Ballard the key for Claymores

Scottish Claymores 33 London Monarchs 28

The Scottish Claymores confirmed their dominance over the London Monarchs at Murrayfield yesterday afternoon. The defeat means the Monarchs can no longer qualify for the World Bowl against the Scots in two weeks' time.

Scotland's quarterback, Jim Ballard, was named the key performer, with three touchdown passes. Equally important was the contribution of the running back, Siran Stacy, who has become the only performer in World League history to amass 2,000 all-purpose yards. "I love this country. The two years I've been here have been very special," he said. "And it's always nice to kick some English butt."

The Monarchs began well, the quarterback Preston Jones throwing the first of his four touchdowns to the receiver, Willie Hinchcliff. Having established early authority, the visitors failed to capitalise.

Ballard threw scoring passes to Ron Dickerson and Yo Murphy to give the Claymores a lead they would not surrender. The crucial play of the game came with less than two minutes remaining, Stacy bursting through the middle to score on a stunning 42-yard run, to effectively break London's resistance.