After a week to lick their wounds from two heavy defeats
the Devils found themselves on the road again this past Sunday
(May 8th), facing a team they have not played since 2007 in
the shape of the Watford Cheetahs. The Devils took a depleted
squad down to Watford and after a slightly delayed kickoff the
Devils started out sluggishly. As has become customary over
recent seasons the Devils were beaten out of the box by the
opposition and the Cheetahs quickly raced out to a 13-0 lead.
Receiving the opening kickoff Watford picked up yards quickly
and efficiently making short work of the Devils defence as the
Cheetahs opened their account with a 4 yard run. The extra point
kick was blocked by Devils' lineman Stuart Holland to limit
Watford to 6-0 lead. As if the Cheetahs rapid fire opening wasn't
bad enough the Devils then gifted Watford another touchdown
after their attempt with the ball came to nothing. A special
teams gaffe saw the ball fly over the head of punter Adam Whitbourn
who was then unable to recover the football. The Cheetahs recovered
the ball and then kicked the extra point to establish that early
13-0 lead, brining back unwanted memories of the Devils nightmare
start against Essex just two weeks earlier.
However for the remainder of the first half an undersized and
undermanned Devils defence was able to hold its own against
a bigger Cheetahs' offense, limiting Watford to just one more
score late in the 2nd quarter. The Devils improved defensive
performance was more than creditworthy with first year players
starting at 5 of the 11 defensive spots and 3 players making
their first starts of the season. The defence was led by Billy
Reams Jr., an American making his first start for the Devils,
who made an outstanding start to his Devils career with 17 total
tackles, leading by example for an otherwise largely inexperienced
team.
The Devils defence fought on manfully all game long but was
given little to no help by the offense who struggled to get
out of first gear against a swarming, aggressive Cheetahs defence.
A 15 yard run from impressive rookie running back Sam Eastwell
was a rare bright spot for the Devils offense which for the
first time this season failed to score as Watford pitched their
second shutout in as many games this season.
Mathematics got the better of the Devils in the second half
as their squad of 22 was hit by injuries and fatigue in the
second half the Cheetahs, boasting a squad of more than 40,
were able to pour on two more scores without reply to leave
the Devils down 37-0 midway through the 4th quarter. At this
point, and following a pair of injuries to linemen the Devils
were left with no choice but to concede the game for reasons
of player safety, not having sufficient players to complete
the game.
The Devils now have a week to heal up, lick their wounds and
work things out before they again take to the road. The Devils
third straight road game is against the Bedfordshire Blue Raiders
next Sunday, May 22nd, at the Bedford International Stadium;
the game will kickoff at midday.
