Chris realising American dream

The 22-year-old, of Glyne Ascent, made his first competitive appearance in the trials last week and did enough to earn a place in the Thunder squad that will play in the Southern Division of the British Senior League against teams from places such as Cardiff and Plymouth from April.

"I have been training for about a year," he said, "but the trials were the first time I've played competitively. The basic skills came quite easily, but learning all the play calling and intricacies of the game will take a while. The coaches have been very complimentary."

So why American football and how did the interest arise in the first place? "My girlfriend is American and I got into it through her," he continued. "I started watching it on TV and I thought 'I could do that'. I started playing at university (in Bangor, Wales). We didn't have a team, but a few of us started throwing the ball around. When I graduated I came back down here and I tried out for the (Sussex) team."

Chris, a former Bexhill Town Youth footballer and student at St Richard's Catholic College and Bexhill College, would welcome any sponsorship to fund his seasonal costs, which he estimates will amount to around 500. Anybody interested should contact him on 215547 or e-mail [email protected]