LEAGUE ROUNDUP

AN UNREMARKABLE DREAM

Sapphire Dream 2 OPB 3

Veteran Bloodbowl owner Duncan Railton entered the league on Saturday with new elf team Sapphire Dream, hoping to recapture the glory won by previous champions Phoenix Phantoms and Parravon Pinheads. However in their opening match the elves showed they have a lot to learn if they are to challenge for silverware this season. The match started with the dark elves, owned by John Harris and coached by the one and only Poncey Pointy Eared Nonce, scoring quickly on their posession with the Elves equalising in almost the same time.

By half time however the unpronouncable QPB had taken the lead, sensibly scoring late on in the half to deny Sapphire Dream any chance of equalising. During this drive the warning signs that all was not well became apparent as poor blocking and woeful dodging led to the dark elves easiest touchdown of the season.

After the break, as the elves tried to bring the game back to 2-2 the team suddenly fell apart and poor blocking and even worse dodging saw the Sapphire Dream thrower wide open. QPB quicly took advantage, turning the elves over and making it 3-1 in short shrift. At the end of the match the elves did manage a spell of competent play to pull the score back to 3-2 but by then the damage had already been done.With a 2-0 win over the horde team Night's Watch QPB now have 2 wins under their belt and look likely to be one of the main contenders this season while Sapphire Dream badly need a win to get their season up and running.

DESTINY OF DEATH!

No-one really knew what to expect from the unknown Norse team Valhallan Destinies when they turned up to the Peaks stadium on Saturday and few commentators would have thought that the slightly dishevelled looking players would have become headline news after their two matches. The first saw them pitted against rookie lizardman team "Lightning Lizards". By half time, with the score at 3-0 to the norse the stadium suddenly saw a large increase in fans as everyone wondered if something special was about to happen.

That game ended 5-0, much to the neutral fans' approval, and as the lizardmen walked dejectedly off the pitch to their next game, the crowd watched with pent up excitement as the Mootland Wasps took to the pitch.The Wasps had pedigree, coming third in the prestigious (?) Stunty cup, featuring a range of teams made up of "little guys". This however was the Albion league.

It is hard to desribe what happened in the next hour, as the Destinies rattled home a 3-1 victory. Piles of halflings lay haphazardly around the pitch in bloody heaps and at the final count the norse had killed two, seriously injured six and badly hurt another four! Some quick record checking confirmed that the norse had equalled the Albion League all time casualty record, set by the Legion of Death back in '97! Top of the league and with a reputation of destruction, the Destinies are now the ones to watch in the ABBL!

LEAGUE ROUNDUP

A number of games took place in the Forge Stadium Complex this week with eleven teams completing their games and entering the league. This didn't include Norse By Norsewest or One More Time Again however, who failed to finish their match which had got to half time during the week! The league commissioner, Dave Bone, was unruffled, saying "Its up to them to sort it out".

Dave Bone's team made a good start to the league too, beating the goblins, Dodge Boot, and destroying the Red Rippas who may be forced to return under a different name! Dodge Boot then went on to earn a creditable draw against the Warriors. Matt Cooper, veteran coach was certainly not impressed with his norse team at the end of the game.

Warpstone 13 made a return to the league by narrowly beating the rather competent looking dwarf outfit Karak Norn Blitzers. However the skaven team once again failed to return the league trophy which they have been hoarding since they won it in '04! The win takes them into the top half amongst the other teams with a 100% win record. Still, only one team has played three, the nurgle team That's a Good Question, so there is still plenty of time for upsets and surprises in the ABBL autumn '07 season.