Last weekend saw the Sussex Thunder host their annual Combine, this time with special event organiser Global Gridiron Scouting Limited, a specialist scouting company aiming to place college, Semi Professional and Professional players around the world. With this global stretch the event was attended by players across Europe.

Alongside the many veteran players, who clearly had been working hard during the off season there were some very exciting new prospective players really showing their skills, putting up some great numbers.

With strength and speed checked off, its onwards to the Rookie Day which is to be held Sunday 5^th of February 2012 at Surrenden Field, Brighton from 1030 until 1400. This session is open to all players regardless of experience, for further details contact recruitment@sussexthunder.com.

Tom Wort Suited Up

After a busy off season Sussex Thunder returned to practice this weekend. Amidst the flurry of players returning was a very special attendee, Tom Wort of the Oklahoma Sooners – fresh from his win against Iowa State in the Insight Bowl.

Tom is a Sussex native. His roots are in the outskirts of Crawley. Having moved to the States in his early teens, Tom has made a massive impact on and off the field. Playing his High School football at New Braunfels, Texas he was quickly scooped up by Oklahoma University to become a member of their overpowering line backing core. Tom has always embraced his British roots, having 2 patriotic tattoos and widely publicised his heritage.

Thunder welcomed Tom’s attendance and quickly suited him up. After warm ups, on what was a very frosty morning, they began some footwork, blocking & hitting drills, followed by a full contact scrimmage. Tom showed his fantastic awareness and lightning reactions, picking up a handful of solo tackles and two interceptions.

The day was a great success for the Thunder, creating what will be a strong bond with one of British Footballs finest athletes. In attendance was a team from Sky Sports TV to record a segment on the session for their upcoming coverage of the NFL Conference Championship games.

Tom left a lasting impression on many players, a true inspiration for Britball players.  Thunder would like to thank Tom for joining them and wish him all the best of luck in his coming season.

Tom left the following message for the Thunder.

Whether you are a player, a family member or just know someone involved with the team we now have a great way to help us raise the funds that wont cost you a penny, and could even save you cash!!

Thunder have partnered with EasyFundraising.org.uk – a massive shopping directory cram packed with deals. Just use this link and Sussex thunder will receive a donation op up to 15% at no cost to you!

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/sussexthunderafc

Shops include – Sainsburys, HMV, Sky Dell, JJB, JD Sports, Play.com and many more! Its completely FREE to register and you will never pay a penny more for your shopping if you use the easyfundraising. So if you shopping online this Christmas why not help support your team at the same time.

All you needs to do is:

1) Register with EasyFundraising.org.uk – HERE

2) Login to your account (so it knows you’re supporting the Thunder)

3) Choose the shop you want from the links provided

Once you purchase the shop will make a donation to us. However, you MUST remember to login through EasyFundraising before you start shopping otherwise we won’t get the donation. Feel free to pass this on to family and friends, we’ll get donations from everything they buy.

Free Ways to support the Team –

• Web Search – When ever you search online you can support, the average web user can raise upto £25! Just use this link – http://sussexthunderafc.easysearch.org.uk/
• MakeItCheaper – Save money on your gas / electricity bill and raise £12 for the Thunder
• eBay – Open and Account and bid on something and Raise £4.50 for the Thunder
• Graze – Free yummy grub and money for the club

All the free offers can be seen HERE –  just don’t forget to sign up before clicking on the deals.

Thank you for showing your support!

Due to a re-structure of the league, the Thunder will re-open some old rivalries and face some new opponents in 2012. The Thunder will remain in Division 1 after declining an invitation to return to the Premiership.

The team will play in the Southern Conference and the full line up will be

• Sussex Thunder
• East Kent Mavericks
• Hampshire Thrashers
• Essex Spartans
• Berkshire Renegades
• Kent Exiles
• Cambridgeshire Cats
• South Wales Warriors

The season will consist of 10 regular season games, meeting 3 teams twice and the others once apiece.

The season will bring a first ever meeting against the Renegades and only the second ever match-up with the Warriors, last years division 2 winners. Thunder fans will be looking forward to a re- igniting of our old rivalry with the Kent Exiles, who we haven’t met since 2008 when we won at their ground to take the conference title and knock them out of the play-off picture. Another old enemy on the list is the Essex Spartans, previous meetings go right back to the old B-52′s days.

The Northern section consists of

• West Coast Trojans
• Lancashire Wolverines
• Merseyside Nighthawks
• Nottingham Caesars
• Gateshead Senators
• Coventry Jets
• Shropshire Revolution

The Thunder had been invited by the BAFA National League’s management to rejoin the Premier division for next season, but partly due to the decision to have a two conference top division, which would have left the club in what was basically the old Premiership and that the club is still in a re-building phase, the Thunder committee decided to reluctantly decline and stay in division 1 for another year.

The Thunder begin their pre-season preperation’s on Sunday 22^nd January at their normal practice venue of Surrenden Field, London Road, Brighton.

The 2011 Awards

The Sussex Thunder met at Breeze Brasserie last night in Brighton to celebrate the 2011 season in style.  After a delicious 3 course meal and some words of thanks from the chairman Eber Kington, the 2011 players awards were presented.

Chairman Eber Kington said: “on behalf of the committee I would like to thank everyone, the players, the coaches, the supporters and staff for all their hard work this year.  Congratulations must go to the award winners who have shone on the field this year but recognition must also go to every player who has stepped foot on the field.  We are all working hard in the off-season top make 2012 even better.”

The Thunder is recruiting for the 2012 season for all sections of the club and expect to begin pre-season in earnest in January.

The Thunder were back in action this weekend, representing Sussex in the 3rd annual Exiles flag football tournament held in Orpington, Kent. Hosted by long-time Thunder rivals the Kent Exiles, any enmity was put aside as a host of teams competed on a light hearted and enjoyable day of action to be the last team standing. Featuring teams from all over the Britball community, American Football proved once again its rising popularity and accessibility in the UK with teams made up from players of all ages.

Although non-contact 5 aside football is a far cry from the hard hitting style Sussex is known for and fielding a far smaller squad than is usually seen for a Thunder showdown, the 8 members of the flag team did not disappoint.

Despite getting off to a shaky start, with crucial dropped passes, against one time division foes the Essex Spartans the Thunder got into gear when QB Oli DeRuyter found Chris Jones and Phil Allman behind the Spartans defence for 2 long touchdown passes. Their defence was tested throughout the entire game but a combination of crucial interceptions and costly missed opportunities by the Essex offence saw the Thunder run out the clock to take a comfortable 20-0 win.

The story was much the same in their other group games. The Thunder offence proving too strong and too wily for the inexperienced but fiercely competitive Kent Exiles Youth teams. DeRuyter taking what the defences were allowing and finding his receivers open time and time again with laser accurate passes. The scoreline would have been better but for an inadvertent whistle from the referee on one TD and a controversial ruling which denied Dan Branch a fine catch and spin in to the Endzone. Sussex ran out group winners in style however with a fine diving interception by Thunder rookie Owen Williams, taking the ball clean out of the hands of his opposite number.

Having won their group without defeat Sussex found themselves facing one of their oldest foes in a London Olympian “legends” team. Thunder had faced the Olympians twice in the regular season and lost both by a total of 7 points and weren’t about to be denied a third time. Exploiting their speed advantage over the experienced and crafty Legends, Sussex twice took the lead only to be pegged back each time. But as the saying in football goes “speed kills” and the Olympians simply had no answer to it and the Thunder saw themselves in the final with a 22-14 victory.

It was perhaps predestined then that their final foes were indeed the hosting Kent Exiles senior squad offering. They showed Sussex they deserved to be there with a devastating opening to the game, scoring on their first two drives with nothing but incomplete passes from the Thunder offence. However, showing traditional grit Sussex responded with a nice drive which ended in a TD and the sides saw the half out with one score in it. Unfortunately the start of the second half saw the organised and mistake free Exiles take the opening drive straight to pay dirt forcing the Thunder to chase the game with time running out. Having been matched physically Sussex tried to outsmart the Kent defence and having fooled them into pouncing on a run by Andy Miles, they could only stand and watch as he threw it over their heads to a wide open DeRuyter waiting in the Endzone. Thunder needed a stop to get the ball back with time to drive to win the game but got a taste of their own medicine when Kent, with minutes to go, played the exact same trick and scored. Time ran out for the Thunder and the final scoreline favoured the deserving Kent Exiles 28-14.

Sussex Thunder Youth 28 – Hampshire Thrashers Youth 27
Sunday 21 August 2011
Winchester Rugby Club

A game played with an air of expectation as both sides were competing for the first time. Hampshire elected to play offense first and the Thunder defence held them in their first 4 downs causing a fumble and handing the ball back to the Thunder offense. The Thunder then proceeded to march down the field off the back of Ben Kelly’s good running ending in a touchdown pass to Ciaran Hill. Thrashers then equalised with some good running of their own but their extra 2 point conversion was intercepted and ran back for 2 points.
Both sides traded touchdowns as both offenses dominated until the last minute with the Thunder one point down. The Thunder defence then pushed the Thrashers offense back to their 2 yard line and on the next play picked up a safety on a mistake by the Thrashers offense. This allowed the Thunder offense to run down the last minute of the clock and win the game 28 – 27.
It was a game played in good spirit and with excellent sportsmanship. After the game, Thunder Head Coach Wesley Peppiat said: “I wish to publically thank the coaches of Hampshire and Watford who made this game possible and fostered the spirit in which it was played. All Thunder players contributed to the win and now realise the difference between practice and actual game time.” This result has helped the team to pull together and everyone is eager for next week’s game in Cornwall.

Coach Peppiatt
Head Coach – Sussex Thunder youth