The Orko Klots (Orcs) vs the Scuttlin Ratfinks (Skaven)

‘Safety in numbers’ was definitely the theme as the Ratfinks’ fans poured into the Orko Klots’ ramshackle stadium; the official count put the number of skaven at four times that of their greenskin hosts, although it seemed that many more of the ratmen might be attending through less official tunnels  channels. The Ratfinks would certainly be enjoying a double FAME advantage throughout the glorious weather.

The skaven elected to receive the kickoff, which landed in close to the line of scrimmage.  The deep field gutter runners moved up the pitch.  Nibbles the rat ogre piled into a black orc on the line of scrimmage, but when uncontrollable force met sluggish object, they both managed to stun each other.

Trying to take advantage of the turnover, the Klots burst over the halfway line, knocking down the skaven in the way.  Sky-Gawp, the orc blitzer, tried to pick up the unattended ball, but it popped from his grasp.  Whiskers Deftpaw, the skaven thrower, succeeded where the orc had failed, and dodged away with the ball.

The orcs tried to press again; Rarr-Scream lived up to his positional name when he jumped up from the floor and blitzed Swiftpaw Mcgraw onto the casualty list.  Initially it looked like the smashed collar bone would reduced the gutter runner to ST 1, but the timely intervention of the Ratfinks’ apothecary meant he would be recovered for the next drive.

Uncharacteristically incensed by the injury to one of his team mates, Nibbles also jumped off the floor and grabbed a nearby black orc by the leg.  Fuzz-Jaw was hefted up in the air, then driven downwards again into the pitch; the impact killed him instantly, and with no greenskin shaman employed by the Klots, he would be very much staying dead.

Seeing the gap in the thick green line, Deftpaw threw a spiralling pass straight into the arms of the journeyrat Johnson Roughfur.  However, his lack of match fitness became apparent straight away as Blunder-Cracker knocked him into the ground. The ball spilled onto the field and was quickly surrounded by members of the orc team.  Boris Snarlsnout jumped into the knot of Klots in an attempt to grab the ball again, but the linerat fumbled his pick up, and the ball jumped into the arms of Sky-Gawp.  However, the orc blitzer was so taken by surprise that he threw the ball back where it came from, and this time Snarlsnout held onto the ball.

Once again, the Ratfinks’ possession didn’t last long as Snarlsnout became ‘turfsnout’, ending face down in the pitch.  Deftpaw once again got hold of the ball as he caught the dropped ball, and when lineorc Catchet rolled double skulls in an attempt to dispossess him, took full advantage by throwing to Scuttlin Joe Lightfur to run in for the first touchdown of the game.

After the restart had granted the skaven an extra reroll, the orcs were under pressure to equalise in the remaining time.  Black orc Frenzy got the drive off to a good start by knocking out Nibbles, and orc thrower Fumblebee secured the ball.  With his team mates knocking the skaven out of his way, Fumblebee managed to break free, and cross the line for an equaliser with just seconds to spare.

Nibbles recovered over half time, and at the start of the second half, the skaven put immediate pressure on their opponents by executing a blitz deep into the greenskin half.  Fumblebee managed to make a hash of picking up the ball, and the skaven closed in on the orc pre-cage huddle.

Unperturbed, the orcs then began the slow grind towards the skaven line, each turn moving their cage further up field, and knocking back the skaven who were trying to contain them.  However, as the half continued, the skaven began to grow more desperate, and threw more bodies in the way, whilst simultaneously, the Klots’ remaining black orc blockers began to find themselves left behind by the rest of the team.  When Nibbles was able to smash into the cage, the Klots once again managed to reform halfway into the skaven half of the field, but could not subsequently floor a number of skaven close to the cage. 

Realising that a risky play was coming, Orktimus Grime ordered Frenzy to take out the only skaven left in within scoring distance.  Charging, the black orc knocked Swiftpaw Mcgraw into the crowd, this second badly hurt result on the gutter runner making sure he would play no further part in the game.   The skaven now had almost all their team behind the ball, and when a lineorc’s ‘both down’ result at the start of the orcs’ seventh turn was rerolled into an ‘attacker down’ result, the skaven got the momentum by exerting several tackle zones on the ball-carrying Fumblebee at the heart of the cage.  With one turn left, the Klots cleared out as many skaven as possible, but Fumbleebee failed to complete the pass that would have led to the winning score.  The Ratfinks then ran down the clock on the last turn, ensuring they’d survive until their next game.

Both teams gained significant winnings, and increased their fan base.  Although a first win still eluded the Orko Klots, Orktimus Grime took heart from the fact the skaven had not managed to lay a paw on the ball for the entire second half; his team never looking like conceding a second time.

Pitchside Reporter: Brychan