The Thunder travelled to Bristol hoping to improve on their loss in the opening game of the season the previous week. However a slow start saw them two scores down to the Aztecs within the first five minutes.
The Thunder stopped the Aztecs first drive when a big hit forced the ball carrier to fumble the ball and Dominic Gould recovered. However the visitors gave the ball straight back, and the Aztecs took full advantage and on the next play took the lead with a 32 yard touchdown run from Nick Jones, the extra point was no good.

Bristol shut down the Thunder again, forcing them to punt. A poor snap meant a turnover on downs on the Sussex 4 yard line, again the home side took advantage, Matt Barrett barrelling in for another score, the PAT was good and the Aztecs led 13-0.
With the Thunder now needing to get back into the game, quarterback Kington found Chris Jones for 18 yards, but then, the swarming Aztec Defence sacked Kington for a 21 yard loss, causing a fumble which they recovered. Both defences dominated the rest of the quarter, with neither team able to advance the ball.

However on just the fourth play of the 2nd quarter Bristol increased the lead when QB Westwood connected with Nick Smith to stretch the lead to 19-0.

On their next possession, the Thunder offence started to click into gear, a 25 yard gain by Kington and a 6 yard run by TK Chisango put them in a good position, on the next play the running back burst through the line and appeared to be on his way into the end zone when he slipped on the greasy surface enabling a Bristol defender to strip the ball loose. The home side recovered and took over at their own 20. The Thunder defence, led by Paul Nixon, forced the Aztecs to punt, the pressure told, the snap sailed over the kickers head & out of the back of the end zone for a 2 point safety to the Thunder.

The Aztecs struck straight back with a 10 play, 83 yard drive which ended in a 32 yard scoring pass to Kevin Shelbourne, it should have been an interception but rookie defensive back Andy Miles saw the ball sail straight through his hands.

Leading up to half-time, Kington tried to rally, finding receivers Jones and Sean Mudie for gains of 7 & 11 yards respectively and Chisango picking up yards on the ground, but again the drive came to nothing. Bristol tried to go long but Andy Miles redeemed his earlier error by stepping in front of the intended receiver to make the interception. Half-time came with the Aztecs in front by 27-2.

The third quarter was very much a defensive battle with both teams being unable to make any headway. The highlights for the Thunder being a sack by Dave Lawrey and interceptions for Marcus Dilley and Carl Martin.

The stalemate continued in the final period, a second interception by Miles, and a thumping hit by Andre Clarke on the Aztecs QB stopping the home side.

With the game inside the last minute Sussex punted the ball, wily old veteran Jon Wyse fielded the ball on his own 25, evaded a tackle and with the aid of a crunching block from Fred Jones went 75 yards for the score. The point after was good to leave the final score at Bristol 34 Sussex 2.

Thunder Head Coach Tony Stitt said “We can’t have any complaints, we started poorly and made some silly mistakes which will get punished at this level. On the other hand, a third of our squad today are in their first year of football, so these things will happen. Defensively we picked up in the second half and looked a lot better.”

The Thunder have two weeks to recover before they entertain the Farnham Knights at their new home at Broadbridge Heath Stadium on the 6th June.

Matthew Jackson

A 21 year old Guernsey American footballer has proved a big hit on the mainland.

Matthew Jackson makes a 360 mile round trip each weekend from his home in Guernsey to Crawley in Sussex, where he plays for the Sussex Thunder in the Premier Division of the British American Football League (BAFACL). He leaves his home at 5.30am to get the first flight out of the island on Sunday morning, arriving at Gatwick airport at just after 8 o’clock in time to have a coffee and a bite to eat before being picked up by one of his team mates and taken to training. After practice, it’s a quick shower and back to the airport for the flight home, finally getting back indoors at about 6pm.

Matthew was playing for the Guernsey Islanders under the tutorledge of current GB Youth Head Coach Steve Rains, but with the failure of the Islanders to get the financial backing required for them to join either the British or French leagues, Coach Raines decided that Matthew was too good a talent for the game to lose, so he contacted the Thunder’s Head Coach Tony Stitt, who he knew well from their days together at the Farnham Knights, and recommended him to the Thunder. He has proved an instant hit with his new coaches and team mates both for his ability and his dedication in making the long journey each week.

Matthew said “When Coach Raines suggested I go to the Thunder, I wondered whether I would be able to manage the travelling and the step up of the level of football, but after coming over and meeting Coach Stitt and the rest of the squad, I thought “this is the place for me”, the quality of the coaching and the friendliness of the team made my mind up for me. It’s a long trek but it’s worth it. I can’t wait for the season to start and I hope I can prove I can be an asset to the team. It was a shame that Coach Raines could not keep the team going on the island, but the logistics and costs of getting teams in and out of Guernsey proved too much. So when the opportunity of coming to the Thunder arose I jumped at it, It’s a big step up for me but I’m really enjoying it and I’m hoping to talk some of the other players to come over and join me”.

Club Chairman Tony Miller commented “Matt has settled in really well, he has good hands and is not afraid to take or dish out a big hit. His willingness to learn is shown by the fact that he travels over every weekend at his own expense, because American football is an amateur sport in the UK and the club is not allowed to finance his travel in any way.

Matthew saw his first action last week , when the Thunder opened their season with a trip to the Farnham “Fast Lane” Knights.

If anyone would be interested in helping Matt with his expenses by sponsoring him, please contact the club via its website www.sussexthunder.com or Matt directly on matt49@cwgsy.net.

The Thunder made a flying start to the season opener but were pulled back and ended up on the wrong end of a 36-12 scoreline away to the Farnham Knights.

The game started in scintillating fashion for the visitors when kick-returner Marcus Dilley fielded the kick on his 18 yard line, set off up the middle, saw a gaping hole and cut outside, outsprinting the Knights coverage to take the ball all the way to the end zone for an 82 yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good.

The Thunder stopped the Knights first drive, forcing them to punt, a bad snap forced the kicker to fall on the ball and the Thunder took over on downs. Their possession didn’t last long, as on their second play, the Knights forced a fumble which they recovered. Again the Thunder defence stood firm and forced the home team to punt the ball away, but again a bad snap sailed over the kickers head and the Thunder took over on the Knights 18 yard line, two plays later a perfectly executed fake run allowed quarterback Eber Kington to find a wide open Chris Jones in the end zone to extend the lead to 12-0.

The home side got their offence moving on the next drive and with their big Offensive linemen controlling the line of scrimmage moved the ball downfield into the Thunder red zone, where a 3 yard rushing TD brought the scoreline to Thunder 12  Knights 6.

The rest of the first quarter was dominated by both defences, the highlight being an interception by the Thunder’s Andre Clarke.

The visitors went three and out, and on their next drive tied the game up with a 32 yard touchdown run. The point after was good and the Knights had a slender lead, 13-12.

After an exchange of possessions, the Knights increased their lead approaching half-time with another rushing touchdown, this time from 11 yards out, again the point after was good and the home side took a 20-12 advantage into the locker room at the break.

The 2^nd half kick-off was fumbled by the Knights return man and was recovered by the visitors. The Thunder moved the ball to the Knights 15 yard line, Kington then floated a pass to Jones who despite being manhandled by the Knights corner back almost managed to hang on the ball, but a flag for pass interference came in, putting the Thunder down on the Knights 2. But much to the disdain of the visitors sideline, after a referee’s conference, the flag was waived off.

The Thunder were unable to punch the ball in for the tying score and went for the field goal, but the attempt was blocked, recovered by the Knights, then fumbled and recovered by the Thunder. Again the visitors were unable to level the scores and the Knights took over the ball on their own 7 yard line.

The Thunder defence looked as if they were getting on top, but on 3^rd down quarterback Joe Thompson linked up with veteran receiver Joe Greenidge for a 68 yard gain. The Thunder defence held firm and the Knights took the field goal to increase the lead to 23-12.

Into the 4^th quarter and an interception by Thunder defensive tackle Bradley McManus stopped the Knights. Rookie McManus looked a more than useful acquisition on his debut, but looks to out for the season after a possible torn ACL cut his day short.

Defences dominated until late in the game, when Knights quarterback Thompson completed touchdown passes of 10 & 18 yards to pad the final scoreline out to 36-12.

The Thunder now have a week to put things right when they travel to the west country on Sunday for a match up with the Bristol Aztecs.

The Sussex Thunder American Football team begin their challenge for this years BAFACL championship this coming Sunday when they make the short trip to play the Farnham “Fast Lane” Knights at Farnborough rugby club.

The game, which kicks off at 2.30pm, see’s the Thunder aiming for revenge after suffering two narrow defeats to the Knights last season, going down by a combined total of only seven points over the two games.

The game marks Head Coach Tony Stitt’s debut in charge of the Broadbridge Heath based club. The Los Angeles born ex-NFL man has high hopes for the season, “I’m not saying we are going to win the championship, but we have a talented young squad who have the ability to go close, we have a lot of young players with plenty of athleticism mixed with some wily veterans. Hopefully the mixture of these can gel together to make a successful year”

On the field the team is led by Great Britain quarterback Eber Kington. Kington, in his third year as team leader is also hopeful for the teams prospects. “We have a number of players new to the game this year, so it will take time for them to settle in, things have looked good in pre-season, but we will have to wait and see how things pan out.

Also making his debut this Sunday will be Matt Jackson. The Wide receiver travels over each week from Guernsey to play, after being recommended to the Thunder by GB Youth Head Coach Steve Raines.

The club will make it first appearance at their new home at Broadbridge Heath athletics Stadium on Sunday 6^TH June in the return match-up with the Knights.

The club is interested in hearing from anybody who would like to join as players, gameday volunteers or sponsors.