Issue 28/26 12th August 2026
BAFRA Newsflash | |||
2026 BAFA BOWL CREWS
Following a meeting of the BAFRA Selection Committee, the following crews have been selected for this year's Bowl games:
5th & 6th September
Britbowl | NWFL | U19 | |
R | James Ford-Bannister | Emma Harris | Will Fazackerley |
U | Stuart Young | Scott Castle | Kenny Glover |
D | Pete Thom | Roger Brown | Graham Coleman |
L | Ollie Maskell | Dave Moore | Joel Pearson |
B | Kieran Smith | Phil Clarke | Andrew Swift |
F | Henry Young | Shawn Sombati | Henry Richardson |
S | Euan Paterson | Mark Schofield | Jon Ireland |
C | Jed Brookes-Lewis |
30th August
Division 1 | Division 2 | |
R | Brian Yates | Keith Wickham |
U | Henry Richardson | Frank Eissa-Barroso |
D | Stuart Tabberer | Pete Thom |
L | Dean Wright | Lee Taylor |
B | Paul Todd | Euan Paterson |
F | Ben Gadsby | Dan Clarke |
S | Ian Rogers | Robert Cornwell |
C | Ali May | Amir Brooks |
Please join me in congratulating these officials and wishing them well for the games.
Ollie Maskell - Director of Operations
DISCIPLINARY CASES
NAME | # | TEAM | OFFENCE | SUSPENDED |
New this week | ||||
Ke'Eric Merrell | 22 | Cambridgeshire Cats | Two Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls | TBC - Next competitive game |
Tyrese Gayle | 96 | Kent Exiles (U16) | Flagrant Unsportsmanlike Conduct | TBC - Next competitive game |
Russell Polson | 4 | Yorkshire Rams | Two Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls | 16th August 2026 v Newcastle Vikings |
Previous weeks | ||||
Louis Cooke | 85 | Ipswich Cardinals | Fighting | 16th August 2026 v Plymouth Vanguard |
Laurie Beckett-Jones | 2 | Solent Seahawks (U19) | Targeting - Crown of Helmet | 16th August 2026 v London Blitz |
GAME MANAGEMENT REPORTS
HOME TEAM | REPORT | NEXT HOME GAME |
New this week | ||
Coventry Phoenix | 100-yard field marked in white, with other white markings also present. The game balls provided were being used for pre game practice, and one became flat during the game. Emma Harris #236 | Unknown |
Leicester Panthers | 90-yard field marked in yellow, with other sports markings in white. Team areas were marked with cones. Officials’ assistants were provided only 15 minutes before kick-off, and the down box operator was changed twice. Whilst suitably sized changing rooms were provided for the officials, there were no private showers or toilets. Food and drink were provided for officials after the game. Dave Black #574 | Unknown |
London Blitz | Spacious lockable changing room with chairs but no coat hooks or private showers. The communal showers continue to have very low pressure. One of the officials’ assistants was changed at half time. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Referee and Umpire swapped positions to reduce the loading on the Umpire's calf. One set of goalposts was noticeably wonky. The field was approximately 92% grass and 8% sand. Fresh lines had been painted on the sand prior to kickoff, though this deteriorated as the game went on. Ben Gadsby #564 | Unknown |
Manchester Titans | 90-yard field. No limit lines. Other sports markings present in proximity to the endzones. Officials’ changing room, though large, had no toilet or shower. David Hewitt #607 | 22nd August 2026 v London Blitz |
Newcastle Vikings | Upon arrival, the field was found to have had the five-yard lines remarked, and the field had been swept to redistribute the rubber pellets. All four sets of short yard line extensions were deemed so faint as to be missing. Kickoff was delayed by 20 mins for a groundsman to finish painting these (after much encouragement from Game Management). The game was streamed with commentary from Newcastle volunteers; comments were passed that their persistent anti-BAFRA tone was detrimental to the promotion of the sport. Game Management had to remove a supporter in the fourth quarter for using racist language towards a Glasgow player. The end of team areas had to be marked with cones. Ali May #42 | 16th August 2026 v Yorkshire Rams |
Oxford Saints | A well-marked 100-yard field, recently painted in blue. Other sports markings in white. Changing rooms were lockable with private shower and toilet. Will Fazackerley #227 | Unknown |
Rushmoor Knights | 100-yard field with goal posts constructed from extending soccer goals, and therefore the posts were 24' wide with an 8' high crossbar. Some lines were not straight. No limit lines. The changing room was compact for a crew of five and, while lockable with a private shower, did not have a private toilet. Prior to the start of Cambridgeshire's first drive in the first quarter, the game was suspended as a tornado formed in the home team's team area, causing damage to various structures, and then proceeded to cross the field before dissipating. The game remained suspended until all debris had been dealt with and everything was made safe. Peter Parsons #321 | Unknown |
Solent Thrashers | In some areas, the markings were faint and hard to see when the sun was reflecting from the opposite press box side. Keith Wickham #423 | Unknown |
U16 Semi-Final South (Kent Exiles) | A well-organised day, as always with the Exiles. Two fields marked across an 11-v-11 American Football field, with a large space between them. Instead of coaches' boxes, there were officials' boxes between the 5s. Fans were fenced behind end zones, with only accredited players and coaches on the sidelines. Changing room not lockable and tight for seven officials. Rosters were collected by Joe Walker, BAFA competition manager Ben Gadsby #564 | Unknown |
U16 Semi-Final North | Two Fields marked using 11-v-11 lines as sidelines and cones/pylons for halfway, goal line, and end line. No five-yard line or 12-yard mark. Team areas marked using cones. Referee microphone provided for one field. Changing room, while spacious for the eight officials assigned, had no toilet or shower facilities. Andrew Swift #403 | Unknown |
Outstanding items from previous weeks | ||
Ipswich Cardinals | Team areas marked between the 30-yard lines. Changing room could just about fit a crew of four. It had it’s own private shower and toilets though. Separate facilities were provided for the female crew member. Brian Yates #29 | 16th August v Plymouth Vanguard |
Lancashire Buccaneers | Field markings below full standards. Well-marked 100-yard field. No numbers or limit lines. Coaching and team areas were marked with cones. Steve Hall #512 | 16th August 2026 v Wakefield District Raiders |
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Date | Event | Contact for details |
BAFRA Directors | |||||
President | David Parsons | General Secretary | Richard Moger | ||
Finance | Mark Schofield | Operations | Oliver Maskell | ||
Recruitment | Emma Harris | Training | James Ford-Bannister | ||
Director without Portfolio #1 | Peter Parsons | Director without Portfolio #2 | Steve Tonkinson | ||
The opinions expressed in this Newsflash are those of the contributors, and not necessarily of BAFRA or its Directors. All Incident Reports to be submitted via www.bafra.info. Deadline for articles submitted by email (newsflash@bafra.info) is midnight Tuesday. |
