Dreadball 2014-15 Season: Cup Final

Dreadball Cup Final 2014-15 Season – Carbis Bay Buccaneers Vs Plague Bearers

We Won.

Just.

I never intended to write a report on the final two games of a drawn out Dreadball season, where the ‘Buccaneers did what my Bloodbowl teams never could and reached a cup final, but the event deserves a few more words than those three.  That the Plague Bearers had brushed aside Paddy and his Corporation Hawarden Heartbreakers should have provided me with a warning, but having disposed of the Veer-myn earlier in the campaign I was confident that the trophy was on its way to my brand new and empty cabinet.  Match one of two, the away leg, did nothing to shake that confidence as the ‘Buccaneers ran out 6-0 winners with Dirk Pitt the usual culprit, and only a very unlikely 6-0 or 7-0 reverse could ruin my triumphant parade.  It was in the bag.

It escaped from the bag.

The Plague Bearers did what they hadn’t in the first game and shielded the 4pt strike option, and then battered every player I tried to use to block their own 4pt attempts.  By turn 8 I was 6-0 down, seemingly unable to stop the opposition scoring, and 1pt away from defeat.  How that never came I don’t think even my opposite number (Mark) knows.  I scrapped for the remainder of the game, and some of my earlier bad luck in front of the strike hexes came back to shadow the Veer-myn, who suddenly couldn’t make a throw for toffee.  A massive slice of luck later, the ball was loose, and I had seen out the full 14 turns and it was 6-0 still.  Amazingly after 7 months of play the final had ended up all square and with the league organiser already on his way back up the hill to darkest Wrecsam we resorted to the rulebook to use for the first time the rules for Extra Time. 

And they favoured me.  Just.  First to score a point would win.  The ball was loose, and the only viable option was using a jack to pick it up and make a throw to a striker, it looked mathematically dodgy, but the jack was Rudi Gunn and he made the pick up and the throw to ‘Mad Jack’ Dalhgren, who raced away to score a single point strike and, quite undeservedly, win the ‘Buccaneers the trophy.  Now I know how penalties feels, and a game that close deserved a trophy a side.  I was as certain I was beaten, as Mark was sure he had won, and I have still rarely enjoyed a game more.  Brilliant stuff, and the reason I play Dreadball.

 

Carbis Bay Buccaneers - Cup Final Winners

Second leg, the home leg, in progress.