There were celebrations for the East Kent Mavericks with victory in Britbowl XXXV giving the county’s American Football team their third title of the season and first ever national crown.
They secured it with a resounding 55-14 win in the D2 National Championship Game against Shropshire Revolution.
Shropshire won the toss and deferred, a tactical decision that looked to pay off in the early phase of the game with East Kent going three and out on their opening drive, and the Revs capitalising on a number of penalties against the Mavs to score the first touchdown of the game.
Running Back Ty Bovelle got the opening score for the Mavericks, levelling the game at 7-7 in the first quarter, and East Kent would add 2 more touchdowns in the first half courtesy of a juggling catch in the endzone from Robin Barber-Street and a rushing score from Ben Crabbe. Joel Hughes went 3 for 3 on PAT and Theone Coleman downed Shropshire QB Alex Wake in his own endzone for a safety with only 90 seconds left in the half.
Things would only look more lopsided after the break, with Matt Barber-Street hauling in a deep ball from quarterback Ed Scrase, and Danny Carroll running in from the red zone.
The Revs put together a scoring drive down the field to make it 35-14 with less than 5 minutes left of the third quarter, but any hope of a comeback was swiftly dismissed when East Kent’s Andrew Johnson returned a Shropshire onside kick to within 2 yards of a touchdown, setting himself up to run the ball in for 6 more points on the next snap.
In the end, the Mavericks were too strong for the Revolution, defensive back Nick Mayer getting a pick 6 and Omid Tamiz running the ball in before the end of the third quarter to tie the game up.
Kicker Joel Hughes rounded things out with 5/7 on PAT, and a scoreless fourth quarter gave East Kent their first National Championship to add to the Conference and Divisional crowns they’d already claimed this season.
The Mavs finish the year unbeaten in all competitions, stepping up to the D1 level for the 2024 season, reviving the local rivalry with South London’s Kent Exiles.
Pictures supplied by Ben Rogers.