clash, where the Sundevils took an early lead but were eventually outgunned by the Pirates. Game seven saw a depleted squad travel to Warwick to play Coventry and put up a spirited performance in which they outscored the jets in the second half. Unfortunately a first half rout meant it made little difference and it was another long journey home on the back of a loss for the Pirates. The final two home games of the season saw a defeat to the London Blitz, despite an early Pirates lead followed by a 19–6 win over the Gateshead Senators on a day where the score could have been much higher for the rampant Pirates. The season was completed with a 13–0 away victory over Birmingham Bulls. The off-season prior to the 2008 campaign was unusual as the London O's were forced to pull out of the league once the schedule had been set. This meant that the northern teams lost one game and the southern teams lost two, so to even the fixtures, the Pirates also lost an away game to Coventry Jets. On their season opener, they broke a three-year opening-day curse by beating the Gateshead Senators comfortably 34–8. Game two saw a spirited performance despite a heavy loss at home to the Coventry Jets, which was followed by a crushing defeat in London at the hands of the reigning champion London Blitz. Game four saw Pirates pick up the pace again with a good win in Gateshead and this was followed by a strong victory away to the Birmingham Bulls, with a travelling squad of only 19 players, to put the Pirates second in the division. In game 6, a tough visit to Aldershot Army Stadium to play the Farnham Knights resulted in a heavy defeat, again highlighting the gulf between some teams in the Premier Division. In an all-or-nothing game seven, the Pirates played poorly and lost to the Bristol Aztecs, ending their playoff hopes. The final game was forfeited by the Bulls, giving a record of 4–4 but leaving many to question the sustainability of the Premier League. Running concurrently to the kitted league, the Pirates also entered a team into the inaugural BAFA Adult Flag contest and fared reasonably well, however it was felt by the committee and the players that flag football distracted from the team's primary aim of supporting a kitted team and so