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A week after their first loss of the season in a cross-conference match against the Wildmen, the In D.A. N/a Police Dolts played host to the still undefeated Ultimate Team. The Ultimates feared slightly better against the same opposition, battling out a draw against the Wildmen in Week 3 and following that up with a first win of the season against The Panzerbourne. The Dolts loss was their first of the new season after getting off to a tremendous start, inevitably the uncertainty that a change at head coach brings will play a part in the remainder of the Dolts season.
The Dolts won the coin toss and elected to receive, the defence their faced was without the services of Troll Blocker Hardcore Scree who had been injured in practice during the week with a Broken Hand but still looked confident arrayed in a deep cover two formation. The Ultimates defence was tested early on with a pre-set move from the home team's training ground but it was not one that worked. The three Dolts' Elves combined to send Wood Elf Catcher Salina Black deep into the backfield thanks to a long pass from Tylana Sureflight after she had moved into enemy territory thanks to a running lane created by Witch Elf Svetlana Domina. Salina is one of the fastest players around and with just the smallest of gaps created separation from the forward lines. Her pace has contributed to her going over 50 rushing yards in the first half of the season.
Being so fast though, Salina was isolated in enemy territory. The Dolts had not managed to follow up the move by tying defenders down so there were more than enough on hand in the cover scheme to get to the Wood Elf. Jonny Gloom the Wight was the first Ultimates player to reach the pacy ball-carrier. Coming in from the side, he was able to knock the ball out of the arms of Salina and then push her away as it bounced down. The second part of the cover was able to take advantage in the form of Rudolf Nureyev, the Ultimates very own Wood Elf Catcher. Playing a lot more cautiously than his compatriot, Nureyev took the ball away from play and towards his own end zone rather than immediately return upfield. Nureyev's team-mates also showed composure by not bursting towards the Dolts lines but instead positioning themselves to protect their ball carrier. It was a tactic that paid dividends, the Dolts were unable to break through the lines and could not put any pressure on Nureyev.
The counter-attack was eventually launched by the Ultimates who again showed strong team-work. Rudolf passed the ball on to fellow Wood Elf, Thrower Smoove B and the Ultimates closed ranks around him. Again, it proved too strong a cordon for the Dolts to break and they could not stop a slow and steady progression down the field. That progression was only broken by the Ultimates themselves. As soon as they had reached Dolts territory, Rudolf Nureyev again took over. Showing fantastic pace, he rushed 10 yards through the Dolts backfield in an instant, seeming certain to score. The speed combined with a tuft in the field was Rudolf's undoing though, he stumbled just a couple of yards shy of the end zone and spilled the ball.
The ball had moved so far in such a short period of time that the Dolts were no longer in position to make an effective play. High Elf Thrower Tylana Sureflight attempted to intervene by fouling the prone Nureyev but it was a fairly ineffectual stomp and not even considered by referee Uriah Runner. With no other players around, Rudolf had only the Thrower to evade and had no difficulty in doing so, regaining possession and diving over the line for the opening score of the game, Nureyev's third of the season so far.
The first period was two-thirds of the way completed so an equaliser before the break would require the Dolts to press forward quickly. It was not to be though, Salina Black attempted to break through the Ultimates lines in the manner that she had achieved earlier but this time she failed to evade the tacklers. The fall effectively ended the Dolts play in the half though there was still time for the Ultimates to make an impact in the form of High Elf Lineman Mr Darcy and a blindside hit on Dolts Chaos Warrior Snurg "The Great". The blow Badly Hurt Snurg and rendered him unable to play for the rest of the match.
1-0 receiving to start the second period, the Ultimate Team were in a strong position at the break. The Dolts on the other hand had not made any real dent in their opponents either physically or with the ball. Having lost last time out, inexperienced Head Coach The Enforcer will have had to work hard to maintain team morale.
The second half did not begin any better for the home team. A touchback was handed to Rudolf Nureyev and the early platform of attack began to build. Before moving the ball, the visitors moved one of their opponents off the pitch. Lineman Hulk Hogan blocking Witch Elf "High" Lady Venice hard to the body and injuring her in the process. A player light, the line defence had to fill in the gap but again could not penetrate the Ultimates formation. With the Dolts trying to press forward to stem the attack before it could enter their territory, Rudolf Nureyev took his opportunity to make a break. Causing defenders to over-commit, Nureyev cut back to break the Dolts line and burst deep into the backfield once more. The electrifying acceleration left opponents grasping at shadows and only one player in a covering position. That player again was Tylana Sureflight, a player selected in the Krush on the basis of passing potential rather than for the ability to tackle a player with the skill of Rudolf Nureyev. It was something of a mis-match, Sureflight unable to stop the Wood Elf in full flight. The touchdown was inevitable and both side's players seemed to appreciate that, instead of moving towards the ball they started throwing blocks on whoever they could find. The Ultimates came off better, knocking out Troll Slayer Gordon Harbine and Ghoul A'Argch.
A second score of the game for Rudolf Nureyev effectively wrapped up the contest and only pride could be at stake with just under half of the second period remaining. The Fan Chant rising around The Cell told any neutral observer exactly who was winning, the visiting support lauding their team's efforts and the home fans greeting their players with derision at the next kick-off. The heckling did not get any softer when the action started, Norse Blitzer Sven Andersson attempted to lead the charge but found himself the victim of a sneaky trick that backfired. The groundstaff had clearly covered up a Trampoline Trap very effectively and not told Andersson where it was, he rebounded into the stands of The Cell and was knocked out by his own fans. That break gave the Ultimates an opportunity to seize the iniative once again. Amazon Thrower Mina Murray ran through the gap where Andersson had been to launch herself on top of the ball.
Mina's move had been bold but she had little support, only High Elf Mr Darcy could get close to defend her and the Dolts were able to swarm round and knock the Amazon down. The move did have the secondary effective of destroying any momentum that the Dolts might have picked up and they appeared to give up on the possibilty of scoring. The game petered out and a 2-0 win for the visiting Ultimate Team confirmed them as a genuine threat to make the post-season. The Dolts have now lost two straight out of three since new coach The Enforcer took over and will be desperately hoping that their strong start will be enough to see them through. The Dolts registered just 7 yards of rushing and will need to do a lot better than that if they are to survive the hunt for a playoff spot. The Dolts made little impression on the Ultimates despite their opposition being an expansion team and that will no doubt have pleased their Head Coach J who can now look forward to the remaining Southern Conference matches after taking four points from two cross-conference games.
Injuries: None
| Team |
CAS
|
Rush
|
Blocks
|
Downs
|
Pass
|
Dodge
|
Falls
|
Stand
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolts |
0
|
41
|
25
|
32
|
5
|
14
|
4
|
25
|
Ultimate |
2
|
33
|
15
|
22
|
15
|
12
|
5
|
5
|
Best Players:
Rudolf Nureyev: 2 TDs, 5 Rushes for 27 yards, 1 Completion for 5 yards, 1 Block, 1 Down, 6 Dodges, 1 Fall, 1 Stand, 1 Fumble
Tylana Sureflight: 1 Rushes for 4 yards, 3 Completions for 15 yards, 5 Blocks, 3 Downs, 1 Tackle, 5 Dodges, 1 Foul
Mr Darcy: 1 CAS, 4 Blocks, 2 Downs, 3 Dodges, 3 Stands