1991 Crusaders v Lakenheath – Friendly
On 21 September 1991, the Great Britain Crusaders recorded the first victory in the history of the British youth kitted national representative programme, defeating the Lakenheath Lancers at Lakenheath.
Match Details
Teams Great Britain Crusaders v Lakenheath Lancers
Final Score 39–9*
Date 21 September 1991
Location Lakenheath, Suffolk, UK
Competition Friendly / Representative Fixture
Manager (GB) Tony Owen
Head Coach (GB) Bill Hartley
Result W
*A small number of surviving sources record the score as 38–9. Contemporary Crusaders material and a post-match newspaper report give the result as 39–9.
Historical Context
The Great Britain Crusaders represented the country’s leading youth kitted players during the formative years of the British Youth American Football Association.
By 1991, BYAFA’s Youth Kitted League was providing full-contact football for players aged 16–19, while the Crusaders programme brought together leading young players from clubs across Britain to face overseas opposition.
The Crusaders had already played the first two Trans-Atlantic Challenge games against a Milwaukee representative side, losing 28–8 at Derby in November 1989 and 28–0 in Wisconsin the following year.
The Lakenheath fixture was separate from that series. Their opponents were the Lakenheath Lancers, the high-school football team serving the American military community at RAF Lakenheath.
Contemporary newspaper coverage described the result as the GB national youth side’s “first-ever victory.”
The Road to Lakenheath
Competition for places in the 1991 Crusaders squad had been intense.
A contemporary report described a 45-player squad, selected after a week-long training camp attended by approximately 130 hopefuls.
Six players from the Blackpool Falcons made the squad.
Running back Lea Hall, centre Peter Rae, offensive lineman Matthew Hall and receiver Danny Lancashire had secured starting positions, while receiver Jason Kenyon and quarterback John Iddon were also selected.
Iddon had competed for his place despite suffering a broken nose during the training camp.
Game Summary
Great Britain travelled to Lakenheath on 21 September and produced the breakthrough result the young national programme had been waiting for.
The Crusaders won 39–9.
Blackpool running back Lea Hall was one of the stars of the game, scoring two touchdowns in the first half.
Quarterback John Iddon played part of the fourth quarter and threw a touchdown pass, while Peter Rae played at centre throughout the game.
Matthew Hall contributed on the offensive line as Great Britain established a strong running game.
Receiver Jason Kenyon made a number of receptions, while Danny Lancashire had limited opportunities with only one pass thrown in his direction.
Other surviving reports also identify quarterbacks Rob Turner and Dave Drane among those involved, while Colchester’s Del Reid was named among the touchdown scorers.
The result was more than simply another fixture. Contemporary coverage explicitly described it as the first-ever victory for the Great Britain national youth side.
What Came Next
The Lakenheath win came during an important period in the development of the Crusaders programme.
Later that autumn, many of the same players were selected for Trans-Atlantic Challenge III at Moorways Stadium in Derby on 10 November 1991.
The official programme for that game looked back on the September result, with Crusaders manager Tony Owen referring to:
“an excellent win at Lakenheath (39–9) in September.”
Great Britain then defeated Milwaukee 40–14, giving the Crusaders another landmark victory only seven weeks after their breakthrough at Lakenheath.
Known Players
A complete confirmed Lakenheath matchday roster has not yet been located, but contemporary reports and player recollections identify the following players as being involved:
Rob Turner – QB, Colchester Gladiators
Dave Drane – QB
John Iddon – QB, Blackpool Falcons
Lea Hall – RB, Blackpool Falcons
Del Reid – RB, Colchester Gladiators
Danny Lancashire – WR, Blackpool Falcons
Jason Kenyon – WR, Blackpool Falcons
Peter Rae – C, Blackpool Falcons
Matthew Hall – OL, Blackpool Falcons
Sean Suleman – LB, Bristol Packers
Walkinshaw – LB, Colchester Gladiators
The Great Britain roster published for Trans-Atlantic Challenge III later that year contains many of the same players, showing considerable continuity within the 1991 Crusaders squad, although it should not be treated as the confirmed Lakenheath matchday roster.
Photographs
Several surviving photographs from the Lakenheath fixture show the Crusaders in their dark blue Great Britain uniforms alongside the Lakenheath team.
One photograph shows six Blackpool Falcons players who were members of the Great Britain squad. Identified players include Lea Hall, John Iddon, Jason Kenyon, Danny Lancashire and Matthew Hall; one player in the photograph remains unidentified.
Another group photograph includes a number of Crusaders players identified by former teammates, including David Drane, Kevin Tomlinson, Simon Jarvis, Jason Kenyon and John Iddon, although not every player pictured has yet been identified.
