BGFL 1987
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| West | |||||||
| *Mersey Centurions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 290 | 48 | 1.000 |
| *Hartlepool Steelers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 137 | .666 |
| Preston Pirates | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 110 | 95 | .333 |
| Oldham Phoenix | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 232 | .000 |
| Westhoughton Greyhounds # | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 69 | .400 |
| East | |||||||
| *Leicester Huntsmen | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 310 | 113 | .900 |
| *East Kent Cougars | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 242 | 113 | .700 |
| Boston Blitz | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 139 | 158 | .500 |
| Rotherham Redskins | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 150 | 132 | .400 |
| Burton Braves | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 147 | 323 | .300 |
| Doncaster Jaguars | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 125 | 276 | .200 |
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Playoffs | ||||
| 22.08.1987 | Leicester Huntsmen | 28 | Hartlepool Steelers | 12 |
| 22.08.1987 | Mersey Centurions | 28 | East Kent Cougars | 13 |
| Brit Bowl | ||||
| 29.08.1987 | Mersey Centurions | 20 | Leicester Huntsmen | 16 |
Note: Westhoughton Greyhounds pulled out of League after 5 games – results expunged.
BGFL 1988
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| Northern | |||||||
| *Hartlepool Steelers | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 416 | 50 | .900 |
| *Carlisle Kestrels | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 244 | 89 | .900 |
| Cleveland Dragons | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 166 | 144 | .400 |
| Furness Phantoms | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 154 | 334 | .250 |
| Lancaster Bombers | 10 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 50 | 410 | .050 |
| Pennine | |||||||
| *Oldham Phoenix | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 338 | 54 | .900 |
| *Prestatyn Panthers | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 430 | 108 | .800 |
| Bolton Buccaneers | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 231 | 182 | .400 |
| Barnsley Bears | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 116 | 334 | .300 |
| Rochdale Cobras | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 48 | 473 | .000 |
| Northwest | |||||||
| *Mersey Centurions | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 452 | 24 | 1.000 |
| Cheshire Cats | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 260 | 77 | .800 |
| Halton Demons | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 110 | 204 | .500 |
| Preston Pirates | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 56 | 176 | .500 |
| Wigan Wolverines | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 35 | 347 | .200 |
| Gwynedd Knights | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 195 | .000 |
| Humber | |||||||
| *Harrogate Hawks | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 443 | 90 | .950 |
| *Huddersfield Rams | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 248 | 87 | .850 |
| Kingston Liberators | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 315 | 196 | .650 |
| Doncaster Jaguars | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 247 | 161 | .400 |
| Yorvik Vikings | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 104 | 285 | .350 |
| Grimsby Scorpions | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 115 | 265 | .300 |
| Scarborough Warlords | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 57 | 465 | .000 |
| Midlands | |||||||
| *Crewe Railroaders | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 619 | 63 | .900 |
| *Leicester Huntsmen | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 438 | 48 | .900 |
| Rotherham Redskins | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 178 | 220 | .500 |
| Burton Braves | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 262 | 252 | .500 |
| Redditch Raiders | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 55 | 352 | .200 |
| Nuneaton Norsemen | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 666 | .000 |
| Anglian | |||||||
| *Peterborough Hustlers | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 183 | 79 | .900 |
| Newmarket Hornets | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 130 | 53 | .750 |
| Nottingham Crusaders | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 130 | 78 | .650 |
| South Lincs Blitz | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 96 | 151 | .400 |
| Heanor Hawks | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 63 | 199 | .300 |
| Breckland | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 36 | 237 | .000 |
| County | |||||||
| *St. Albans Kestrels | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 162 | 18 | 1.000 |
| F14 Tomcats | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 94 | .500 |
| Chiltern Cheetahs | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 118 | .000 |
| Severn | |||||||
| *Cardiff Mets | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 354 | 77 | .900 |
| Weston Wolfpack | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 309 | 70 | .700 |
| Newport Mustangs | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 259 | 87 | .700 |
| Bath Gladiators | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 162 | 175 | .450 |
| Yate Thundercats | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 113 | 210 | .250 |
| Bristol Blackhawks | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 599 | .000 |
| Thames | |||||||
| *East Kent Cougars | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 470 | 77 | 1.000 |
| Bexley Barons | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 431 | 187 | .800 |
| Gravesend Lions | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 239 | 138 | .600 |
| Ashford Raiders | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 113 | 192 | .300 |
| Maidstone M-20s | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 55 | 463 | .200 |
| Tonbridge Tigers | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 108 | 377 | .100 |
| Capital | |||||||
| *LA Panthers | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 199 | 101 | .800 |
| Grays Saxons | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 158 | 106 | .625 |
| Brent Bandits | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 120 | 99 | .500 |
| London Mets | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 61 | 120 | .375 |
| Croydon Cyclones | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 118 | .000 |
| Channel | |||||||
| *Woking Generals | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 503 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Meon Valley Vikings | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 256 | 74 | .750 |
| Oakland Raiders | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 107 | 324 | .400 |
| Horsham Predators | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 125 | 127 | .400 |
| Weymouth Warlords | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 59 | 352 | .250 |
| Eastleigh Royals | 10 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 68 | 241 | .200 |
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| First Round | ||||
| 1988 | Hartlepool Steelers | 15 | Huddersfield Rams | 12 |
| 1988 | Crewe Railroaders | 50 | Oldham Phoenix | 0 |
| 1988 | Leicester Huntsmen | 12 | Peterborough Hustlers | 6 |
| 1988 | Woking Generals | 48 | Bexley Barons | 14 |
| 1988 | Mersey Centurions | 88 | Prestatyn Panthers | 0 |
| 1988 | East Kent Cougars | 19 | LA Panthers | 6 |
| 1988 | Cardiff Mets | 42 | St. Albans Kestrels | 6 |
| 1988 | Harrogate Hawks | 22 | Carlisle Kestrels | 7 |
| Quarter-Finals | ||||
| 1988 | Hartlepool Steelers | 8 | Mersey Centurions | 52 |
| 1988 | Harrogate Hawks | 32 | Crewe Railroaders | 41 |
| 1988 | Leicester Huntsmen | 12 | Cardiff Mets | 2 |
| 1988 | East Kent Cougars | 19 | Woking Generals | 36 |
| Semi-Finals | ||||
| 1988 | Mersey Centurions | 46 | Crewe Railroaders | 26 |
| 1988 | Leicester Huntsmen | 13 | Woking Generals | 20 |
| Britbowl | ||||
| 1988 | Mersey Centurions | 13 | Woking Generals | 20 |
Report
The British Gridiron Football League was a Fifth Level American Football League in the North and Midlands of England in 1987, after which it absorbed the Capital League and a large number of UKAFL teams to form a Fourth Level League in 1988. In 1989 it merged with the UKAFA to form the British National Gridiron League, playing Levels 5 to 7 below the NDMA (First Level) and Combined Gridiron League (Levels 2 to 4)
Ulsterman Geoff Mackey, who was introduced to the game of American Football while studying at Liverpool Polytechnic, played for the Mersey Centurions in 1988, where he reached the Britbowl, losing 20-13 to the Woking Generals. In 1987 the Mersey Centurions had won the Britbowl 20-16 against the Leicester Huntsmen. His exploits for the Centurions saw him called up to the British and Irish Bulldogs for a five-week tour, taking in training in the United States, and then three Test Matches in Australia, from 4 November 1988 to the middle of December.
References
Newspapers
[1] Anon. (1987) “Results – Standings – Fixtures: BGFL” First Down. August 22, 1987. pg. 16
[2] Anon. (1987) “Results – Standings – Fixtures: BGFL Final Standings” First Down. August 29, 1987. pg. 17
[3] Anon. (1988) “Scoreboard: Complete UK match points: BGFL” American Football News. July 28, 1988. pg. 8.
[5] Anon. (1986) “Geoff’s Bulldog spirit” Belfast Telegraph. Thursday, November 3, 1988. pg. 51 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
Websites
[4] Britball Now (2016) Results Section [1987][1988] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 23 March 2017]
Images
[6] Anon. (1986) “Geoff’s Bulldog spirit” Belfast Telegraph. Thursday, November 3, 1988. pg. 51 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Nora Mulcahy, Enda Fahy, Bernard Dunne & John Doody.
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 6 May 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.