A much larger Rams squad travelled to this, the closest road game of the season, and continued a winning streak in the season and one against the Senators that stretches back to 2010.

The away side kicked off and a block in the back forced Gateshead deeper into their own half, from which they went 3-and-out and punted the ball back to the visitors. A much brighter start from the Rams’ offense compared to the low-scoring affair of the previous outing but a fumble in the redzone gave the ball back to the Senators.

The home side struggled to move the ball though and had to punt back to the Rams. James Hudson opened the scoring on the next drive, with a field goal which was set up by another fumble which was recovered by a Rams player. 3-0 Rams.

Both teams traded possession for a couple of drives but when Gateshead’s Center snapped the ball over the head of the Quarterback, James Lewsley was there to recover and score the TD! Luke Campbell ran it in for the 2PAT and the Rams lead 11-0.

The visitors then tried a surprise onside kick which was recovered by a player in a black shirt but was judged to have not allowed the ball to travel the required 10 yards and Gateshead would get the ball. The teams would then trade punts until the second quarter and then the Senators got on the board with a nice pass to the corner of the endzone. The PAT was successful and the lead was cut to 11-7.

The Rams continued with their Special Teams trickery and a fake punt got 30+ yards before Adam Cole caught a screen pass and took it to the house. The 2PAT was good again and the Rams took a 19-7 lead into the locker rooms.

The second half started with a good kickoff return by Keimar Stuart but the Rams couldn’t take advantage until a couple of drives later when Josh Green connected with Campbell for a long passing touchdown (below).

The away side tasted blood and added another 3 touchdowns before the end of the third quarter. First, Green passed to Chris Lawton before connecting with Cole again on the 2PAT. Second, Conor Robson ran in the ball and Green added the 2PAT himself. Finally, Green would once again pass to Lawton to make the score 47-7 as the teams changed ends.

The fourth quarter was uneventful, to say the least, but Green would bring up the 50-burger in the final seconds as he ran the ball in himself, the game ending 53-7 to the Rams.

Next week, we face the East Kilbride Pirates for the second Rob Worboys Memorial Game which will be live on UKAFL’s YouTube channel.