Results

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Week 3
20.07.1986	Belfast Blitzers	53	Aldergrove Hawks	22
	Week 4
24.08.1986	Belfast Spartans	22	Bangor Buccaneers	40

Home Venues

Team	Venue
Belfast Blitzers	Cooke Rugby Club, Belfast
Carrickfergus Cougars	Carrickfergus RFC, Carrickfergus
Craigavon Cowboys	Shane Park, Lurgan, Craigavon

References

Websites

[1] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1986] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 23 March 2017]

[2] Britball Now (2016) Bangor Buccaneers [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Britball%20Teams/BangorBuccaneers.htm [Accessed 23 March 2018]

[3] Irish American Football Association (2018) Shamrock Bowl History [Internet] Available from: hhttp://www.americanfootball.ie/american-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 23 March 2018]

[4] Britballnow.co.uk (2019) 1986 Results [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 17 August 2019]

Internet Archives

[5] Craigavon Cowboys | Wayback Machine (2017) Charles ‘Chuck’ Ebron Interview [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20170514064407/http://www,craigavoncowboys.co.uk:80/news [Accessed 10 October 2018]

Social Media

[6] Belfast Blitzers | Facebook (2019) Comments on Post by David Turner, August 12-17, 2019 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/posts/2244208692356940 [Accessed 17 August 2019]

[7] Belfast Blitzers | Facebook (2019) Comments on Post by David Turner, September 7, 2019 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/posts/2286790341432108?comment_id=2287705898007219&reply_comment_id=2292185984225877&notif_id=1568031304420635&notif_t=feed_comment [Accessed 9 September 2019]

Newspapers

[8] Anon. (1986) “A cracking good show for grid-iron fans” Belfast Telegraph. Tuesday, September 23, 1986. pg. 24 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[9] Anon. (1986) “American flavour” Belfast Telegraph. Friday, August 8, 1986. pg. 26 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[10] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys into ‘Shamrock Bowl'” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, September 29, 1986. pg. 18 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[11] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys triumph'” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, October 6, 1986. pg. 19 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[12] Anon. (1986) “Picture caption'” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, August 11, 1986. pg. 30 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

Images

[13] Anon. (1986) “Picture by Rick Hewitt'” Belfast Telegraph. Monday, August 11, 1986. pg. 30 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[14] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys to meet Celts’”Belfast Telegraph. Saturday September 27, 1986. pg. 24 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[15] Anon. (1986) “Blitzers turn the tables”Belfast Telegraph. Tuesday June 24, 1986. pg. 28 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[16] Anon. (1986) “Cowboys into Shamrock Bowl’”Belfast Telegraph. Saturday September 29, 1986. pg. 18 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

Media

[15] BBC Sport NI Facebook (2020) Video, JMay 20, 2020 [Comment by player at 1:00-1:10] [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/BBCSPORTNI/videos/693338128160962 [Accessed 30 August 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to David Turner & Billy Graham (Belfast Blitzers).

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 4 February 2021

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2021

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

Irish League Players A-Z

Surname	First Name	Years Active	Number	Position	Teams
Anderson	Davy				Belfast Spartans ?
Armstrong	Neil			RB	Bangor Buccaneers
Baird	Verner				Belfast Spartans
Boskett	Lawrence	1984-1993	32 / 20	RB, KR	Belfast Spartans, Ireland (Northern Hordes)
Bowles	Neil	1996-?		OL, G, T, C, RBC	Belfast Spartans (1996-97), Chiltern Cheetahs (1998-?), London Blitz (?-2007)(C)(RBC), UAE Falcons (Coach)
Boyd	Billy	1984-1990s		QB	Belfast Spartans
Brown	Greg				Belfast Spartans
Bryans	Robert	1985-1989		RG, ROT, DT	Belfast Spartans
Cochran	Paul	1987			Belfast Spartans
Cullen	Pat			QB, OC	Craigavon Cowboys, Ireland, London Blitz (OC)
Denny (USA)				HC	Belfast Spartans
Devenny	Paul	1986-?		OL	Belfast Spartans
	“Dougie”				Belfast Spartans
Faulkner	Brendan				Belfast Spartans
	“Fige”				Belfast Spartans
Green	Colin		51	CB	Belfast Spartans
Helferty	Mark	1996			Belfast Spartans
Hallowell	Davey	1984-1988/89		HB, CB, QB	Belfast Spartans
Hanvey	Eric				Belfast Spartans ?
Hynds	Aaron “Hitman”	late 80s-early 90s			Belfast Spartans
Jamieson	George	1986-1991 ?		HB, QB, S, KO, KR	Belfast Spartans
Knowlton				Coach	Belfast Spartans
Lemon	Davy	1989-1996		CB, FS, RB (Junior), RB (Senior)	Belfast Junior Spartans (1989-1992), Belfast Junior Spartans Kitted (1992-1994), Belfast Spartans (1994-1996?97?)Cambridge Cats (1998-2003?), Ireland (v GB in Derby 2004/05)
McCabe	Paul	1996-97?		C	Belfast Spartans
McCabe		1996-97?			Belfast Spartans
McCormack	Robert “Bert”	1984-1999	75	DE, LB, OG, ST	Belfast Spartans
McKee	Andrew			C	Belfast Spartans
McKnight	Andy				Belfast Spartans
McKnight	John				Belfast Spartans
McWilliams	Ian				Belfast Spartans
Milford	Ernie				Belfast Spartans
Mulgrave	John “Masher”		50	LB. OG, KO, KR	Belfast Spartans, Belfast Blitzers, Belfast Giants, Antrim Bulldogs, Ireland
Mulholland	Jerry	1986-1989	56, 84	OL, TE	Belfast Spartans, Ireland
Smith	Davey				Belfast Spartans
Smith	Ian				Belfast Spartans
Spence	Trevor	1986-2011		SS, ST	Belfast Spartans (86-89), Witney Wildcats, Oxford University Cavaliers, Marbella Suns
Taylor	Blair	1984-1989	83, 20	FS, WR, KO, KR	Belfast Spartans
Thompson	Rod	1996-97			Belfast Spartans
Wallace	Gary	1984			Belfast Spartans
Williams	Steve	1986?		LT	Belfast Spartans

References

Websites

[1] Belfast Spartans (2020) Player Profiles [Internet] Available from: http://www.belfastspartans.co.uk/player-profiles.html [Last Accessed 22 April 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith, Ralph Schmeer and Michael Brophy of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association; Tim Leadingham (Tallaght Outlaws); Joe Grey (Dublin Dragons); Sean Douglas (Dublin Rebels & UCD).

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 23 April 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

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

Standings

NAL	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
Albany Empire
Carolina Cobras
Columbus Lions
Jacksonville Sharks
Ontario Bandits
Orlando Predators
West Virginia Roughriders
Jersey Flight

Schedule

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Week 1
03.04.2021	Carolina Cobras		Jacksonville Sharks
03.04.2021	Albany Empire		Orlando Predators
05.04.2021	Ontario Bandits		Jersey Flight
	Week 2
10.04.2021	Albany Empire		Columbus Lions
11.04.2021	Carolina Cobras		Jersey Flight
	Week 3
16.04.2021	Columbus Lions		Carolina Cobras
17.04.2021	Orlando Predators		Jacksonville Sharks
19.04.2021	Ontario Bandits		Albany Empire
	Week 4
24.04.2021	Jacksonville Sharks		Jersey Flight
24.04.2021	Carolina Cobras		Orlando Predators
26.04.2021	Columbus Lions		Ontario Bandits
	Week 5
01.05.2021	Jersey Flight		Albany Empire
01.05.2021	Jacksonville Sharks		Columbus Lions
03.05.2021	Orlando Predators		Ontario Bandits
	Week 6
08.05.2021	Jacksonville Sharks		Albany Empire
08.05.2021	Jersey Flight		Carolina Cobras
08.05.2021	Columbus Lions		Orlando Predators
	Week 7
15.05.2021	Orlando Predators		Jersey Flight
15.05.2021	Albany Empire		Ontario Bandits
16.05.2021	Carolina Cobras		Jacksonville Sharks
	Week 8
22.05.2021	Albany Empire		Carolina Cobras
22.05.2021	Ontario Bandits		Jacksonville Sharks
22.05.2021	Jersey Flight		Columbus Lions
	Week 9
29.05.2021	Orlando Predators		Columbus Lions
30.05.2021	Jersey Flight		Ontario Bandits
	Week 10
04.06.2021	Ontario Bandits		Carolina Cobras
04.06.2021	Columbus Lions		Jacksonville Sharks
05.06.2021	Orlando Predators		Albany Empire
	Week 11
12.06.2021	Jacksonville Sharks		Orlando Predators
12.06.2021	Columbus Lions		Carolina Cobras
12.06.2021	Albany Empire		Jersey Flight
	Week 12
19.06.2021	Columbus Lions		Jersey Flight
19.06.2021	Carolina Cobras		Albany Empire
19.06.2021	Orlando Predators		Ontario Bandits
	Week 13
26.06.2021	Carolina Cobras		Ontario Bandits
26.06.2021	Jacksonville Sharks		Albany Empire
26.06.2021	Jersey Flight		Orlando Predators
	Week 14
02.07.2021	Orlando Predators		Carolina Cobras
03.07.2021	Albany Empire		Jacksonville Sharks
05.07.2021	Ontario Bandits		Columbus Lions
	Week 15
10.07.2021	Jersey Flight		Jacksonville Sharks
10.07.2021	Carolina Cobras		Columbus Lions
12.07.2021	Ontario Bandits		Orlando Predators
	Week 16
17.07.2021	Albany Empire		Orlando Predators
17.07.2021	Jersey Flight		Columbus Lions
17.07.2021	Jacksonville Sharks		Ontario Bandits
	Week 17
24.07.2021	Columbus Lions		Albany Empire
24.07.2021	Ontario Bandits		Jersey Flight
24.07.2021	Jacksonville Sharks		Carolina Cobras

Home Arenas

Team	Home Arena	Capacity
Albany Empire	New York
Carolina Cobras	North Carolina
Columbus Lions	Georgia
Jacksonville Sharks	Florida
Ontario Bandits	California
Orlando Predators	Florida
West Virginia Roughriders	West Virginia
Jersey Flight	New Jersey

About the NAL

The National Arena Football is a AA (Third Level) American Football League based primarily in the Northeastern & Southeastern States of the USA. It is one of 4 AA Indoor Football Leagues in the USA, the others in the Eastern Seaboard (American Arena League), Midwest & Southwest (Champions Indoor Football) and West (American West Football Conference).

About Arena / Indoor Football

Indoor (also known as Arena) Football plays an 8 v 8 version of American Football on a converted Ice Hockey Rink 50-yards long with 2 10 -yard endzones. Teams have 5 downs (attempts) to score or the ball is turned over – 3 of which must be passing plays. It is therefore a higher scoring game than standard 11 v 11 American Football. The main difference between Arena Football and Indoor Football is that there is no rebound net either side of the goalposts in Indoor Football. Arena Football rules allow the ball stay in play when it comas back off the rebound nets.

Images

[1] National Arena League (2018) logo [Internet] Available from: http://www.nationalarenaleague.com/images/logo.png [Accessed 26 November 2019]

Websites

[2] National Arena League (2020) NAL Team Directory [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/the-nal/teams/nal-team-directory/ [Accessed 27 December 2020]

[3] National Arena League (2020) Schedule [Internet] Available from: https://www.nationalarenaleague.com/schedules/full-schedules/ [Accessed 12 February 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Todd Zboyan & Tim Leadingham.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 27 December 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

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

Irish American Football League

2002 Box Scores

_______________________________________________________

Week 1

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Scorers					Score

Reference

_______________________________________________________

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Cillian Smith, Michael Smith and Ralph Schmeer of the Irish American Football Association and Irish American Football Officials Association, and Sean Douglas, Dublin Rebels.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish American Football Archive

Last Updated: 20 May 2019

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019

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

Shamrock Bowl I 1986 Dublin Celts 2 Craigavon Cowboys 6

05 October 1986 – St. Mary’s Rugby Club, Dublin 6 – Dublin Celts 2 Craigavon Cowboys 6

Craigavon Cowboys left it late to claim victory in the first ever Irish American Football League Shamrock Bowl, with Most Valuable Player, Nigel Trimble, running in the only touchdown of the match with only four minutes remaining. The Dublin Celts had gone ahead in the first half with a safety, worth two points, in the match played at St. Mary’s Rugby Club in Templeogue, Dublin 6.

At St. Mary’s Rugby Club, Dublin 6	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Craigavon Cowboys	0	0	0	6	6
Dublin Celts			0	0	2

Team	Scorer	Score
	1st Half
DUB	Safety	2-0
	3rd Quarter
	No scoring	2-0
	4th Quarter
CRA	Nigel Trimble TD Run	2-6

Shamrock Bowl IV 1989 – Belfast A26 Bulldogs 6 Dublin Celts 7

5 November 1989 – Musgrave Park, Belfast – Belfast A26 Bulldogs 6 Dublin Celts 7

The Dublin Celts survived a scare from the A26 Bulldogs, as a combination of wind, and poor snaps and kicking left the Antrim team a point adrift of the Celtsat the end of Shamrock Bowl IV, played in Musgrave Park, Belfast. The A26 Bulldogs took a 6-0 lead after Dave Elliott and William ‘Demo’ Beattie ran the ball down field after a Celt fumble. However, the Point After Touchdown was missed, which they were to rue at the end of the day. The Celts struck back through Quarterback John Donnelly connecting with Mark Rutherford in the second quarter, to leave them 7-6 ahead at the interval after Jimmie Kelly’s extra-point kick was good.

In the second half the ball changed hands regularly, and with 40 seconds to go, the Bulldogs defense, strong on the day, gave the offence which was out of sorts possession within field goal range, but the kick went wide, sending the Bowl back to Dublin. The Celts defensive unit played tough the entire game, holding the A26 Bulldogs to just 62 yards, including a total of minus-10 yards for the Belfast passing game.

At Musgrave Park, Belfast	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Belfast A26 Bulldogs	6	0	0	0	6
Dublin Celts	0	7	0	0	7

Team	Scorer	Score
	1st Quarter
A26	TD Run (XP Kick missed)	6-0
	2nd Quarter
DUB	Mark Rutherford TD Pass from John Donnelly (Jimmie Kelly 1xpt)	6-7
	3rd Quarter
	No Scoring	6-7
	4th Quarter
	No Scoring	6-7

Shamrock Bowl X 1996

Dublin Tornadoes 34 Carrickfergus Knights 12 – Dublin Tornadoes showed their dominance of Irish American Football, registering a perfect 10-0 season with this comprehensive win over the Carrickfergus Knights in a repeat of Shamrock Bowl IX.

The Knights took an early lead in spectacular fashion, returning the opening kickoff 85 yards to the endzone. The lead was shortlived, however, as the Tornadoes marched downfield immediately, sending Phil McGowan over from three yards out to level the scores. The Tornadoes defense held the Knights offense to just 25 yards in the second quarter, and the Dubliners took the lead for the first time.

The Tornadoes took control of the game in the second half with QB David Grandmaison and Running Back Brian Dennehy both scoring, although Carrickfergus Running Back Mark Banks became the first player to score on the Tornadoes defense all year.

The MVP award, however, went to the Tornadoes entire Offensive Line, whose crunching blocks ensured QB David Grandmaison could march downfield all day, securing the win with the final points of the day as he scramled over to make the final score 34-12 to the Dubliners, who now made it three-in-a-row.

The Dublin players wore the letters “DC” in honour of Coach Dave Curran, who had led them to the 1993 title, and who had died suddenly in November 1994, after holding an Ireland training session.

At Civil Service Grounds, Islandbridge	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Carrickfergus Knights	6	0			12
Dublin Tornadoes	6	6			34

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
CAR	Kick Return	6-0
TOR	McGowan 3yd Run	6-6
	2nd Quarter
TOR	TD	6-12
	3rd Quarter
TOR	Grandmaison Run	6-18
TOR	Dennehy Run	6-24
CAR	Banks	12-24
TOR	Grandmaison Run	12-34

Most Valuable Player: Dublin Tornadoes Offensive Line

Shamrock Bowl XIV – 15 August 1999

Carrickfergus Knights 6 Dublin Tigers 22 – With the Dublin Tigers and Carrickfergus Knights both finishing the season on level terms as in 1998, and a rematch of the Shamrock Bowl, won the previous season by Carrickfergus, the final itself proved to show the two teams evenly matched over the two seasons. The Dublin Tigers gained revenge in Shamrock Bowl XIV, winning 22-6, to win their first Shamrock Bowl.

At Santry, Dublin	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Carrickfergus Knights					6
Dublin Tigers					22

Shamrock Bowl XV 2001

Carrickfergus Knights 7 Dublin Rebels 28 – The Carrickfergus Knights were appearing in their sixth Shamrock Bowl in seven seasons, and the Rebels, a merger of the Greystones Rebels and Dublin Tigers, were appearing in their first, although many, including Brian Dennehy saw Shamrock Bowl action in 1998 and 1999 for the Tigers.

The teams were evenly matched throughout the season, both finishing on 5-1 Won-Loss Records, with the Rebels giving up Home Field Advantage with a loss on the final day of the regular season to the Knights. The Shamrock Bowl, however, was to be a Rebel victory, as Running Back Brian Dennehy scored with a 90-yard Kickoff Return from the first whistle, and then ran in the two-point conversion. Carrickfergus didn’t get a hand on him until the one-yard line and never recovered.

Rebels Quarterback Paddy Blood played the game of his life, returning from injury. With the Dublin defense winning the ball back, he drove the offense the length of the field, sweeping behind the offensive line, and finishing with a 20-yard Touchdown pass to Paraic Reddington.

The Knights recovered their composure momemtarily, as they recovered the ball from a blocked punt and Quarterback Stephen McDowell drove to the 10-yard line, where he connected on an out pattern to Wide Receiver Ron Smyth to bring them back to within one touchdown. The Extra-Point Kick was successful, making the score 14-7.

That was as close as the Knights would get for the rest of the afternoon, as the momentum was still with the Rebels. They scored again just before halftime on a half back option, as Dennehy connected with Wide Receiver Brian Martin for a 30-yard touchdown. Paddy Blood then hooked up with Dennehy for the two-point conversion.

Both teams stepped up on defense, as the Rebels hung on, comfortable and composed but not complacent. Michael Finucane and Steve Porteous were punishing Carrickfergus from the Defensive Line, and the Knights defense, playing tight as a unit, managed to halt the Rebels offense.

The Knights decided to switch to an aerial attack for the remainder of the game in the third quarter, and completed passes to Smyth and Paul McKillop. Two goal-line stands by the Rebels, with Free Safety Marcus Naylor making a crucial acrobatic tackle kept the Knights out in what was a nail-biting time for the Rebels.

The game was sealed late in the third quarter as Dennehy kept the ball for most of a 70-yard drive that culminated in him seeping in from two-yards out, making the score 28-7. That was the way the score stayed throughout the fourth quarter, as the Rebels celebrated their first Shamrock Bowl win, in a game which bode well for the future of Irish American Football, in its first season since 1999, and with a new Spring League just around the corner in 2002.

At Carrickfergus	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels			7	0	28
Carrickfergus Knights			0	0	7

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Brian Dennehy 90yd Kickoff Return, Brian Dennehy 2XPT Run	8-0
REB	Paraic Reddington 20yd Pass from Paddy Blood	14-0
CAR	Ron Smyth Pass from Stephen McDowell, XP Kick Good	14-7
	2nd Quarter
REB	Brian Martin 30yd Pass from Brian Dennehy, Dennehy 2XPT Pass from Blood	22-7
	3rd Quarter
REB	Brian Dennehy 2yd Run	28-7

Shamrock Bowl XVI 2002

UL Vikings 0 Carrickfergus Knights 66 – University Bowl, Limerick The Shamrock Bowl was a blowout, Carrickfergus Knights winning 66-0, with Clint McDowell scoring three TDs, Paul McKillop and Shaw two each, and Watt and McIlroy also Running into the Endzone for TDs. The Carrickfergus defence also got in on the scoring two safeties.

University Bowl, Limerick	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Carrickfergus Knights	20	26	18	2	66
University of Limerick Vikings	0	0	0	0	0

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
CAR	Willian Shaw 12yd Run, Pete Watt 2xpt	8-0
CAR	Clint McDowell 34yd Run	14-0
CAR	Clint McDowell 15yd Pass from Stephen McDowell	20-0
	2nd Quarter
CAR	Clint McDowell 53yd Run, Pete Watt 2xpt	28-0
CAR	Pete Watt. 7yd Run	34-0
CAR	Willian Shaw 16yd Run	40-0
CAR	Paul McKillop 1yd Pass from Stephen McDowell	46-0
	3rd Quarter
CAR	Ian McIlroy 4yd Run, Pete Watt 2xpt	54-0
CAR	Paul McKillop 6yd Run, Pete Watt 2xpt	62-0
CAR	Mark Banks Safety	64-0
	4th Quarter
CAR	Spencer McDowell Safety on Punt	66-0

Shamrock Bowl XVII, 10 August 2003

Carrickfergus Knights 12 Dublin Rebels 24 – Played at Suttonians RFC, Dublin – Shamrock Bowl XVII was won by the Rebels, with Andy Dennehy opening the scoring in the first quarter with a 4-yard run, which was converted for two by Mackey, before Paul McKillop’s 81-yard Pass reception brought the Knights within two points at the end of the first. Simon Mackey caught a TD reception of his own in the second, with Brian Dennehy getting the 2xpt. [4]

The Rebels scored a safety in the third to put them 18-6 up going into the fourth, as Robert Elliott caught a 13-yard Pass from McDowell to put the Knights within one TD. Brian Dennehy, the Rebels top scorer all season, finished off the scoring with a four-yard rin to give the game to the Rebels 24-12. [4]

Brian Dennehy was named MVP. [4]

At Suttonians RFC, Dublin	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Dublin Rebels	8	8	2	6	24
Carrickfergus Knights	6	0	0	6	12

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
REB	Andy Dennehy 4yd Run, Simon Mackey 2xpt	8-0
CAR	Paul McKillop 81yd Pass from Stephen McDowell	8-6
	2nd Quarter
REB	Simon Mackey 13yd Pass from Andy Dennehy, Brian Dennehy 2xpt	16-6
	3rd Quarter
REB	Safety	18-6
	4th Quarter
CAR	Robert Elliott 13yd Pass from Stephen McDowell	18-12
REB	Brian Dennehy 4yd Run	24-12
	MVP: Brian Dennehy (Dublin Rebels)

Shamrock Bowl XVIII – 26 August 2004

Dublin Rebels 24 Carrickfergus Knights 22 – The Carrickfergus Knights scored early in the first quarter with Touchdowns from Paul McKillop and David Wright either side of a Carl Faichney touchdwown run for the Dublin Rebels. In the second quarter the Knights extended their lead with another Paul McKillop TD reception, but the Rebels fought back in the third quarter with Touchdowns from Brian Dennehy and Mark Kelly and hung on to win after a late Carrickfergus Field Goal was disallowed wth 1:06 remaining.

The Rebels won the coin toss and opted to receive the opening kick-off, but turned the ball over on downs. Almost immediately the Knights scored on the next drive when Paul McKillop scored on a 74-yard recetion from Stephen McDowell. The Rebels immediately fought back, with Carl Faichney scoring on a 75 yard reverse run, which was converted for two points by Brian Dennehy. the Knights went ahead again on their next possesion. Following Spencr McDowell’s first down reception, David wright ran in from the two-yard line. Paul McKillop added the two point conversion to put the Knights 14-8 up after the first quarter.

The Knights cornerback David Worbey then intercepted the Rebels, but they failed to take advantage, turning the ball over on downs. Carrickfergus also stopped the Rebels on their next possession, partially through a couple of knocked down passesby Knights’ cornerback Mark Pollock. Another Carrickfergus drive then resulted in a 5 yard touchdown pass from Stephen McDowell to Paul McKillop. David Wright added the conversion to leave Carrickergus 22-8 up which they held on to until the end of the half, as the Rebels managed to get a first and goal on the last possession of the half, but fumbled the ball on the two yard line on the final play of the half, which was recovered by Alastair Best for the Knights.

The third quarter saw the Rebels hit back, first receptions from Carl Faichney and Simon Mackey set up a 17 yard touchdown reception for Brian Dennehy from Andrew Dennehy. Brian Dennehy showed his experience on this catch by just getting hisfet down in the endzone after a difficult catch on the sidelines. The Rebels defensethen began to stamp their authority on the game, causing a Knights fumble, which was recoverec by Marcus Naylor on the Carrickfergus 22-yard line. The Rebels failed to take advantage, however, as an equally strong Knights defense forced the Rebels to turn the ball over on downs.

The game moved into the fourth quarter with both defenses appearing to dominate. Darren Montgomery recoveda fumbled handoff for the Knights, and then the Rebels stopped the Knights offense. The rebels put together one last drive towards the end of the half, aided by good runs by Brian Dennehy and Mark Kelly. Mark Kelly tied the game with two minutes remaining when he caught a short recption out of the backfield, and ran it 17 yards for the touchdown. Brian Dennehy ran in the what turned out to be the game-winning score when he added the two point conversion to put the Rebels 24-22 up. The game still had some time on the clock. After receiving the kickoff, the Knight’s receiver Clinton McDowell and Rebels cornerback Kevin Finnegan both came down with the ball following a long Stephen McDowell pass, which by rule was gave the ball to the Knights. With a first down deep in the Rebels half, the Knights opted for the field goal a couple ofplays later, which was successful only to be cancelled by a penalty, as the Rebels hung on for the Shamrock Bowl title and the double, having won the League title earlier in the month.

At Greystones RFC, Co. Wicklow	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Carrickfergus Knights	14	8	0	0	22
Dublin Rebels	6	0	16	0	24

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
CAR	Paul McKillop 74yd Pass from Marcus Naylor	6-0
REB	Carl Faichney 75yd Run, Brian Dennehy 2xpt	6-8
CAR	David Wright 2yd Run, Paul McKillop 2xpt	14-6
	2nd Quarter
CAR	Paul McKillop 5yd Pass from Stephen McDowell, David Wright 2xpt	22-8
	3rd Quarter
REB	Brian Dennehy 17yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy, Mark Kelly 2xpt	22-16
REB	Mark Kelly 17yd Pass from Andrew Dennehy, Brian Dennehy 2xpt	22-24
	4th Quarter
	No Scoring

Shamrock Bowl XXI Box-Score and Match Report 2007

29 July 2007 – University of Limerick Vikings 22 Cork Admirals 14

Seamus Hogan, who scored two touchdowns, won the Most Valuable Player Award in the Irish American Football League Shamrock Bowl XXI in 2007, as the University of Limerick Vikings beat the Cork Admirals 22-14 in a close Munster Derby.

Cork had a great start with kick returner David Barry returned the opening kickoff well into Limerick territory. They were stopped short of the goal-line, however, as were the Vikings on the next drive. On their next possession the Cork Admirals got into good field position following a 40 yard draw play by full back Alain Pezeron, leaving them on first and goal on the 3 yard line, which Keith O’Callaghan capitalized on with a 3-yard rushing touchdown for the first score of the game. Pezeron converted for two points.

The vikings got back into the game immediately, with Quarterback Chris Bassitt driving them downfield, helped by Running Backs Andrew Gordan and Seamus Hogan. Hogan got the equalizing touchdown, with a 5-yard run up the middle, converted for two points by Bassitt. The second quarter was scoreless as both defenses held the opposing offense, with good defensive plays by Vikings defenders Eoin O’Sullivan, Declan O’Donnell, Damien Laffan and Alan O’Carroll. The Admirals defensive line of Marcus Gates, Ross McCullough and Barry Rea forced a number of tackles for losses. The Vikings got the first turnover of the day with less than 5 minutes to go to halftime, when their defensive back intercepted the ball, however, they missed the resulting field goal, leaving the score 8-8 at half-time.

The first play from scrimmage of the second half yielded the second turnover of the day, as Admirals linebacker Martin Mulvey recovered a Vikings fumble to leave them in good field position on the Vikings 20-yard line. Shortly afterwards, the Admirals went 14-8 up as Quarterback David Lomansey connected with Wide Receiver Dominic MacHale for a 30-yard touchdown pass. Limerick then drove deep into Admirals territory, but a fierce goalmouth stand for the Cork side on their own 5-yard line prevented the Vikings from scoring. The Vikings defense, however, ensured their offense got another chance before the quarter was out, as they forced the Admirals to punt, giving the UL offense the ball at midfield. Through runs by Bassitt and Gordon they got to the 10-yard line, where Seamus Hogan scored his second running touchdown, on a draw play up the middle, pushing the ball over the goal-line as the Admirals defenders attempted to tackle him. The Single Point Kick conversion put the Vikings 15-14 up at the end of the third quarter.

Again the Vikings defense forced the Admirals to punt early in the fourth quarter, and in the ensuing drive, the Vikings went to the air with a long pass from Quarterback Bassitt to Wide Receiver Marc Ashworth, setting up MVP Seamus Hogan for his third touchdown of the day, as a he scored on a 5-yard sweep to the right. again the conversion kick was good to put the Vikings 22-14 up. The game was not over yet, however, and the Admirals drove to the Vikings two-yard line on the next drive. In the best defensive performance of the day, the Vikings held, the Admirals on all four downs, and the Vikings punted on their next possession having failed to run out the clock. The punt pinned the Cork side deep in their own territory, and while they picked up a couple of first downs, were stopped on fourth down with less than 30 seconds left. The Vikings could then celebrate their first ever Shamrock Bowl win. [Ref: 4]

At UL Sports Grounds, Limerick	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Cork Admirals	8	0	6	0	14
University of Limerick Vikings	8	0	7	7	22

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
COR	Keith O’Callaghan 3yd Run (Alain Pezeron 2xpt)	8-0
ULV	Seamus Hogan 5yd Run (Chris Bassitt 2xpt)	8-8
	2nd Quarter
	No Scoring	8-8
	3rd Quarter
COR	Dominic MacHale 30yd Pass from David Lomansey	14-8
ULV	Seamus Hogan 10yd Run (1xpt)	14-15
	4th Quarter
ULV	Seamus Hogan 5yd Run (1xpt)	14-22

Shamrock Bowl XXII 2008 – Dublin Rebels 12 UL Vikings 14

Dublin Rebels 12 University of Limerick Vikings – Adrian Garvey scored a Touchdown run for the UL Vikings, winning the MVP Award in the process as the Limerick side won Shamrock Bowl XXII 14-12 in a close game against the Dublin Rebels. Darragh O’Callaghan with an Interception Return and Seamus Feehan with a two-point conversion were the other Vikings scorers. The Rebels points came from a Paul Smyth Touchdown, which was converted for one point, a Paul Grogan Field Goal, and a Penalty Safety.

At CIT Stadium, Cork	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
University of Limerick Vikings					14
Dublin Rebels					12

Team	Scorers	Score
ULV	Adrian Garvey, TD Run
ULV	Darragh O’Callaghan Int Return TD (Seamus Feehan 2XPT)
REB	Paul Smyth TD (1XPT Good)
REB	Paul Grogan FG
REB	Penalty Safety

Shamrock Bowl XXXIII 2009

At Energia Park, Donnybrook, Dublin	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
Belfast Trojans	14	3	0	7	24
South Dublin Panthers	0	0	10	0	10

Team	Scorers	Score
	1st Quarter
TRO	Tom Morris 100yd Kick Return (Ben Sloan PAT)	7-0
TRO	Jona Siri 15yd Run (Ben Sloan PAT)	14-0
	2nd Quarter
TRO	Ben Sloan FG	17-0
	3rd Quarter
SDP	TD Pass (PAT Good)	17-7
SDP	Keith Lally 49yd FG	17-10
	4th Quarter
TRO	James McKelvey Run (PAT Good)	24-10

References

[1] Anon. (1986) “American flavour”Belfast Telegraph. Friday, August 8, 1986. pg. 26 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[4] Anon. (1986) “Bulldog Blues”Belfast Telegraph. Monday, November 6, 1991. pg. 16 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

[9] Anon. (1989) “Team Profile: Dublin Celts” World American Football. Vol. 2 Issue 1. 30 November – 5 December 1989. pg. 14.

[10] O’Brien, Alan (1995) Tornadoes breeze past Carrickfergus to claim third straight Irish title.First Down. 7 October 1995, pg. 21.

[14] Naughton, L. (1999) Tigers roar. Evening Herald. Saturday, 21 August 1999, pg. 111.

[15] Andrew Dennehy (2001) “Rebels’ yell dims lights for Knights”First Down December 20-26, 2001. Pg. 27

[16] Irish American Football Scene – Wayback Machine (2002) Shamrock Bowl XVI: Knights Wipe Out Vikings [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20021015080618/http://www.iafs.co.uk/index.php?page=02dragonsatknights.php [Accessed 12 October 2018]

[17] Irish American Football Association | Wayback Machine (2003) Shamrock Bowl XVII | Sunday 10th August 2003 | Dublin Rebels Defeat Carrickfergus Knights in Championship Game [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20031002151756/http://www.irish-american-football.org:80/sbxvii [Accessed 4 January 2018]

[18] Anon. (2004) “Sports Round-Up: American Football” Irish Times. Monday, March 8, 2004. pg. 37 [Available online at: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/2004/0308/Pg037.html#Ar03700 ]

[21] Irish American Football Association (2007) SHAMROCK BOWL XXI [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/sbxxiindex.htm?fbclid=IwAR2HPWI-_4RXvnf4dmpZP833AsTMWVqv0w6k_pX02m1OYf6bZosFgXHg7cw [Accessed 15 May 2020]

Newspapers

[22] Naughton, Lindie (2008) “Garvey the hero for Vikings” Evening Herald. Thursday, August 14, 2008. Pg. 66 [Past copies of the Evening Herald are available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.]

Social Media

[33] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:”Oh my God!!!!!! We receive the kick and Tom Morris takes it 100 yards to the house!!! ” https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488492567864366[Internet] Available from: [Accessed 6 August 2019]

[34] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” Jona Siri does what Jona Siri does best. Skipping through tackles to find the endzone from 15 yards out.  ” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488508414529448 [Accessed 6 August 2019]

[35] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” We’re into the 2nd qtr here at Energia Park and the Trojans D get the ball back with a fumble recovery. ” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488548427858780[Accessed 6 August 2019]

[36] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” Ben Sloan with a FG on the stroke of halftime, everything is still to play for in the 2nd half. ” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488590861187870 [Accessed 6 August 2019]

[37] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” The Trojans are back out for the second half and will kick off the 3rd qtr ” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488615041185452 [Accessed 6 August 2019]

[38] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” Panthers strike first in the second half. A long pass sets up great field position and they reel it in in the corner of the endzone ” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488632197850403[Accessed 6 August 2019]

[39] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” Panthers are bringing it. A big drive ends in a FG from 40 yards.  ” [Internet] Available from:https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488661091180847 [Accessed 6 August 2019]

[40] South Dublin Panthers | Facebook (2019) Video, August 4, 2019:” A lot to reflect on and many things to be said about yesterday but we really have to take a  …” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2414267055301885 [Accessed 6 August 2019]

[41] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” We’re in the 4th qtr here and it’s a tense one score game. Trojans have the ball on the Panthers 15 yard line.  ” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488678371179119[Accessed 6 August 2019]

[42] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Post, August 4, 2019:” Trojans score!!!! It’s a classic James McKelvey QB sneak. ” [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/2488684944511795[Accessed 6 August 2019]

Images

[??] Anon. (1989) “Team Profile: Dublin Celts” World American Football. Vol. 2 Issue 1. 30 November – 5 December 1989. pg. 14.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to David Turner & Billy Graham (Belfast Blitzers).

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 30 October 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

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