Defending English Champions, the Wolverines posted early notice of their intention to retain their title with an emphatic victory over a Pathfinders side that gained much respect from their gritty performance.

With the Pathfinders muffing a punt on their own eleven-yard Matt Lord broke off left tackle to give the Lancashire side an early lead. The nervy Milton Keynes outfit fumbled the snap on their next series giving the Wolverines the ball back some forty yards out. Lord once more finished the drive, going in off right tackle from six yards out. Adam Broomfield added the extra two on an end around as the Wolverines cruised further ahead. Sam Dunne extended the lead behind some excellent blocking as he crashed in off the right and Mark Shepherd hauled in Meade?s two-point pass to leave the home side 22 ?0 by the end of the first period.

The Wolverines started the next drive at their own seven, and despite some excellent Pathfinder defense they gradually marched downfield with Mead connecting with Shepherd from 17 yards for another score. A Mead keeper on the extra two padded the home sides lead even further. Once again Milton Keynes turned over the ball, only seven yards from their own end zone. Dunne duly scampered in for his second TD of the afternoon, breaking off right tackle. Mike Keane then got in on the act latching onto a Mead thirty-one yard strike and the same combination added the conversion

The third quarter followed the same pattern as the previous two with the Pathfinders conceding a safety thanks to a wayward snap sailing out of the end zone. Two Matt Lord runs of twenty-seven and seventeen yards rounded off the Wolverines scoring for the day.

All credit to the Pathfinders for their determination and gutsy performance. As they gain experience and lose their nerves a lot of their handling errors will diminish and will eventually grow into a very competitive side.

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