Final Standings

BAFA SL D1 1998	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
North Conference
Birmingham Bulls (C)	10	9	1	0	259	47	.900
Sheffield Saxons (P)	10	6	3	1	172	94	.650
Nottingham Caesars	10	5	5	0	144	170	.500
Gateshead Senators	10	4	5	1	133	227	.450
Merseyside Nighthawks	10	3	6	1	71	178	.350
Staffordshire Surge	10	1	8	1	94	157	.150
South East Conference
London O’s (C)	10	10	0	0	501	30	1.000
Norwich Devils (P)	10	7	3	0	133	178	.700
Essex Chiefs (P)	10	6	4	0	202	158	.600
Ipswich Cardinals	10	4	6	0	145	248	.400
Cambridge Cats	10	2	8	0	63	242	.200
Redbridge Fire	10	1	9	0	58	246	.100
South West
Sussex Thunder (C)	10	10	0	0	376	54	1.000
Bristol Aztecs (P)	10	7	3	0	144	169	.700
Oxford Saints (P)	10	5	5	0	250	204	.500
PA Knights	10	4	6	0	163	193	.400
London Blitz	10	4	6	0	127	218	.400
Plymouth Admirals	10	0	10	0	88	310	.000

Playoffs

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Quarter-Finals
09.08.1998	London O’s	43	Oxford Saints	7
09.08.1998	Sussex Thunder	40	Essex Chiefs	14
09.08.1998	Birmingham Bulls	34	Sheffield Saxons	12
09.08.1998	Bristol Aztecs	22	Norwich Devils	21
	Semi-Finals
16.08.1998	London O’s	28	Bristol Aztecs	0
16.08.1998	Sussex Thunder	26	Birmingham Bulls	24
	Final
23.08.1998	London O’s	20	Sussex Thunder	0

Regular Season Results

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Week 1
19.04.1998	Birmingham Bulls	12	Sheffield Saxons	6
19.04.1998	Ipswich Cardinals	14	Norwich Devils	15
19.04.1998	Essex Chiefs	28	Cambridge Cats	6
19.04.1998	London O’s	64	Redbridge Fire	6
	Week 2
26.04.1998	Redbridge Fire	0	Cambridge Cats	6
26.04.1998	Bristol Aztecs	13	Plymouth Admirals	0
26.04.1998	PA Knights	0	Sussex Thunder	53
	Week 3
03.05.1998	Oxford Saints	13	Sussex Thunder	39
03.05.1998	Norwich Devils	0	London O’s	40
03.05.1998	Essex Chiefs	26	Redbridge Fire	0
03.05.1998	Plymouth Admirals	20	London Blitz	28
03.05.1998	Sheffield Saxons	41	Nottingham Caesars	6
03.05.1998	Gateshead Senators	24	Merseyside Nighthawks	8
	Week 4
10.05.1998	Birmingham Bulls	28	Staffordshire Surge	6
10.05.1998	Cambridge Cats	12	Ipswich Cardinals	16
10.05.1998	Essex Chiefs	30	Norwich Devils	19
10.05.1998	Merseyside Nighthawks	6	Sheffield Saxons	20
10.05.1998	PA Knights	9	Bristol Aztecs	10
	Week 5
17.05.1998	Bristol Aztecs	14	Sussex Thunder	24
17.05.1998	Ipswich Cardinals	27	Redbridge Fire	0
17.05.1998	Gateshead Senators	13	Birmingham Bulls	45
17.05.1998	London Blitz	22	Oxford Saints	6
17.05.1998	Plymouth Admirals	6	PA Knights	27
17.05.1998	Staffordshire Surge	28	Nottingham Caesars	20
	Week 6
24.05.1998	Sussex Thundcer	36	London Blitz	0
24.05.1998	Redbridge Fire	6	Norwich Devils	30
24.05.1998	Sheffield Saxons	33	Gateshead Senators	14
24.05.1998	Essex Chiefs	18	London O’s	26
24.05.1998	Oxford Saints	49	Plymouth Admirals	0
24.05.1998	Nottingham Caesars	12	Merseyside Nighthawks	7
	Week 7
31.05.1998	Ipswich Cardinals	22	Essex Chiefs	48
31.05.1998	Gateshead Senators	21	Nottingham Caesars	33
31.05.1998	Merseyside Nighthawks	3	Birmingham Bulls	29
31.05.1998	Oxford Saints	54	Bristol Aztecs	17
	Week 8
07.06.1998	London Blitz	0	PA Knights	12
07.06.1998	London O’s	73	Ipswich Cardinals	6
07.06.1998	Norwich Devils	6	Cambridge Cats	3
07.06.1998	Plymouth Admirals	0	Sussex Thunder	60
	Week 9
14.06.1998	Ipswich Cardinals	12	Cambridge Cats	6
14.06.1998	London Blitz	42	Plymouth Admirals	20
14.06.1998	Merseyside Nighthawks	8	Gateshead Senators	27
14.06.1998	Nottingham Caesars	9	Sheffield Saxons	0
14.06.1998	Redbridge Fire	14	Essex Chiefs	12
14.06.1998	Staffordshire Surge	6	Birmingham Bulls	23
14.06.1998	Sussex Thundcer	41	Oxford Saints	9
	Week 10
21.06.1998	Birmingham Bulls	42	Merseyside Nighthawks	0
21.06.1998	Bristol Aztecs	22	PA Knights	21
21.06.1998	Gateshead Senators	6	Sheffield Saxons	36
21.06.1998	Plymouth Admirals	20	Oxford Saints	51
	Week 11
28.06.1998	Cambridge Cats	3	Norwich Devils	26
28.06.1998	London O’s	37	Essex Chiefs	0
28.06.1998	Nottingham Caesars	35	Staffordshire Surge	24
28.06.1998	PA Knights	16	London Blitz	20
28.06.1998	Redbridge Fire	18	Ipswich Cardinals	24
28.06.1998	Sussex Thunder	43	Bristol Aztecs	8
	Week 12
05.07.1998	Ipswich Cardinals	0	London O’s	47
05.07.1998	Essex Chiefs	28	Cambridge Cats	14
05.07.1998	London Blitz	0	Sussex Thunder	48
05.07.1998	Merseyside Nighthawks	21	Nottingham Caesars	16
05.07.1998	Norwich Devils	6	Redbridge Fire	0
05.07.1998	Plymouth Admirals	8	Bristol Aztecs	14
05.07.1998	Sheffield Saxons	13	Birmingham Bulls	19
05.07.1998	Oxford Saints	30	PA Knights	14
05.07.1998	Gateshead Senators	1	Staffordshire Surge	0 #
	Week 13
12.07.1998	Birmingham Bulls	51	Gateshead Senators	0
12.07.1998	Bristol Aztecs	14	Oxford Saints	7
12.07.1998	Cambridge Cats	0	London O’s	56
12.07.1998	Essex Chiefs	12	Ipswich Cardinals	8
12.07.1998	PA Knights	26	Plymouth Admirals	14
12.07.1998	Sheffield Saxons		Merseyside Nighthawks
	Week 14
19.07.1998	Norwich Devils	12	Essex Chiefs	0
19.07.1998	Nottingham Caesars	13	Gateshead Senators	28
19.07.1998	Redbridge Fire	0	London O’s	38
19.07.1998	Staffordshire Surge	0 #	Sheffield Saxons	1
19.07.1998	Oxford Saints	27	London Blitz	12
19.07.1998	Sussex Thunder	1	Plymouth Admirals	0 #
	Week 15
26.07.1998	Cambridge Cats	13	Redbridge Fire	12
26.07.1998	Ipswich Cardinals	16	Norwich Devils	17
26.07.1998	London Blitz	3	Bristol Aztecs	22
26.07.1998	Merseyside Nighthawks	18	Staffordshire Surge	8
26.07.1998	Sussex Thunder	32	PA Knights	10
	Week 16
02.08.1998	London O’s	64	Norwich Devils	0
02.08.1998	PA Knights	25	Oxford Saints	6

Report

London O’s won the British American Football Association Senior League Division 1 (the top level in Britain) with a 20-0 victory over Sussex Thunder in the Final (Brit Bowl). Three of the four teams in the British Independent Gridiron Conference (Big C) which had split off to form their own Super League in 1997 were back in the fold, with only Milton Keynes Pioneers staying out, scheduling an Independent set of matches against European, British and Irish opposition. The O’s were the former London Olympians but had lost their name when the owner and founder left the team after the 1997 season.

Birmingham Bulls won the North Conference with a 9-1 record and Sussex Thunder and London O’s won the South West and South East Conferences respectively, both undefeated on 10-0. Also making the playoffs were Sheffield Saxons (North, 6-3-1), Norwich Devils (SE, 7-3), Essex Chiefs (merger of Basildon Chiefs and Southend Sabres, SE 6-4), Bristol Aztecs (SW 7-3) and Oxford Saints (SW 5-5). Sussex Thunder narrowly defeated Birmingham Bulls 26-24 in the Semi-Finals, while London O’s had an easier time against Bristol Aztecs, although only won 28-0 in the end. Staffordshire Surge (Stoke, North 1-8-1) and Plymouth Admirals (SW 0-10) both pulled out of the league in the last few weeks, forfeiting their remaining fixtures. Other teams were Gateshead Senators (North, 4-5-1), Merseyside Nighthawks (North, 3-6-1), Ipswich Cardinals (SE, 4-6), Cambridge Cats (SE, 2-8), Redbridge Fire (East London, SE 1-9), Personal Assurance Knights (Amersham, Berkshire, SW 4-6) and London Blitz (SW, 4-6).

Ireland coach Kurt Smeby signed on as Assistant Coach for the Redbridge Fire. He had previously coached Northants Storm.

References

[1] Anon. (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 25 April, 1998. pg. 21

[2] Anon. (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 2 May, 1998. pg. 21

[3] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 9 May, 1998. pg. 21

[4] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 16 May 1998 pg. 21

[5] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 23 May 1998 pg. 21

[6] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 30 May 1998 pg. 21

[7] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 6 June 1998. pg. 21

[8] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 13 June 1998. pg. 21

[9] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 20 June 1998. pg. 21

[10] Anon. (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 27 June 1998. pg. 21

[11] Anon. (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 4 July 1998. pg. 18

[12] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 11 July 1998. pg. 20

[13] Anon. (1993) “Euro News” First Down. 18 July 1998. pg. 19

[14] Anon (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 25 July, 1998. pg. 16

[15] Anon (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 1 August, 1998. pg. 16

[16] Anon (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 8 August, 1998. pg. 16

[17] Anon (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 15 August, 1998. pg. 16

[18] Anon (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 22 August, 1998. pg. 16

[19] Anon (1998) “Euro News” First Down. 29 August, 1998. pg. 16

Logos

[20] BAFA Wayback Machine (2004) Bafa_Logo_New [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20040820152919im_/http://bafa.org.uk/assets/images/Bafa_Logo_New.jpg [Accessed 23 April 2021]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Derek Walsh.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 23 April 2021

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2021

You may quote this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.