“No play-offs this season... We will have to play in the ICS instead. From the match-ups and the regular season, this should be easy for the Albions, except that skilled elves are always tricky. Even heavily outnumbered they can pull off the most amazing feats. First opponent is the Elves of Albion. They have some very good players, and lots of inducements, which turns out to be a bribe and a wizard.

Weather is fair, and we got the fans behind us, and makes oOur first mistake of the day when choosing to receive. Usually better to let the elves have the first og at it, and see if we can beat the shit out of some of them before we start our own drive. Maybe I can claim it was a gut reaction to winning the coin toss?

The elves use all their players except their veteran thrower Sparrowgrass. They do an excellent kick, all the way to our endzone, but we hit their LOS hard, and Peeler gets is first cas of the day when rookie linelf Deepdale is sent off. Plucky elves hit back, and Eldertree wrestles Idler to the ground, and allows Greyeven to stomp on him with his boot, sending him off KO'd. Ref of course sees nothing. Mobster got the ball now, and advances it towards the centre of our half of the field. He is surrounded by skinks, but nevertheless, Hollowbrow hits him with his blitz, but can't bring him down. Fellslope helps his fellow elf, so it is now four skinks and a saurus against two clever elves. At the LOS, the other 4 saurii and Claws battles it out With 8 elves, but as 12th Elf fails a Dodge, he has to leave the field badly hurt. Scavengers are 10 against 9 now. WE send Three more saurii back to help, but they don't manage to blitz away the elves, who sticks like a burr to the ballcarrier. After another round of close up fighting, we battle the pesky elves away, and manage to move the ball to the middle of the Field, With Mobster surrounded by four saurii. The wizard enters the field and brings down Fraternizer and Protector, alowing Rosestaff a blitz on the ballcarrier wich sends Mobster off badly hurt, and the ball is free. However, Eldertree fails his pick-up (3+ with a RR), and we can concentrate on the problem of securing a ball when awash with sidestepping elves... Rosestaff is stunned, and Claws KO's Snowstaff, but Eldertree dodgedly sidesteps towards the ball, and only lucky bounces prevents the elves from getting their grubby hands on the ball. Fraternizer and Booster sends two more elves off KO'd, one of them is Eldertree, and with only rookie elf Greyeven deep into their own side, things are looking up... Wiggler gets the ball, and brings it forward, but the elves almost manage to blitz him, except that Hollowbrow fails his GFI when leaping and comes crashing down from the sky...Fellslope is also KO'd by Booster, and Wiggler is free to score. The elves console themselves with fouling and KO'ing team captain Fraternizer.

Still some time left on the clock, and Scavengers are down to 10, with Fraternizer still KO'd and Mobster badly hurt. Elves are Down to 8, With two badly hurt and two more KO'd. They try for another fouling, but Rosestaff fails to block Idler over, so they have to stay satisfied with a pass by Eldertree to Fellslope.

As second half comes around, we are up 1-0 and the elves have spent their wizard. However, they are receiving and they get Snowstaff and Evertree back so theiy are now 10 vs 10. Still, allowing an early elven score and thetn gettting Our own back before the game is over should be possible. A bad kick ends out of bounds, and the elves waste no time. they advance up their right side in a Cage, and we offer only token resistance and allow them to score quickly. 1-1 With Eldertree scoring for the elves.

Fraternizer is still not back, so we are 10 vs 10 for what will probably be the final drive of the game. Again, a good kick deep into our Territory. We take no chances and surround rookie ballcarrier Diver with three skinks and Protector. At the LOS, Claws sends off Snowstaff badly hurt and Brewer and Booster stuns their opponents. The elves try to slip in between our LOS and our ballcarrier, and gets six elves in positon, but Rosestaff's blitz of Wiggler fails and he goes crashing down. This allows the Scavengers to surf Fallenbright to make the Count 10 against 8, and to surround the ballcarrier with some more help, in the form of Claws and Idler. With another leap, Hollowbrow again flies high, but this time he comes down on top of Diver, who becomes KO'd. The ball is free, but bounces to a place where the elves can't get to it. More Close-up fighting arou nd the ball follows, and Idler sends another elf, experienced catcher Evertree, out KO'd. 9 vs 7 now, but the elves are staying close to the ball, battling it out at high cost to prevent the pickup. We proceed to stun Rosestaff and Cavindel, and that allows us some breathing Space, and Wiggler can pick up the ball and advance it to the midfield. But then, bam, comes jumping Hollowbrow and wrestles Wiggler to the ground. The ball is loose, and Eldertree dodes around the defending saurii, picks it up in a tacklezone and passes it to the endzone. Claws can't take such a reversal, and becomes confused in the critical moment an fals to cover the ball. And then, Sparrowgrass dodges elegantly a block from Brewer, who tumbles to the ground. Fellslope can dodge away from Protector, pick up the uncovered ball and run in the TD. 2-1 elves of Albion.

There is time enough for a score, but we are even in numbers and elves are fearsome enough when outnumbered... The fans become agitated and a hail of stones rains Down on the players, stunning Idler and Eldertree. Another excellent kick by the elves, and we are forced to protect the ball and send a lone Warrior through and into a scoring position. With only one player in a scoring position, though, the elves can easily cover him, and Fellslope brings him down. They are a bit sloppy in covering him though, allowing Claws and Booster to hit Fallenbright and send him off badly hurt. Warrior manages to get to his feet and Dodge away from Hollowbrow and into the end zone, but the three-square pass from Wiggler is fumbled, and the match ends 1-2 Elves of Albion.

A close game, but a loss nevertheless. Other Albion teams are doing better, though so we are ahead. No permanents, though so we are in good fighting condition for the next round :) Well played by Our opponent, who stayed Close and took the hits, and pulled it off with a spectacular gamewinning pick up and pass back into our end zone by Eldertree.
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