The Thunder’s learning curve in the top flight of British American Football took another knock on Sunday with a 21-7 reverse against the Bristol Aztecs. With limited preparation under the guidance of new Head Coach Jim Roberson the Thunder made the journey to the West Country hoping to notch up their first win of the season.

Sussex Thunder travelled to Coventry on Sunday and pushed the reigning National Champion Jets all the way in a close, hard fought encounter. The Thunder took an early lead and held the advantage until the third quarter. Then two touchdowns by the Jets Great Britain receiver Jeremy Simms sealed the game for the home side.

As the Sussex Training programme under new headcoach Jim Roberson gathers pace a second minicamp has been scheduled for this Sunday the 7th July.

London Blitz 34 @ 0 Sussex Thunder

Whilst there is no doubt that the Thunder was second-best in this game, it is perfectly reasonable to say that the Thunder should emerge from this game with enormous credit. Facing the daunting challenge of a very big, well-drilled and extremely talented London Blitz squad, no-one around the league would have been surprised if Sussex had been intimidated by its visitors and resigned itself to a ritual drubbing.

The Sussex Thunder has today announced the appointment of Jim Roberson to the position of Head Coach for the remainder of the 2009 BAFL season. Coach Roberson, highly respected in the UK game, will bring a vast depth and breadth of football knowledge to a program that has just reacquainted itself with the UK's highest level of play, BAFL Premier. Thunder Chairman Tony Miller explained the reason for the timing of the appointment:

Sussex Thunder 16 @ 21 Farnham Fast Lane Knights

It was supposed to be a baptism of fire, but thankfully the Sussex Thunder didn’t read the script. With the BAFL-land prophets of doom predicting a harsh lesson in top flight play, the Sussex Thunder stepped fearlessly into the lion’s den to show they are in BAFL premier on merit, and gave the heavily-favoured Farnham Fast Lane Knights one heck of a fright in the process on Sunday.

BAFL Division 1 Champions, Sussex Thunder, kick off their 2009 season with their first training session and Rookie day on Sunday 1st February. Taking place at the newly built facility at Bewbush Leisure centre in Crawley, the team hopes to kick off the 2009 campaign with a bang.

It is with great pleasure that the Sussex Thunder announce their plans to enter the BAFL Youth League in 2009.  After the huge success of the 2008 season for the Thunder Senior team the next progression is the development of a successful youth team in order to be able to deliver competitive football to all ages in the area.

The Sussex Thunder saw out their 2008 Division 1 Championship winning season in style with their end of season Awards dinner at the New Madeira Hotel on Brighton seafront. Close on 100 guests sat down to enjoy the dinner, speeches and cabaret. Everybody was greeted at the door with a glass of champagne and shown to the bar area. When all were present the doors to the adjoining dining area were opened to reveal the room decorated in the clubs colours and banners proclaiming the team’s victory over the Redditch Arrows at the Keepmoat in September.

Sussex Thunder 20 Redditch Arrow 18 (FINAL - 4/OT).

In a night of high tension and drama at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, the Crawley-based Sussex Thunder achieved the biggest result in the club’s short history when they lifted the BAFL 1 National Championship. The game set a record as the longest ever Championship game in British American Football, with game finally ending when Free Safety James West broke up a two-point conversion in the fourth period of overtime, after the game had finished 6-6 at the end of regulation. 

The game was a tight defensive battle with neither team being able to dominate the other for any sustained period of time. Redditch elected to receive the opening kick-off and made the worst possible start, when on just the third play of the game Dale Smart, intercepted Arrows quarterback Richard Wilde’s attempted pass at the Arrows 45 yard line. 

The Thunder wasted no time to press home the advantage, with quarterback Eber Kington completing a 32 yard pass to Adam Fishlock, and a six yard run by Kington put them at the Arrows eleven. From where, a pinpoint pass found Phil Allman in the end zone for the opening touchdown. 

Ten years on from its last appearance in a major final, the Sussex Thunder return to the national spotlight on Saturday as they head to the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster to take on the Redditch Arrows in the BAFL 1 Final.

Having fallen at the Semi-Final hurdle in 2004 and 2006, Sussex have gone one step further this year on the back of the leading defense in BAFL 1. After conceding only 76 point in 10 regular season games, the Thunder defense once again proved the difference maker in coming up with 4 crucial interceptions in the Semi-Final win over the Yorkshire Rams. The final looks to pit two well balanced teams who play hard-nosed football up against one another, in what could prove to be another classic encounter.

Recent history is with the Thunder. Sussex have faced the West Midlands outfit three times since reforming in 2003 and have won all three games. In 2004, an undermanned Thunder team travelled to Redditch to take on an undefeated Arrows side in the Division 2 playoffs, and emerged victorious with a hard-fought 24-23 win. The teams faced off twice in the 2005 regular season, with Sussex taking a 20-11 win at home and sneaking another one-point win in Redditch, by a mark of 14-13.