Greetings sports fans! The highly anticipated fourth round of the Northern Wastes Blood Bowl league began with the high flying Iron Rock Greenskins travelling underground to Skavenblight to take on the battered and bruised Sons of Roland.
Despite the match taking place in sweltering subterranean conditions, for which the Skaven were well suited, it was the Orcs who were able to get on the scoresheet first as their defensive line turned over the Skaven possession to allow Blitzer Urgar Mangleclaw to run in the touchdown. As both teams reset for the next kick off, however, the oppressive heat took its toll on the Greenskins’ and an Orc Blitzer and a Black Orc Blocker both succumbed to the elements and retired to the dug out to recover.
Following the Greenskins' touchdown, the Sons’ received the kick off and quickly sent out a reminder of the devastating pace their offence possessed. Quick paws in the back line saw star Gutter Runner Cheesethief evade a number of clumsy Orc tackles and score an equalising touchdown that brought the partisan rat crowd to their feet. As the halftime whistle sounded, and with honours even, both sides repaired to their dugouts to recover from the heat with some ice cold chocolatey Nesquig. The second half brought with it better weather and saw the Greenskins tighten their grip on both the game and, ultimately, the three points. A second Greenskin score came as Thrower Morgrim Bolgrot found Urgar Mangleclaw who ran in for his second of the game before Bolgrot then secured the win for the Orcs by dumping off to Goblin Skarsnik the Foul who scurried over the line for his first touchdown of the season.
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The win for the Orcs saw them move, momentarily, to the top of the league and they bolstered their roster with the purchase of an additional Thrower, Lugnub Nobnails. Despite the defeat, the Sons also finished the game with a stronger roster as Thrower Darkclaw returned from injury and Sons’ coach Hugh ‘Dr Safety’ Foster unveiled his latest signing in the form of Kislevite Gutter Runner Napad'chiy Myshi.
The second game of the round saw the Tomb Titans play the Ironbeards in a clash that pitched the early league leading dwarf team against a Khemri side fresh from their first win of the league against the Buccaneers.
In a belligerent affair, the Titans’ well honed tactics of beating their opponents into a pulp and then shuffling the ball over the line triumphed over the Ironbeards’ well honed tactic of beating their opponents into pulp and waddling the ball over the line. Annointed Thrower Verte-Bray added to his growing reputation by scoring his second touchdown of the season whilst new signing Annointed Blitzer Tom-Ee-Coo-Pah made an immediate impact with a further touchdown to secure the Titan’s second 2-0 win in a row.
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The final match up of the round saw an all human clash with the table topping Lamprey Lightnin’ taking on the table propping Broekwater Buccaneers. Eager to secure their first win in the league, the Buccaneers were keen to capitalise on the absence of Lightnin’ Ogre Arnie Dumpkopff and were looking to the passing prowess of league leading thrower Eckel Reiss to take them to victory.
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The Buccaneers received the opening kick off only for a turnover see the Lightnin’ seize the initiative and take the opening score. Despite Buccaneers’ Ogre Ogrot the Slavering doing his best to reduce the match to a slugfest by putting two of the Lightnin’ out of action, the match was to be decided by the prowess of the Throwers and Catchers on display. And it was the twin catching threat of Olaf Oanzermann and Rik Rickenbakker and the direct running of debut Blitzer Tobias Wulff that ultimately won the day for the Lightnin’ who ended the match as 4-2 winners. For the Buccaneers, a victory continued to prove elusive but their roster remains in good shape and their fans believe it’s only a matter of time before they get one in the 'W’ column!
So as the league approaches the half way point of the regular season the Lightnin’ sit undefeated at the top of the league with the Iron Rock Greenskins snapping at their heels. The resurgent Tomb Titans sit in third place whilst the Ironbeards, despite two recent defeats, maintain their playoff credentials in fourth place. The
Sons of Roland, battle scarred but unbowed, are in fifth place whilst the Broekwater Buccaneers lie in sixth place ready to spring into action in the second half of the season!
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And so onto round five where we’ll see the Sons of Roland host the Tomb Titans, the Lamprey Lightnin’ take on the Ironbeards, and the Iron Rock Greenskins welcome the Broekwater Buccaneers to the Rock Bowl.