The game
Hertfordshire won their first national title on 15 March 1998, beating the Leeds Celtics 16–7 in College Bowl XII at Saffron Lane, Leicester. It capped an unbeaten season under head coach Beau Riffenburgh. On the way to the bowl the Hurricanes had shut out Southampton in the first playoff round and then beaten Tarannau Aberystwyth for the Southern Conference title.
Leeds came in as favourites with the country's top-rated offence. They scored first and led early, but the Hertfordshire defence, ranked the best in the league, gave them nothing after the interval. Running back Mark Zaki turned the game in the second half. In the third quarter he caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mark Agnew, and in the fourth he made sure of the win with a 21-yard touchdown run.
Linebacker Sylvain Guegan was named College Bowl MVP after leading the team with nine tackles. The club's own game awards went to president Asy Ho (game MVP), Tim Clarke (offence), Eion Card (defence) and Richard Savage (special teams).
The title came five years after the club was founded. Founder and linebackers coach Matt Coppinger called it the reward for five years of hard work. It was the first of three College Bowl wins in a row.
