Any hopes the Berkshire Renegades had of levelling their season record with an away trip to Leicester Falcons were dashed as the Falcons racked up an emphatic 41-0 win.
The Renegades sideline was stunned by the opening kickoff return, as Leicester’s Chris Rodrigo returned the ball 73 yards for a touchdown. A flag on the play cut short any celebrations though – for all of one play. On the re-kick, Rodrigo repeated the feat, returning the ball 78yds for the score. The PAT kick was no good – 6-0 to Leicester.
Both teams then put together well-crafted drives. Berkshire quarterback Paul Waddington connected with Simon Pearce for a healthy gain on first down, and some tenacious running by running back Ian Lakin helped the Renegades move to midfield. The drive stalled though, and the ball was punted to the Falcons. The home team put together a 17 play, 70 yard drive on the back of strong running by Timi Dada and Kalpesh Maisuria. The Renegades defense held firm though, with solid tackling by Steve Fox and Neal Kent inside the 10-yard line. Leicester had to settle for a 24 yard field goal from Stefan Brooks, and at the end of the first quarter the score was 9-0 to the home team.
The Renegades defense struck at the start of the second quarter, when defensive back Chris Hollands picked off a pass from Brad Thompson and returned it 16 yards. Berkshire could only go three-and-out on the ensuing drive though, and the teams traded punts. The Renegades returned the turnover favour though, as the Falcons pounced on a bobbled handoff. They wasted no time in scoring, as Thompson crossed the line from 4 yards out. A broken point-after play was no good, and the lead had now stretched to 15-0.
On the next drive, Lakin’s success on the ground for Berkshire continued, and combined with a long completion from Waddington to James White, the Renegades moved the ball into the Leicester redzone. Another fumble pushed the ball back, and Pearce’s 34 yard field goal attempt was blocked. Leicester would stretch the lead further before the half, as Thompson dived over the pile from a yard out for his second score of the day. Brooks’ point-after kick was good, and it was 22-0 at the break.
Berkshire started the second half strongly on offense, Waddington finding Pearce three times for good gains. The Renegades were forced to punt again, and the Falcons responded with another controlled drive, this time going 84 yards in 9 plays, ending with Dada breaking through the Renegades defense for a 22 yard score. Brooks’s point-after was again good, and it was 29-0.
The Renegades punted again, and then the defense gave the Berkshire team good field position as first defensive lineman Martin McGuire sacked quarterback Rob Wylie for a seven yard loss, and then they stifled a fake punt to get the ball in the Falcons’ half. Another solid drive proved fruitless though, as despite more success from the Waddington-Pearce combination, Berkshire were unable to cross the goalline.
Leicester broke another big play at the start of the fourth quarter, as Wylie connected with Ben Williams who wrestled away from tackles for a 63 yard touchdown. The point-after kick was no good, and it was now 35-0.
Then the teams traded interceptions. Firstly, Steve Fox picked off Wylie. Then Waddington was intercepted on the very next play. Finally, Ian Hiscock jumped on a Wylie pass at the Berkshire 4 yard line, returning it 34 yards. Berkshire faltered around midfield, and had to punt. The day was rounded off with another stunning score from Leicester, as Dada raced 71 yards for his second of the day. The point-after kick was no good, and with Berkshire unable to get a consolation score in the dying moments, the final score read 41-0.
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