Youths claim 3rd place at BiSHA Nationals

Swindon Flames Youth team finished in third place in the National Championships at Bisley just edging out Brighton Street Stormers 7-6 in the third place play-off. For the second year running Swindon finished as the highest placed team from the Southern Area (SASH). Drawn in a tough group things initially did not look promising when they were held to a 4-4 draw by Borehamwood Crusaders. In a tight game the Flames kept taking the lead only to be pegged back but looked on for the win when they scored the 4^th goal with only 4 minutes left. A minor penalty inside the last 2 minutes left the side short-handed but they seemed to have survived the onslaught only to be cruelly denied when the Crusaders hit the equalising goal with 2.5 seconds left. In their second game they faced the tournament favourites and eventual champions Northern Honey Badgers who were comprised entirely of GB puck internationals. The Flames side refused to be overawed and kept the game tight until 2 goals in a minute put the Badgers in control. A Jack Townsend goal left them one goal in arrears at the break and then the Flames had the audacity to pull level halfway through the second-half. The Badgers eventually managed to edge in front but Alex Baker again levelled the scores with a calmly taken penalty shot before the Badgers finally managed to see the game out with two goals in the last 6 minutes. This left the Flames bottom of their group after 2 games but other results meant that going into their final game against Crazy Bones they knew that a draw would be enough to put them into the semi-finals. Although Crazy Bones took the lead the Flames eventually clicked into gear and ran out 6-1 winners. The tournament schedule meant that the Flames only had a 30 minute break before their semi-final against the London Street Warriors who also had a bigger squad. Despite taking the lead fatigue eventually took over and the Warriors ran out 6-3 winners to make the Final whereas The Flames had to settle for a third-place play-off game against SASH rivals Brighton Street Stormers. In a tight game the Flames found themselves 4-3 down at the break but bounced back in the second period with 4 goals to just edge out their opponents and take a well-earned third place. The whole team all played their part in a successful tournament and team captain Alex Baker was selected for the tournament dream team. 

Flames Team – Alex Baker ©, Jack Townsend (a), Jake Silvester (n/m), Oliver Thompson, Will Harding, Ryan Couling, Robert Branston, Ryan Holland, Ryan Walters, Luke Knight