some strong defensive numbers including two interceptions by Adam Russell, Team Voodoo found it tough putting up the points against the Warriors. Rookie Lewis Hammett scored their only points on a 20 yard run up the middle.
Things didn’t get any easier for Team Voodoo as their second match pitted them against another team comprised of Americans in the the Mildenhall Mayhem. Despite another tough showing on defense, the weather continued to hampered the Voodoo vertical game. However Ben Hammett-Brady managed to break loose early on for a long touchdown catch. But the Mayhem found the momentum and eventually took the match 40-7.
Team Voodoo began to turn things around in the next match when they took on tournament hosts the Chichester Mako’s. Hammett-Brady added two more long touchdown catches to his total and these were enough to seal the victory as Team Voodoo ran out winners 12-6.
The final match turned out to be the most exciting, taking on the Chichester Sharks. Voodoo opened the scoring when Hammett-Brady broke loose once more for the score. The Sharks hit straight back to level at 7-7. Midway through the second half, Josh Fellows picked off the second interception, (the first by Russell), and took it back for the score. Russell then tackled the Sharks QB in his own end zone for the safety and two more points. Team Voodoo sealed the result shortly after when Hammett-Brady ran in his last touchdown of the day to make it 21-7.
That gave Team Voodoo a 2-2 record for the day and left them in third place in the overall tournament behind both American teams. Despite the disappointment of not reaching the final, this was a fine achievement for the team considering the quality of opponents; the terrible weather and that they only had a limited squad of seven players available. There was however the consolation that Hammett-Brady was named Tournament MVP for his five touchdowns.
Beach Bowl (December 06)
Team Voodoo took the field at Westergate near
A fifth place finish in the League saw them just out of Playoff contention in their inaugural season. Voodoo were missing two England stars in Quarterback Adam Russell and Wide Receiver James Dunn, but it didn’t deter the players as they chose to use this Tournament to try some trick plays and switch personnel around.
It worked as the
After a long break the next opponents were the North Devon Dogs, who had been beaten into a 6th place finish in the League by Team Voodoo. This game was one of the keenest competed matches of the day as the Dogs brought their tried-and-tested playbook to bear. Not to be outdone, and after scoring quickly, Voodoo controlled much of the game by frustrating
The Quarter Finals saw defeated Playoff side Leicester Eagles take on Voodoo. Although keen to carry on in the same vein, the Eagles had a point to prove after crashing out of Championship contention earlier in the day, despite having led the League all year. Unfortunately it was all Eagles as
Team Voodoo ended the 2006 season in emphatic style with a 5th place League finish, a new Club logo courtesy of Beep Industries (USA), a Domestic Club record 6 representatives at National level and the breaking news that Head Coach Ty Metcalfe has been elected to the English Senior Flag Football’s “Hall of Fame” in recognition for his effort and hard work both on and off the pitch at all levels of the sport for over 20 years. Training will resume in February when Voodoo will be looking to recruit new players and hope to secure local sponsorship.
Team Voodoo entered their latest Tournament keen to secure a top four Championship spot and a shot at the English Flag Football Title last weekend. Hopes were high on the back of two consecutive Tournament final appearances in the last two months.
But with a hard schedule and a record five players representing
A rain-soaked day in
The second game against fellow Playoff contenders North Devon Dogs was played in a similar soggy fashion, and Voodoo were left considering what could have been after holding the Dogs scoreless all game until one big play in the last minute saw the Dogstie the score with a 6-6 draw.
Not to be down-hearted, Voodoo then stepped up their game as they got to grips with the conditions as they outclassed new boys Team Berkshire from Reading in a flawless display on Offense and a dominant Defense that saw Reading fail to move the ball and pick up even a single First Down.
Next was up-and-coming Chichester Thespians who expected to provide an upset against Voodoo. But they were disappointed as Voodoo stepped up a gear to sweep aside the
Hosts London Liberty, the US Navy side provided a tough test in a classic encounter of pure ability and experience against a well-organised and gritty Voodoo team.
In an elimination Semi-Final Voodoo took on a Dogs side who were weary from their travelling and full day of football with a depleted side. However it was the Dogs who championed as the light died to break Voodoo hearts with a last gasp play for a Touchdown that tied the game. Time expired as the Dogs converted the extra point, something which Voodoo had failed to do as
Team Voodoo failed to qualify for the Championship Playoffs on the back of this Tournament. However to be in contention in their first season has been a wonderful achievement in itself, and sets the tone for next season. Head Coach Ty Metcalfe took the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with 6 Interceptions in a brilliant display on Defense. Team Voodoo play their final Tournament of the year at Westover near
Halloween Bowl (October 06)
Mildenhall Mayhem defeated the host team, Team Voodoo, in a closely fought, exciting Halloween Bowl under the lights in Tidworth last week.
In a superbly well run tournament, ten sides competed in two groups of five with Team Voodoo running the table in Group A with four wins from four, followed in second place by Team Voodon’t, and the third qualifying position taken by the North Devon Dogs.
In Group B, the new boys the Mildenhall Mayhem put some serious points on the board – 50 vs. Chichester Sharks and 36 on Chatham Sharks as they went 4-0 in their group. London Liberty came second in their group, followed by the Leicester Eagles. All teams had some real tussles with each other and the Chichester Sharks narrowly missed out in fourth place.
Onto the playoffs, and Team Voodon’t turned over Leicester Eagles 6-0, and London Liberty edged
Team Voodoo played the other side from their club, Team Voodon’t and triumphed 18-7, and in the other semi-final Mayhem defeated
The final, played under floodlights, saw Mayhem win in a real nip and tuck game 14-6 against Team Voodoo, which saw them win a tournament at their first attempt.
A total of £30 was also raised for the host team’s (Team Voodoo) charity Naomi House which is a Children’s Hospice offering respite care to children with terminal illnesses.
Dog Bowl II (September 06)
Team Voodoo made the long trip down to Barnstaple last weekend to participate in the Devon Dog Bowl, one of the most highly anticipated and competitive Tournaments in the Flag Football calendar. Armed with eleven regular players, American quarterback Bob Black and
Team Voodoo started strongly by comprehensively beating the Plymouth Admirals 41-6. Superb defensive strategy and an overpowering offensive display, led by Bob Black, culminated in multiple touchdowns for Adam Russell and Ben Hammett-Brady, as well as scores for Paul Whitefield.
Team Voodoo’s next game was against the Chichester Sharks, one of the best teams in the League and a side Team Voodoo had yet to beat. This game represented the best in Flag Football, with both sides moving the ball positively on offence and maintaining strong, disciplined defences. Voodoo’s Offense was again strong with touchdowns from Dean Rotman and Brady, but it was the work on Defense, organised by Defensive Captain Josh Fellows as well as inspired work by Vinnie Hurford, that finally closed the game off, the final score finishing 18-14 to Team Voodoo.
Following their most positive ever start; Voodoo had to then play Tournament organisers the North Devon Dogs. The Dogs had struggled to find their form in this Tournament but Voodoo could not underestimate the strength of the home team. The first half saw Voodoo lose some of their concentration, but found it again in emphatic style in the second, where blitzes from Ty Metcalfe and Richard Moore helped break them down. This in turn helped the Offense find their momentum and produce a powerhouse display in the second. Voodoo eventually won 26-12.
Having won all their games, Voodoo went into the final against last year’s championship winners the Leicester Eagles. This would prove to be the most intense game of the tournament, and the closest. Voodoo started poorly, conceding three touchdowns in the first half but played the best Football of the Tournament in the second, completely shutting out the Eagle’s with an impeccable display of Zone Defense. Voodoo then stepped up bringing the game to within one touchdown, but just missed out on getting the winning score losing 19-14. Despite the disappointment of losing in the final, Team Voodoo travelled home, heads held high after their best ever display.
Although not a Tournament I have included this Report as it deserves a mention, not only for the fact that the Dogs travelled up from Barnstaple on a very wet day and sat in traffic jams just to play some Football, but also to pay tribute to the spirit of Team Voodoo.
With weather conditions deteriorating at an alarming rate, both sides struggled to make much Offense, with even impressive drives ending in 4-and-out in the Red Zone due to a slip, or the ball skimming off hands. That said however both sides battled hard, with some outstanding Defense and playing right to the end.
In the first game Voodoo took the lead on the very first play of the game with a bomb to Lightning that he took the rest of the way for the TD, the extras were no good and although Voodoo dominated, we were unable to capitalise. The Dogs took the last drive of the game to Pay dirt and converted as time ran out to clinch victory 7-6.
The second game again saw Voodoo take a commanding early lead only to see the Dogs come back at the end. A great Defensive stop with a pass defended by Big-5-Oh, a sack by Silent Bob and an INT by BDB helped Voodoo take this game 20-6.
The third game was a shocker due to the torrential rain. Somehow both Teams dug deep and Voodoo held on to take the game 18-13 , and the series 2 games to 1.
To seal the camaraderie between both sides, the decision was made to mix teams and play a 7-on-7 "fun" game to end the day with a smile, both sides claimed to have won in this game of high spirits and humour (one side had 6 Downs at one point!)
Despite the weather a great day was had. Well done to the Dogs for making the trip and for Team Voodoo for revenging the loss earlier in the year!
Barbarian Bowl (August 06)
After our last showing and with the influx of players we travelled down to just outside
First up though was a tough draw against
Next up our old foes the Sharks who utilised GB receiver Pete Steel to full effect. With our own whippet Ben H-B sustaining an arm injury and Mudd Man knackering his foot, we continued to pile on the pressure, but were eventually outgunned 19-6.
The Thespians were next up. The last time we played them we held them to 2 completions, no first downs and no points and were keen to crank up our overall performance. Chris Dunn (Twos) in his first event for the Purple Tide, made a superb Defensive play to end the Thesps first drive. Bear who craved the ball all game cradled a great grab in the left corner to score then caught the conversion in a fine double strike by Monkey Boy. Grasshopper playing at CB picked off his first INT, and Blues took the ball in on the change of possession to score. Prodigy caught the extras despite being hurt. On their next drive, Grasshopper again capitalised with another INT following some great coverage by the D. Badly Drawn Boy this time added 6 with an impressive catch to score. As our D continued to harry and press the Thespians this time Big-5-Oh stepped up and picked off a pass across the middle and ran 10 yards for a TD and Shockey scored the conversion as we ran out 27-0 winners.
Last up were hosts the Barbarians with their power athletes, and they opened the scoring but failed to convert due to a short pass and a very quick flag from the impressive Twos. We go 4-and-out and the Ba Ba's go the length of the field to rack up another score with a great drive. The conversion was good. As the half was coming to an end Prodigy makes a 35 yard catch and run to secure a first down, and with 5 seconds left scores a TD as a one-man wrecking crew carved up the Blacks. A 2 pointer was successful to ???. In the second half the Voodoo Defense stepped up as back to back defended passes by Twos looked to have done enough to snub out a threat. But GB player Justin Handley found the seam to score. Blues this time intercepts the 2 point attempt in our own Endzone. After that it was the Monkey Boy show as he led the O down the field using all receivers at his disposal, finding Bear for the first down and hitting Blues to score. The Defense knew they needed to get the ball back, and as the Ba Ba's started to look worried Grasshopper & Big-5-Oh combined to blitz the heck out of them with a 6 and 7 yard loss and one sack respectively on back to back plays. With no way of stopping the clock, the Ba Ba's held on by the skin of their teeth in this tense affair.
A superb Tournament not reflected by the score lines saw a huge effort from every Voodoo player. Grasshopper took MVP honours as he excelled in 3 different positions on Defense nabbing 3 ints, making some fine flags and canny blitzes causing 2 stops for loss of yardage.
Eagle Bowl (July 06)
With only 5 players available for this Tournament, Team Voodoo were always up against it in this small Tournament. Facing Chichester Sharks then back-to-back games against Leicester Eagles and London Liberty, this was going to be a real test of Voodoo resolve. That as you will discover was the understatement of the day!
Winning the coin toss was about the only thing that went right for Team Voodoo in this match. Our usual slow coincided unfortunately with the Sharks firing on all cylinders from the Off. Despite glimmers of good play from the Purple Machine, by the time we registered a converted TD, the game was already out of reach as
Next up was the formidable home-team
Last up came the superb London Liberty, a team made up of US Naval personnel. Formerly known as Team UA, they are the Club everyone wants to beat, but few can match. Today however
What they didn't bet on was one of the most truly remarkable stories certainly in Voodoo history, and probably in Flag Football in this country. Team Voodoo won the toss and elected to take the ball. As our Receivers caught just about everything that came their way, they also found the seams and stretched the London Defense. The first drive saw Voodoo register and convert a TD with every player touching the ball and fighting for yardage.
The second half was typical of the first as both teams traded points and moved the ball. As
Liberty use their Time Outs and some decidedly dodgy Defensive penalty to stop the clock and close down our passing attack, preventing a First down which would have given us 4 more downs with 20 seconds left and no way of London stopping the clock. But we failed to convert the 4th down, and
This was the 4th time we had faced the Americans, but the first time we had stayed remotely competitive, let alone beaten them. Studying the day's results, I soon discover that we had put the most points passed
Shark Bowl III (May 06)
After losing 3 players at the last minute, only 6 players were able to make the trip to
The second game saw us against the powerful Barbarians side (who had just poached 3 International players from Chichester Sharks) and, about to go 3-and-out on the first drive until our very own energizer bunny Ben H-B took an End Around from our own 5 yard line and burst the full length of the pitch to score an awesome TD. Unfortunately the Barbarians were clicking and led by 2 scores at the half. Team Voodoo came back strongly in the second half moving the ball despite continued blitzing, as SatNav picked up some vital grabs to keep our momentum going. Our Defense stepped up with Bozzy and Badly Drawn Boy blanketed the Baba's awesome Receivers with flair and intuitive plays, with the Doctor going airborne to stop Dayle Kirby from what looked a certain big catch for a first down. A sack by Big5-Oh helped to stem the tide and time just run out as we came back to try and level things up.
Our last pool game against our friends the Devon Dogs saw us take an early blow with injuries. Big5-Oh took a big time back injury as he landed after making a tackle, but Team Voodoo took no prisoners and Silent Bob became the Wild-Man of the South coast as he busted things up all over the field. Slippery running from the Dogs helped them to a commanding lead at the half, but as always Team Voodoo's spirit saw us come back as we dominated the second period and SatNav pulled in a superb catch to bring the score to within one. Unfortunately as injuries and fatigue took its toll, the Dogs held on, but only just.
Our Playoff game was due to be against a team from the other pool, but they had buggered off so we were left to officiate (again) the Semi Final against Dogs and Eagles. Thanks to our players who showed terrific temperament and effort especially those who volunteered to officiate all day and to our fans for supporting us in the pouring rain.
Brighton Tsunami had hastily thrown the idea of a tournament together in the pub, a week later we made our way across the
After a couple of games where both the Thunder and Tsunami exploited our inexperience, we came back in our last match to score 3 unanswered TD's to come within a whisker of stealing the game. Never giving up, playing hard right to the end and trying everything and anything possible to move the ball was key in maintaining ball control and momentum to end the day on a high.
Well done to those who made the journey, and hat's off to our Rookies who did themselves and Team Voodoo proud.
Easter Bowl (April 06)
A depleted Team Voodoo turned up at Ruislip to play a Tournament that had originally been scheduled to be held in
By then the rain had arrived to spoil the party and played havoc with ball handling and footing. Following the loss to
The third game saw us pitted against our old foes
Due to the weather (I think) the organisers decided to alter the way the playoffs were wrapped up, so we ended up drawn against Bournemouth Raiders who had been equally inept in their Pool games! Unfortunately for us, the Raiders had legged it! Good news though, the guys from London Liberty agreed to play us in a friendly. Well we really showed them a thing or two, the Dosey-Doe came out, causing mayhem everywhere!! Ha ha! Funnily enough they couldn't score on us and we looked the better team, maybe Bodagris is just a slow starter!
Ruislip Bowl (February 06)
This competition saw Team Voodoo enter with their worst numerical turnout in history with only 9 players able to make the trip. Speedster Steve Wilton was busy abusing Frenchmen whilst skiing in the Alps, Gloria was moving house, Bozzy and Lee were both crocked, Ben was away at Uni, Manny is now under the thumb, but Adam, our ever-present, and highly talented QB was absent - at a bloody Pantomime for crying out loud!!! This meant that Big-5-Oh was thrust into that roll for the first time since my teenage years, and now with a buggered shoulder - it didn't look good from the outset!
Team UA which is a US Navy base side based near Uxbridge in Middlesex offered to host the first Tournament of the year, and it proved to be one of the most exciting competitions ever!
8 teams were placed into 2 groups, following the group stages teams were seeded and drawn against sides in the other pool for the first stages of the knockout rounds.
Team Voodoo were placed in a group with Team UA2, reigning ESFL Champions - Leicester Eagles and Eastbourne Crusaders. Our first game was against the Americans and it didn't really go our way, down 26-0 at the half. However we found our feet in the second period, putting together some nice drives, and although we didn't find the endzone, we were able to hold the Americans scoreless for the half which was an achievement in itself. Once the usual first game blues had been put to rest, it was time to play current champion Leicester Eagles, a side who had in the past dominated us when we played them at 9-Man for Andover Thrashers. They were armed with their usual blend of youth and speed, together with experience of Martin Gwilliam, Paddy O'Sullivan and Hall of Famers Rich Manning & Craig Broughton. But it was Team Voodoo who opened the scoring with some deft passing, skilful catching and determined running after the catch, that saw us build a healthy, early lead.
The Defense stepped up and took the ball away from the faltering Eagles who looked nervous and lacked confidence. Team Voodoo continued to plague the Eagles, and turned the tables to avenge previous defeats in one of the best all-round performances EVER! Back-to-back games are never easy and with the Crusaders up straight away the worry was that fatigue would beat us especially with
Eastbourne took the lead with less than 3 minutes left to play but failed to convert the extra point, Team Voodoo were thwarted when a fourth down pass went incomplete, and things looked pretty desperate. With no Timeouts left for either side, the Crusaders were looking to get a first down and simply run the clock out. Defensive Captain Josh Fellows made a substitution and brought on Manager Ty Metcalfe to bolster the D. It added the spark Voodoo needed as a zone blitz from Big-5-Oh forced an incompletion, then a full-stretch tackle down the sideline prevented a first down.
On fourth and 2 and time rapidly running out instead of making sure of a first down,
With the team on an incredible high, we eagerly awaited the result of the
Out of the competition in the Quarter Finals but definitely not down, Team Voodoo watched in amazement as
Vooooodoooooooooooooooooooooo 
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