Balmain Club Tournament - March 4th 2001


Report from Hanne Marks, Balmain Club President

As has happened on the first Sunday in March for some years now, the huge, high-ceilinged hall upstairs in the Balmain Town Hall last Sunday reverberated (I kid you not !) with the shuffling of the tiles, the repetition of the scores and the inevitable post mortems in voices both high and low, the unquenchable enthusiasm and racket of, on this occasion, ninety-four - yes, 94 ! - avid Scrabble players. Probably the biggest number of players yet hosted by the Balmaniacs - as I said, we were legion ! Our visitors were a conglomerate lot. We rather missed our youngest BUGS member, Chris May, who, though very likely with us in spirit, was unable to join us due to Higher School commitments - while, at the other end of the scale, we were delighted to have in our midst the ever-young Lan Knox - and never you mind that three-letter O-- word - none of your business ! They hailed from as far away as the Philippines, one Gerardo Onate, Robbie to his friends; and from Canberra, John Spaan, as well as from North Coast clubs and South Coast clubs, from Baulkham Hills, and all over Sydney.

There were three novices, Maree Heynen, Audrey Crompton and Steve Bird.We hope to see more of all three of them! The last-named, because of his Internet Scrabble experience, was placed in Intermediate, where he promptly won seven out of the eight games, and came first in his division : expect to hear more of this name in the near future !

We thought of absent Scrabble-playing friends in Victoria - Roger Blom, and in New South Wales - Marie Knight, Ros Gibbons and Val Ryan, all unable to be with us; and Jean McGiffen, who was "minding" Marie, all sorely missed.

With her usual verve and efficiency, and astoundingly fast "turn-overs", our tournament director, Wilma Vialle, ensured that the day's play went without a hitch, depite the fact that the appalling acoustics in the hall meant that hardly anybody heard a word she shouted ....... them's the breaks. Pat Rae coped womanfully with the challenge slips in the patient and thoroughgoing manner to which we have become accustomed, and we are exceeding grateful.

Nonie English, aided and abetted especially by June Stephenson, but also by all the members of the Balmain Scrabble Club, took care of the provision of between-games snacks, and the compliments were loud and vociferous: some people hoped to be provided with lunch as well - they must not have read the original flyer - or else they were just expressing their appreciation of the quality and the amount of food provided, in accordance with the old adage "No hide, no Christmas pudding"!

No doubt about it, you can't write him off just yet, he's still alive and kicking: Bob Jackman bounced back to the top by winning six games and achieving a margin of 602 to come first in Masters; John Holgate and Paul Cleary also won six games each, and were separated by a mere seven points, followed closely by Robbie Onate, also with six games, but a somewhat smaller margin. John Holgate made the highest score of the day: 586, while the high word of the day was played by Edith Lowbeer in Intermediate:she scored 131 for SEATINGS.

In Advanced, Audrey Newman came first with seven games and a margin of 360; Alison Pollard came second - also seven games - Margaret Berliner came third with six games, and Sam Greenberg won five games to come fourth.

Intermediate was won by the aforementioned Mr Bird with seven games, followed closely with six games each by Judy McGuiness and Alan Gauci, and Janet Chambers came fourth with five games. All four-place getters in Recreation won six games each: Sandra Elliott, Sue Tucker, Pearl Gillott and Margaret Ackman, in that order.

Well, that's another BUGS Tournament over and done with for another twelve months - but it feels as if the previous one took place only twelve weeks ago - at this rate, we'll be organising the next one before you can say "And the winner is ......." Hope to see you there.

Results after game  8
MARCH 4, 2001  -- MASTERS

Rank Player            Wins     Mar
---------------------------------
  1  Bob Jackman          6     602
  2  John Holgate         6     567
  3  Paul Cleary          6     560
  4  Gerardo Onate        6     105
  5  Rod Talbot           5     313
  6  Joanne Craig         5     235
  6  Trish Windhurst      5     235
  8  Cristine Small       5       2
  9  John Barker          5    -178
 10  Esther Perrins       4     146
 11  Joan Rosenthal       4     113
 12  Kris Logan           4     -71
 13  Hanne Marks          4     -97
 14  Cheryl Michler       4    -107
 15  John Spaan           4    -180
 16  Sue Gergelifi        4    -248
 17  Peter Shaw           3     134
 18  Graeme Lock Lee      3    -137
 19  Ivor Zetler          3    -147
 20  Robyn Flynn          3    -221
 21  Richard Farrington   3    -389
 22  Jean Noonan          2    -120
 23  Norma Tracey         2    -478
 24  Judy Hay             0    -639
HIGH GAME: John Holgate      586
HIGH WORD: Paul Cleary       126
            "FOXIEST"

 Results after game  8
MARCH 4, 2001  -- ADVANCED

Rank Player            Wins     Mar
---------------------------------
  1  Audrey Newman        7     360
  2  Alison Pollard       7     230
  3  Margaret Berliner    6     345
  4  Sam Greenberg        5     366
  5  Betty Coleman        5     195
  6  Robert Tomkins       5     118
  7  June Stephenson      5      53
  8  Gordon Meggs         5    -201
  9  Betty Foreman        4     207
 10  Chlorise O'Sullivan  4     198
 11  Nonie English        4      65
 12  Pat Schuberg         4      56
 13  Richard Birch        4     -49
 14  Raya Wilkinson       4     -80
 15  Gary Pollard         4    -110
 16  Joan Buchanan        4    -175
 17  Elizabeth Ho         3     -56
 18  Angie Farrington     3    -127
 19  Maureen Hilder       3    -170
 20  Nanette Reynolds     3    -307
 21  Margaret Andrews     2     -53
 22  Daphne Bezuidenhout  2    -190
 23  Jenny Templeton      2    -198
 24  Liz Jackman          1    -477
HIGH GAME: Betty Foreman     508
HIGH WORD: June Stephenson       114
            "REQUIRES"

 Results after game  8
MARCH 4, 2001  -- INTERMEDIATE

Rank Player            Wins     Mar
---------------------------------
  1  Steve Bird           7     516
  2  Judy McGuinness      6     284
  3  Alan Gauci           6     159
  4  Janet Chambers       5     316
  5  Ram Mohe             5     242
  6  Fay Van Oyen         5      62
  7  Victor Tung          5     -22
  8  Colleen Howie        4.5   274
  9  Edith Lowbeer        4.5   104
 10  Bev Purkis           4     193
 11  Peggy Womersley      4     128
 12  Linda Dimond         4      27
 13  Jean Balmer          4     -53
 14  Donna Macdonald      4    -122
 15  Stacey Lock Lee      4    -316
 16  Ann Fiddler          3    -137
 17  Greg Nicol           3    -187
 18  Denise Smith         3    -209
 19  Merle Young          2     -42
 20  Esther Rolfe         2    -224
 21  Sunny Wright         2    -417
 22  Lan Knox             1    -576
HIGH GAME: Jean Balmer       474
HIGH WORD: Edith Lowbeer         131
            "SEATINGS"

 Results after game  8
MARCH 4, 2001  -- RECREATION

Rank Player            Wins     Mar
---------------------------------
  1  Sandra Elliott       6     448
  2  Sue Tuckett          6     326
  3  Pearl Gillott        6     303
  4  Margaret Ackman      6     115
  5  Colleen Hood         5     314
  6  Leonie McConnell     5     210
  7  Claire Dove          5     189
  8  Krystyna Batten      5      84
  9  June Dillon          5      80
 10  Prashan Karunaratne  4     170
 11  Arie Holla           4      98
 11  Pam Bennett          4      98
 13  Diana Hilly          4       3
 14  Yvonne Edwards       4    -169
 15  Diana Field          4    -228
 16  Teresa Traynor       4    -239
 17  Maureen Wilkins      3     151
 18  Chris Phillips       3      47
 19  Jan Tomlin           3     -19
 20  Anne Mortel          3     -52
 21  Maria Kaye           3    -171
 22  Audrey Crompton      3    -404
 23  Kathleen Davidson    1    -653
 24  Maree Heynen         0    -701
HIGH GAME: Krystyna Batten   462
HIGH WORD: Sandra Elliott        110
            "ADVANCES"

Stats for Tournament : MARCH 4, 2001 

+--------------------------+-----------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| state     Name           | National  | State   |   Wins    | Rating Points |
|                          | Old  New  | Old New | Exp  Act  | Old Change New|
+--------------------------+-----------+---------+-----------+---------------+
+Section: *MASTERS                     +         +           +               +
+--------------------------------------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| NSW John Holgate         |    7    6 |   3   2 |  5.4  6.0 | 1820 +12 1832 |
| NSW Paul Cleary          |    3    2 |   1   1 |  5.9  6.0 | 1889  +4 1893 |
| NSW Bob Jackman          |   17   11 |   7   4 |  4.8  6.0 | 1769 +26 1795 |
| OS  Gerardo Onate        |   40   18 |   2   2 |  3.2  6.0 | 1647 +111
1758 |
| NSW Rod Talbot           |    6    7 |   2   3 |  5.4  5.0 | 1828  -5 1823 |
| NSW Joanne Craig         |   34   30 |  11  10 |  4.1  5.0 | 1653 +19 1672 |
| NSW Trish Windhurst      |  121  100 |  33  26 |  2.7  5.0 | 1463 +51 1514 |
| NSW Cristine Small       |   60   54 |  17  16 |  3.6  5.0 | 1590 +27 1617 |
| NSW John Barker          |   57   50 |  16  14 |  4.1  5.0 | 1602 +17 1619 |
| NSW Joan Rosenthal       |   15   17 |   6   7 |  4.5  4.0 | 1773  -9 1764 |
| NSW Esther Perrins       |    9   16 |   4   6 |  6.7  4.0 | 1812 -41 1771 |
| NSW John Spaan :act      |   90   82 |  22  20 |  3.3  4.0 | 1530 +13 1543 |
| NSW Cheryl Michler       |  101  101 |  27  27 |  3.4  4.0 | 1502 +11 1513 |
| NSW Hanne Marks          |  133  117 |  40  34 |  3.1  4.0 | 1453 +18 1471 |
| NSW Kris Logan           |  135  115 |  42  33 |  2.7  4.0 | 1451 +25 1476 |
| NSW Sue Gergelifi        |   92   90 |  23  22 |  3.9  4.0 | 1526  +3 1529 |
| NSW Peter Shaw           |   38   56 |  12  17 |  4.9  3.0 | 1648 -36 1612 |
| NSW Ivor Zetler          |  106  111 |  30  31 |  3.5  3.0 | 1496  -9 1487 |
| NSW Graeme Lock Lee      |   97  102 |  25  28 |  3.3  3.0 | 1518  -5 1513 |
| NSW Robyn Flynn          |   87   98 |  21  24 |  4.0  3.0 | 1535 -19 1516 |
| NSW Richard Farrington   |  114  114 |  32  32 |  3.4  3.0 | 1484  -7 1477 |
| NSW Jean Noonan          |  138  154 |  43  45 |  3.5  2.0 | 1443 -31 1412 |
| NSW Norma Tracey         |  105  121 |  29  35 |  3.7  2.0 | 1500 -33 1467 |
| NSW Judy Hay             |  147  195 |  44  52 |  2.8  0.0 | 1422 -56 1366 |
+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+----------------+
+Section: *ADVANCED                    +         +           +               +
+--------------------------------------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| NSW Audrey Newman        |  153  136 |  45  43 |  5.3  7.0 | 1416 +35 1451 |
| NSW Alison Pollard       |  171  142 |  49  44 |  5.0  7.0 | 1395 +41 1436 |
| NSW Margaret Berliner    |  291  242 |  78  62 |  2.8  6.0 | 1214 +81 1295 |
| NSW Sam Greenberg        |  218  208 |  56  54 |  4.3  5.0 | 1330 +15 1345 |
| NSW Betty Coleman        |  179  180 |  50  49 |  5.3  5.0 | 1391  -5 1386 |
| NSW Robert Tomkins       |  168  179 |  48  48 |  5.7  5.0 | 1401 -12 1389 |
| NSW June Stephenson      |  321  288 |  83  77 |  2.5  5.0 | 1160 +56 1216 |
| NSW Gordon Meggs         |  238  232 |  60  59 |  4.4  5.0 | 1298 +12 1310 |
| NSW Betty Foreman        |  206  218 |  55  56 |  4.9  4.0 | 1347 -17 1330 |
| NSW Chlorise O'Sullivan  |  332  316 |  86  84 |  2.3  4.0 | 1141 +34 1175 |
| NSW Nonie English        |  278  273 |  75  71 |  3.5  4.0 | 1232  +9 1241 |
| NSW Richard Birch        |  273  265 |  71  68 |  3.4  4.0 | 1239 +13 1252 |
| NSW Joan Buchanan        |  257  259 |  64  66 |  4.1  4.0 | 1262  +1 1263 |
| NSW Pat Schuberg         |  248  247 |  62  63 |  4.0  4.0 | 1280  +3 1283 |
| NSW Raya Wilkinson       |  268  267 |  69  69 |  3.9  4.0 | 1248  +2 1250 |
| NSW Gary Pollard         |  198  215 |  53  55 |  5.2  4.0 | 1359 -24 1335 |
| NSW Angie Farrington     |  276  281 |  73  74 |  3.4  3.0 | 1234  -8 1226 |
| NSW Elizabeth Ho         |  232  251 |  58  64 |  4.7  3.0 | 1310 -33 1277 |
| NSW Maureen Hilder       |  270  282 |  70  75 |  4.0  3.0 | 1244 -19 1225 |
| NSW Nanette Reynolds     |  328  326 |  85  87 |  2.7  3.0 | 1147  +7 1154 |
| NSW Margaret Andrews     |  283  296 |  77  79 |  3.0  2.0 | 1227 -21 1206 |
| NSW Jenny Templeton      |  259  283 |  66  76 |  3.8  2.0 | 1260 -36 1224 |
| NSW Daphne Bezuidenhout  |  282  298 |  76  80 |  3.3  2.0 | 1227 -27 1200 |
| NSW Liz Jackman          |  263  311 |  67  83 |  4.5  1.0 | 1254 -70 1184 |
+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+----------------+
+Section: *INTERMEDIATE                +         +           +               +
+--------------------------------------+---------+-----------+---------------+
|*NSW Steve Bird           |    0  227 |   0  58 |  7.0  7.0 | 1320     1320 |
| NSW Judy McGuinness      |  376  351 |  94  89 |  4.6  6.0 | 1082 +30 1112 |
| NSW Alan Gauci           |  515  437 | 124 104 |  2.7  6.0 |  922 +82 1004 |
| NSW Ram Mohe             |  406  395 |  98  97 |  4.5  5.0 | 1045 +11 1056 |
| NSW Janet Chambers       |  459  442 | 106 105 |  3.7  5.0 |  974 +26 1000 |
| NSW Fay Van Oyen         |  424  413 | 102  99 |  4.2  5.0 | 1022 +17 1039 |
| NSW Victor Tung          |  596  537 | 143 132 |  2.5  5.0 |  846 +58  904 |
| NSW Colleen Howie        |  382  386 |  95  95 |  5.2  4.5 | 1078 -12 1066 |
| NSW Edith Lowbeer        |  476  463 | 115 110 |  3.9  4.5 |  960 +14  974 |
| NSW Bev Purkis           |  483  458 | 116 109 |  2.6  4.0 |  951 +29  980 |
| NSW Peggy Womersley      |  563  531 | 138 129 |  2.8  4.0 |  885 +23  908 |
| NSW Linda Dimond         |  463  467 | 108 112 |  4.0  4.0 |  969  +2  971 |
| NSW Jean Balmer          |  336  361 |  87  91 |  5.9  4.0 | 1139 -35 1104 |
| NSW Donna MacDonald      |  450  452 | 105 107 |  3.8  4.0 |  985  +4  989 |
| NSW Stacey Lock Lee      |  578  559 | 139 139 |  2.9  4.0 |  867 +24  891 |
| NSW Denise Smith         |  531  527 | 128 128 |  2.8  3.0 |  907  +3  910 |
| NSW Ann Fiddler          |  355  394 |  89  96 |  5.6  3.0 | 1109 -52 1057 |
| NSW Greg Nicol           |  507  511 | 121 123 |  3.0  3.0 |  929  -1  928 |
| NSW Merle Young          |  519  549 | 126 135 |  3.2  2.0 |  919 -23  896 |
| NSW Esther Rolfe         |  394  447 |  96 106 |  5.2  2.0 | 1058 -64  994 |
| NSW Sunny Wright         |  395  453 |  97 108 |  5.4  2.0 | 1057 -69  988 |
| NSW Lan Knox             |  562  593 | 137 142 |  2.5  1.0 |  885 -30  855 |
+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+----------------+
+Section: *RECREATION                  +         +           +               +
+--------------------------------------+---------+-----------+---------------+
| NSW Sandra Elliot        |  652  630 | 167 160 |  4.9  6.0 |  794 +22  816 |
| NSW Pearl Gillott        |  698  658 | 180 168 |  4.7  6.0 |  756 +28  784 |
| NSW Sue Tuckett          |  600  587 | 146 141 |  5.0  6.0 |  840 +20  860 |
| NSW Margaret Ackman      |  624  607 | 156 151 |  5.4  6.0 |  821 +14  835 |
| NSW Claire Dove          |  626  633 | 158 161 |  5.5  5.0 |  821  -7  814 |
| NSW Leonie McConnell     |  623  619 | 155 154 |  4.9  5.0 |  822  +4  826 |
| NSW Colleen Hood         |  755  730 | 194 190 |  3.9  5.0 |  705 +23  728 |
| NSW June Dillon          |  915  787 | 239 205 |  2.2  5.0 |  558 +113
671 |
| NSW Krystyna Batten      |  716  706 | 186 183 |  4.6  5.0 |  740  +8  748 |
| NSW Prashan Karunaratne  |  789  790 | 206 207 |  4.1  4.0 |  668      668 |
| NSW Diana Hilly          |  656  666 | 168 171 |  4.6  4.0 |  790 -12  778 |
| NSW Yvonne Edwards       |  955  936 | 252 249 |  3.2  4.0 |  520 +16  536 |
| NSW Pam Bennett          |  753  752 | 193 194 |  3.8  4.0 |  709  +3  712 |
| NSW Teresa Traynor       |  921  889 | 241 232 |  3.1  4.0 |  550 +28  578 |
| NSW Arie Holla           |  892  857 | 231 223 |  2.8  4.0 |  574 +37  611 |
| NSW Diana Field          | 1051 1032 | 279 277 |  2.5  4.0 |  428 +30  458 |
| NSW Maureen Wilkins      |  619  684 | 153 177 |  5.8  3.0 |  824 -56  768 |
| NSW Chris Phillips       |  725  767 | 188 199 |  4.9  3.0 |  732 -36  696 |
| NSW Jan Tomlin           |  773  812 | 199 211 |  4.9  3.0 |  691 -39  652 |
| NSW Maria Kaye           |  937  935 | 248 248 |  2.9  3.0 |  534  +3  537 |
| NSW Ann Mortel           |  823  863 | 214 226 |  4.1  3.0 |  639 -34  605 |
|*NSW Audrey Crompton      |    0 1009 |   0 268 |  3.1  3.0 |  500  -8  492 |
| NSW Kath Davidson        | 1069 1076 | 287 290 |  2.0  1.0 |  391 -20  371 |
|*NSW Maree Heynen         |    0  976 |   0 260 |  3.1  0.4 |  500      500 |
+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+----------------+