Lancashire Bombers crowned flag football champions for second year running

Lancashire Bombers, the American flag football team based in Oswaldtwistle, have been crowned Scottish Flag Football champions for the second year in a row.

Taking part in the Scottish Winter League, the three-day tournament took place at the Ravenscraig Centre in Motherwell.

The club’s U17s side were undefeated in all 11 of their matches, scoring more points than any of the teams taking part, ending with a goal difference of more than 300 points.

A dominant force in Scottish U17s flag football for two years now, the Lancashire Bombers team features girls and boys aged between 14 and 16, with Alex Bury, son of Head Coach Russ Bury, also being announced as the league’s best player.

The club’s success has not gone unnoticed, with nine of their players in the U17s Great Britain Development Squad, while three of their U17s were invited to the NFL Academy Trials last month.

To travel to the tournament, the Lancashire Bombers once again made use of the #AmazingAccrington community minibus, which is sponsored by Scott Dawson Advertising and iMEP International Music Event Production.

The 17-seater minibus is already being used by Clayton Boxing Club, Accrington Pipe Band, Great Harwood Rovers, Oswaldtwistle St. Paul Scout Group, Accrington Stanley Women, Maundy Relief, Accrington Cricket Club, and the Official Accrington Stanley Supporters Trust.

Lancashire Bombers are also big supporters of a 3G pitch bid for Great Harwood Rovers and last year attended a special meeting at the club with MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden, Sarah Smith, to discuss the progress of the £1m bid.

The new facility would provide a base for the Lancashire Bombers to play and train in all weathers.

Russ Bury, head coach of Lancashire Bombers, said: “We had a fantastic tournament and thoroughly deserved the title, going undefeated throughout.

“We are really growing as a club and to have won the tournament for two years in a row is a wonderful achievement for everyone involved.”

Eddy O’Brien, CEO of iMEP, said: “The idea behind the minibus was to fund a brand-new flagship #AmazingAccrington minibus to make it easier for our local sports teams to be able to travel to events like this, and it is great to see it making a big difference. A big congratulations to the Lancashire Bombers!”

Lancashire Bombers currently have two adult teams and a mixed Under 17 team, who compete all over the country in the BAFA (British American Football Association) League and Cups.

To learn more about iMEP, visit their website: www.imep.co.uk and to learn more about SDA, see their website here: www.scottdawson.co.uk