The London Olympians vs Watford Cheetahs (photo gallery)
[Olympians 28 - Cheetahs 0]

In shorthand it was a shutout by the London Olympians for whom every game counts towards closing in on a playoff spot. The team is gradually showing maturity that typifies what it means to be an Olympian with touchdowns coming from different units within the squad.

The Olympians took on the first drive of the game and managed to move the ball into the Cheetahs half before being halted. It was however, a fruitful drive because it gave the Olympians the opportunity to measure the might of the opposition. The Cheetahs took possession of the ball within their red zone and three plays on they were punting. Intense defending from the Olympians defence set a marker for the day as they completely dominated the opposition. On their next drive the Olympians literally hit the ground running with solid rushing from running backs Seun Shobande and Chris Forrester, sharing about 60 yards between them. The Cheetahs did manage to get another possession, though short-lived and the quarter ended scoreless.

The second quarter started with the Cheetahs punting to the Olympians and running back Toyin Dawuda returned the ball for 35 yards to the Cheetahs 10 yard line. Neale Canning, Olympians QB, then connected with wide receiver Folley Ogundele for the first TD of the game. The 2-point PAT attempt was unsuccessful so the score remained 6-0 to the Olympians. Watford Cheetahs responded well and from their kick return managed to get to their 35-yard line. This drive was kept on the ground but the intensity from the Olympians defence forced a fumble which was picked up by DB Leslie Oluwale-Wilson and returned for a 40 yard TD. Running back Adrian John not to be out done stepped up to run in the PAT to give the Olympians a 14-0 lead. Both sides swapped possessions and key to keeping the Cheetahs away from the end zone was DB Ashton Campbell's interception.

The Olympians played a well-balanced game on both sides of the ball which in no small way contributed to the shutout. Wide receivers Shaun Stillwell, Daniel Jeanton, Chris Davis and Kenny Bello made receptions that were delightful to watch. The key moments in this quarter were a 30 yard catch in congestion by Jeanton and defensive sacks from Lester Brandon, Artem Bakmanidis and Jon Gadbury.

A good fourth quarter put the Cheetahs completely out of the game and started with a 5 yard catch by Bello that was turned into a 40+ yard touchdown, sprung by excellent receiver blocking, to move the score up to 20-0 (PAT was unsuccessful). Bello went one better whilst on special teams and returned a punt for 70 yards to secure his second TD on the day. Receiver Ogundele obliged with the PAT conversion to complete the day's scoring of 28-0 to the Olympians.

The next game is at Essex Spartans on 16 August 2009, kick off is at 2:30pm.