The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Following a long weekend of action on the gridiron, a pair of new champions were crowned in the 6th Annual Bahamas Flag Football League Invitational.

The Chances Alliance returned the men’s title to Grand Bahama, while locally based Paradise Games Wildcats took the women’s title.

In an all Grand Bahama final, Alliance defeated the GB Shipyard Wreckers 3-0. The Wreckers came into the championship undefeated but lost twice to the Alliance in consecutive match ups 6-0 and then 3-0 in the finale.

On the women’s side, the Wildcats, in just their second tournament appearance, ran the table with a defence that did not allow a single score throughout the tournament.

In the championship game, they won 6-0 over the Panthers.

A total of 21 teams, including 11 male and 10 female teams from New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Cayman Islands, took part in the event hosted at the Winton Rugby Centre.

Participating men’s teams included the Predators, Spartans, Wreckers, Alliance, Rams, Lions, Bears, Avengers, Falcons, Warhawks and Cayman Islanders.

Women’s teams included the Bobcats, Eagles, Lady Avengers, Piranhas, Panthers, Lady Lions, Lady Spartans, Coyotes, Crushettes and Wildcats.

This year’s event saw a major increase in numbers when a total of just 11 teams participated - seven men’s and four women’s teams from the New Providence and Grand Bahama leagues.

The Alliance reclaimed the title they last won in 2012 after their fourth consecutive appearance in the championship game.

In 2012,  the Alliance defended home soil and defeated the Cayman Islands for their first title but followed with losses to the Predators in 2013 and 2014.

Prior to the tournament, Jayson Clarke, president of the BFFL, said the inter-island rivalry presents an added dynamic to the action on the field. “It really helps the appeal tournament. The reason is because Freeport has won the Nassau tournament, Nassau has won the Freeport tournament over the past few years and that just creates intense competition. This year a Nassau team won the Grand Bahama Flag Football League tournament in August,” he said. “All the leagues coming together is beneficial because you have a much broader spectrum and much broader reach for the exposure of the sport as well as the competition between the islands. This tournament is the biggest one yet.”