1991 TO PRESENT DAY
1991: Bristol Bullets
American Football Club formed at Bristol Polytchnic (now UWE) by Terry
Robinson, Aiden Bailey, Adi-Buer Puplampu and Albert Lambert Jnr.
1992: BCAFL Southern
Conference 1-7-0
The Bullets played their first two games in March of 1992, losing two Challenge
Bowl Trophy games to Cambridge and Cardiff. The games may have been losses but
they taught the fledgling Bullets some valuable lessons and qualified them for
league participation.
In the 1992-93 BCAFL season, the Bullets'
first full league season, had a slow start with a few heavy losses but the
season ended on a high note with a close 6-0 loss to local rivals Bath Killer
Bees and a 20-6 victory against Reading Knights.
1993: BCAFL Southern Conference
4-3-1+
With the continuing guidance of head coach Albert Lambert, and led on the field
by star halfback Terry Robinson, Bristol joined the ranks of the League's
better teams in 1993-94, going 4-3-1 and hosting the Southern Conference plate
competition. Impressive league wins over Aberystwyth, Aston, and Bath twice
meant a fixture against Birmingham in the first tround of the Southern Plate. A
16-8 win over the Lions meant facing a tough Warwick outfit in the final which
the Bullets lost in a close 12-6 battle.
1994: BCAFL South Western Division
1-3-4+
Teething problems caused by a new set of coaches and adverse weather conditions
that allowed the Bullets to complete only half of their games were the major
low points of a disappointing 1994-95 season. The only win of the season was a
20-0 shutout against Surrey Stingers. The Bullets still managed to qualify for
the Plate Competition with a .375 record and faced UEA, Hertfordshire and
Surrey, going 1-2 in the plate.
1995: BCAFL South Western Division
0-8-0
The next year, the Bullets had problems from the beginning, as they could not
confirm a venue until three days before the season opener. In that game,
defensive star Tom Wolfram suffered a knee injury and was knocked out for the
season. Bristol never got on track and lost every game. It was the start of a
four year rut.
1996: BCAFL South Western Division
1-6-1
The Bullets continued the slump and won only one game in 1996-97, defeating
Reading 30-0, despite close losses to Kent and Bath.
1997: BCAFL South Western Division
0-7-1
The Bullets couldn't get a single victory in 1997-98 with heavy losses to
Southampton,
Bath,
Kent, Reading and Hertfordshire.
1998: BCAFL South Western Division
0-7-1
The 98-99 season was more of the same and by the end of the season it was
apparent that things had to change. The departure of founding Head Coach Albert
Lambert due to work commitments meant that the Bullets needed to find a new
coaching staff, and it was time for a fresh start.
1999:
BCAFL South Western Division 2-6-2
1999 saw a change in coaching staff and a new and improved Bullets. Former
Aztecs Youth Head Coach Steve Jones was appointed and he brought with him Blair
Dent (DC), Steve Lee (Line) and Matt Dyke (O#). No longer the black sheep of
the traditionally strong South West, the Bullets pulled together a couple of
wins against Kent and Warwick and remained unbeaten into Y2K, capping the
season off with a comfortable 50-12 victory over Plymouth Blitz in a
post-season friendly.
2000: BCAFL South Western Division
4-4-0+
The 2000-01 season opened slowly with close losses to Reading and Southampton
but soon got back on track. In the second year under the new coaching
programme, Steve Jones managed to take the Bullets to a .500 record and their
second best season in club history. The Bullets barely missed out on their
first ever trip to the playoffs, and would have hosted the Southern Plate
Competition but for bad weather.
2001:
BCAFL South Western Division 7-0-1*
2001/2 saw financial backing from David Chorley International and a name change
to the David Chorley Bullets, and what a difference it made. The Bullets went
undefeated in regular season competition, including first ever victories over
Cardiff and Southampton, gaining a bye through the first round of the playoffs.
But the Bullets, on their first ever trip to the playoffs, fell to the tough
defending champions, the Oxford Cavaliers in a gruelling 0-16 defensive battle.
2002: BCAFL South Western Division
4-4-0
2002/3 saw the Bullets draw a much harder schedule. Hopes were high early on
after disposing of Southampton and drubbing defending Champions Loughborough
46-0. But a much improved SW Division meant tough losses to Bath, Cardiff and
Southampton. Wins over Surrey and Plymouth steadied the ship, but the Bullets
failed to gain more than a 4-4 season, then they went down in a 20-15 thriller
against Oxford in the final game of the regular season.
2003: BCAFL
South Western Division 6-2-0+
The 2003/4 season started with tragedy.
Head Coach Steve Jones lost his battle with
Cancer and passed away on the opening week of
the season. The Bullets were traumatised. After
losing the opening two games to Cardiff and
Plymouth, the Bullets rallied round and put
together a 6 game winning streak, culminating
in a 7-6 victory over the Cardiff Cobras on
the final day of the regular season. The Bullets
missed out on the playoffs in a three way tiebreaker,
but did "Coach" proud.
2004: BCAFL
South Western Division
6-2-2
2004/05
A
Successful
season,
with 6
games
won and
only
lost 2
and did
enough
to be
crowned
South
Western
Division
Champions.
They
went
into the
playoffs
with a
positive
and
confidant
approach
to
getting
to this
years
bowl.
Playoffs
started
well by
beating
Bath.
Unfortunately
they
where
knocked
out by
Birmingham
Loins
who
later
went on
to win
the
Bowl.
2005:
BCAFL
South
Western
Division 6-2-2
2005/06.
The
Bullets
head
there
sights
set high
after
getting
so close
to the
Bowl.
The
Season
started
well
with a
4-0
winning
streak.
However
they
where
stopped
in there
tracks
by last
years
winners
Birmingham
and with
another
loss to
Cardiff.
Yet they
pulled
it back
with 2
wins.
But it
wasn’t
enough
to
regain
there
title as
south
west
champions.
Bullets
won
conferrable
in there
first
game in
the
playoffs
against
Greenwich.
Unfortunately
they
where
drawn
against
Cardiff
away. It
had
snowed
the
night
before
and
players
where
playing
through
the
snow. It
was a
tight
game but
the
bullets
could
not
cross
the
finish
line as
they
where
beaten
by the
opposition.
2006:
BCAFL
South
Western
Division 8-2-2
2006/07 was ment to be a rebuilding season, however the Bullets had other ideas.
The season started well with two
convincing wins against Surrey and Plymouth. The Bullets cockiness was punished, however, in a week 3 trip to Bath. The aftermath of this game carried on to next week where the Bullets failed to beat Cardiff at BAWA, falling 13-10. Going into the christams break the 2 and 2 Bullets were one loss away from missing the playoffs. However the break proved invaluble and the Bullets regrouped and worked towards moving the team forward again. The first two games were rematches against Cardiff and Bath. Both teams fell to a Bullets side with a renewed sense of purpose. This left the Bullets at 4-2-2 ending the regular season (two matches were declared by opponents) and allowed the Bullets to squeak into the Playoffs. Bullets
confortably beat Bath in the first round to progress to a meeting against the unbeaten Essex Blades. Blades proved no match for Bullets however and the 06/07 team became the first Bullets side to reach a Conference Final. With revenge on their minds the Bullets travelled to Birmingham and won the closely fought match for a shot at College Bowl XXI. On a historic day for the Bullets the team beat the Loughborough Aces 31-14 to lift the College Bowl and become NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!
