Picklebury Panthers 0-4 Langdon Christ-Punchers

Week 1: 05/07/06

The expansion ADF East bore witness to it's opening match at Knightmare Castle where the Christ-Punchers took on the Panthers. The Punchers are led by head coach J who was previously with Ultimate Team The Second and had a stint last season with The Panzerbourne. The Punchers have also invested in a few experienced players including 2003 championship winner Buckminster and are tipped as the team to beat in the Conference. The Panthers are more of an unknown quantity, head coach Blackrat not having any previous league experience.

The match ended up being somewhat one-sided, yielding the biggest win of the season so far. The Punchers showed that they have a passing game to watch, registering five completed passes during the match. Despite losing Lineman Dante Steel to an impetuous sending off at the opening whistle, the Punchers were two up at the half. A couple of passes opened up the end zone for Lineman Pippi McDeath while veteran Buckminster also picked up a score to close out the half. The touchdown was Buckminster's first in a career of now 28 games. The Panthers found the going tough and were only able to mount 9 yards of offence in the first period. The second half was nearly as one-sided and saw the score extended to 4-0 with a double from debutant Gutter Runner Yussef. The home side's only response was a couple of casualties brought about by a greater emphasis on a physical side of the game that the Punchers seemed less able to dominate.

The first riot of the season took place to conclude the match as the Knightmare Castle residents took exception to the defeat. They'll be looking for better in the upcoming fixtures. The Punchers will be able to use this result to announce their arrival and an early charge for the ADF East title.