NSW Matchplay Qualifier - 25th February 2006


Report from Chris May

NSW Scrabblers descended upon the dimly-lit Padstow RSL yesterday for the opening tournament of the fourth NSW Matchplay. This is the third time a Qualifier has been held for the event, and the roll-up of 42 was much the same as for last year's competition, although somewhat down on the 2004 peak of 61. Perhaps the 9-game open format (final round KOH) still needs a bit of a tweak.

This tournament must hold the record for requiring players to traverse the greatest distance to lodge a challenge. You practically needed to take a packed lunch and compass with you to navigate to Wilma and back. (Well, perhaps not, but the front table was unusually far from the playing tables). I personally welcomed the chance to stretch my legs midgame.

Thanks are due to Joanne Craig for organising the event, and still recording a worthy win despite her 5am start, and of course to the rest of the NSW Committee and to Wilma for her usual smooth direction. I didn't hear of any controversies except for one instance where a malfunctioning clock may have cost a player a game (but this did not reach the TD). I still managed to disrupt things effectively myself in a late game by spilling water all over myself and the equipment in an entertaining fashion, after which my opponent decided to join in the fun and knock her rack and tiles all over the floor.

The ladies were fastest out of the blocks. After three rounds five of the six undefeated players were women, with Joan Rosenthal on the best margin. Bob Jackman had taken the lead after four rounds, with a margin of 484 and 4 wins (including a 194-point massacre of yours truly). Joanne and Esther, the defending champion of this event, were also undefeated. Esther was the last player to lose a game, lasting until round 7, when she succumbed to Joanne. These two played off in round 9 for the tournament, with Joanne prevailing again.

There were a few interesting words and plays. Two Masters players adjacent to me had a classic exchange involving an S being hooked onto the word TRIVIA. (For those unaware, TRIVIA is already a plural word and therefore does not take an S). First Player A, missing SHIRTIER through an I, tried the word without the second I as a seven, hooking the S onto TRIVIA. Player B challenged only the seven, which came off. Then Player B promptly came down with SANNIES, using the same hook. Player A challenged SANNIES unsuccessfully but neglected to challenge the hook. A rare instance of a challenge failing to get an invalid play off the board.

As for individual words, two nines were played through disconnected tiles. I was very happy, with a rack of EILRST?, to unravel TuRNSTILE through N-T on a very tight board. Esther matched it later on by finding CRADLINGS through C--D. Esther also made a beautiful multiple- overlap play of RHIZOME for 84. I made BARYTONE and PARLANDO, although I inexplicably failed to challenge off a false word from the letters of AAEILNST. Edward played VOIDNESS. Bob played ASBESTOS, although he tells me that POSTBASE was available as a triple-triple. Esther didn't disappoint with the triple-triples, however, unravelling CALMNESS from the unlikely rack of CELMNSS against Peter Shaw. Jean Balmer played a triple-triple earlier in the day, but I don't remember the word (sorry Jean).

A few words didn't quite make it onto the board. I held QUIETUS and FADDISM unplayably, and Edward tells me he held FABLIAU homelessly at one point.

KAA* was spotted on a board involving a most respectable Masters player. Fortunately the same player made good by hooking an S onto it later.

I look forward to the knockouts and to next year's competition.

Draw for matchplay finals:

1-Joanne Craig vs 16-Kris Logan
2-Bob Jackman vs 15-John Barker
3-John Holgate vs 14-Jan Serisier
4-Esther Perrins vs 13-Sue Gergelifi
5-Joan Rosenthal vs 12-Chris MAy
6-Edward Okulicz vs 11-Rod Talbot
7-Peter Shaw vs 10-Ian Close
8-Moana Nepia vs 9-Jean McGiffen

Games to be played by Easter. A report from Chris May on today's knockout 
will follow.

Results after game  9
MATCHPLAY -- OPEN

Rank  Player            Wins Mar
---------------------------------
   1   Joanne Craig         8      648
   2   Bob Jackman          7      810
   3   John Holgate         7      499
   4   Esther Perrins       7      385
   5   Joan Rosenthal       6.5    563
   6   Edward Okulicz       6      571
   7   Peter Shaw           6      229
   8   Moana Nepia          6      196
   9   Jean McGiffen        6       69
  10   Ian Close            6      -45
  11   Rod Talbot           5      761
  12   Chris May            5      357
  13   Sue Gergelifi        5      310
  14   Jan Serisier         5      258
  15   John Barker          5      139
  16   Kris Logan           5       57
  17   Hanne Marks          5       36
  18   Rex Shakespeare      5      -21
  19   Yvonne Edwards       5      -69
  20   Victor Tung          5     -368
  21   Lisa Peterson        4.5     13
  22   Graeme Lock Lee      4.5      4
  23   Jyoti Chandna        4      112
  24   Mark Smith           4       42
  25   Tony Hunt            4       -4
  26   Audrey Newman        4      -23
  27   Tony Kalayzich       4      -70
  28   Janine Whittaker     4     -132
  29   Margaret Andrews     4     -235
  30   Sharon Sorensen      4     -446
  31   Don Hadley           4     -745
  32   George Khamis        3.5    -33
  33   Jenny Templeton      3     -140
  34   David More           3     -141
  35   Jean Balmer          3     -180
  36   Colin Driver         3     -214
  37   Pat Schuberg         3     -287
  38   Frank Hunt           3     -303
  39   Liz Jackman          3     -462
  40   Colleen Walker       2     -244
  41   Maree Heynen         2     -308
  42   Diana Field          0    -1589
HIGH GAME: Esther Perrins    587
HIGH WORD: Esther Perrins    185
             "CALMNESS"


Stats for Tournament : MATCHPLAY

+--------------------------+-----------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| state     Name           | National  | State   |   Wins    | Rating Points |
|                          | Old  New  | Old New | Exp  Act  | Old 
| Change New|
+--------------------------+-----------+---------+-----------+---------------+
+Section: *OPEN                        +         +           +               +
+--------------------------------------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| NSW Joanne Craig         |   24   17 |   7   6 |  5.4  8.0 | 1629 +55 1684 |
| NSW Bob Jackman          |   20   13 |   6   4 |  4.3  7.0 | 1640 +60 1700 |
| NSW John Holgate         |   30   24 |  10   8 |  6.0  7.0 | 1613 +20 1633 |
| NSW Esther Perrins       |   16   14 |   4   5 |  5.6  7.0 | 1669 +31 1700 |
| NSW Joan Rosenthal       |   17   18 |   5   7 |  6.1  6.5 | 1666 +11 1677 |
| NSW Edward Okulicz       |    5    6 |   2   1 |  7.5  6.0 | 1806 -20 1786 |
| NSW Peter Shaw           |   48   38 |  15  13 |  4.8  6.0 | 1561 +24 1585 |
| NSW Moana Nepia          |  161  157 |  35  34 |  5.9  6.0 | 1383  +3 1386 |
| NSW Jean McGiffen        |   29   31 |   9  10 |  6.1  6.0 | 1613  -2 1611 |
| NSW Ian Close            |  254  171 |  55  38 |  2.2  6.0 | 1276 +95 1371 |
| NSW Rod Talbot           |   33   37 |  12  12 |  5.9  5.0 | 1604 -18 1586 |
| NSW John Barker          |   70   65 |  18  17 |  4.7  5.0 | 1515  +8 1523 |
| NSW Chris May            |    4    7 |   1   2 |  7.6  5.0 | 1811 -40 1771 |
| NSW Jan Serisier         |  122  122 |  30  30 |  5.1  5.0 | 1436  +1 1437 |
| NSW Sue Gergelifi        |   73   77 |  20  21 |  5.8  5.0 | 1512 -14 1498 |
| NSW Rex Shakespeare      |  144  138 |  33  33 |  4.1  5.0 | 1399 +21 1420 |
| NSW Hanne Marks          |  128  131 |  31  32 |  5.4  5.0 | 1431  -5 1426 |
| NSW Yvonne Edwards       |  553  467 | 132 117 |  1.7  5.0 |  935 +81 1016 |
| NSW Victor Tung          |   54   57 |  16  16 |  5.5  5.0 | 1549  -9 1540 |
| NSW Kris Logan           |  107  107 |  25  25 |  5.0  5.0 | 1461     1461 |
| NSW Graeme Lock Lee      |   44   48 |  14  14 |  5.3  4.5 | 1570 -14 1556 |
| NSW Lisa Peterson        |  374  343 |  88  80 |  3.2  4.5 | 1116 +38 1154 |
| NSW Tony Hunt            |   36   55 |  13  15 |  6.6  4.0 | 1596 -53 1543 |
| NSW Tony Kalayzich       |  388  375 |  93  89 |  2.7  4.0 | 1088 +28 1116 |
| NSW Jyoti Chandna        |  454  395 | 113  95 |  1.3  4.0 | 1026 +60 1086 |
| NSW Audrey Newman        |   88  105 |  22  23 |  5.2  4.0 | 1486 -22 1464 |
| NSW Mark Smith           |  177  175 |  41  40 |  4.0  4.0 | 1366  +1 1367 |
| NSW Janine Whittaker     |  450  410 | 111 101 |  2.0  4.0 | 1030 +41 1071 |
| NSW Margaret Andrews     |  287  290 |  63  62 |  4.1  4.0 | 1227  -3 1224 |
| NSW Sharon Sorensen      |  236  271 |  50  56 |  6.2  4.0 | 1292 -43 1249 |
| NSW Don Hadley           |  467  451 | 117 113 |  2.9  4.0 | 1012 +22 1034 |
| NSW George Khamis        |  359  365 |  84  85 |  3.9  3.5 | 1135  -8 1127 |
| NSW Jean Balmer          |  347  373 |  81  88 |  4.3  3.0 | 1145 -26 1119 |
| NSW Pat Schuberg         |  149  199 |  34  46 |  5.9  3.0 | 1395 -55 1340 |
| NSW Frank Hunt           |  555  546 | 133 131 |  2.5  3.0 |  933 +10  943 |
| NSW Jenny Templeton      |  264  305 |  57  68 |  6.0  3.0 | 1261 -58 1203 |
| NSW David More           |  238  291 |  51  63 |  6.3  3.0 | 1288 -65 1223 |
| NSW Colin Driver         |  601  596 | 147 145 |  2.9  3.0 |  895  +3  898 |
| NSW Liz Jackman          |  484  476 | 122 120 |  2.6  3.0 |  993  +9 1002 |
| NSW Colleen Walker       |  304  331 |  68  77 |  4.0  2.0 | 1206 -39 1167 |
| NSW Maree Heynen         |  649  655 | 159 160 |  2.2  2.0 |  854  -3  851 |
| NSW Diana Field          | 1146 1219 | 305 331 |  0.5  0.0 |  500 -10  490 |
+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+----------------+