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 |
+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+----------------+