Shamrock Bowl XXI

Last updated
Shamrock Bowl XXI
Sbxxilogo1.jpg
Event 2007 IAFL Season
UL Vikings Cork Admirals
SouthSouth
2214
Date29 July 2007
Venue UL Sports Ground, Limerick
← XX
XXII →

Shamrock Bowl XXI was the 2007 championship game of the Irish American Football League (IAFL). This Shamrock Bowl hosted two teams from the IAFL South division: the University of Limerick Vikings and the Cork Admirals. It was played on July 29 at the UL Sports Ground, Limerick, following the regular 2007 IAFL season. [1]

Contents

The game finished 22-14 to the Vikings, courtesy of three rushing touchdowns from game MVP Seamus Hogan. [2] This was the first Shamrock Bowl title in the Vikings' history, losing their previous two in 2002 and 2006. It was the Cork Admirals' first Shamrock Bowl appearance. [3]

2007 IAFL Playoffs

The 2007 playoffs were played by the Belfast Bulls, Belfast Trojans, Dublin Rebels, University of Limerick Vikings, and Cork Admirals, with the following results:

Wild Card
Belfast Trojans0Cork Admirals30*
Semi Final
Belfast Bulls2UL Vikings44*
Cork Admirals8*Dublin Rebels6

Game summary

Scoring summary
Quarter1234
Cork806014
ULV807722

Pregame news

The University of Limerick Vikings were heavily favoured going into the game because Shamrock Bowl XXI was being played on their home ground in UL Sports Grounds, and having Shamrock Bowl experience.

First half

Cork got off to a start when kick returner David Barry took the opening kick-off back deep into Vikings territory. The Admirals threatened to score, but were stopped on the 15-yard line by the Vikings defense. The Admirals defense held the Vikings offence on their very first possession of the game, forcing them to punt the ball. The key play for the Admirals on the ensuing possession was a 40 yard draw play by fullback Alain Pezeron which got them a first and goal on the Vikings 3-yard line. Two plays later, Cork’s Keith O’Callaghan scored from 3 yards out, following the linemen to the goal line. Pezeron got the 2-point conversion to make the score 8-0 Admirals.

The Vikings got back into the game shortly afterwards. Quarterback Chris Bassitt led them down field on helped by running backs Andrew Gordon and Seamus Hogan, before Hogan scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run up the middle. Bassitt got the 2-point conversion to level the scores at 8-8. Both defenses dominated the second quarter in which there were a number of good defensive plays on both sides of the ball. The Vikings defenders Declan O’Donnell, Damien Laffan and Alan O’Carroll made a number of key tackles. On the other side of the ball, the Admirals defensive line of Marcus Gates, Ross McCullough and Barry Rea forced some tackles for loss. With less than 5 minutes to go to half time, Vikings' cornerback Daniel Smith got the first turnover of the day when he picked off a pass intended for Dominic MacHale. However, Vikings' kicker Adrian Garvey missed a field goal and the score remained 8-8 until the half.

Second half

The second turnover of the game came on the very first play from scrimmage after half time. Admirals linebacker Martin Mulvey recovered an Andrew Gordon fumble to give the Admirals the ball on the Vikings 20-yard line. The Admirals scored a touchdown shortly afterwards on a pass from David Lomasney to receiver Dominic MacHale to give them a 14-8 lead. The Vikings then drove into scoring range getting a 1st and goal on the Admirals 5-yard line. However, a defensive stand by the Admirals prevented a score after they stopped the Vikings on 4th down. The Vikings defense then ensured that their offense got the ball back in good field position when they forced the Admirals to punt after not picking up much yardage on the ensuing possession. This gave the Vikings the ball at midfield and, through runs by Bassitt and Gordon, they got to the 10-yard line. Then Seamus Hogan scored his second touchdown, running up the middle on a draw play and pushing the ball over the goal line as Admirals defenders attempted to tackle him. Adrian Garvey's single point conversion gave the Vikings a one point lead.

The Vikings defense stopped the Cork Admirals again, forcing them to punt the ball early in the 4th quarter. This time the Vikings caught the Admirals' defense off guard as they went to the air with a long pass from Bassitt to receiver Marc Ashworth who was stopped on the Admirals 5-yard line. On the next play, game MVP Seamus Hogan sealed the award with his third touchdown of the day, as he bounced his run to the right and found the corner of the endzone, which was also converted to give the Vikings a 22-14 lead. However, the game was far from over. Admirals quarterback David Lomasney led the Admirals on a long drive, during which O’Callaghan and Pezeron both contributed big yardage. After Seamus Hogan stopped O’Callaghan just short of the endzone, the Admirals looked like they would be sending the game into overtime with a first down on the Vikings 2-yard line. However, the Vikings defense came up with their best defensive performance of the afternoon and held them out on all four downs. The Vikings then tried to run out the clock on the ensuing possession, but were forced to punt after only picking up one first down. With just over 2 minutes remaining, Daniel Smith got off a great punt, pinning the Admirals back inside their own half. But the Admirals still had more than enough time to score. They picked up a couple of first downs, but were stopped on 4th down with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock as they tried to convert with a Statue of Liberty play to Alan Pezeron. The Vikings then kneeled down to win their first ever Shamrock Bowl, 22-14.

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References

  1. ↑ "American Football- Shamrock Bowl, Ireland National Championship | Sport Ireland". www.sportireland.ie. 25 Jul 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "2006 to 2010 - recovery well under way | BritballNow". www.britballnow.co.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. ↑ "CLUB HISTORY". Cork Admirals AFC. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
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