Hot on the heels of a busy day at X-Bowl last weekend, it was suddenly our turn to host our own invitational Bowl tournament for 2026. In the tenth anniversary season for the Kent Phoenix, it proved to be a very special FireBowl indeed. There had been a glorious heatwave all week which seemed fitting for our club identity and mascot at FireBowl time!

Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our Flag Manager Mart and some glamorous assistants, the stage was set and ready to welcome Brighton & Hove Scorpions, Hellingly Hound Dogs and the Solent Red Storm. Alongside the games we welcomed Kris from LayBerry Catering to keep everyone fed, Mr T ice cream van serving up some of the biggest Mr Whippy ice creams ever seen and Great Ormond Street Hospital fundraisers, collecting donations to support their £20m Cancer Treatment Unit build. Phoenix also ran a raffle to raise funds to put towards resources for the club.

The u11s, Fire & Flame, were lined up for four games during the day – two against Hellingly Hound Dogs and two against the Solent Red Storm. Meanwhile our Inferno u14s were set to take part in three games in a round-robin tournament with the Brighton & Hove Scorpions, Solent Red Storm and Hellingly Hound Dogs.

The u11s started with a game against the Solent Red Storm. Having beaten the Storm last weekend at the X-Bowl, it’s safe to say that the Phoenix were not going to give away a win on home soil. The brilliance of the whole team secured the win, but dynamic duo Alf and Greyson took turns to add to the scoreboard. Two touchdowns for Alf and a touchdown and a pick six by Greyson secured the first win of the day, 24-0.

On the other field, the Inferno u14s were taking on Brighton & Hove Scorpions. Also present at last week’s X-Bowl, the teams’ last encounter saw both squads playing iron man football at the end of a very hot day. That game ended in a 6-6 draw. But with both the squad and our coaching staff back at full strength this week, it was time to see if we could show what this squad is made of. Much like their u11 club mates, it was the pairing of two skilled players, Harry and Callum, that grabbed the points, with both grabbing multiple touchdowns each. The Scorpions fought back, sneaking two touchdowns past the Phoenix, but in the end Inferno won out with a final score of 30-12.

Next up for Fire & Flame was Hellingly Hound Dogs. Hellingly are not part of the BAFA league this year so this was the first time we had played the Hound Dogs since last years’ Dog Bowl. We were excited to see how the game would go. The Hound Dogs scored twice, despite strong defensive work by the Phoenix but they were no match for the brilliance again of Greyson and Alf, with X-Bowl MVP Alf scoring two touchdowns and bagging a pick six! A strong game and another great win for Phoenix u11, 24-12.

The under 14s next opponents were the Solent Red Storm; the winners at last weekend’s X-Bowl. It was a tough, evenly matched game with passions on both sides clear to see. Both teams managed to get into the endzone once but with. both defenses cancelling the good offensive play out, the game ended in a frustrating 6-6 draw. With both teams having won their first games, they knew it was all going to come down to their final fixtures and possibly points difference to decide a champion.

After a break for lunch, the u11s took to the field for their second meeting of the day against Hellingly Hound Dogs. Alf made room for his younger brother and rookie Ed ran in his first ever Phoenix touchdown in style by going almost from one end to the end other. Such was his running speed, he even lost his cap on the way! I think every supporter held their breath when he looked like he was going to stop to collect his hat! Alongside Ed, there were touchdowns from Nikolas, Greyson and Laurie, and the game concluded 24-6 for Fire & Flame’s third straight win.

Inferno’s final game saw them up against Hellingly Hound Dogs. Much like the u11s, we had no idea how this game would play out with no league form to compare with. With one win and one draw and Solent winning their third game, a big win was needed to secure the crown.

The team were motivated and again it was Harry and Callum that added the scores to the board. Not to be overshadowed by the boys, Sofia showed off some girl power by grabbing a pick six! Not bad for a player who has had to miss training and game weekends recently whilst she took part in a West End show.

For all the Inferno’s efforts, Hellingly proved difficult to shake off. They put 18 past the Phoenix defense but in the end the victory went to the hosts with Callum’s strong running very much to the fore. Final score 24 points to 18.

Last game of the day for the u11s was their second clash with the Red Storm. They wanted the win. They wanted the 4-0 record and the FireBowl trophy. Nikolas made sure they got it with two touchdowns to Red Storms’ one. Fantastic teamwork and defensive skill by the Phoenix made for an enjoyable game to watch. Defensive rookie Hazel got her wish to try out on the offense and she did well, catching the ball with confidence. We did need to remind her though which end zone was hers! The final game ended 12-6 and the under 11s were able to celebrate the FireBowl 2026 trophy staying on home turf.

At under 14s level, the tie proved crucial as the Inferno team lost out by the narrowest of margins on points difference. With both less points conceded and a greater points differential, Solent Red Storm took the title with Kent Phoenix coming a valiant second place.

What a day and what a wonderful thing to have both teams on the winners podium, with neither team conceding a defeat on the day. Across both squads, there were six wins and one tie to celebrate. The Inferno were so close to winning against some strong teams and Fire and Flame secured that long awaited bowl win after coming second at StingerBowl back in and then last week at X-Bowl.

Our proud Club Chair, Chelle, announced it was a pleasure to hand the trophy to the u11s team with founding former Chair Lee Parsons sharing with the team afterwards that the last time a Phoenix team won the FireBowl was ten years ago in 2016! A suitable anniversary present for our club.

As always, we are so proud of our players for the team spirit, tenacity and resilience they show. They are a credit to the club and the wider football community. A huge thank you is extended to our visiting teams, vendors, parents, coaches and the friends of the club who help at these events. The raffle raised an incredible £130 for the Kent Phoenix, with GOSH also raising £100. The generosity shown by everyone is much appreciated.

Fire & Flame and Inferno will take part in BAFA Game Day Week 5 at Hertfordshire Cheetahs on Saturday 13th June where we
will be meeting the London Fruit Bats, London Blitz and London XL Performance again to round out the season. It would be nice to think both squads have another win or two in them to end the 2026 league fixtures while the final tournament action will take place on Sunday 12th July at Hellingly Hound Dogs’ annual DogBowl.