Shamrock Bowl XXI
Encyclopedia
Shamrock Bowl XXI was played on July 29, 2007 at UL Sports Ground, Limerick to decide the Irish American Football League (IAFL
) champion following the 2007 regular season. This Shamrock Bowl
hosted two teams from the IAFL South division, the University of Limerick
Vikings and the Cork Admirals. The Vikings won the first Shamrock Bowl title in their team history, previously losing their last two in 2002 and 2006. This was the Cork Admirals' first Shamrock Bowl appearance.
The game finished 22-14 to the Vikings, courtesy of three rushing touchdowns from game MVP Seamus Hogan.
-Wild Card-
Belfast Trojans - 0 Cork Admirals - 30*
-Semi Final-
Belfast Bulls - 2 UL Vikings - 44*
Cork Admirals - 8* Dublin Rebels - 6
Alain Pezeron which got them a first and goal on the Vikings 3 yard line. Two plays later, Cork’s Keith O’Callaghan scored from 3 yards out, following the linemen to the goal line. Pezeron got the 2 point conversion to make the score 8-0 Admirals.
The Vikings got back into the game shortly afterwards. Quarterback
Chris Bassitt led them down field on helped by running backs Andrew Gordon and Seamus Hogan, before Hogan scored a touchdown
on a 5 yard run up the middle. Bassitt got the 2 point conversion to level the scores at 8-8. Both defenses dominated the second quarter in which there were a number of good defensive plays on both sides of the ball. The Vikings defenders Declan O’Donnell, Damien Laffan and Alan O’Carroll made a number of key tackles. On the other side of the ball, the Admirals defensive line of Marcus Gates, Ross McCullough and Barry Rea forced some tackles for loss. With less than 5 minutes to go to half time, Vikings' cornerback Daniel Smith got the first turnover of the day when he picked off a pass intended for Dominic MacHale. However, Vikings' kicker Adrian Garvey missed a field goal and the score remained 8-8 until the half.
The Vikings defense stopped the Cork Admirals again, forcing them to punt the ball early in the 4th quarter. This time the Vikings caught the Admirals' defense off guard as they went to the air with a long pass from Bassitt to receiver Marc Ashworth who was stopped on the Admirals 5 yard line. On the next play, game MVP Seamus Hogan sealed the award with his third touchdown of the day, as he bounced his run to the right and found the corner of the endzone, which was also converted to give the Vikings a 22-14 lead. However, the game was far from over. Admirals quarterback David Lomasney led the Admirals on a long drive, during which O’Callaghan and Pezeron both contributed big yardage. After Seamus Hogan stopped O’Callaghan just short of the endzone, the Admirals looked like they would be sending the game into overtime with a first down on the Vikings 2 yard line. However, the Vikings defense came up with their best defensive performance of the afternoon and held them out on all four downs. The Vikings then tried to run out the clock on the ensuing possession, but were forced to punt after only picking up one first down. With just over 2 minutes remaining, Daniel Smith got off a great punt, pinning the Admirals back inside their own half. But the Admirals still had more than enough time to score. They picked up a couple of first downs, but were stopped on 4th down with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock as they tried to convert with a Statue of Liberty play
to Alan Pezeron. The Vikings then kneeled down to win their first ever Shamrock Bowl, 22-14.
ULV /8/0/7/7
Irish American Football League
The Irish American Football League is a fully kitted American football league in Ireland. Founded in 1984, it consists of 14 teams, with 2 having joined the league in 2010. The league generally runs from March through to August, ending with two teams competing for the Shamrock Bowl...
) champion following the 2007 regular season. This Shamrock Bowl
Shamrock Bowl
The ‘’’Shamrock Bowl’’’ is the championship game of the Irish American Football League , the highest level of professional American football in Ireland, culminating a season that begins in March of the current calendar season. The Shamrock Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than...
hosted two teams from the IAFL South division, the University of Limerick
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...
Vikings and the Cork Admirals. The Vikings won the first Shamrock Bowl title in their team history, previously losing their last two in 2002 and 2006. This was the Cork Admirals' first Shamrock Bowl appearance.
The game finished 22-14 to the Vikings, courtesy of three rushing touchdowns from game MVP Seamus Hogan.
2007 IAFL Playoffs
The 2007 playoffs were played by- Belfast BullsBelfast BullsThe Belfast Bulls were an American football team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The team closed down operations in 2008 due to financial problems.-Overview:Coached by HC Rod Thompson, the team was founded in 2002...
, - Belfast TrojansBelfast TrojansThe Belfast Trojans are a team formed in January 2006,and have competed in the IAFL since 2007.They are a fully kitted team, and play NCAA rules in full contact....
, - Dublin RebelsDublin RebelsThe Dublin Rebels are the most successful team in Irish American Football League history with seven National Championships , four league titles, two European crowns and registering the perfect season with no defeats in 2006 and again in 2010.They are members of the IAFL Central division, and have...
, - University of Limerick VikingsUniversity of Limerick VikingsThe University of Limerick Vikings are the American football team from the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland. The team currently competes in the Irish American Football League...
, - Cork AdmiralsCork AdmiralsThe Cork Admirals are an American Football team that play in the Irish American Football League . The team is based in Bishopstown, Cork in the newly constructed CIT Stadium.The team was formed in 2002, playing along with 4 other teams that year....
-Wild Card-
Belfast Trojans - 0 Cork Admirals - 30*
-Semi Final-
Belfast Bulls - 2 UL Vikings - 44*
Cork Admirals - 8* Dublin Rebels - 6
Shamrock Bowl pregame news
The University of Limerick Vikings were heavily favoured going into the game because Shamrock Bowl XXI was being played on their home ground in UL Sports Grounds, and having Shamrock Bowl experience.1st Half
Cork got off to a great start when kick returner David Barry took the opening kick-off back deep into Vikings territory. The Admirals threatened to score, but were stopped on the 15 yard line by the Vikings defense. The Admirals defense held the Vikings offence on their very first possession of the game, forcing them to punt the ball. The key play for the Admirals on the ensuing possession was a 40 yard draw play by fullbackFullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Alain Pezeron which got them a first and goal on the Vikings 3 yard line. Two plays later, Cork’s Keith O’Callaghan scored from 3 yards out, following the linemen to the goal line. Pezeron got the 2 point conversion to make the score 8-0 Admirals.
The Vikings got back into the game shortly afterwards. Quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Chris Bassitt led them down field on helped by running backs Andrew Gordon and Seamus Hogan, before Hogan scored a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
on a 5 yard run up the middle. Bassitt got the 2 point conversion to level the scores at 8-8. Both defenses dominated the second quarter in which there were a number of good defensive plays on both sides of the ball. The Vikings defenders Declan O’Donnell, Damien Laffan and Alan O’Carroll made a number of key tackles. On the other side of the ball, the Admirals defensive line of Marcus Gates, Ross McCullough and Barry Rea forced some tackles for loss. With less than 5 minutes to go to half time, Vikings' cornerback Daniel Smith got the first turnover of the day when he picked off a pass intended for Dominic MacHale. However, Vikings' kicker Adrian Garvey missed a field goal and the score remained 8-8 until the half.
2nd Half
The second turnover of the game came on the very first play from scrimmage after half time. Admirals linebacker Martin Mulvey recovered an Andrew Gordon fumble to give the Admirals the ball on the Vikings 20 yard line. The Admirals scored a touchdown shortly afterwards on a pass from David Lomasney to receiver Dominic MacHale to give them a 14-8 lead. The Vikings then drove into scoring range getting a 1st and goal on the Admirals 5 yard line. However, a defensive stand by the Admirals prevented a score after they stopped the Vikings on 4th down. The Vikings defense then ensured that their offense got the ball back in good field position when they forced the Admirals to punt after not picking up much yardage on the ensuing possession. This gave the Vikings the ball at midfield and, through runs by Bassitt and Gordon, they got to the 10 yard line. Then Seamus Hogan scored his second touchdown, running up the middle on a draw play and pushing the ball over the goal line as Admirals defenders attempted to tackle him. Adrian Garvey's single point conversion gave the Vikings a one point lead.The Vikings defense stopped the Cork Admirals again, forcing them to punt the ball early in the 4th quarter. This time the Vikings caught the Admirals' defense off guard as they went to the air with a long pass from Bassitt to receiver Marc Ashworth who was stopped on the Admirals 5 yard line. On the next play, game MVP Seamus Hogan sealed the award with his third touchdown of the day, as he bounced his run to the right and found the corner of the endzone, which was also converted to give the Vikings a 22-14 lead. However, the game was far from over. Admirals quarterback David Lomasney led the Admirals on a long drive, during which O’Callaghan and Pezeron both contributed big yardage. After Seamus Hogan stopped O’Callaghan just short of the endzone, the Admirals looked like they would be sending the game into overtime with a first down on the Vikings 2 yard line. However, the Vikings defense came up with their best defensive performance of the afternoon and held them out on all four downs. The Vikings then tried to run out the clock on the ensuing possession, but were forced to punt after only picking up one first down. With just over 2 minutes remaining, Daniel Smith got off a great punt, pinning the Admirals back inside their own half. But the Admirals still had more than enough time to score. They picked up a couple of first downs, but were stopped on 4th down with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock as they tried to convert with a Statue of Liberty play
Statue of Liberty play
The Statue of Liberty is a trick play in American football, occasionally seen in high school football, college football and the NFL.-Execution of the play:...
to Alan Pezeron. The Vikings then kneeled down to win their first ever Shamrock Bowl, 22-14.
Scoring summary
Cork /8/0/6/0ULV /8/0/7/7