28 September 1986 – Musgrave Park, Belfast – Carrickfergus Cougars 8 Ayr Burners 28
Carrickfergus Cougars 8 Ayr Burners 28 – Mervyn Robinson scored Carrickfergus Cougars only touchdown (ran in for a two point conversion by D. Moran) as they fell 8-28 to Scotland’s Ayr Burners in the EFL International Challenge Cup at Musgrave Park, Belfast in 1986.
| At Musgrave Park, Belfast | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| Ayr Burners | 28 | ||||
| Carrickfergus Cougars | 8 |
| Team | Scorers | Score |
| CFC | Mervyn Robinson TD (D. Moran 2xpt Run) |
1987 – Belfast Giants 0 Ayr Burners 48
Belfast Giants 0 Ayr Burners 48 – The Belfast Giants suffered a heavy 48-0 loss to the BAFL Scottish Division team Ayr Burners in the second EFL International Challenge Cup.
10 April 1988 – Annadale, Belfast – Belfast Tennents Giants 21 Ayr Burners 0
Tennent’s Giants 21 Ayr Burners 0 – Tennent’s Belfast Giants gained revenge for a 48-0 defeat in the corresponding fixture the year before when they triumphed 21-0 over Scottish team Ayr Burners in the European Football League’s International Challenge Cup. This was the third year of the Cup and the Giants took home the trophy thanks to two 70 yard Touchdown runs by Halfback John Wilson (one of which was converted by kicker Billy Allen) and a 75 yard Interception Return as well as a Safety (worth two points) by Linebacker Sean Sloan.
| At Annadale, Belfast | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| Ayr Burners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Belfast Tennent’s Giants | 21 |
| Team | Scorers | Score |
| BTG | John Wilson 70 yd Run | |
| BTG | John Wilson 70 yd Run | |
| BTG | Sean Sloan 75 yd Int Return | |
| BTG | Sean Sloan Safety | |
| BTG | Billy Allen PAT |
Report
The International Challenge Cup was a European Football League regional competition that ran from 1986 to 1988 below the level of the Eurobowl. Ireland’s representatives were the Carrickfergus Cougars in 1986 and the Belfast Giants (known as Tennent’s Giants in 1988 for sponsorship reasons) in 1987 and 1988. The opposition on all three occasions was British American Football League Scottish Conference outfit the Ayr Burners. After two losses in 1986 (Carrickfergus lost 8-28) and 1987 (Belfast Giants lost 0-48) the Tennent’s Giants finally won the Trophy for Ireland when they defeated the Ayr Burners 21-0 in 1988.
References
Websites
[1] Britball Now (2009) British and Irish Friendly results against foreign opposition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/UKClubsForeignOppo.html [Accessed 16 November 2017]
[2] Britball Now (2009) Results in Euro Competition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-in-euro-competition.html [Accessed 1 November 2016]
[3] Irish American Football Association (2002) OTHER EVENTS: [Internet] Available from: http://americanfootball.ie/iafl/otherevents02.htm [Accessed 20 March 2018]
[4] Belfast Spartans (2020) Player Profiles [Internet] Available from: http://www.belfastspartans.co.uk/player-profiles.html [Last Accessed 22 April 2020]
Newspapers
[6] 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.
[7] Anon. (1988) “Giants get their revenge’” Belfast Telegraph. Tuesday, April 12, 1988. pg. 20 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
Websites
[9] Britball Now (2009) Results in Euro Competition [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-in-euro-competition.html [Accessed 1 November 2016]
[10] Britball Now (2009) Results Section [1990] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 1 November 2016]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to David Turner (Belfast Blitzers)
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 5 February 2021
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020-2021
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.