Reading 6 - 51 Hampshire Thrashers

Reading Renegades suffered a 49-6 loss at home to Hampshire Thrashers on Sunday, with running back Andy Fray stealing the show with five rushing touchdowns.

Hampshire received the opening kickoff, and wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, Fray crossing the line from 19 yards out. Dominic Williams’ point-after kick was good, and the Thrashers had jumped out to a 0-7 lead. Soon it was 0-14, as Reading went three-and-out, and Fray sliced through the Renegades defense to score on a 57-yard run on the ensuing Thrashers’ drive; Williams kick was again good.

Reading began to move the ball on their next drive, quarterback Paul Waddington finding receivers Duncan Robertson and Matthew Adams for lengthy gains, before the drive stall around midfield. The teams then traded punts, before Hampshire put together a lengthy drive, with fullback Dean Rotman blasting into the endzone from 2 yards out. The snap was high on the point-after kick attempt, but the lead was now 0-20.

The Renegades then failed to move the ball, and punted. Another lengthy drive from Hampshire ended with Fray crossing from the 14-yard line; Williams’ kick was good this time, and it was 0-27.

Reading’s special teams would like to forget the next two drives, either side of a Hampshire series ended by a Daniel Guest interception of quarterback Nic Bee, both ending in safeties as punt snaps sailed over punter Oli Neal’s head and out of the back of the endzone, rolling the score up to 0-31. Hampshire then looked to have scored again on the last play of the first half, but Fray was judged to have stepped out of bounds a yard short of the endzone – 0-31 at the half.

The second half started disastrously for the Renegades, with running back Paul Cook fumbling on the opening play, Hampshire’s Campbell Davis coming up with the ball. The Reading defense held though, with linebacker Guy Robbins helping to bring down the ball carrier on consecutive plays, and defensive back Daniel Guest breaking up a Bee pass. Again though the offense stalled, and punted.

Fray scored touchdown number four on a 40-yard dash. The point-after kick was again good, and it was 0-38. Then, following a Waddington fumble of a bad snap, Hampshire scored through the air, Bee connecting with Eddie Bell, who outran the defense for 44-yard score. Williams’ leg was accurate again, and it was 0-43.

Reading weren’t going to give up though, and put together a sustained drive, Waddington finding Robertson and Jim White for lengthy gains, before Cook scored his first Renegades touchdown from the 2-yard line. The 2-point attempt was no good, but Reading were on the board, 6-43, as the third quarter ran out.

Fray made it five visits to the endzone in the middle of the fourth quarter, going 55-yards through the Renegades defense. Reading defensive lineman Richard Hedges blocked the point-after kick, but it was now 6-51.


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