The Arrows forced four overtime periods before losing the match

Redditch Arrows suffered heartbreak as they narrowly lost to Sussex Thunder in the BritBowl final at Doncaster.

The Arrows lost 20-18 in the fourth period of overtime and their head coach Ian Hill said he could not have asked any more of his players.

"We have developed this year into a very good football team," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"We now have to build on this and be even stronger next year - I am proud of every one of the guys."

After falling six points behind early in the game the Arrows rallied in the third quarter to level the game when Toby Rhodes went into the Thunder end zone.

The extra point was missed and so the game went into overtime for the first time in the history of the BritBowl.

The first two periods of overtime resulted in cagey play from both sides with no addition to the score, but it was Sussex Thunder who finally made the breakthrough in the third additional period when they went in for a touchdown.

Sussex's attempt at a two-point conversion failed and this gave the Arrows a glimmer of hope.

Again they levelled the game when quarter-back Richard Wilde hooked up with Kieran McLeod for another Arrows touch down.

You can't get closer to winning than to take a team to four overtime periods and had we had a little more luck on a couple of key plays then we would have the trophy Arrows chairman Chris Halford

The extra point move failed and so it was into what proved to be the fourth and decisive extra period. Sussex Thunder took the early initiative when they completed a touchdown and the extra two points, but the Arrows were not yet beaten.

They scored their third touchdown of the day when they earned a first goal from the five-yard line and Wilde found Neil Solomon.

The two-point extra score would have again tied the game, but Wilde's attempted pass was tipped away by the Sussex defence as the Thunder took the title in a game that lasted just short of four hours.

The Redditch Arrows chairman Chris Halford said it had been a case of so near and yet so far.

"It would have been a fitting end to the season had we won, but everyone involved in the club can be proud of what we did and how we conducted ourselves.

"You can't get closer to winning than to take a team to four overtime periods and had we had a little more luck on a couple of key plays then we would have the trophy," he added.

"Unfortunately we don't, but we are already looking to build for next year."