~ News Archive 2016 ~

The 2016 Decathon, December 27 - the last for the year

This annual event attracted 66 players, and we welcomed Eloy Gardea from the US to his second tournament, as well as interstate players Liz Blanch, Karen Richards and Paul Richards from Queensland, and John Hamilton from the ACT. It was good to see several players after varying absences from the Victorian Scrabble scene, including David Eldar, Naween Fernando, Peter Kougi, Anand Bharadwaj, Diane and Wayne Stoyan, and the Whiting brothers Mark and Tim. The weather was warm, but the aircon was effective, almost too effective in some parts of the playing area. All players survived the ten games played, and a lagged draw with 22 minute games was implemented to speed up the day. Play started soon after 9 am and finished about 6.30, with a good number staying for presentations, which as the Tournament Director I appreciated.

ANGELS: David Eldar, Peter Kougi, and Mythili Rudra

BELLS: Lynn Weaver, Dianne Gibson, Rob Hutchinson, Geoff Shepheard, June Valentine

CAROLS: Dorothy Hunt, Elize Plaganyi, Chris McCann, Christie Godby, John Metcalf

Liz Blanch from Queensland, who did very well in the top section

There was keen competition in all three sections, and the winner of "ANGELS" section was David Eldar, winning nine and losing only to Naween Fernando. Second place saw Peter Kougi win eight games, followed by Mythili Rudra on seven wins. David took home the High Game (613) and High Word prizes, playing RAPTURES for 140 points.
In "BELLS" division Lynn Weaver finally showed her true Scrabble skills (Lynn is very hard to beat in Club play!) winning seven games plus drawing one, ahead of Dianne Gibson and Rob Hutchinson on seven games, with Geoff Shepheard scoring 505 to win the High Game Award, and June Valentine playing "BEASTIES" for 131 points to win the High Word for the section.
"CAROLS" section saw strong play from John Metcalf who finished on eight wins, ahead by margin only of Dorothy Hunt, also on eight. Elize Plaganyi placed third on seven wins with an excellent margin, and I expect Elize to have a good Scrabble year in 2017. Christiane McCann was pleased to score 501 to win the High Game award, and Christie Godby played EXERTION for 110 points to secure the High Word award.

Eloy Gardea visiting from the US, and enjoying the challenge of the CSW15 word list

Karen and Paul Richards, competing before travelling to Qatar to run a coaching clinic

John Hamilton from the ACT, who travelled overnight by bus to attend, with Chris Scholten

Some serious competition - Anand vs Naween, with Peter playing David at Table One

Excellent ratings gains were achieved by Marisa Nuccitelli +69, Glen Chandler +65, Dorothy Hunt +57, Julie Belle + 49, Liz Blanch +46, and Dorothy Rice +44. Well done, everyone, and thanks to all for the spirit in which this tournament was played, apart from one difficult decision it was a happy tournament to direct.
Thank you to all who helped on the day, including our Standby Player Mary Mackie, and our computer operator Amy who has become very competent, thanks Amy. Also thank you to Carol Johnsen for her untiring help, and Norma Fisher who came early in the morning with equipment and helped with setting up. As always we had a fine crew helping with tidying up at the end of the day which makes things so much easier - some I recall working hard are Chris McCann, Geoff Shepheard and Rob Hutchinson, thanks everyone!
To see the full results of this event click HERE

VICTORIAN CLUB CLOSURE AND REOPENING DATES OVER THE HOLIDAY PERIOD 2016 - 2017

CLUB	BREAKUP DATE	RETURN DATE 2017
Ballarat	Tuesday December 13	Tuesday TBA
Balwyn	Monday December 19	Monday January 9
Bentleigh	Wednesday December 14	Wednesday February 1
Box Hill
Cranbourne	Wednesday December 7	Wednesday January 4
Essendon	Tuesday December 6	Tuesday February 7
FaNS	Open through the holiday season, except closed on Monday December 26
Frankston	Wednesday December 16	Wed 11 January, if temperature less than 30 degrees
Frankston Nth
Geelong	Saturday December 17	Saturday January 7
Golden Age	Wednesday December 21	Wednesday January 18
Gormandale
Greensborough	Tuesday December 13	Tuesday January 24
Horsham	December 16	Thursday February 2
Langwarrin	December 6	Tuesday January 31
Mt Martha	Tuesday December 13	Tuesday January 10
Nunawading	Tuesday December 20. Breakup dinner at 6pm at the Mitcham Hotel	Tuesday January 10
Paynesville	Tuesday December 20 (Library Thursday Dec 15)	Tuesday January 3 (Library Thursday January 5)
Rosanna	Thursday December 8	Thursday February 9
Sunbury	Wednesday December 14	Wednesday January 11
Watsonia	Wednesday December 14	Wednesday February 1
Welshpool
Wodonga

The AGM Tournament, November 20, 2016

Nat Podesser, concentrating on her way to winning Aardvark Division!

Carol Johnsen, President of Scrabble Victoria and TD on the day

AARDVARK: Geoff Wright, Nat Podesser and Angie Pearse

BABOON: John Parker, Janet Bau, Dianne Gibson, Dorothy Rice

CHAMELEON: Dorothy Hunt, Marjorie Clark, Laura Khan, Liz McKean, Elize Plaganyi

The Geelong Tournament, November 13 2016

Here is a report from Carol Johnsen:
Once again, a lovely weekend visit to the seaside town of Geelong to celebrate their annual tournament at the Sphinx Entertainment Centre. Thirty-four players participated on Sunday, half of them coming from Melbourne, Rockbank and Sunbury which was very encouraging, and three from Ballarat.
We are pleased to announce that the Geelong tournament in 2017 will be at the Geelong Club playing venue, St Andrews Hall in Geelong which appears to be a very accommodating Scrabble tournament venue and should allow the club to allot more resources to catering and prizes.

The home of the Geelong Scrabble Club, Saint Andrews Hall at
19 Sydney Avenue, Geelong. The Club meets on Saturday
afternoons at 1.30 pm, all welcome

Carol Johnsen was very pleased with nine-timer PEDANTRY through A played by Heather Long (R was a blank), which was a most unusual opening for this Masters Player to allow. John Freeman took out the honours in C Section, named after Cameron Ling of football fame. Apparently it is some 15 years since John played and now that he has retired, he has come back to the Geelong Club and acquitted himself very well on Sunday by taking out First Place.
Pleasing to have two reasonably new players, Tessa Knight from Ballarat and Cornelio Baldonado from Werribee. Cornelio commented that he would love to play more tournaments but the whims of having a young family precluded him from regularly participating.
Thanks for the report, Carol, and congratulations to all place getters, including local player Mary McMahon who won Ablett section, and Peter Bauer who was victorious in Bartels. We look forward to visiting St Andrews Hall for their tournament next year, and well done to the Geelong Club members for keeping their club operating following the disastrous fire which destroyed their regular playing venue and all club equipment earlier this year.

The Annual South Australia versus Victoria Border Challenge - October 15/16 2016

Here is a report from Adam Kretschmer, the hard-working co-leader of the SA team, and respected promoter of Scrabble:
This year's SA v Vic Border Challenge saw SA field its largest team ever (26) to battle a pretty big team from Victoria (22). SA's 7 heavy-hitters all performed well, finishing in the overall top 8. After an even start, SA steadily built up a lead between rounds 3 until they were unbeatable at the end of round 9 (of 10). This triggered 'Team Gibsonization' to help even out the intra-team count for some of the lower-ranked players and also provide a sensible shootout for the individual prizes. Michael Cameron and Jane Taylor were victorious over Trevor Tao and myself, to claim 1st and 2nd respectively. Angie Pearse and Geoff Shepheard flew the flag for Victoria to finish in 5th and 10th spots. The final team tally was SA 128 - Vic 92, SA's sixth consecutive win!

South Australia, too strong for Victoria! Congratulations to you all!

The Victorian team, who put up a valiant fight!

As is often the case with this event, the highlight is a breakout performance by an up-and-comer. This year's standout was SA's Wendi Symes, who from a rating of 722 (making her BC debut) strung together 7 wins, including upsets over the Victorian team's top 2 rated players (Geoff W & Norma). Honorable mentions to stalwart Louisa Atsas who caused a lot of upsets on day 1, but slipped just outside the top 3 in the 2nd rating band and to Rachel Telfer who also played well above her rating on BC debut.

The Overall Individual prize winners: Michael Cameron (1st and High Game 559), Jane Taylor (2), Norma Fisher (High Word INFLUXES 194), Trevor Tao (3)

The Ratings Band prize winners: Lyndee Hill (2), Marilyn Evans (High Word JAVELINS 104), Wendi Symes (1), Glenys Dettmann (High Game 523), Neal Whibley (3)

As always, the competition was fierce but friendly with new friendships and rivalries formed across the border. A big thanks to Victoria for organising this year's event, particularly to Carol Johnsen and Norma Fisher. Also, thanks to Paula and her family for all of their work coordinating Team SA.

Barry Harridge with Carol Johnsen in the foyer of the White Hart Hotel

Paula Brown and Oliver Jenner-O'Shea from South Australia, with the perpetual shield

Happy Victorians Christiane McCann, Elize Plaganyi, Latha Weerakkody

South Australia's Rachel Telfer plays Angie Pearse from Victoria

Thanks for the report, Adam, and from the Victorian team we say thanks to all who helped make this such an enjoyable weekend, and also a big thank you to our new hosts at the White Hart Hotel! Also thanks to Khwanjai Thammaping for the use of her lovely photos, they are appreciated!

The Matchplay Rounds, 2016

The quarter finals are the best of five games, semi finals the best of seven, and the grand final is the best of nine - hopefully this will take place in October, at a central venue to be advised by organiser Nick Ivanovski. More news will follow.....
Update August 3: Two quarter finals have been completed, and Andrew Fisher and Barry Harridge will challenge each other in a semi final, to be played in September. Trevor Halsall won his quarter final against Lynn Weaver, and awaits the winner of the match between Khwanjai Thammaping and Noel Coulter.
August 21: Noel has won his match against Khwanjai, and will now play Trevor Halsall in a semi-final.
September 29: The final will be played between Andrew Fisher and Trevor Halsall, and will be the best of nine games - date and venue to be advised!
The final was completed in the congenial surrounds of The Rose Hotel in Fitzroy, with Andrew Fisher winning five-nil against Trevor, congratulations, Andrew! And thanks to organiser Nick Ivanovski for your continued work on this event.

One of the boards from the Andrew Fisher-John Rider match. Click to enlarge

Good friends Dianne Gibson and Barry Harridge, still friends after their fifth game....played at the Balwyn Scrabble Club

The final board from Dianne and Barry's great match-up. Click pic to enlarge

Lynn Weaver and Trevor Halsall, playing in a very congenial spot.....Trevor won this one three games to one

Noel Coulter and Khwanjai Thammaping in the early stages of their match, played at the Nunawading Club in Mitcham

The finalists, Andrew Fisher and Trevor Halsall, completing their final at The Rose Hotel, 406 Napier Street, Fitzroy

The Seniors Week Tournament, at the Golden Age Community Centre, Mount Waverley

The winning players, with organisers Sita and Tam Dasika fifth and seventh from left

Play under way in the pleasant and spacious playing area....

Fifty players arrived in good time to play in this annual event, capably organised by Tam and Sita Dasika from the local Golden Age Scrabble Club, which meets at this venue on Wednesday mornings from 9.30 onwards. Please drop in if you can find the time, you will be made most welcome.
Players were divided into sections of four, with one section of six, with all sections bearing the names of birds. All divisions were keenly fought, and prizes of chocolates were given to the winner in each section. Well done, everyone!
A lovely lunch was organised by Tam and Sita and the cost of this, together with all other expenses, was covered by the generous grant received from the Department of Health and Human Services via Chris Reidy and the Department of Ageing, and we are grateful for this.
Thanks to all who attended, and thank you again to our hard-working organisers and their helpers.....

The Mount Martha Tournament, October 9 2016

(Thanks to Julie Belle for the following report, it is appreciated, Julie.) A very windy but sunny Sunday saw 44 entrants at the 10th Mt Martha scrabble tournament in Mt Eliza. A good day to be indoors playing scrabble and out of the wind.
We welcomed our only novice Jan McDonald (from our club) to her first tournament, she took the day in her stride and did very well and of course was best novice! In Recreation John Metcalf took out high game with a very impressive 575 points, which was also the highest game score out of all sections. Eileen Mills achieved the high word prize with FIZZIER for a score of 94, well done. John Metcalf continued his good day with 3rd place, 2nd place went to Elize Plagyani and the winner on 6 games was Christiane McCann...congratulations to you all.
The drive all the way from beautiful Raymond Island paid off for Sylvia Galloway who won high game with a great score of 564, high word with LOONIEST for a fantastic 131 points (the highest word score for the day in all sections) and followed all that with winning first place in Intermediate...very well done Sylvia! The other place getters in Intermediate were Betty Egan in 2nd place and Mal Eden in 3rd place, very well done to you both.
Advanced also saw an entrant do very well in winning high game (512), high word OFFHAND for 90 points and coming first with 5 wins...that trifecta went to Alan Burn...congrats Alan on a fine day indeed! Well done also to Sandra Masel in 2nd place and Dianne Gibson in 3rd place...congrats to both ladies.
The winning theme continued in Masters for Gwen Lampre who won High game with a score of 540, high word for ORANGEY (104) and also took out 3rd place, great effort Gwen! Carol Johnsen not only managed to do a fabulous job on the computer all day doing the draws and results (thanks very much Carol as always for a sterling job) but also took out 2nd place in Masters with 4 wins, now that's great multi-tasking! First place, with a grand total of 6 wins, went to a very well-deserving Norma Fisher who as always, like Carol, contributes enormously to the running of all the tournaments.
Apologies were received from Marj Miller unable to attend due to illness, we hope you are feeling much better Marj, and also thank you for all the behind the scenes help given to this and all the other tournaments.
Whilst thanks are being given....a long day of scrabble can make one very hungry and in need of sustenance...no problems there...because as always all the ladies from the Mt Martha Club went above and beyond (even those unable to attend the tournament) by providing a delicious array of homemade goodies that were all very well received, thanks so much to all the ladies. Thanks also for the contributions made by the club for the lucky door prize, won by lucky Ray Alford, and the prizes donated for high game and high word. Stellar effort all round. Finally, many thanks to all the people that came from far and wide to attend and make it such a lovely day. Julie B.

To see the full results of the event click HERE

The Essendon Tournament, September 26, 2106

Fifty four players joined the Essendon Club Members to play in their annual four-division tournament, held at the Box Hill Centre. Homemade goodies were enjoyed by all present, and a big thank you to all the Essendon cooks for their yummy contributions! And thank you to Elaine Capewell for capably manning the kitchen (or should that be "womaning" the kitchen?? It should indeed, I just checked Zyzzyva and its there as an acceptable word!)
Rob York was in charge of proceedings as Tournament Director for the day, and the event moved along smoothly with expert computer help from Carol Johnsen, and general help from many others - Rob is appreciative of your help. Also thank you to Khwanjai Thammaping for the use of her photos, thanks, KJ.

The Essendon Scrabble Club meets on Tuesday evenings at 7.00 pm, at the Essendon Senior Citizens Centre, at 5 Kellaway Ave, Moonee Ponds. All players are welcome to attend, both newcomers and more experienced players - Rob York and the members will look after you.

MASTERS: Geoff Wright won five of the seven games played, closely followed by Norma Fisher and Heather Long, both on four wins. Norma Fisher won the High Word award for her non-bonus play of UMIAQ for 108 points, and this equals the record for a non-bonus word for this year - interestingly, the word played on both occasions is UMIAQ. The High Game award went to Heather Long for her score of 520, well done, girls.
ADVANCED: a fine win went to Sandra Masel who is in fine form at the moment - Sandra won five games, followed by John Rider also winning five, and Barry Harridge won four to take third place. The High Game award went to Dianne Gibson for her score of 467, and Cheryle Jerram played HUDDLED for 109 points to take home the High Word award.
INTERMEDIATE: Geoff Shepheard triumphed on six wins, with John Parker second also on six, and Betty Egan third on five wins. The High Game award was shared by Geoff Shepheard and Tam Dasika for their scores of 487, and Carol Mascitti played JOINERS for 99 points to win the High Word prize.
RECREATION saw a great victory to Elizabeth McKean who finished on six wins, half a game clear of Norma Engel and a game clear of Christiane McCann on five wins, well played, Elizabeth. The High Game prize went to Ann Goodwin for a great score of 480, and Christiane McCann played INQUIRE for 103 to win the High Word award.

Masters: Norma Fisher, Geoff Wright and Heather Long

Advanced: Barry Harridge, John Rider, Sandra Masel and Cheryle Jerram

Intermediate: John Parker, Geoff Shepheard and Betty Egan

Recreation: Christiane McCann, Norma Engel, Liz McKean and Ann Goodwin

Great ratings gains were achieved by Lina Camilleri +40, John Parker +40, Sandra Masel +39, Elizabeth McKean +38, Betty Egan +37 and Geoff Shepheard +36.
Well done everyone, and if you wish to see the full results of the event click HERE

Go to the top

Joanne Craig wins the 2016 Australian Masters, and Western Australia win the State Team Challenge! September 10/11, 2016

It was a great weekend of Scrabble in Melbourne, where 41 of Australia's best players met to contest the two events - 20 played a round robin in the Master to decide the best player in the country, and 21 took part in the State Team Challenge to decide the best team in Australia amongst the seven states and territories. There was alo an individual comp running concurrently within the Teams event, and this was won by rising star David Vanzyl from Western Australia.
The venue was the same as three yeas ago, Fredricks Restaurant at the Alexander Motor Inn in Essendon. We were well looked after by Nathan and the staff, including a very pleasant dinner on Saturday evening which most were able to attend. Our member Elaine Capewell, with the help of husband John, looked after our needs for lunch and snacks beautifully over the two days, and this was greatly appreciated by all. Thanks, Elaine. Our computer work was done by Amy Hutchinson, and we thank Amy for her assistance - Amy remained cool and calm when some things weren't going well! The bulk of the organising for the event was done by Norma Fisher, Carol Johnsen and Barry Harridge, thanks to you all!

The A.C.T. team - Noel Barrett, John Spaan and Alex Boiko

New South Wales - Graeme Lock Lee, Greg Pinchbeck and John Barker

The Queenslanders - Paul Richards, Roberta Tait and Trish Reynolds

The victors from the West - Robin Andersen, David Vanzyl and Edie Mueller

The Victorian Team - Gwen Lampre, Norma Fisher and Carol Johnsen

The Tasmanians - Keri Hart, Martin Rose, and Dianne Brumby

South Australia - Antony Kimber, Jane Taylor and Oliver Jenner-O'Shea

The final Team Standings - well done, Western Australians!

The State Team Challenge: Western Australia fielded a very strong team to record 34.5 wins, defeating Victoria on 32.5, with South Australia close behind on 31.5 - WA and SA had excellent margins, and SA would have easily placed second with just one more win. The High Game award went to Noel Barrett from the Australian Capital Territory for an amazing score of 614, and Graeme Lock Lee's brilliant play of SUBWAYED for 194 points gained him the High Word award! Good work, John and Graeme!
In the concurrent individual standings David Vanzyl placed first on 13 wins, two games clear of Noel Barrett and six more players on 11 wins - Edie Mueller, Dianne Brumby, Jane Taylor, Antony Kimber, Gwen Lampre and Carol Johnsen - its such a tough competition!

The Champion State Team, from W.A. - Edie Mueller, David Vanzyl, Robin Andersen

The second placed Team - Carol Johnsen & Norma Fisher. Missing - Gwen Lampre

First and second in the Individual Team Comp - David Vanzyl and Noel Barrett

At presentations - TD Natasha Podesser and Carol Johnsen

The Masters: There was great interest in this event and the outcome wasn't finally decided until the last game. Going into this Joanne Craig and Alastair Richards were equal on games, with Alastair holding a superior margin. As it happened Joanne beat Russell Honeybun, and Alastair lost to Andrew Fisher by just 15 points - Andrew had lost the previous six games, so for the first time since its inception in 2005 we have a female at the top, on 15 wins....congratulations, Joanne, and commiserations to Alastair, who finished on 14 wins! John Holgate was very pleased with his results, claiming many prized scalps on his way to third place, on 12.5 wins. Fourth was Andrew Fisher who had a magical first day, winning 9/10 and leading overnight, but was not so fortunate on the final day, finishing on 12 wins...such are the vagaries of Scrabble! Alastair claimed the High Game award for a score of 594, and two players scored 158 points to each claim a High Word award - Heather Long played LIVERIES, and later Nick Ivanovski played REFINERS.

Two well known faces - Barry Harridge with the Masters winner, Joanne Craig

Heather Long (Vic) & Nick Ivanovski - Masters High Word winners

A pivotal game late on the final day, Esther Perrins plays Joanne Craig

Starting the final game in the Masters - Alastair Richards & Andrew Fisher

Thanks to all who contributed to the smooth running of this prestigious tournament, and again congratulations to Joanne Craig and David Vanzyl on their great play!
To see the full results of both the Australian Masters and the State Team Challenge click here
And to see a report on the tournament as it happened click here

The 2016 MSI World Scrabble Championship in Lille, France!

Australia has eight people playing in Lille, four in Division A and four in Division B...Shekinah from Queensland stayed on to play following the World Youth Championship, as did fellow Queenslanders Karen and Paul Richards who ran that excellent event very successfully. Our other players are David Eldar, residing in the UK but still very much an Australian from the state of Victoria, Trevor Halsall Victoria, John Hamilton from the Australian Capital Territory, and Bob and Liz Jackman from New South Wales. Good luck to all, and enjoy the event!
At the end of Day One Mark Nyman from England leads the 72 players in Division A, and our young Australian John Hamilton is placed first of 66 players in Division B.

David Eldar, Div A, 14th after 8 games

Trevor Halsall, Div A, 28th after 8

Bob Jackman, Div A, 34th after Day One

Karen Richards, Div A, 48th after Day 1

John Hamilton, Div B, 1st after Day 1

Paul Richards, Div B, 23rd after 8 games

Shekinah, Division B, 37th after Day 1

Liz Jackman, Div B, 60th after 8 games

DAY 2: A tough day's play for many, and at the end of play our Aussie players were experiencing some ups and downs.....David Eldar 9th, Bob Jackman 24th, Trevor Halsall 27, Karen Richards 66, and in Division B John Hamilton is 18th, Paul Richards 38, Shekinah Giffen 44, and Liz Jackman 54.
David Webb from England is playing strongly and leads Division A by margin alone from Mark Nyman, with Joel Wapnick in third place. Nigel Richards is hovering in 10th place, and it will be interesting to see the top 8 at the end of Day Three - these 8 go through to play a series of finals on Day 4, with the top two at the end of this playing off on Day 5 (Sunday) for the title.

DAY 3: Here's a story of disappointment from the tournament - Moiz Ullah Baig from Pakistan missed out on qualifying for the Div A finals when he lost Game 24 by just one point - a win here would have seen him playing in the Finals...a great effort from the 2013 World Youth Scrabble Champion! And here's how he looked in 2013!

Many of the fancied players have failed to make the finals, including Nigel Richards (NZ) and David Eldar (Australia). Here are the eight who will do battle, and how they finished the 24 qualifying rounds....Mark Nyman (England) 19 wins, David Webb (England) 19, Allan Simmons (Scotland) 18, Robert Robinsky (USA) 17, with the next four on sixteen wins - Brett Smitheram (England), Adam Logan (Canada), Lewis Mackay (England) and Joel Wapnick (Canada).
And here are the top 8 finishers in Division B: Abdullah Abbasi 19, Anand Buddhev 17, Mohamed Kamara 17, Tariq Pervez 17, Sandy Nang 17, Jack Mpakaboari 16, Howard Rayner 16, and Daniyal Sanaullah 16. Good luck to all finalists, and to those who plan to take part in the One Day Saturday event!

DAY 4: in the one day Saturday Tournament Karen Richards (Australia) swept all before her, finishing on seven wins and winning on margin from three others on seven - Winter Winter, Gerry Carter and Martin Teo - well done, Karen!
Div B: Daniyal, Jack, Sandy and Howard won their quarter-finals to advance to the semis, with Jack victorious against Daniyal, and Sandy winning her match against Howard.

Division A: in the quarter finals Adam Logan triumphed over Allan Simmons 2-1, Mark Nyman won against Joel Wapnick 2-1, Brett Smitheram beat Robert Robinsky 2-0, and Lewis Mackay was victorious against David Webb 2-1.

The semis were the best of five games, and in these Mark Nyman won against Adam Logan 3-2, and Brett Smitheram accounted for Lewis Mackay 3-2. Both were tough matches, and now one way or another the 2016 Champ will be a Brit, a great effort indeed!

Happy Champ, Brett Smitheram

Mark considers his move during the final against Brett

Jack Mpakaboari with his trophies

DAY 5: The Finals: Division A: there was great interest in the final with many following the games around the world, and the outcome was a brilliant win to Brett Smitheram 3-0 against Mark Nyman. The highlight of the third game was a nine-timer played by Brett - BRACONID for 176 points, which put the game out of Mark's reach - congratulations to you both, such brilliant play from two very great Scrabble players!
Division B saw a convincing victory to Nigeria's Jack Mpakaboari, winning 3-0 over Sandy Nang from the USA. Congratulations, Jack, scrabble in Nigeria is going from strength to strength!
Well done to all who put so much time in to running this prestigious event, especially those who laboured long into the first night to transfer the data from the supplied program, which wasn't working well, to John Chew's TSH program which enabled the rest of the tournament to move along smoothly. Thank you to all involved!

The Winter Pick Me Up Tournament ~ August 21, 2016

This enjoyable tournament was run by the Victorian Committee to fill a gap in the calendar, and to give our members an extra game of Scrabble in August. Fifty-four of our regular players came to contest the four sections offered......thank you for supporting this event. Seven games were played, and as always competition was brisk!
Gayle Cameron did a lovely job of keeping us fed and watered, and also giving our Standby Player Norma Fisher (who unfortunately wasn't needed to play to even up the numbers) some invaluable practice in preparation for the State Team Challenge, taking place here in Melbourne next month.
Carol Johnsen attended early to help with setting up, and our very capable computer operator Amy Hutchinson did a great job on the technical side - thanks, everyone, including those who helped with setting up, and with packing up at the end of the day.....your help is really appreciated.

The Masters crew: Alan Burn, Nick Ivanovski & Gwen Lampre

Advanced winners: Janet Bau, Lorraine Thomas, Rod Casey & Dianne Gibson

Inter: Kris Howat, Siva Sivapalasundram, Sandra Masel, Liz McKean & Paula Messer

Some of the support crew - Marj Miller, with Oscar and Amy

MASTERS was won by Nick Ivanovski who had a great day, winning all seven games and scoring 621 to take out the High Game award. Second place was filled by Alan Burn, followed by Gwen Lampre, with both winning four games. Mary McMahon's moment of glory was her play of SLITTIER for 113 points which secured her the High Word award. Nice one, Mary!
ADVANCED saw our evergreen player Rod Casey finish on top with 6 wins, separated only by margin from Janet Bau who has now moved up a section with her excellent play. Dianne Gibson was surprised to find herself in third place on four wins (she thought she had only won three). Rod Casey scored 612 to win the High Game award, and the High Word award went to Lorraine Thomas for her play of HEROINE for 102 points.
INTERMEDIATE was won by Sandra Masel with 6 wins, clear of Kris Howat on 5 and Siva Sivapalasundram on 4 wins - Siva is gradually working his way back to his former rating, but its proving to be a big challenge for him, as it is for us all! The High Game award went to Elizabeth McKean for her score of 499 (well done Liz, especially when you were playing up from Recreation!) Elizabeth also shared the High Word award with Paula Messer, both words scoring 88 points - Paula played ZIPPERS, and Liz played PROVIDE.

Recreation winner John Metcalf, happy to receive a prize and a Play-up Certificate!

Christie Godby, delighted to take second place in Recreation, and High Game!

Play in Rec: Lynne Goodinson v. Rena Aitken, Trish Magee v. Del Stitz at the far board

Front: Angie Pearse plays Alan Burn, with Gwen Lampre playing Mary MacMahon

RECREATION was by far the largest section, and it was a big challenge to gain a placing - first was John Metcalf on 6 wins, followed by Christie Godby also on six, with Trish Magee third on five wins, good efforts from all! The High Game prize went to Christie for her score of 495, and Christiane McCann found SKYTING for 104 points to claim the High Word Prize.

Kris Howat plays Siva Sivapalasundram, and Glen Chandler plays Dianne Gibson

June Valentine plays Janet Bau, with Rod Casey playing old friend Sylvia Galloway

From left: Balada Catanchin, Marisa Nuccitelli, Carole Eden and Dorothy Hunt

Lorraine Thomas plays Noel Coulter, with Lainie Mercieca playing Katie Rowe

There were some impressive ratings gains on the day, with Janet Bau topping the list on +56, Rena Aitken +46, John Metcalf +44, Fay Boxshall +43, Nick Ivanovski +41, Trish Magee +38, Sandra Masel +38, Rod Casey +35 and Christie Godby +30.
Well done to all, and thank you to all for the spirit in which the tournament was played, it was a pleasure to be the Director!

Go to the top

The 2016 Victorian Country Championship ~ Saturday August 6th

This event was again held at the comfortable and welcoming Daylesford Bowling Club and was contested by sixteen of our country players - to qualify to play in this event competitors must live outside a radius of 40 kilometres from the centre of Melbourne, and it gives those who play the opportunity of meeting with and competing against their friends from surrounding areas.
Once again Mary McMahon took on the role of Organiser and Tournament Director, with help from Norma Fisher. Thank you both for your efforts, Mary and Norma, and thank you to Khwanjai Thammaping for the photos, they are appreciated.
A lovely leisurely bistro lunch is always available for the players who wish to partake, and this was enjoyed by all in the downstairs dining room, providing a welcome break from the stressors of the tournament!
In Division A Norma Fisher emerged the winner, followed by Angie Pearse and Mary McMahon in second and third places respectively. Peter Bauer showed his strengths by winning the High Game (559), and tying for the High Word with his play of BINDIEST for 131 points. Heather Long equalled this by playing ELECTION, well done to you all.
Division B saw victory to Robin Dettmann ahead of Marlene Ellis and Marjorie Clark, with first-time player and new member of the Ballarat Club Tessa Knight earning the High Game Award with a score of 538, and the High Word went to Robin Dettmann for her score of 89 points. Well done, everyone!

Norma Fisher, with the very attractive perpetual trophy

Div A: Peter Bauer, Norma Fisher, Mary McMahon, Angie Pearse, Heather Long

Div B: Tessa Knight, Robin Dettmann, Marlene Ellis, Marjorie Clark

To see the full results of the 2016 Country Championship click here

The Trans Tasman Championship - Fri/Sat/Sun August 5/6/7 in Adelaide, South Australia

This selective event takes place every two years, with the host country alternating - this year its being played in Adelaide in South Australia, with Barry Harridge directing events and keeping us up to date.
The format has changed, with ten New Zealanders and sixteen Australians playing an unrestricted round robin. Games played between the two countries will count towards the Team Tallies, and there will also be an individual winner.

To follow the ups and downs of the tournament and the Team standings go to Barry Harridge's website - click here

There are also some games being posted by Oliver Jenner O'Shea - click here

The venue is the South Australian Bridge Association, 243 Young Street, Unley, and there will be extra tournaments on Saturday and Sunday for extra players who wish to play.

At the end of DAY ONE Australia lead New Zealand 30.5 games to 19.5 games, and the individual leader is Russell Honeybun from Western Australia on seven wins, a game clear of eight players all on six wins - Alastair Richards, Howard Warner, Esther Perrins, Patrick Carter, Ron Baginski, Bob Jackman, Daniel Piechnick and Lawson Sue - a very tight tussle indeed!

About lunchtime, on Saturday - 9 games to be played today! After Round 12 Australia leads New Zealand - 46.5 to 29.5, and in the individual event Russell Honeybun and Ron Baginski lead the field on 10 wins, but are under serious threat by the followers - Alastair Richards, Esther Perrins and Daniel Piechnick on nine wins each, with Lyres Freeth, Howard Warner and Tony Hunt on eight wins - watch your backs, Russ and Ron! And go, Team Australia!

The end of DAY TWO - 8 games to come tomorrow, 17 completed! The gap has widened somewhat between the rival countries, with the Australian team ahead of New Zealand 68 games to 42.
The individual comp sees the highest rated player filling top spot, namely Alastair Richards on 14 wins, followed by Ron Baginski on 13.5, Daniel Piechnick 13, Lyres Freeth 12.5, Russell Honeybun and Esther Perrins both on 12, Howard Warner and Bob Jackman on 11.5 and Trevor Tao on 11 wins. Expect some movin' and shakin' tomorrow, anything could happen!

The end of DAY THREE - the tournament is over, and Australia emerge the winners on 96 games to 64, well done to the Oz Team. In the individual standings Alastair Richards (Aus) has deservedly finished in first place on 20 wins in a closely fought finish - in second place, and just half a game behind was the rising star from New Zealand Lyres Freeth, who has collected many respected scalps along the way - I think this young lady will go a long way on the World Scrabble stage, as well as in New Zealand! Next four placegetters were Daniel Piechnick (Aus), Howard Warner (NZ), Esther Perrins and Trevor Tao, both Australian players. Well done to everyone, and well done to Barry Harridge in his role as Tournament Director, Webmaster, photographer and software programmer. To the best of my knowledge the tournament went without a hitch, so well done to Barry and the organising team from South Australia, including Oliver Jenner O'Shea and everyone working behind the scenes, all have done a great job, as always.
To view the full results of the 2016 Trans Tasman Challenge in the Australian National Archive click HERE

Lyres Freeth and Alastair Richards with their cups

1: Alastair Richards, OZ - 20 wins, margin +2090

2: Lyres Freeth, NZ - 19.5 wins, margin +1487

3: Daniel Piechnick, OZ - 18 wins, margin +1025

4: Howard Warner, NZ - 17.5 wins, margin +1292

5: Esther Perrins, OZ - 17 wins, margin +1037

6: Trevor Tao, Oz - 17 wins, margin +626

7: Ron Baginski, OZ - 15 wins, margin +258

8: Russell Honeybun, OZ - 15 wins, margin +1060

9: Bob Jackman, OZ - 15 wins, margin +338

10: Nick Cavenagh, NZ - 15 wins, margin +185

Go to the top

Fundraising tourney to assist the McKinnon House residents have a holiday! July 1, 2016

Khwanjai Thammaping works with Fili and Joyce and the residents at McKinnon House, and all are planning an end-of-year trip to Phillip Island, so this fun tournament was Khwanjai's way of raising some funds to help them achieve their dream - apparently some have been speaking about this plan for up to ten years, so we hope that the assistance of our generous scrabble players goes some way to helping them get there! Thanks to you all. A stall and raffle helped swell the funds, and some of the residents visited after lunch for some social scrabble, and it was lovely to meet such strong and courageous people.
Lovely food was served throughout the day, including some of Khwanjai's great specialty dishes shared at lunchtime! The players were divided into three sections, and all sections were keenly contested - some highlights of the day included Geoff Wright winning all six of his games in Division A, Sandra Masel winning five to take out Division B, and John Metcalf also winning five to win Division C, his first win in any tournament. Well done, everyone!

Two of our visitors on the day, Eloise with her mum Penny

Division C: John Metcalf, Eileen Mills, and Marlene Ellis

Div B: Betty Egan, Siva Sivapalasundram, Sandra Masel and Lorraine Thomas

Division A: Norma Fisher, Marj Miller, Julie Belle, Mary McMahon and Geoff Wright

Division C saw John first, with Marlene Ellis in second place and Eileen Mills third. Both High Game and High Word went to Marlene Ellis who scored 553, and played PEACHING for 98.
Div B saw Sandra victorious, with Lorraine Thomas in second place followed by Siva Sivapalasundram third. Betty Egan scored 520 to win High Game, with Sandra Masel winning High Word (LEVERAGE for 122 points).
Place getters in Div A were Geoff first, Marj Miller second, Julie Belle third, and High Game was played by Norma Fisher (541) and the High Word went to Mary MacMahon (SHALIER, 103 points).
Notable ratings gains were achieved by Geoff Wright +36, Laura Khan +34, John Metcalf + 29, Marj Miller +26, Sandra Masel +24, Elize Plaganyi +23 and Eileen Mills +20. Laura and John continue to rise steadily up the ratings ladder - well done to all, and thank you to Khwanjai for organising such a pleasant day, we did appreciate it!

Organiser Khwanjai Thammaping chats with her supervisor, Fili.

Friends Mark Reed and Marisa Nuccitelli during their game

Julie Belle v Mary McMahon in front, with Marj Miller & Norma Fisher at the next board

Marlene Ellis plays Eileen Mills, with John Metcalf and Lorna Patching next door

To check the full results of the 2016 McKinnon House Fundraiser click HERE

The Matchplay Kickoff Tournament ~ July 17, 2016

The Match Play kicked off in style on 17 July with our highest player attendance in 7 years!
48 players vied for 8 positions in the knock out stages, where all the finalists get cash prizes. In addition, there were non-cash prizes to hand out on the day - and we are very thankful for a donation of 3 boxes of chocolates by Lainie Mercieca to bring the prize total up to 17!
To the Scrabble, Andrew Fisher went through the Kick Off undefeated. Trevor Halsall took out the high game and high word with a 600+ game and a 9 timer (as was the case last year as well!). There were many records that came out of the event: Trevor's 622 is the 4th highest score in Australia this year to date. It featured two 9 timer plays (FOOTLERS and ALLOTTEE), something that is very rare in Scrabble tournaments! In that game, Norma Fisher scored 517, which is this year's (and all time) highest losing score. Their 1139 is the highest aggregate game score (and 2nd of all time in Australia).
The 8 who are proceeding to the knock out stages are (in position order on the day) Andrew Fisher, John Rider, Lynn Weaver, Trevor Halsall, Noel Coulter, Khwanjai Thammaping, Dianne Gibson and Barry Harridge. The knock out fixtures will be sorted shortly with a venue being sourced for the eventual final later in the year. Thank you to everyone for making it an absolutely wonderful day!
Many thanks, Nick

Tournament Organiser and Director, Nick Ivanovski - thanks, Nick!

Players on the day, Lynn Weaver, Lorna Patching & Laura Khan

Their game over, Angie Pearse and Anne Menheere tidy up

Khwanjai Thammaping with her chocolates - Khwanjai is running our next tournament!

An Amazing game - Trevor Halsall 622 plays Norma Fisher 517 - Click photo to enlarge

Enjoying the tournament - Trish Magee, Christiane McCann and Laura Khan

John Rider concentrates on his game against Dominica Krstic

First plays second place, Andrew Fisher v Trevor Halsall, as always a serious challenge

Thanks to Nick Ivanovski for the above report, and to Khwanjai Thammaping and Nick for the pics! To check the full results of the 2016 Matchplay Kickoff click HERE

Go to the top

Youth Fundraising Tournaments ~ Sunday June 26, 2016

Balada Catanchin v John van der Schoor, Pranav Srivatsan v Oliver Podesser

Annette Casey plays Fay Boxshall, and Rena Aitken plays Rebeccah Booth

Natasha Podesser plays Mary McMahon, and Trevor Halsall plays Nick Ivanovski

Theme word prizes were given out, and Elize Plaganyi won one of them!

Here is a report from co-tournament director, Carol Johnsen, thanks, Carol:
Another great effort for raising funds to assist our young players competing in interstate and international events. We raised $773 - with grateful thanks to Jack Miller for volunteering to do the kitchen and to Elaine Capewell for her scrumptious samosas. It was a good turnout for a winter's day in Melbourne - 48 players competed in the 7-game tournament and 8 players competed in the concurrent 4-game tournament held in the afternoon. The 4-game tournament is an innovation in an attempt to (a) lure back players who are no longer able to do the full day; or have commitments in the morning; and (b) to lure "newbies" onto the tournament scene.
Nick Ivanovski has done a wonderful job of putting it out there on Facebook about our tournaments. However, there were no novice players on the day. But the tournament was successful and seemed to work in well with the 7-game event.

Winners of Division A - Trevor Halsall, Nick Ivanovski and Gwen Lampre

Division B Winners - Paula Messer, Rob York, John Rider, Cheryle Jerram

Division C's Clever Players - Liz McKean and Marisa Nuccitelli

Winners in the afternoon Tournament - Dianne Gibson and Rod Casey

No-one scored 7 wins on the day which goes to show the excellent competition we have in Victoria. Trevor Halsall triumphed in A Section with an outstanding margin - 640 points in front of the 2nd place-getter - shows how important it is to keep fighting for those extra points. Trevor also scored 212 for IRIDIZED (record High Word for 2016 is 248 for SILOXANE held by David Vanzyl from W.A., played at the 2016 National Champs). Congrats to John Rider and Marlene Ellis, respective winners of B & C Sections - both with 6 wins; and to Rod Casey, winner of the 4-game tournament with 4 wins. Other High Words for the day were played by Paula Messer - PENALISE for 149 points in Div B, and Marisa Nuccitelli played INQUEST for 120 points in Division C. In the afternoon event Dianne Gibson played TURTLES for 94 points, the best of the eight players for the day.
To check the full results of the two Fundraisers click HERE (A) and HERE (B)

Victoria's Player with the Highest Rating Gain over 2015-2016 is John Metcalf!

This accolade is awarded annually to the Victorian player who has gained the most ratings points over the calendar year from the beginning of June to the end of May each year, and players must have been included in the National Ratings system for the whole 12 month period to qualify for this award.
This year's winner is John Metcalf, who improved his rating from 500 to 819, a whopping gain of 319 points, well done, John, this is a great achievement indeed.
Next in line, of those who qualified, was Rob York with a gain of 172, followed by Mythili Rudra +153, Trevor Halsall +147, Mal Eden +146, Elizabeth McKean +145 and Patrick Morgan +135.
Well done to you all, and to see the full details of the High Ratings Gains and also Tournament Attendance, click
HERE

Andrew Fisher is the 2016 Victorian Scrabble Champion!

Our new Victorian Champion, Andrew Fisher, from Victoria, Australia!

The happy winners: Nick Ivanovski, Ayorinde Saidu, Joanne Craig, Esther Perrins, Mohammed Hegazi, Paula Messer, Andrew Fisher

After three tough days of Scrabble® and 24 hard-fought games, Andrew Fisher became the Vic Champ for the fourth time - congratulations, Andrew, another great win!
The field comprised 36 keen players and a considered decision was made to have two resets to ensure the best possible contest, and this meant that some players played each other three times, leading to some great rivalries.
Carol Johnsen welcomed Ayo from Nigeria (see below), Lois Binnie back for a visit from her home in New Zealand, Kevin Meng who is listed as an overseas player but has been studying in Melbourne, and several interstate players - five from New South Wales, four from Queensland, two from South Australia, and one from Tasmania. Thank you all for your support, as always it was great to catch up!
Going in to the last round Andrew and Esther Perrins were a game clear of Ayorinde Saidu, so winning the last game would decide the winner - Ayorinde's superior margin would have seen him declared the winner if both Andrew and Esther had lost, but as it unfolded Andrew won his final game to ensure the win, whilst Ayorinde also won, and Esther lost to her fellow New South Wales player Joanne Craig.

Nick Ivanovski plays Andrew Fisher

Lois Binnie versus Ayorinde Saidu

Alan Burn plays Esther Perrins

Joanne Craig, nearing endgame

Andrew won 19 of the 24 games played, losing to Esther Perrins twice, Ayorinde Saidu, Carmel Dodd and Nick Ivanovski, the latter loss coming after a run of nine wins from Game 14-22.
Ayorinde Saidu was a welcome visitor from Nigeria and enjoyed his tournament, placing second behind Andrew and losing only to Andrew twice, Esther Perrins, Carmel Dodd, Chris Scholten and Norma Fisher. Well played, Ayo!
Esther Perrins filled third place, and had a good chance of becoming the Champion with strong play throughout the event, losing to Ayorinde twice, Gwen Lampre, good friend Joanne Craig twice, and Andrew Fisher. Well done Esther!
Victoria hasn't had a female Champ since 1988, but I'm sure it will happen soon! To check out the previous winners click here
Prizes were given down to fifth place, and fourth place was filled by a happy Nick Ivanovski, followed by Joanne Craig in fifth spot. Well done to you both! Ayorinde Saidu had a wonderful score in Game 15, winning the High Game Award with a grand total of 623. This overtook Norma Fisher's High Game score of 608, which had stood for almost two days! The High Word Award was won by Mohammed Hegazi, who played UNVARIED for 158 points early on the first day, and this stood for the remainder of the tournament. The award for the High Rating Gain over the three days was won by Paula Messer, who gained 75 points - well done, Ayo, Mohammed and Paula!

Norma Fisher, Roberta Tait and Rhys McGuckin

Khwanjai Thammaping plays Elizabeth McKean

Siva Sivapalasundram plays Sandra Masel, Jane Taylor plays Rob York

Players enjoying Khwanjai's yummy treats at lunchtime on Monday

Carol Johnsen did a great job as Tournament Director, keeping everything moving along smoothly, and everyone was very well fed by our caterer Julie Belle - thanks Julie, your efforts were greatly appreciated. Also thank you to Barry Harridge who stood by as the spare player for the event - Barry managed to get a fair amount of computer work done, but as there was neither illness amongst the players, nor dummy-spits, he didn't play any games - thanks, Barry! Thanks also to all who helped in many ways, including sixth-placed Norma Fisher who quietly helps so much in so many areas.
We trust that all who attended enjoyed their time with us, and to check the full results of the 2016 Championship in the National Archives click HERE

The Annual Queen's Birthday Tournament, June 13, 2016

Forty-six keen players turned up on the Queen's Birthday holiday to contest this annual event, divided into two sections and playing six games. We welcomed new player Carol Rollmann to her first tournament, and Carol enjoyed her day, winning two games and meeting many new people. It was good to see Jimmy Scarff playing after a break, and Rene and Jeff Chelton visited from New South Wales to take part - lovely to see you, Cheltons! Amy again did a very capable job on computer duty, thanks Amy, and thanks to all who helped with the organisation, and of course thanks to Julie Belle for the lovely food.

Cheryle Jerram receives her first prize from President Carol Johnsen

Harper with his mum Gabrielle Pestinger, worthy winner of Division B

Our new player on the day, Carol Rollmann, a member of the Rosanna Scrabble Club

Norma Engel, seen at left with Marj Miller, enjoyed her day in Division B, placing third

Division A saw a fine performance from Cheryle Jerram, who won five games and finished ahead on margin from Dianne Davis and Katie Rowe, both on five wins. Cheryle also collected the High Game award for her great score of 481, and originally Lainie Mercieca played RERENTED for 122 points, well done, Lainie - Dianne Davis later confirmed that she had played QUAILED for 123 points, so Dianne will receive her award at a later date.
In Division B Gabrielle Pestinger played great Scrabble to place first, winning five games and finishing ahead on margin from Ann Goodwin and Norma Engel, well played everyone. This was Gabrielle's first big win, and no-one was more pleased for her than son Harper.....except perhaps Gabrielle herself! Balada Catanchin recorded 479 points to take out the High Game award, and Gayle Cameron's lovely play of ZIPPERS for 109 points won her the High Word award.

Christie Godby and Rob York, packing up at the end of the day

Jimmy Scarff plays Rene Chelton from New South Wales, with Lorraine Thomas

Some of our loyal Victorians - Trish, Christiane, Lynne, Eileen, Laura, Elize

Trish Magee in the amazing jacket, lent to Khwanjai by Pat Schuberg from New South Wales!

Excellent ratings gains were achieved by Katie Rowe +44, Cheryle Jerram +41, Gabrielle Pestinger +41, Nicole Lowe +38, and Rena Aitken +36.
Congratulations to you all,and thank you for the spirit in which you played your games, I thought it was a very pleasant tournament indeed!

Khwanjai in the scrabble coat, with Dominica Krstic

Anne Menheere, Lina Camilleri, Norma Engel, Marjorie Clark

Dorothy Hunt plays Chelaka Paranahewa

Friends from the Greensborough/Watsonia Clubs, Marisa Nuccitelli & Angie Winkler

To check the full results of the 2016 Queen's Birthday Tournament click HERE

Go to the top

The Cranbourne Tournament ~ May 22, 2016

Many thanks to Tournament Director Katie Rowe for the following report, it is appreciated!

Despite a number of players ringing to cancel in the early morning, we still managed a field of 56 for the Cranbourne tournament on Sunday 22 May, and it began in good time which was a great start for the day. We were pleased to welcome Richard Birch of ATB fame from New South Wales, and John Hamilton from the ACT.
Cranbourne Club members outdid themselves as usual with some great snacks throughout the day, organised by Elaine Capewell who also played as the standby player.
My heartfelt thanks to Marj Miller and Barry Harridge for help with the computers. I learned some new tricks with the program which I hope to remember for next year. Throughout the day there were spot prizes for words related to SPACE, MUSIC, the MILITARY and TRANSPORT which attracted some rather unusual words.

Great Recreation winners: Balada Catanchin, Elize Plaganyi, Liz McKean

Best in Inter: Glen Chandler, Dominica Krstic, Dorothy Rice, Paula Messer

Brilliance in Advanced: June Valentine, Alan Burn, Dianne Gibson

Magical Masters: John Hamilton, Gwen Lampre, Nick Ivanovski, Norma Fisher

Recreation Section was won by Laura Khan with 6 wins and a margin of 342. Laura played her 51st game today so is no longer Provisional, and is going to go far with these sorts of results. Close behind was Liz McKean in 2nd place and Elize Plaganyi 3rd. Trish Magee had a cracker of a game to take the High Game prize with 462 points, and Balada Catanchin played STANZAS for 103 to win High Word.
In Intermediate Dorothy Barraclough won 5 games with a margin of 258 to take out 1st place, Dominica Krstic came in 2nd, also with 5 games, and Glen Chandler won 5 games to come in at 3rd. Dorothy Rice's High Game prize was awarded for a score of 486, and Paula Messer played the odd word DUNNIER for 95 to win the High Word prize.
Advanced: Dianne Gibson had a great day with 6 wins and a margin of 333 to win in the Advanced Section, and she also took home the High Word prize for FAIRIES (89). Alan Burn was just behind on 5 games and a 357 margin, and High Game of 514, with June Valentine's 5 games and 99 margin taking out 3rd place.
In Masters Norma Fisher flashed into 1st place in the last game, winning 6 of her 7 games with an impressive margin of 380. Gwen Lampre was a close 2nd, only the margin separating the top two. Gwen won 6 games and her margin was 235. Our Canberra visitor, John Hamilton, won 5 games and took out 3rd place, as well as the High Word award for ENTWINES 158. Nick Ivanoski delighted his little son Oscar when he played the High Game for a massive 590.

Future stars! Gabrielle Pestinger plays John Metcalf, under close scrutiny!

Lovely plays: John Hamilton's High Word ENTWINES Click photo to enlarge

Mum and Daughter Rena Aitken and Jenny Brysha, with Geoff Wright

Visiting from NSW, Richard Birch, Editor of our Scrabble Mag, the ATB

Thanks to Katie Rowe, Elaine Capewell and all the Cranbourne members for their efforts in organising a lovely tournament, it was appreciated by all who attended! The Club meets on Wednesday evenings at 7.00 pm at the Cranbourne Community House, 49 Valepark Crescent, Cranbourne, and the members would love to make you welcome......
To check the full individual results of the Cranbourne Tournament click HERE

Go to the top

LANGWARRIN CLUB NEWS - a fun night of Scrabble!

As a departure from our normal club nights we had a Challenge on Tuesday May 10th when two teams of seven players competed, with Alan Burn's Aces versus Elaine Capewell's Experts.
Each player played three games. Teams were evenly matched based on ASPA(Vic) and our own club ratings, and the result proved just that, as the last match was the decider! At the end of the night Alan's Aces won with 11 games to 10 against Elaine's Experts, well done Aces!
The High Game was won by Dorothy Rice [450], and High Word went to Peter Attwood with "Seating" [92]. A very popular night!

Thank you to legendary Langwarrin member Geoff Gittus for this report, and to the Club Convenor Mardi Healy for the photo, all news is appreciated! If you'd like to join the Langwarrin Club players for some fun Scrabble don't hesitate to turn up at the Langwarrin Community Centre, corner Warrandyte and Lang Roads, at 7pm on any Tuesday - you will be made very welcome indeed!

Ozzies at the Malta International Scrabble Open (MISO), May 2016!

Seven keen Australians travelled to Malta to compete in the three tournaments available, which included an Early Bird event, and two three day events....Division A (The Championship), and Division B. Top placings in the Championship were filled by David Webb from England and Evan Cohen from Israel with local David Delicata placing third.
The six who played in the Championship were Carol Johnsen 4th (great result, Carol!), Paul Richards 13th, Karen Richards 18th, John Barker 19th, Heather Long 25th and Angie Pearse 28th. Peter Bauer represented Oz in B, and placed an excellent eighth with 14 wins - well done, everyone!
To visit the very informative MISO website click HERE

The Annual Nunawading Tournament, April 24 2016

(Thank you to the Nunawading Club Convenor Cheryle Jerram for writing this report!)
The Nunawading Club was delighted to welcome 74 players to our tournament, including Melburnian Mark Reed who was experiencing his first tournament, and visitors Ruth MacInerney from England and Dorothy Fields from Wollongong in New South Wales. Amy Hutchinson made her efficient debut as the computer operator, thanks and well done, Amy.

New player on the day, Mark Reed from the Watsonia Club, who also plays online

Computer Operator Amy Hutchinson, who is quickly learning on the job! Thanks, Amy.

Visiting from England, Ruth MacInerney who placed sixth in Masters

Dorothy Fields enjoyed her day in Melbourne, playing in Recreation

It was particularly encouraging to have a large number of Recreation players who will in time rise through the ranks. Delicious food, much of it homemade, was provided by Elaine Capewell and by Nunawading members, Geoff Shepheard and June Valentine. Special thanks are in order to our Tournament Director, Marj Miller, and to the other two stalwarts of the Scrabble community, Carol Johnsen and Norma Fisher, who arrived at the crack of dawn to set up play.

Masters: Frank Csarics (2), Natasha Podesser (3) and Nick Ivanovski (1)

Advanced: Jenny Brysha (2), Dianne Davis (1), Rod Casey HW, Kris Howat HG & HW

Happy Intermediate winners - Julie Alliston (1), Oliver Podesser (2), Glenys Dettmann (3)

Recreation: Christie Godby (1), Gabrielle Pestinger (2), Ann Goodwin (3)

16 Nuna Jenny DiD Rod Kris Two of our newer players did very well indeed with Christie Godby coming 1st and Gabrielle Pestinger coming 2nd in Recreation. Julie Alliston, another relatively new player, placed 1st in Intermediate, and Dianne Davis won a spectacular 7 straight games in Advanced; Kris Howat and Rod Casey, both in Advanced, had the best 'High Words' for the day with 140 for SANDIEST and RATIONED respectively; and Nick Ivanovski continued on his winning way in Masters. Highest game score for the day was achieved by Dorothy Barraclough, a lovely score of 522 points.
Thank you to you all for coming, and we'd love to see you at the regular Nunawading Club meetings, Tuesday nights at 7.00 pm at the Mitcham Senior Citizens' Centre, 16 Station Street, Mitcham - all welcome!
To see the full individual results of the Nunawading Tournament click HERE

The 2016 Tristate Challenge at Tumut, New South Wales ~ April 16/17

The picturesque Tumut Golf Club was once again the venue for this annual challenge where 42 players from New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria vied for the perpetual trophy, a rotating scrabble board………NSW emerged the victors on 56.84 winning percentage, with the ACT placing second on 52.86, and Victoria following on 41.1……well done to our adversaries!
Bob Jackman, John Hamilton and Carol Johnsen acted as joint TDs and the 10 games ran smoothly. Thanks are due to John for working out and keeping a running tally of the percentage wins for each state.
The individual winner on 9 games was Joanne Craig followed closely by Bob Jackman (8) and Rocky Sharma (7), all from NSW. The best performing Victorian was Carol Johnsen on 7 wins, coming 4th. The High Game and High Word Awards were both won by Pat Schuberg (NSW) for her score of 569, and play of SIZZLER for 124 points.
It was great to see Christie Godby from Melbourne once again play in the Challenge and we hope that she will be able to play in more Melbourne tournaments. Christie's mum lives in Tumut and it is a great opportunity for her to see her daughter and grandchildren.

The bus travellers from Victoria - a safe and happy trip, thanks to Nicole and Rob.

The happy winners: Joanne Craig, Rocky Sharma, Pat Schuberg & Bob Jackman

Dining at the local R.S.L on Friday evening, mostly Victorians!

The Tournament Directors: Bob Jackman (NSW), John Hamilton (ACT), Carol Johnsen (Vic)

Regardless of the outcome of the tourney we all had a great time in beautiful Tumut with the weather being kind, the venue being spacious, and the surrounding golf course (with kangaroos) something to see.
Arie Holla and his wife Diana relate how after they had attended the Challenge in 2015 they did not leave Tumut until they had checked out the local housing market. They now live permanently in Tumut and are loving it!
Thanks are owed to the Tumut Scrabble Club members for providing the lovely morning and afternoon teas, to Glenys Dettmann who supplied the great photos, and to Bob Jackman who ably oversaw a concurrent club tournament for ten members of the Tumut Club, enjoyed by all.
The Victorians who travelled by a rented bus are grateful to co-drivers, Nicole Lowe and Rob York, who did a fantastic job of getting us there and back and shuttling us between Tumut township and the golf course.
We look forward to visiting Tumut again next year!
To see the full individual results of the Challenge click HERE

Play in progress, with (L. to R.) Mal Eden, Anne Schick, Carol Johnsen & Liz Jackman

Two of our Victorians who travelled to Tumut, Carole Eden and Angie Pearse

The Vic bus, with trusty drivers Rob York and Nicole Lowe - well done to you both!

Go to the top

Victoria's Trevor Halsall is the 2016 Australian Scrabble Champion!
And South Australia's Larrie Strautmanis wins the Plate!

The Champion, Trevor Halsall - his previous victory was in 1994!

The Plate winner, Larrie Strautmanis! A great performance indeed

In charge! Tournament Directors Wilma Vialle and Barry Harridge

Daniel Piechnick & Andrew Fisher with Oliver Jenner-O'Shea using Quackle

DAY ONE: Jane Taylor, the President of the South Australian Scrabble Association, welcomed the large field of players to Wyatt Hall at Pulteney Grammar School on South Terrace in Adelaide - eighty are playing in the Championship, and seventy-four are contesting the Plate. The timely arrival of many players had been threatened by industrial strikes at Australian airports, but it appears that all arrived safely and in good time!
The Tournament Directors are Wilma Vialle and Barry Harridge, who is also the webmaster, and others are involved in publicising the event, particularly Nick Ivanovski and Oliver Jenner-O'Shea. Well done everyone.

Highlight of the first round in the Championship was the game between David Vanzyl (Western Australia) and Cheah Siu Hean (Singapore), which David won 534-462, great scores indeed. The real highlight of the game was David Vanzyl's play of SILOXANE for 248 points, which will possibly stand as the high word score for the entire event.
Various players lead the Championship during the day, including Louise Love, Russell Honeybun, Barry Jordan, Daniel Piechnick, Cameron Farlow and Andrew Fisher, but at the end of the day Ryan Sutton from New South Wales was the leader from Daniel, Andrew, and Michael Tang from Singapore, with all four on seven wins.
In the Plate the changing leaders were Jeanette Hansen, John Rider, Margaret Gibson, Marion Merickel and Yvonne Edwards, with Betty Foreman in first place at the end of the day, followed by Yvonne Edwards and Larrie Strautmanis, with all three on 7 wins. Day Two will be interesting!

DAY TWO - Easter Sunday
At the end of the day Trevor Halsall from Victoria lead the Championship by one game over Daniel Piechnick from South Australia, with Andrew Fisher a further 1/2 game behind. Daniel is in an excellent position with a far superior margin, so it will be a challenging final day.
In the Plate local South Australian Larrie Strautmanis is 1.5 games clear of Marion Merickel from Tasmania, with Dorothy Barraclough from Victoria a further 1/2 game in arrears. Good luck to all!
Here are some Day Two pics, thanks to Nick Ivanovski, Khwanjai Thammaping and Barry Harridge for the photos.

Trevor Halsall v Nick Ivanovski Rd 16

Plate Leader, Larrie Strautmanis

Victoria's Gabrielle Pestinger

Happy Marisa Nuccitelli

Heather Long, concentrating

Glen Chandler & Paula Messer, at the Victorian meeting table!

Working hard - Julie Belle

Dianne Gibson, delighted!

DAY THREE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP: EASTER MONDAY, WHEN EVERYTHING IS FINALLY SORTED!
In the Championship Trevor Halsall had lead the field from Round 13, and in the first game of Day 3 managed a pivotal win over Rocky Sharma from New South Wales, winning by just one point. Various players threatened Trevor's lead throughout the day, particularly Daniel Piechnick from South Australia and Alastair Richards from Queensland, with Andrew Fisher from Victoria nearby.
At the start of Round 23 Trevor was just a game clear of Alastair, but the outcome of several games saw Trevor relax with a 1.5 game lead over the field going into Round 24. With a win in this round Trevor maintained his 1.5 game margin to win the event with 19 wins, well done Trevor! Final eight placings were Trevor Halsall (Victoria) 1st, Andrew Fisher (Victoria) 2nd, Ayorinde Saidu (Nigeria) 3rd, Alastair Richards (Queensland) 4th, Peter Kougi (Victoria) 5th, Esther Perrins (New South Wales) 6th, Daniel Piechnick (South Australia) 7th, and Nick Ivanovski (Victoria) 8th.

The Winners: Peter Kougi, Jyoti Chandna, Trevor Halsall, Oscar with dad Nick Ivanovski, Ayorinde Saidu, Daniel Piechnick, Andrew Fisher and Esther Perrins.

Victoria was well represented, with 34 travelling to compete. Well done, Vics!

Trevor relaxes after Round 23 - what a relief!

Fellow Victorian Andrew Fisher, close behind!

Ayorinde Saidu from Nigeria, third in a very tough field

Edie Mueller, winner of the High Game Award

David Vanzyl with his High Word Award

Jyoti Chandna, winner High Rating Gain Award

Western Australia's Edie Mueller played a stellar game against Martin Rose from Tasmania, scoring 612 to win the High Game prize. David Vanzyl's High Word play of SILOXANE for 248 points stood the test of time and earned David the High Game Award. The award for the Highest Rating Gain in the Championship went to Jyoti Chandna from New South Wales for a gain of 105 points, just beating Trevor's rating gain of 101. Well done everyone, what great results for you all.

THE PLATE, DAY 3!
Larrie Strautmanis from South Australia lead this event from Round 15, with her main threat coming from Dorothy Barraclough, from Victoria....these two placed first and second respectively, with Larrie on 18 wins, a game clear of Dorothy on 17 wins. Congratulations, Larrie, a great result for you! Third to eighth places were filled by Caroline Scowcroft (Australian Capital Territory), Margaret Gibson (South Australia), Dianne Gibson (Victoria), Peter Bauer (Victoria), Rhys McGuckin (Queensland) and John Rider (Victoria). The High Game Award went to Lyndee Hill from South Australia for her score of 560, and Dorothy Barraclough's play of SPELLING for 149 points earned her the High Word award. The High Rating Gain prize also went to Dorothy for her amazing gain of 158 points, just ahead of Larrie who picked up 145 points. Congrats to all who won prizes, and well done to all who took part in both events.
Feedback re the event has been very positive, and players thank the South Australian Committee and helpers for their excellent running of these challenging tournaments, well done everyone!

To find links to many annotated games, see photos of the players from each State and details of the Dream Team click HERE

And to see the full results of both tournaments click HERE

The National Championship & Plate ~ March 26-28 ~ in Adelaide, South Australia

There are fifteen Victorians competing in the Championship this year, including the defending Champ Peter Kougi and highly rated fellow players Andrew Fisher and Trevor Halsall, and we wish all participants the best of luck! Missing from the field this year are Victorians and previous champions David Eldar and Naween Fernando, you will both be missed. Also competing are six players from overseas, we hope you enjoy the tournament!
Nineteen Vics are travelling to take part in the Plate, good luck to all, and enjoy! This number includes four of our junior players - to see more about their exploits click HERE

To follow all the action (our thanks to Barry Harridge), click HERE

Go to the top

THE ANNUAL LANGWARRIN TOURNAMENT ~ March 6 2016

The Langwarrin members ~ Gayle, Krina, Mardi, Elaine, Alan, Geoff, Gwen, Chris, Carol, Dot. Front: Shirley, Pam.

The Centre has been revamped, and Janet Matthews and Heather Iapozzuto enjoyed the vibes

Lunch! Fay Boxshall, Shirley Walker, Laura Khan, Latha Weerakkody, Lynne Goodinson, Christiane McCann

Julie Belle and Angie Pearse relax in the newly fresh and pleasant foyer

Thanks to Mardi Healy from the Langwarrin Club for this report!
It was our pleasure to welcome 47 Scrabble Victoria players, and Marg Harris-Walker from NSW to Langwarrin to play in our 16th tournament. We also welcomed novice player Alan Burn. Throughout the day, so many people came up to tell me how much fun they were having, and what a smooth and relaxed tournament it was. Of course that can only happen with a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Thanks so much to Geoff Gittus for all of his advice and preparation, and for helping set up the day before. Thanks to him nothing was forgotten. A huge thankyou to Gayle Cameron, Chris Radin and Krina Clark for looking after entries, and the financial side of things.
Thanks to all club members for bringing along such delicious food, and to Gayle and Pam for making sure the water was hot, and a variety of yummy goodies were available after every round of scrabble. All that thinking definitely requires brain food. Carol Johnsen did such a wonderful job coordinating matches and results, as well as keeping the technical side of things well and truly under control.

Happy Essendon Club players - Lina Camilleri, Rob York, Norma Engel

Its always good to see these two! Sylvia Galloway and Alistair Kane

Langwarrin folk...Geoff Gittus, Mardi Healy and Alan Burn

Ann Goodwin, Betty Egan, Di Gibson, Balada Catanchin, Marisa Nuccitelli

AND NOW FOR THE RESULTS:
SECTION D: 1st Alan Burn, 2nd Trish Magee, 3rd Patrick Morgan. High Game Alan Burn 553, and High Word Alan Burn 100 for JANGLES. Congratulations to Alan, who only recently joined our Langwarrin club. This was his first tournament, and it was exciting to see him do so well. Watch out for him next time....
SECTION C: 1st Julie Alliston, 2nd Latha Weerakkody, 3rd Janet Matthews. High Game Ann Goodwin 497, and High Word Julie Alliston, SONATAS for 84.
SECTION B: 1st Sylvia Galloway, 2nd Noel Coulter, 3rd Mardi Healy. High Game Noel Coulter 496, and High Word Dorothy Rice with FRESHENS for 101. (I know it is bad manners to say this - but YAY Langwarrin, great to see 2 of our players do well in this section!)
SECTION A: 1st Alistair Kane, 2nd Angie Pearse, 3rd Elaine Capewell. High Game Norma Fisher 539, and High Word Norma Fisher with a spectacular 212 for SLEAZING. Well done, everyone!
We hope you all come along again next year and have just as much fun!
To see the detailed results of the Langwarrin Tournament click HERE

Happy Div D winners.....Patrick Morgan and Alan Burn - wow! Well done to you both, a good day out!

Clever Div C people! Ann Goodwin, Latha Weerakkody, Janet Matthews, Julie Alliston

The Brains of B Division! Noel Coulter, Sylvia Galloway, Dorothy Rice and Mardi Healy.

Div A - Alistair aced it...Alistair Kane, Norma Fisher, Angie Pearse, and Elaine Capewell

The Melbourne Team Challenge ~ February 14, 2016

We once again enjoyed our Scrabble games with changed parameters this year. Eight teams, each of seven players, played against the other teams. Team allocations were done so each team had nearly equal rating average. All the number one seeds in each team played a round robin. So also did all the number two seeds and so on. Individual placings when thrown together may seem surprising. Each team wore distinctive hats, some of which suggested the team names.

It appears that there was a glitch which was not picked up until the day after the tournament, with regard to who were members of all the teams, including the winning team - most likely this happened when last minute ins and outs were done just before the tournament commenced. This was not the computer operator's error, but the actual program used. Barry Harridge, our computer guru, will ensure that this does not happen again. When the draws were printed and posted on the wall, the team names were incorrect above each of the team members listed.

Del Stitz plays Rena Aitken

Liz McKean plays Carole Eden

Heather Long v Lynne Butler from NZ

The colourful hats added to the day!

THE ACTUAL RESULTS WERE:

BLUE GRENADIERS (these team members were under the heading FUNNY BUNNIES)
Carol Johnsen 4, Mary McMahon 5, Bridget Halge 4, Doug Ristic 3, Marlene Ellis 3, Del Stitz 3, Marisa Nuccitelli 6.
TOTAL 28 WINS

BLACK CAPS (these team members were under the heading ROBBING HOODS)
Lynne Butler 3, Jenny Brysha 6, Rob Hutchinson 5, Oliver Podesser 3, Latha Weerakkody 4, Dorothy Hunt 3, Faye Leeder 3.
TOTAL 27 WINS

GREENIES (these team members were under the heading CONSTRUCTION CREW)
Norma Fisher 4, Barry Harridge 2, Noel Coulter 4, Anne Menheere 3, Glen Chandler 5, Carole Eden 4, Gabrielle Pestinger 5.
TOTAL 27 WINS

CONSTRUCTION CREW (these team members were under the heading BLACK CAPS)
Heather Long 6, Angie Pearse 5, Katie Rowe 4, Paula Messer 2, Lorna Patching 3, John Metcalf 6, Fay Boxshall 0.
TOTAL 26 WINS

SPARKLING WITS (these team members were under the heading GREENIES)
Chris Scholten 4, Cheryle Jerram 3, Mal Eden 2, Sandra Masel 6, Ann Goodwin 4, Rena Aitken 4, Harper Pestinger 3.
TOTAL 26 WINS

ROBBING HOODS (these team members were under the heading BUCCANEERS)
Nick Ivanovski 3, Kevin Meng 4, Kris Howat 2, Carol Mascitti 2, Mohammed Hegazi 5, Elizabeth McKean 5, Pranav Srivatsan 4.
TOTAL 25 WINS

BUCCANEERS (these team members were under the heading BLUE GRENADIERS)
Julie Belle 2, Natasha Podesser 2, John Rider 3, Rob York 5, Laura Khan 2, Gayle Cameron 3, Rebeccah Booth 4.
TOTAL 21 WINS

FUNNY BUNNIES (these team members were under the heading SPARKLING WITS)
Gwen Lampre 2, Lainie Mercieca 1, Peter Bauer 4, Siva Sivapalasundram 4, Irlane Alfred 2, Annette Casey 0, Trish Magee 3.
TOTAL 16 WINS

The individual winner on the day, John Metcalf

Siva Sivapalasundram High Game, Dorothy Hunt, winner High Word

Thanks to our Standby Player on the day, Carol Mascitti

Julie Belle had a busy day, thanks, Julie, with Rob York

Because the teams must have even numbers, Julie Belle who was our new caterer for the day, was roped in to play. Also our new computer operator Amy Hutchinson did a fine job on the day. Thank you to Julie Belle and Rob York for their understanding and return of the prize money. They had stayed to be awarded the winning team prize, which as it turned out was incorrect. The overall winner on the day was John Metcalf ($40) with 6 wins and a margin of 557 ahead of Sandra Masel, Jenny Brysha, Heather Long and Marisa Nuccitelli all with 6 wins. The winning team members each received $40. High game ($15) went to Siva Sivapalasundram - 542 and Dorothy Hunt won High Word with TRACKIES for 149.
Well done everybody! Thanks to all who helped, and to Amy Hutchinson and Nick Ivanovski for the photos - they are appreciated!
To see the individual results of the tournament click here

The Bil Rose Aestival ~ January 17, 2016

The late Bil Rose, as many knew him

First-time player, Annette Casey

Visiting from Queensland, Arnold Appelhoff

Our new Victorian player, Kevin Meng

Old friends, Nicole Findlay & Carol Johnsen

This annual Round Robin event, which honours our late player Bil Rose, attracted 74 keen players, and it was a very enjoyable day out. Play moved along happily under the direction of TD Carol Johnsen, and we thank Natasha Podesser for donating her services as the standby player. Carol welcomed new player Annette Casey from the Greensborough Club, and Annette had a wonderful time, winning 4.5 games and placing second in "ISNER" - what a great start to your tournament career, Annette! Also welcomed were Arnold Appelhoff, visiting from Queensland, and Kevin Meng from Switzerland - we first briefly met Kevin in Perth at the World event, and he is with us for a year or so while he continues his studies. It was good to catch up with Nicole Findlay who enjoyed a visit to the Centre, and enjoyed spending time catching up with old friends. Carol presented Julie Belle with her badge marking 1000 tournament games played, congratulations, Julie, a great achievement!
All sections were named after tennis players (including our retiring Little Aussie Battler Lleyton Hewitt!) and at the end of the day two very excited players, Cheryle Jerram and Dominica Krstic, had won all seven of their games. Well done to you both, what a great feeling. Prizes were given for first place in each section, with three sections grouped together for High Game and High Word Awards.
AZARENKA: won by Trevor Halsall on five wins, the High Game prize was shared by Andrew Fisher and Nick Ivanovski for scores of 587 (best for sections ABC), and the High Word in this section was played by Norma Fisher - ELATIONS for 131 points.
BARTY: Julie Belle won 6 games to place first, High Game Natasha Podesser 519, and Natasha played DECIDERS for 149 points to win the High Word Award for Sections ABC.
CILIC: This section saw Cheryle Jerram on top with her 7 wins, Jenny Brysha scored 571 to score High Game for the section, and Mal Eden's play of INKJETS for 104 was the best in Cilic.
DJOKOVIC: John Rider won 6 games to place first in this section, and Ann Hagley took out High Word and High Game, the best for Sections DEF - Ann scored 494, and played POTTIEST for 140 points, well done Ann.
EBDEN: Janet Bau had a good day, winning 6 games and scoring 470 to record the High Game for Ebden, and Oliver Podesser's play of BITCHIER for 107 was the best High Word in this section.
FEDERER: this was Dominica Krstic's playground where she won all 7 games, and scored 491 as the highest score in this section. Mohammed Hegazi's play of JAVELINS for 104 points was the best played in Federer.
GAJDOSOVA: six wins to Latha Weerakkody saw her on top of this section, with Marjorie Clark scoring 457 as the highest in this section, and Ann Goodwin's play of ZAIRE for 100 points was the best for Gajdosova.
HEWITT: Carole Eden had a good day, winning six games and the section. John Metcalf's score of 488, and his play of FORGETS for 89 were the best in Hewitt, well done John.
ISNER: There were ten players in this section, and Nicole Lowe was excited to win 6 games to finish on top. Fay Boxshall scored 431 as the best in Isner, and Rebeccah Booth's play of ACQUIRE for 103 points was the best for Sections GHI.

Missing from the group - Carole Eden, winner in Hewitt division

Natasha Podesser, High Word in ABC, with Nick Ivanovski & Andrew Fisher, equal High Game winners

Ann Hagley, won High Game and High Word in Sections DEF

Rebeccah Booth, back from a break, won High Word in GHI, and John Metcalf won High Game for the three sections.

Significant Ratings Gains were recorded on the day by the following awe-inspiring players: Cheryle Jerram +75, Dominica Krstic +72, Nicole Lowe +57, Latha Weerakkody + 54, Norma Fisher +54, Carol Mascitti +48, John Rider +47, Julie Belle +45, Carole Eden +45, and Janet Bau +43. Well done to all on your brilliant achievements, and thanks to everyone who helped on the day - your assistance is really appreciated! To see the full results of the Bil Rose Aestival click here

Vale Stephen Blick ~ 1967 ~ 2016

Members who knew Stephen Blick were saddened by the news of his passing in early January this year. It was some time since we'd seen Stephen as he'd played his last tournament with us at the Victorian Championship in 2010, and he was missed at subsequent tournaments. He enjoyed time at his local club Nunawading which he attended when able, and was always a tough but fair opponent. His name remains on the 2008 National Records page (and fifth on the All-Time Records) from a game he played against Michael Cameron of South Australia, at the National Championship in Melbourne - Michael can claim the record for Highest Losing Score against Steve, 502:504.
Stephen is survived by his sons Griffin and Wilson, and daughter Imogen. Rest peacefully, Steve.

Go to the top