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November 7, 2016

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Beijing Lions win maiden China Bowl

THE Beijing Lions claimed the first China Bowl after a hard-fought victory over the Qingdao Clippers in the championship game of the China Arena Football League at Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai yesterday.

Five years in the making, the CAFL’s debut season, featuring six teams coached by professional American football managers which kicked off last month, visited six cities in China. The last stop was Shanghai over the weekend. Each team has 22 players — half local and half invited from the United States. After the five rounds, Beijing (5-0) and Qingdao (3-2) made it to the final.

The Lions took the lead in the first quarter but the Clippers, relying on wide receivers Reggie Gray and Xavier Boyce, kept the gap within one touchdown. Beijing led 25-21 after the third period.

Each side managed a TD in the opening five minutes of the final quarter, before Boyce’s end-zone score put the Clippers ahead 34-32, which it held until the last minute. The match ended dramatically as Lions’ Pat Clarke missed a three-point kick with four seconds left on the clock. With Qingdao set to celebrate, the referee ruled a foul against the Clippers and gave Clarke a second chance, with which the Lions sealed the victory 35-32.

Martin Judge, chairman and founder of CAFL, was elated and emotional after the final. He promised to increase the number of CAFL teams to 10 next year to begin with. “This (professional arena football in China) is a dream come true. This is just a start.”

On Saturday, the Shanghai Skywalkers overcame Guangzhou Power 57-52 to seal a third-place finish while Shenzhen Naja beat the Dalian Dragon Kings 46-30 in the fifth-place match.




 

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