Tag: OVE

VIDEO | Bedford Open Session Highlights

09 Nov
Michael Dilley All News, Come and Try, Flag Football, Senior Football, Youth Football , , , ,

Did you attend Sunday’s Open Session at the University of Bedfordshire? Check out highlights of the session here, as well the plan for the rest of November…

Open to those interested in playing for the Ouse Valley Eagles senior (18+), Bedford Blackhawks Youth (13+) and Milton Keynes Redwings (13+) full contact teams, as well as the Blackhawks senior flag (16+) team, we will be running three further Open Sessions during November:

– Sunday 12th November | Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes (12pm-2pm)
– Sunday 19th November | Northampton High School, Northampton (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 26th November | Lealands High School, Luton (10am-12pm)

To register your interest please complete the form below, get in touch via Twitter or keep your eye out for the events on our Facebook page.

Your privacy is important to us. For more details about how we use your personal data, please read our Privacy Statement. We would like to send you additional information that is relevant to you. By ticking the boxes below you consent to receive information about:

Rookie SessionsTraining SessionsUpcoming Events

We will not pass your details to third parties. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time by emailing gdpr@oveagles.com or using the opt-out facility on each email.

VIDEO | Coaches on Bedford Open Session

08 Nov
Michael Dilley All News, Come and Try, Senior Football, Youth Football , , , ,

Following Sunday’s Open Session at the University of Bedfordshire, we caught up with Eagles DC Kevin Kong and Blackhawks Youth Head Coach Nick Benning to get their thoughts on the session…

Open to those interested in playing for the Ouse Valley Eagles senior (18+), Bedford Blackhawks Youth (U17) or Milton Keynes Redwings (U17) full contact teams as well as the Blackhawks senior (16+) flag team, we will be running three further Open Sessions during November:

– Sunday 12th November | Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes (12pm-2pm)
– Sunday 19th November | Northampton High School, Northampton (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 26th November | Lealands High School, Luton (10am-12pm)

Register your Interest

To register your interest please complete the form below, get in touch via Twitter or keep your eye out for the events on our Facebook page.

Your privacy is important to us. For more details about how we use your personal data, please read our Privacy Statement. We would like to send you additional information that is relevant to you. By ticking the boxes below you consent to receive information about:

Rookie SessionsTraining SessionsUpcoming Events

We will not pass your details to third parties. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time by emailing gdpr@oveagles.com or using the opt-out facility on each email.

SENIOR | 2017 Highlights

21 Oct
Michael Dilley All News, Senior Football , ,

Ahead of next month’s Open Sessions, you can check out the Ouse Valley Eagles highlights from the 2017 season here:

Open to those interested in playing for the Ouse Valley Eagles senior (18+) or Bedford Blackhawks Youth (13+) full contact teams as well as the Blackhawks senior flag (16+) team, we will be running four Open Sessions during November:

– Sunday 5th November | University of Bedfordshire, Bedford (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 12th November | Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes (12pm-2pm)
– Sunday 19th November | Northampton High School, Northampton (10am-12pm)
– Sunday 26th November | Lealands High School, Luton (10am-12pm)

Register your Interest

To register your interest in our Open Sessions please complete the form below, get in touch via Twitter or keep your eye out for the events on our Facebook page.

Your privacy is important to us. For more details about how we use your personal data, please read our Privacy Statement. We would like to send you additional information that is relevant to you. By ticking the boxes below you consent to receive information about:

Rookie SessionsTraining SessionsUpcoming Events

We will not pass your details to third parties. You may opt out of receiving these communications at any time by emailing gdpr@oveagles.com or using the opt-out facility on each email.

Pythons Scrimmage

26 Jan
Michael Dilley All News, Senior Football , , , , ,

Following the first camp last weekend the Eagles had an early opportunity to find out how much the new players had learnt, with a trip to meet the Cambridge University Pythons in our first scrimmage of the season.

With the Pythons in the middle of their season they came out all guns blazing and scored on their first two possessions, but as the Eagles defense became accustomed to the pace and intensity of the game they soon began to assert themselves.

The Eagles offense also started to click into gear with new QBs Zach Wodaege and Michael Davies both leading scoring drives.

The game was played in a marvellous spirit from start to finish and we would like to offer our thanks to Head Coach Julian Fuller and all at the University for hosting us. We hope they got as much out of it as we did, and wish them well for the rest of their season.

Following the positive start to pre-season attention now turns to the second camp of the winter, at Bedford International Athletics Stadium on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st February.

Late comeback stuns the Cheetahs

18 Apr
Michael Dilley All News, Reports, Senior Football , , ,

Ouse Valley Eagles 14 Hertfordshire Cheetahs 12

The Eagles moved to a 2-0 with a hard fought, come from behind victory over local rivals the Hertfordshire Cheetahs in a blustery game at Bedford International Athletics Stadium on Sunday.

Trailing 12-0 going into the fourth quarter, Quarterback Justin LaRoda connected with Chris Cowley to start the comeback, and ran in a second himself from four yards out to cap a remarkable turnaround.

The Eagles won the toss and deferred, so the Cheetahs received the ball and started on their own 20-yard line thanks to a touch back.

After a couple of strong runs through the middle which resulted in a first down the Cheetahs’ drive stalled and they were forced to punt, and the Eagles started on their own 25-yard line.

The Eagles offense drove the ball well all the way down to the Cheetahs one-yard line, but fumbled the ball on first and goal to turn the ball over.

Both sides traded possessions for the rest of the first half without ever really troubling the opposition red zone, and it was no surprise to see the teams go in level at the interval.

Half time score: Eagles 0 Cheetahs 0.

The Eagles started the second half on their 20 following another touch back, but turned the ball over after going for it on fourth and short on the 29.

A defensive penalty backed the Eagles up further, and the Cheetahs ran the ball in from 10 yards to finally open the scoring, although the extra-point attempt was no good.

On the Eagles’ next possession the ball was picked off on third down to give the Cheetahs the ball on the forty-yard line, and following some strong running they were soon back in the red zone.

A 14-yard pass later and the Cheetahs had doubled their advantage but were unsuccessful with the two-point attempt, which would come back to haunt the men from Hertfordshire.

The teams again traded possessions for the rest of the third quarter, but the start of the fourth brought the Eagles to life.

Starting with the ball on their own 23, LaRoda completed four quick passes to bring the Eagles down deep in opposition territory. He connected with Cowley on a slant to reduce the deficit, and once the PAT was successfully converted the lead was cut to five.

A couple of exchanges of possession later the Eagles began again on their own 45. LaRoda and the offense drove down inside the Cheetahs five-yard line, and when LaRoad ran the ball home the Eagles lead for the first time with a little over two minutes left on the clock.

On what would turn out to be the Cheetahs’ final drive Andy Larwill sacked the Herts QB on second and seven, and when Chris Parr intercepted the ball on fourth and four with a minute to play the offense just had to kneel out the clock to seal a vital divisional win.

Final score: Eagles 14 Cheetahs 12.

Our next game is on Sunday 26th April, away to the Birmingham Bulls.

Thank you to our friends at 2G Creative for the photo.

Eagles edge the Cats in season opener

06 Apr
Michael Dilley All News, Reports, Senior Football , , ,

Cambridgeshire Cats 0 Ouse Valley Eagles 7

The Eagles edged out divisional rivals the Cambridgeshire Cats in a tense and nervy affair at Coldhams Common yesterday afternoon.

A single touchdown pass from Enrique Alonso to former Cats player Nate Ashby late in the fourth quarter was the difference between the two sides, as both offenses struggled to pick up any meaningful momentum.

The Eagles won the toss and opted to receive the ball, which Chris Parr returned to the Eagles 44-yard line.

Following a two-yard run, five-yard penalty for a false start, a strong seven-yard run from Zak Henry and an incomplete pass, the Eagles went for it on fourth down but another incomplete pass resulted in a turnover on downs.

The Cats’ first possession resulted in a three-and-out following a sack from Defensive Tackle Andy Larwill. The punt was returned to the Eagles 47-yard line, and that set the tone for the rest of the first half, as both sides took it in turns trading possessions at around halfway.

Half time score: Cats 0 Eagles 0.

It was much the sae story throughout the third quarter. The Cats came closest to breaking the deadlock with a field goal that fell short of the mark, and as the game entered the fourth quarter the game still hung in the balance.

Eagles Linebacker Byron Chowles was taken to hospital treatment for a nasty-looking ankle injury which was later revealed to be a break in three places that requires surgery, and keep him out of action for the rest of the 2015 campaign.

As the game restarted the teams again took in turn exchanging possessions, but after a monstrous sack by rookie Brad Beveridge and a fumble recovered by the defense the Eagles took over deep in Cats territory.

Alonso connected with Ashby from 18-yards out to finally break the deadlock, and following a successful extra point the Eagles lead 7-0 with a little over three minutes to play.

The Cats were unable to move the ball on their final possession, and once the Eagles took over at around halfway with 55 seconds to play, saw out the clock to clinch a hard fought victory.

Final score: Cats 0 Eagles 7.

Attention now turns to the first home game of the season, next Sunday (12th April) against Hertfordshire Cheetahs.

Kick off is midday at Bedford International Athletics Stadium on Barkers Lane (MK41 8SB), with admission £2 each for adults or free for under-18s.

Cardinals lose faith as Eagles soar

11 Jul
OVEagles All News, Reports, Senior Football , ,

On what was a pretty bleak and dreary day on the East coast of England, the Ouse Valley Eagles enjoyed an excellent all round performance, coming away victorious with a 75-6 romping over the Ipswich Cardinals.

In what was the Eagles first ever bus trip, some may have expected a sluggish and perhaps under prepared side to come off the bus and play, but the 43 strong Eagles squad came out with a bang, and the defense started the game the way it meant to go on, conceding less than 100 yards on the entire day. A quick 3 and out by the defense gave the Eagles the ball in great field position, and despite scoring 3 touchdowns, no points were recorded on the first drive due to various penalties.

Again the Eagles defense continued to shut down the Cardinals Offense, giving the offense the ball back in excellent field position. #31 Yomi Okuboyejo duly took charge and ran in the touchdown to give the Eagles a lead they never looked like giving up.

Okuboyejo then added to his haul with a second TD in the first quarter to give a 14-0 nothing lead going into the 2nd quarter.

A clearly depleted Cardinals roster had worked extremely hard to keep the Eagles to just 14 points in the 1st quarter, and perhaps that was beginning to take its toll, as a huge second quarter for the Eagles began with Kalaba ‘Kase’ Chibwe running in his first of touchdowns of the day. The quarter continued with Kase adding another score, and Chris Parr adding 2 punt returns for touchdowns.

Overall on the day, there were 10 touchdowns scored, 7 on offense, 2 special teams returns and the defense came up big with a safety, with the only spot on an otherwise pristine score line being an interception on a screen pass late in the 4th quarter.

The scorer’s on the day for the Eagles were:
Yomi Okuboyejo x 2
Kalaba ‘Kase’ Chibwe x 2
Dale Hawes
Tyre Jones
Fred Shifflet x 2
Chris Parr x 2

The Eagles have a small break now and don’t play again until the return fixture against the Cardinals, at BIAS, on the 20th July.

The race to the playoffs is well underway, and your support means everything, please get along to BIAS for the final time this season to see you Eagles hopefully go 6-2.

Eagles put Spartans to the Sword!

17 Jun
OVEagles All News, Reports, Senior Football , ,

In a coming of age performance, the Ouse Valley Eagles ran all over the Essex Spartans, finishing 55-8 victors. Indeed ‘finishing’ was a key theme of the day, with almost every possession in the Red-Zone finishing in points.
The Eagles had set out their stake before the game to establish a running game that could carry the team through the rest of the season and into the playoffs, and after a the Eagles defense pushed the Spartans O to a quick 3 and out, the Eagles Offense did so with emphatic precision.

On the 2nd play from scrimmage, Running Back Yomi Okuboyejo broke free down the sideline for a huge 60 yard gain, taking the Eagles on their first trip into the Redzone. Finishing was something that had been emphasised throughout their 4 week hiatus from competitive games and the Eagles took that board, with starting QB Enrique Alonso finding receiver Dale Hawes in the end zone for the 6 points. Hawes then added the extra point to take his tally to 7 for the day.

The Eagles vaunted defense was living up to its name, and setting the tone for the rest of day, continually forced the Spartans to 3 and out drives, however some early offside penalties didn’t help their cause, the Spartans never really got anything going offensively after those freebies.

In what was to be a 3 touchdown performance from Okuboyejo, #31 got the offense going again, with some solid running behind a strong Eagles Offensive Line. It was just another few plays before Okuboyejo was seen striding into the end zone again, this time from 20 yards out, with Hawes again adding the extra point.

At 14-0, in the first half, the Eagles from earlier in the season would have taken their foot off the gas, but there was none of that today, as a further two scores from Okuboyejo took the score to 26-0 at the half.

Despite some changes in the Eagles personnel, the running game didn’t slow down, with Kalaba ‘Kase’ Chibwe bursting through the middle of the Spartans D and taking it to the house from over 50 yards out, with the 2 point conversion good, the score stood at 34-0 early in third quarter.

That finished the scoring in the 3rd quarter as the Spartans D began to shut down the Eagles Offense with some punishing run blitzes. The Eagles Defense was always on top here, despite never really getting into top gear, and keeping the shutout was critical to the Eagles playoffs hopes.

In the 4th quarter the Eagles rushing attack sprung back to life, with Fred Shifflet flying down the sideline for the 41 yard score. Hawes again added the extra point, taking the score line to 41-0. On the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans burst into life against an Eagles unit that sorely needed some practice time together, and ultimately that cost them, with the Spartans deservedly taking the ball back 70 yards for the 6 points, on an electric kick return. They added the 2 point conversion, making the score to 41-8.

With the two minute having just gone, many could been excused for leaving early, or turning their backs on the game thinking it was done, however that was not the case. In what was a thrilling end to the game, the Eagles rose up and really finished the game off, with a quick score from backup QB Martin Day to WR Tyre Jones from 18 yards making the score 48-8. Again, the Eagles were not finished, with some punishing tackling from Darren Gregory, the defense forced the turnover, giving the ball back to offense on the 34 yard line, with less than 20 seconds on the clock. It took one play, with Day finding Jones wide open in the end zone for the 6 points. Hawes added the PAT and the score was finished at 55-8.

It was an impressive performance by the Eagles, and with another week off to prepare for back to back against the Ipswich Cardinals they will be looking for this form to take them through to 6-2.

An ecstatic Neale McMaster said after the game “I’m absolutely delighted we managed to break that 50 point mark. From an offensive standpoint that was our target on the day. That’s no disrespect to the Spartans, they’re a decent outfit and you don’t win 3 games in this division without knowing how to play the game; however I was confident in our abilities coming off our best week of practice offensively.”

“Whilst Yomi game the MVP for the Offense, a huge shout out has to go to our Offensive Line and Full Backs, those guys were supreme today, and really set the tone up front.”

When asked why it had taken so long for the offense to get going this season, McMaster replied “It’s one of those things that comes with implementing a new system, and especially with the merger happening, there are a lot of personalities and everything just takes a while to bed in. We’ve been preaching patience from the start, and the players who are here have bought into the system we run, and that patience has started to give dividends. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to take this form and this confidence into the back to back series with Ipswich, that’ll make or break our season.”

Head Coach Will White echoed those sentiments, saying “We had been practicing hard during our off weeks to correct a few things we found wrong and it all came good on Sunday with our best performance to date. Neale McMaster my OC & our offense did an outstanding job of capitalizing on everything the Essex defense gave us to the tune of at least 400+ yards and 55 points, whilst the defense carried on doing a great job adding another 6 turnovers to an already huge takeaway total.”

All photos of the game have been published on our gallery. All the photos are courtesy of Mikey Cartwright at Ponderosa Pics.

The Eagles next game is away to the Ipswich Cardinals on the 29th June. Details of that game can be found on the website and social media sites. Our next and final regular season home game takes place on the 20th July against the Cardinals, with that game kicking off at 12pm at BIAS.