Vinson makes mark for Monarchs

The London Monarchs continued their remarkable improvement with a 16- 13 win in a bruising and occasionally ill-tempered affair against the Amsterdam Admirals before an 11,000 crowd at White Hart Lane yesterday, writes Nick Halling.

The result leaves both teams with three wins from their seven outings, but the race to join the Scottish Claymores in next month's World Bowl remains wide open, with the Monarchs now firmly in the picture.

Both defenses were in a dominant mood, but the difference was the London running-back Tony Vinson, who set a World League record with 212 rushing yards. After his 137-yard effort against Frankfurt last week, the man from the Atlanta Falcons has confirmed his status as one of the League's most prolific performers.

The first half was a dour, defense-dominated affair, Roger Ruzek's 29- yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining the only score as both offenses struggled to establish their rhythm. The Monarchs' quarterback, Preston Jones, threw two interceptions, while his Amsterdam counterpart, Will Furrer, allowed three.

After a fumble by the London running-back Gaston Green, Amsterdam went ahead early in the third quarter, Furrer throwing a six-yard pass to Trevor Cobb. After Vinson's electrifying 67-yard run, however, the Monarchs went back in front following Russell White's five-yard run. When Jones fired a 19-yard pass to Linzy Collins with less than six minutes remaining it looked all over.

However, the Admirals set up a tense finish when Cobb scored again with less than three minutes remaining. The New Zealand wide receiver Willie Hinchcliff converted an important third down with a 12-yard catch, and some more running from Vinson enabled the home side to hold on.