Ireland 27 England 7 – Dublin – 6 May 2000
Ireland 27 England 7 – While it was billed as Ireland’s first ever International Flag Football match, this was not the case, however it was to be memorable nonetheless, with Quarterback Aidan Kelly putting in an impressive preformance to marshall Ireland to a 27-7 triumph. Ireland opened the scoring on their second drive in the First Half with a 25-yard run by Brian Dennehy. Steve Gleeson added the extra point to make it 7-0. England replied almost immediately with their Quarterback Martin Brown connecting with Lawrence Tallon (Fen Harriers) on their next play from scrimmage, who sprinted 70 yards to the endzone. Midway through the First Half Ireland retook the lead when Brian Dennehy added a 20-yard reception and run. Padraig Reddington caught a 10-yard Touchdown Pass from Aiden Kelly and also addec the extra point to put Ireland 20-7 up at halftime.
England pressed hard after the break but failed on numerous occasions to convert possession deep in the Irish half to scores, with Stephen Dunne pull in two interceptions and Al Burke and Padraig Reddington combining for three sacks. Ireland took control of the game late in the Second Half, following Liam Farrell’s 20-yard Touchdown in the dying minutes, to make the final score 27-7. Ireland’s Coach Ian McGuinness was pleased with the win considering it was Ireland’s first ever match (since the Irish American Football Association was resurrected). The match was to become an annual affair with Ireland travelling to England for a return fixture in 2001.
| At Dublin | H1 | H2 | Total |
| England | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Ireland | 20 | 7 | 27 |
| Team | Scorers | Score |
| 1st Half | ||
| IRL | Brian Dennehy 25 Run (Steve Gleeson 1xpt) | 7-0 |
| ENG | Lawrence Tallon 65 Pass from Martin Brown (Ben Armstrong 1xpt) | 7-7 |
| IRL | Brian Dennehy 20 Pass from ?? | 13-7 |
| IRL | Padraig Reddington 10 Pass from Aiden Kelly (Padraig Reddington 1xpt) | 20-7 |
| 2nd Half | ||
| IRL | Liam Farrell 20 yd TD (PAT good) | 27-7 |
Ireland Team Roster
| Name | Team | Position |
| Coaches | ||
| Ian McGuinness | Drimnagh Cycos | Coach |
| Players | ||
| Aiden Kelly | Drimnagh Cycos | Quarterback |
| Brian Dennehy | Dublin Rebels | Running Back / Wide Receiver |
| Liam Farrell | Drimnagh Cycos | |
| Padraig Reddington | Drimnagh Cycos | Wide Receiver / Defensive Line |
| Steve Gleeson | ||
| Al Burke | Defensive Line | |
| Stephen Dunne | Drimnagh Cycos | Cornerback |
England Team Roster
| Name | Team | Position |
| Players | ||
| Lawrence Tallon | Fen Harriers | Wide Receiver |
| Marton Brown | Quarterback | |
| Ben Armstrong |
References
Newspapers
[1] Anon. (2000) “Kelly Comes to Ireland’s Aid” First Down May 11-17, 2000. Pg. 20
Websites
[3] BritballNow (2003)Britball Match Reports 2000-05-06 Ireland v England – [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Match%20reports/20000506IreEng.htm [Accessed 27 June 2018]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Liam Farrell & Peter Mullen, (Drimnagh Cycos) & Fiona Corrigan, Caoimhe Mullaney, Alan Delaney and John Kane
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American & World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 30 November 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
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