The newly-renamed Buckinghamshire Wolves American Football team's first tournament of the season ended in farce as their opponents forfeited after only five minutes - with the coach claiming his players' hearts weren't in it.

Bucks' U17 side were leading the Berkshire Renegades 24-0 and looking to rack up their third big win of the weekend when their opponents were pulled out by their coach.

It left a sour taste in Buckinghamshire mouths, who were left with just a 1-0 scoreline for their efforts because the match had been called off in the first half.

Wolves coach Adam Dawkins said: "Five minutes into the game their quarterback dropped the ball on the floor. Our guy went to get it and their guy didn't try to pick it up.

"Their coach said, 'My guys' hearts aren't in it, I'm not going to be able to play on', and forfeited.

"What wound me up was I wanted a lot of my back up players to play, and they didn't get to play because they quit. I wanted to put some of the younger players in and I saved them for that game.

"It's a shame to focus on it, but it's what our focus was on afterwards. It was a bad feeling going home, like we'd lost a game."

The Renegades' coach offered to play the Wolves in an offence versus defence friendly immediately after the forfeiture, but the offer was declined.

Dawkins said: "I thought about it but it would have been a case of them running some plays and we wouldn't have the ball. We didn't see the benefit, and I didn't want anyone to roll an ankle in those circumstances."

It was a disappointing end to the first tournament the Wolves have played in since rebranding themselves, having been among the best in the country as the Marlow Wolves.

Marlow were 2014 South West champions after winning all 12 of their regular league fixtures, before losing in the end of season play offs against some of the other national winners.

And they began the new campaign with a bang, beating the Solent Thrashers 70-12 in the first game of the weekend before following that up with a 42-0 hammering of the Gloucester Centurions.

Wolves' next tournament is on April 18 and is being hosted by Sussex Thunder.