Leicester Panthers fall to defeat in season opener

The Leicester Panthers lost their first game back after a 27-year-break since playing under that name, as they fell to a 61-24 defeat against a strong Edinburgh Wolves side.

 

The Leicester Panthers American football team travelled to Edinburgh on Easter weekend to face the Edinburgh Wolves in the Premier Division of American Football in Britain, but were unable to get the better of the experienced Scottish team, losing 61 – 24.

 

With just under 12 weeks to bring players together under new head coach Stuart Franklin after the Panthers brand replaced the previous iteration as the Leicester Falcons, they were riding high on anticipation heading up north, with 44 players travelling, but fully aware of the challenge that awaited them.

 

 

Both sides exchanged punts on each of their first possession, the Panthers finding the end zone first as receiver Aqeel Diwan beat his defender down the sideline and hauled in quarterback Tom Jarratt’s pass for a 40-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked but the Panthers had a 6-0 lead.

 

It didn’t take the Edinburgh offence long to respond, with a 36-yard touchdown pass of their own as well as getting the extra point to take a 7-6 lead.  The Wolves' defence then held the Panthers to punts on their next two drives.

 

The second punt was fumbled, though, and the ball recovered in the end zone by Parm Sidhu for a Panthers touchdown. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful but the Panthers had restored their lead, making the game 12 – 7.

 

The Wolves team's experience began to show as they marched 80 yards on their next drive to score their second touchdown. The Wolves then forced several errors from the Panthers which led to three more touchdowns for a halftime score of 34 – 12.

Anything can happen on any play in American Football, and this was evident on the kick off to open the second half, as the Panthers swarmed on the ball carrier to force a fumble which Peter Duah neatly collected and ran into the end zone to make the score 34 – 18.

 

The efficiency of the Wolves offence and the ability of their defence to force Panthers errors led to another four touchdowns in the second half.  The Panthers finished strongly, with an eight-play 68-yard drive, with Peter Duah running into the end zone from 24 yards to finish the game 61-24. After a strong start the Panthers were unable to hold off the more experienced Wolves who were the better side on the day.

The loss is a setback for the Panthers season as they aimed to return with a victory. Despite the defeat the Panthers are proud of the performance and have set the foundation of being a strong hard to beat team ahead of the long season.

The Panthers now have a few weeks off before their home opener at Leicester Forest Rugby club on Sunday, May 7. Tickets will be on sale shortly, more information will be posted in the coming weeks.