The Final Challenge For Coventry Bears

By Tom Beasley

It’s an exciting time for American Football in Coventry with the release of the new website. This excitement is exacerbated by the fact Bears have a team in every Under 18 section at the finals in Doncaster on Saturday 5th September in which the top two teams from England and Scotland compete for the ultimate accolade. All three teams qualified as English Conference champions, which is a remarkable achievement for the club.

Firstly, the cadet side, the reigning national champions have high hopes for victory, supported by Hannah Russell-Yarde (pictured right, photo by Chelle Bridges), captain and leading scorer of the team. She is described by head coach Andrew Gambrill as the side’s “main weapon” and is considered a bright talent to watch in the future, even at the tender age of 12. Hannah herself has a strong feeling going into the match, praising her colleagues saying that “the team has improved and worked really well”.

For the junior team, a difficult fixture lies ahead in the shape of Woodham Warriors, a formidable outfit who managed to clinch the title last year and the Bears’ likely opponent if they manage to progress to the final. However, Bears are not daunted by the task after the huge morale boost achieved by AJ Mepstead and Tom Clancy being invited to the Great Britain selection camp, an amazing honour for the two. Ruth Miller, 14, in her first year with the club seems up for it, enthusing: “It’s going to be a very exciting game to play in,” and that she is definitely “looking forward to the challenge”.

Also feeling good about the match are the youth team, who are flying high and, in the words of coach Andrew: “head into the finals with some momentum”. They have added a number of Great Britain internationals to the team that initially opened the season, as well as the experience of a plethora of previous national champions. One of the new stars is Jake Cooke (left), 16, who when interviewed said: “I am looking forward to the finals as it is a chance to watch and play with some of the country’s finest players, so I will able to learn and take on different playing techniques.”

He continued: “I believe these competitions do enhance your career as they give you friendly competitive edges and the will to improve at the game which will in turn increase your chances of enhancing you career in the sport "

These finals are a perfect opportunity for the Bears to increase their appearance as a major player on the national scene and one of the most formidable teams in the country.

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