AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Oxford Saints 19 Ipswich Cardinals 0The Cardinals took just 17 players to Oxford on Sunday to face the undefeated league leaders. Hit by injuries, holidays and work commitments, the remaining playing squad fought bravely throughout but with people playing virtually every play one after another against the Saints' 40-man roster, the writing was on the wall.

Oxford saints 19 ipswich cardinals 0

The Cardinals took just 17 players to Oxford on Sunday to face the undefeated league leaders.

Hit by injuries, holidays and work commitments, the remaining playing squad fought bravely throughout but with people playing virtually every play one after another against the Saints forty man roster, the writing was on the wall.

The thing everybody felt the most annoying about the 19 - 0 loss, was that despite their record, the Oxford team really aren't that good. The three touchdowns they scored were all the result of Ipswich mistakes brought about by people playing in unfamiliar positions, fatigue or a missed assignment.

Man of the match went to Cardinals running back Mark Wallace, who had a tremendous day carrying the ball and returning kick-off's and punts although every one of the seventeen players that gave their all on the day deserve enormous credit.

The easy option would have been to not travel and concede the game as the Maidstone Puma's had the week before but the Cardinals owner and general manager Ralph Alexander was disgusted at the thought of such an idea and the Ipswich coaches and players all agreed that if you have eleven kitted players then the game should go ahead.

The Saints were held very effectively by the visiting defense in the first half and the game was very evenly

balanced.

Ipswich were unlucky not to be awarded a two-point safety when the Oxford quarterback was hit in his own

endzone – he just released the ball as he was near the ground and it was caught by another offensive player.

Also, a pass from quarterback Ian Girling to tight end Andy Cowling was intercepted in the Saints endzone and kicker Sandy Francis was centimetres wide with a long field goal attempt.

All those scoring opportunities resulted in no points though and Lady Luck also deserted the Cardinals in the

closing stages of the first half when Girling was hit while throwing a pass, only for the ball to float straight

into the hands of a Saints linebacker who gleefully ran it in for a touchdown.

The second half took its toll on the visitors with numerous substitutions taking place as players faded in the exhausting conditions.

Safety Nick Foxley made the tackle of the season, blasting into a Saints receiver to jar the ball away from the pole-axed attacker and it was seeing plays like that being made that kept the squad going.

Two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter by the hosts kept their undefeated season on track but the plucky Cardinals can still make the play-offs if they win their remaining two league fixtures. With a full and fit team this result could have been very different indeed, don't write the Cards off just yet.