Bombers Awards Night a 'blast'
The Lincolnshire Bombers Held their second awards night with some surprising winners. The event held at Boston's Eclipse night club had all the ingredients of a great night - live music, food, awards and of course, Super Bowl XLII. 
The night started off with local band The Damn Busters (featuring the Bombers very own Tommy Mitchell on bass) taking centre stage and performing classic rock covers and providing the early entertainment. As the night progressed, the Bombers got down to business and presented the season’s awards which were kindly sponsored by Cheryldean Ltd.
The first award of the night was Rookie of the Year. This category proved difficult for the Bombers as 80% of the squad were rookies for the 2007 season; however one rookie stood out from the crowd particularly after being told he was too small for the position of linebacker. He proved his doubters wrong not only in training but in the season. The award was given to Simon Poole.
The next award was Lineman of the Year. This again proved a difficult choice as great efforts were made by all the Bombers linemen but the short list was whittled down to these players; Craig Coope, Bootsie Snell, Archie Lafferty, Alastair Gallacher and Mark Harrison. The eventual winner was a close second in the Rookie of the Year category and proved a handful for opposing teams to cope with. The award went to Mark "Tank" Harrison.
Offensive Player of the Year was again a closely contested category with notable nominations going to Chris Henry, Mat Dean and Dave Allen. The award was given to a player who again could have been chosen for Rookie of the Year. He has shown flashes of skill on the field and gained confidence throughout the season. He played injured through seven games but still managed to be the Bombers' leading receiver. The award was presented to Dave Poole.
Defensive Player Of The Year was given to a player who has lead the way consistently through the early days of seven players training in all conditions to being told he was ineligible for qualification games. His passion and enthusiasm for the game and the team has never waned despite all the set backs. He has been give the nickname "Silent Assassin" yet to others he is "Clark Kent" for his mild and quiet persona. He is, of course, Ian "Skewie" Askew.
The Players' Player award was strongly contested with numerous players shining despite a bleak year. Chris Henry was instrumental in the Bombers' victory over Shropshire, Dave Poole lead the way for receivers despite being injured for most of the season, Mat Dean at quarterback showed flashes of brilliance most notably his 40 yard touchdown bomb at home against Nottingham and Dave Allen leading the Bombers ground attack throughout the season. The award was given to someone who showed great courage and strength during the season, breaking his ankle at the mid point but never missing a play. He was a close second in the Defensive Player of the Year category despite never putting pads on before 2007; the award was given to Simon Poole.
The last award of the evening was a special award very close to the hearts of the Bombers. The award is named after Melvyn Johnson, a player of the Boston Blitz who embodied the spirit of the game and would be a starter on anyone's team. That said, the award is an 'unsung hero' award and is given to the player who has been deemed to have done the most for the club. The Bombers went through a transition period at the end of 2007 and needed someone to right the ship and give the club direction and vision. Despite his tag of "rookie", he made an impact on and off the field. He stepped in to the breach and brought the Bombers back from the brink. Appointing new coaches and securing a stadium for the Bombers to call home are some of his achievements so far. If championships were won on passion or enthusiasm for your team the Bombers would be number 1 in the country, he tirelessly works behind the scenes and has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I have ever met; he has become a fantastic player, our General Manager and a great friend. The 2007 winner of the Melvyn Johnson Award was Mark "Tank" Harrison.
Bombers To Hold Awards Night
The Lincolnshire Bombers are not only in preparation for the 2008 season; they are also preparing their party gear for their second Awards Night. From 8pm onwards on Super Bowl Sunday, the Bombers will temporarily turn Eclipse Nightclub in Boston into their Mission HQ. With food provided by the Simpson/Creasy Catering Service, a fully stocked bar, live band, the awards ceremony and the big game shown on two giant screens, everything is set for a great evening of entertainment. The event is open to Bombers and their guests only to ensure a friendly, safe atmosphere for all attending.
The Awards Night kicks off with a local band providing entertainment up until 10pm; from there onwards the Bombers players of 2007 will be presented with the club’s awards including Offensive MVP, Lineman Of The Year and Players’ Player. The Final award of the night is to be the Melvin Johnson Award which is given to the club member who has been deemed to of given the most to the club without general recognition.
This year the Bombers are proud to announce they have secured a trophy sponsor in the form of local firm Cheryldean Leather Care and Repair. The Bombers would like to thank the company for their support and generosity in funding this event and hope to continue relations through out 2008 and beyond.
“Last year’s event was a total success with the Bombers and their families able to meet outside of the usual training environment. Running the event again provides an excellent opportunity for the guys to get to know each other a little better” commented the Bombers event organiser.
The Awards Night will take place on the Sunday 3 February and the entry price is £7.50.
2008 League Alignments
BAFL have announced the conference line ups for the 2008 season. As of yet fixtures are unknown but will be published as soon as possible.
The Bombers have been placed in the Division 2 Midlands conference along with new boys Tamworth and Leicester. Also joining them are fellow second year teams Shropshire and Hull. Completing the group is the experienced Nottingham who narrowly lost to the Manchester Titans in the quarter final stages of last years playoffs.
The Bombers are still recruiting and have had alot of interest in the off season and are looking forward to 2008 with excitement. "We have had a lot of positives in the closed season with the appointment of new coaches and the confirmation of a stadium to host games in '08" commented a Bombers spokesman.
The divisional line ups are as follows -
BAFL Premier
Birmingham Bulls, Bristol Aztecs, Coventry Cassidy Jets, East Kilbride Pirates, Farnham Fast Lane Knights,
Gateshead Senators, London Blitz and London Olympians
BAFL 1 - North
Dundee Hurricanes, Redditch Arrows, South Yorkshire Rams, Staffordshire Surge, West Coast Trojans and Yorkshire Rams
BAFL 1 - South
Ipswich Cardinals, Kent Exiles, Norwich Devils, Oxford Saints, Southern Sundevils and Sussex Thunder
BAFL 2 - North
Chester Romans, Edinburgh Wolves, Glasgow Tigers, Lancashire Wolverines, Manchester Titans and Merseyside Nighthawks
BAFL 2 - Midlands
Hull Hornets, Leicester Falcons, Lincolnshire Bombers, Nottingham Caesars, Shropshire Revolution and Tamworth Phoenix
BAFL 2 - East
Bedfordshire Blue Raiders, Cambridgeshire Cats, East Midland Saxons, Milton Keynes City Pathfinders and
Watford Cheetahs
BAFL 2 - London & South East
Colchester Gladiators, East Kent Mavericks, Essex Spartans, London Cobras and Maidstone Pumas
BAFL 2 - Wales & West
Cornish Sharks, Hampshire Thrashers, Plymouth Admirals, Reading Renegades and South Wales Warriors
Bombers Unwrap New Venue
With the festive period upon us the Lincolnshire Bombers General Manager Mark Harrison received a welcome present and was able to make the announcement that a new home venue for 2008 has been confirmed.
South Kesteven Stadium in Grantham is to be the new home field of the Lincolnshire Bombers throughout 2008. Talks had been underway with the stadium since the team’s pre-season match took place with the Manchester Titans although with the stadium accommodating Grantham Town FC and Athletics meetings fitting the Bombers in was to prove difficult.
“The Pre-season game at Grantham brought a crowd of about 300 people and we really didn’t make full usage of advertising as we got confirmation of the ground at short notice. The facilities the stadium can offer if used correctly would give the day a much more professional look and make the day a lot more enjoyable for the fans” commented Mat Dean.
Bombers Walk To Save Lives
On Sunday 2nd December, players from the Lincolnshire Bombers braved the cold, wet and windy conditions in a mile-long walk to collect for the Thrombosis charity - LifeBlood.
The event, which was organised by the Bombers Assistant Game Day Manager Amanda Buckley-Taylor who lost her mother to the condition earlier this year, saw the team players collect from the general public in Lincoln.
For further information on the charity and its work, please visit www.thrombosis-charity.org.uk
Bombers Fall In Behind Their ‘Squadron Leader’
The Lincolnshire Bombers are delighted to announce the re-appointment of Dale Bridges as Head Coach. Coach Bridges is one of the game’s stalwart members with a long and varied career in American Football. In 1984 he started playing for the unkitted Scunthorpe Steelers and in December of the same year he moved to Boston Blitz, a newly formed local team and later went on to play for the North Sea Hurricanes and the Norwich Devils.
Coach Bridges was an assistant coach at South Lincs Blitz and the North Sea Hurricanes and has attended numerous coaching clinics featuring well known NFL coaches such as Marty Schottenheimer, Chuck Noll, Jack Bicknell, Howard Mudd and Dave Adolph. He then took up the position of Head Coach for Boston Blitz and later the Lincolnshire Bombers.
Bridges said ‘I am happy to be back with the team after a brief sabbatical for personal reasons and I am looking forward to working with a brand new coaching staff for the upcoming season. With all our veteran players returning and some exciting new acquisitions, the future looks bright for this young team. Whatever the outcome next season, we will endeavour to play hard and have fun’.
In addition to playing and coaching football, between 1985 and 1995 Coach Bridges was also active off the field as a full time administrator of the British Gridiron Football League, the British National Gridiron League and the BAFA senior League which went on to become BAFL.
General Manager ‘Tank’ Harrison stated ‘The Bombers’ management team and I were positive from the outset that Coach Bridges was the man for the job and his qualifications and experience speak for themselves. I am thrilled that Coach Bridges accepted the position and I know that the whole team is eager to improve on last season’s performance. With Coach Bridges at the helm, things are looking good for next season’
Bombers Start Pre-Flight Checks For 2008
With the 2007 season now over, the Lincolnshire Bombers American Football Club have headed into the off season with a lot of positives and a lot to learn from. The Bombers management team have now set their goals for the off season and for 2008 and are currently working their way through them. With the appointment of Mark ‘Tank’ Harrison as General Manager, things have started to take shape for the upcoming season. He has already appointed the experienced Dale Bridges as Head Coach and enlisted the talents of former Doncaster Mustangs Offensive Coordinator, Mark Crossley. On the other side of the ball former Boston Blitz defensive back, Dave Edmunds looks set to step into the Defensive Coordinator’s position. ‘The appointment of these coordinators has relieved the workload from the few guys we had who weren’t in kit last year on the sidelines’ Harrison commented.
Assistant General Manager and Quarterback, Mat Dean stated ‘One of our major objectives for the off season was to appoint non-playing coaches to the team. During last season we pretty much had veterans of our game, leading the way both on and off the field. This wasn’t anyone’s fault; it was just unfortunate other commitments prevented guys from being with us’.
Harrison and Dean have both been working closely with newly appointed Game Day Manager Andy Buckley-Taylor who has ties with RAF Digby. These ties have proved more than beneficial as an influx of Americans is now poised to help both on and off the field of play. ‘We invited Coach Rhinehart and Coach Patrick to a training session to meet the team and see how they can assist. The ethic and presence they bring just cannot be found this side of the water. Their enthusiasm and dedication from the outset, coupled with their knowledge of the game makes people lucky enough to be around them better. This is just the start of things to come and I am very optimistic that associates of both coaches will be coming along to help us soon.’ said Harrison. With the addition of Rhinehart and Patrick, the Bombers are beginning to realise one of their off season aims, that being a full quota of coaches ready for the 2008 season.
Harrison went on to say ‘If you look to the top clubs in our division and league, you will see they have practically a professional setup made up of entirely volunteers, which is what makes them the success that they are. American Football truly is the greatest team sport in the world and no matter how small your contribution to the team, it helps.’
