Final Standings

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	Pct
National Conference
*Belfast Blitzers	6	5	1	0	136	51	.833
*Dublin Celts	5	4	1	0	118	33	.800
*Craigavon Cowboys	6	3	3	0	80	74	.500
Dublin Tornadoes	6	1	5	0	58	123	.167
Irish Conference
*Labatt Belfast Spartans	5	3	1	1	80	99	.700
Carrickfergus Cougars	4	1	3	0	67	58	.250
Coleraine Chieftains	4	0	3	1	39	140	.125

Note: * Qualify for Playoffs. Belfast Giants pulled out of the league before the season started in a row over scheduling, no results recorded.

Playoff Results

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Finals
14.08.1988	Belfast Blitzers	26	Craigavon Cowboys	12
14.08.1988	Dublin Celts	45	Labatt Belfast Spartans	6
	Shamrock Bowl III
21.08.1988	Belfast Blitzers	6	Dublin Celts	34

Regular Season Results

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Week 1
17.04.88	Coleraine Chieftains	0	Dublin Tornadoes	46
17.04.88	Labatt Belfast Spartans	7	Carrickfergus Cougars	6
17.04.88	Belfast Blitzers	7	Dublin Celts	20
	Week 2
01.05.88	Craigavon Cowboys	32	Dublin Tornadoes	0
01.05.88	Coleraine Chieftains	7	Labatt Belfast Spartans	14
	Week 3
08.05.88	Belfast Blitzers	14	Craigavon Cowboys	3
08.05.88	Carrickfergus Cougars	0	Dublin Celts	37
	Week 4
15.05.88	Dublin Celts	14	Dublin Tornadoes	6
	Week 5
29.05.88	Dublin Tornadoes	6	Belfast Blitzers	36
29.05.88	Labatt Belfast Spartans	14	Carrickfergus Cougars	13
	Week 6
12.06.88	Belfast Blitzers	40	Dublin Tornadoes	0
12.06.88	Craigavon Cowboys	41	Labatt Belfast Spartans	13
	Week 7
19.06.88	Belfast Blitzers	20	Dublin Celts	19
	Week 8
17.07.88	Carrickfergus Cougars	48	Coleraine Chieftains	0
	Week 9
24.07.88	Craigavon Cowboys	3	Belfast Blitzers	19
24.07.88	Labatt Belfast Spartans	32	Coleraine Chieftains	32
	Week ??
??	Dublin Tornadoes	0 #	Craigavon Cowboys	1
??	Craigavon Cowboys	0	Dublin Celts	28

Report

The Dublin Celts won their second Shamrock Bowl 34-6 over the Belfast Blitzers in a surprisingly one-sided game considering the teams had split their two regular season games.

The two teams were well above everyone else, only losing to each other, with Craigavon Cowboys and Belfast Spartans winning three each to qualify for the semi-finals. Carrickfergus Cougars and Dublin Tornadoes both picked up easy wins against Coleraine Chieftains, otherwise losing all their matches. The Chieftains managed a shock tie with the Spartans to avoid a complete losing season.

The Belfast Blitzers were made to work hard against the Craigavon Cowboys in the Playoffs but eventually prevailed 26-12 to reach their first Shamrock Bowl, while the Celts made light work of the Spartans, winning 45-6, before the victory over the Blitzers in Shamrock Bowl III.

About

The 1988 season was the third of the Irish American Football League. 7 teams entered, down from 11 the previous season. New Teams: None. Non-Returning Teams: East Side Jets, Jordanstown Jaguars, Bangor Buccaneers. Belfast Giants went on hiatus for one season.

The top 4 teams from 1987 were placed in the National Conference, and the other three in the Irish Conference. After an unbalanced schedule of 6 games, the top 4 teams overall reached the Playoffs.

References

Sources

[2] (1988) “Celts’ home debut” Irish Independent. 14 May 1988. pg. 22

[3] (1988) “American Football” Irish Press. 30 May 1988. pg. 46

[4] (1988) “Scoreboard” American Football News. 28 July 1988. pg.

[5] (1988) “Ireland” American Football News. 18 August 1988. pg.

[6] (1988) “Shamrock Bowl report” American Football News. 29 September 1988. pg. 22

Websites

[1] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1988] [Other Kitted] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 27 February 2017]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to John Malone, Tony Meenaghan, Declan Mulvey & John O’Reilly

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 27 July 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019-2020

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