News items from 2001 (first half)
28/06/01: Thirteen in league action
Thirteen players were in action at the BCSC last night -- four from the Premier League, and nine from the Conference.
Phil Charlton, whose backgammon career could be said to have gone the the dogs(!), still knows how to win matches, which he proved by registering his third victory in four Premier matches. And Tim Jefferies scored a satisfying win over Ian Tarr.
In the Conference, table topper Martin Hemming lost a tight encounter with Ian Preston, who moves into the top four. Ian is clearly not satisfied with attaining his Premier Status merely for having won two main flights. He obviously aims to make it a four-way qualification via the Conference, the OGP, and the IGP! Should he go to BIBA and get a ranking score of 1500-plus, he could get the full set!
Ed Turner, Jeremy Axford, Phillip Hill and Simonetta Barone were the night's other Conference winners.
26/06/01: Final set for Monday
The final of this month's OGP main flight, between Michael Smith and Ian Preston, is now scheduled for Monday (July 2nd) at the Old Fox in Easton.
Hopefully this will attract a few more players to this regular Monday session, which would be a fitting reward for Michael's initiative in setting things up at the Old Fox.
25/06/01: Bristol well beaten
Sunday's Inter-Cities Challenge ended in disappointment for the Bristol team, when they suffered a 13-20 home defeat at the hands of their Birmingham visitors.
The now-traditional Bristol bad start was reflected in the 3-8 pre-buffet deficit after the first of three series of matches, and despite a flurry of Bristol victories around the half-way mark which saw the score pegged back to 10-13, the next four results saw Birmingham past the winning post with six of the 33 matches to spare.
Bristol's below-par performance was exemplified by the fact that not one of Bristol's eleven managed to win all three matches, the first such occurrence for either side in the short history of the competition.
Blaine Buchanan, Phillip Hill, Paul Watts and Ian Preston were the players who won two out of three. Despite speculation on the merits or otherwise of the selection policy, it was the top of the Bristol "batting order" that failed to deliver. Numbers one to five in the pecking order -- all of whom would arguably have appeared via any form of selection -- managed just four victories from fifteen matches, a return which precisely matched the final deficit.
Of those, only Blaine could hold his head high, while two of the other four were the only ones to fire blanks all day for Bristol.
For full results, click here.
24/06/01: Martin went top
One piece of news which got lost somewhere in the pipeline this week was the rise of Martin Hemming to the top of the Bristol Conference.
Martin scored two valuable victories on Monday evening at the Old Fox, beating Michael Smith 11-2 and Simonetta Barone 11-10. The match with Simonetta had previously been adjourned, with Simonetta 10-5 ahead.
21/06/01: Ten-a-side becomes eleven-a-side
This Sunday's Inter-Cities Challenge, the twice-yearly match between Bristol and Birmingham will now, it appears, be an eleven-a-side match rather than the originally planned ten-a-side encounter.
The team originally selected to represent Bristol at the Planet Venus Cellar Bar, plucked from the respective tops of the OGP, the IGP, the Premier League, and the Conference, lost Stuart Mann to a prior engagement, so Blaine Buchanan stepped into the breach.
The additional slot, which has come about because Birmingham are now able to bring an eleventh player, meant invitations were extended to both John Slattery and Charlie Hetherington, neither of whom was able to step in, so the next on the list, Ian Tarr, will now fill the eleventh berth.
The beauty of having so many players to choose from is that four will be making their first appearance for the Bristol team -- Sarah Rosich, Ian Preston, Martin Hemming, and Phillip Hill.
The full Bristol line-up, in probable starting order, is: Tony Lee, Ian Tarr, Blaine Buchanan, Kevin White, Jerry Limb, Martin Hemming, Sarah Rosich, Elliot Smart, Phillip Hill, Paul Watts, and Ian Preston.
20/06/01: Ian's run knows no bounds
If anyone imagined the recent phenomenal success of Ian Preston to be a purely local phenomenon, today's events proved otherwise.
Ian's round trip to Maidenhead today proved well worthwhile, coming back as he did with yet another victory to his name, this time over John Slattery in the held over OGP semi-final, in what could prove to be the major turning point of the season in that competition.
The victory gives Ian a 90 point lead at the head of the OGP table, and he can extend this to 125 if he can go on to beat Michael Smith in the final, an event which may take place next week.
To put Ian's OGP performances this year into some kind of perspective, his 255 haul is already more than last year's champion Stuart Mann finished with. OK, Ian will find it harder to add to his score after his fifth scoring effort is added -- only a player's best five events count -- but the suspicion remains that he may already have done enough!
18/06/01: Semi arranged for Wednesday
The OGP semi-final between Ian Preston and John Slattery will take place in Maidenhead, Berkshire, on Wednesday.
The match, to be played at Rosey Bensley's, will decide who moves on into the final to play Michael Smith, at a time and place yet to be decided.
17/06/01: New outposts sprouting up!
With the game becoming more and more popular in and around the Bristol area, there are signs that it will be taking root in more and more outposts.
This healthy development is just the latest in a year when players are sampling tournament backgammon in record numbers. Last year's highly satisfactory total of 57 tournament players has already been surpassed in 2001, with no fewer than 62 players competing so far. And there are six months still to go!
Tournament nights and league nights provide most players with heir staple diet, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that many players need more outlets for their talents.
All power, then, to the respective elbows of those who are organising weekly -- and in one case nightly! -- sessions in the region.
There has long been the tradition of a weekly chouette session, and this continues each Thursday at The Leap in Downend.
Michael Smith has recently got things going at the Old Fox in Easton, where Monday evening is the regular night. And now things are happening in Gloucestershire, where the brothers Hemming and Phil Hill are now establishing Saturday afternoons as the time to be at the Woolpack in Stonehouse.
With Jerry Limb throwing his home open to all comers every evening, nobody should be going short of action!
For details of all these opportunities, click here.
Possible future developments -- some way down the line, perhaps -- include the establishment of a backgammon cafe somewhere in Bristol! Watch this space.
16/06/01: Ian still on a roll, Michael in final
Another monster entry made it an incident packed evening at the BCSC on Thursday.
Thirty-one players were in the main draw, and a latecomer slotted straight into the consolation flight to equal January's biggest ever turnout at a Bristol Backgammon event.
Once again there was a gratifying throng of players new to Bristol tournament action -- seven in all, making a total of 27 new players this year alone -- and it's still only June!
While Jeremy Axford is a Conference player, and Swindon-based John Renicks has a little BIBA experience under his belt, the other five were new names on the scene: Craig Adams, Glenn Croker, Melissa May, Jonathan Prager and Mark Thomas. And all are very welcome.
The first round pitched together the two OGP leaders, Ian Preston and Sarah Rosich. Sarah led all the way, except at the finish! Meanwhile, third placed Tony Lee was recovering from a 0-5 deficit to overcome OGP champion and Premier League leader Stuart Mann.
Four players -- Leon Oakes, Jonathan Prager, Craig Adams, and Melissa May -- were recording their maiden competition victories.
The consolation flight had a strong look to it, and Premier players Simon Baker and Charlie Hetherington fought out the final, Simon taking the honours.
Back in the main flight, Michael Smith scored the four wins to make it through to his first final, edging past Ed Turner in a tense semi-final, having ended Tony Lee's interest in proceedings back in the second round. In the final he will meet either man of the moment Ian Preston or 2000 BIBA grand-prix winner John Slattery.
This semi could turn out to be the most important match of the OGP season. If Ian were to win, and then go on to success in the final, he would have increased his lead to a massive 125 points. While this would not make his position unassailable, it would make him extremely difficult to catch!
If, on the other hand, John should beat Ian and go on to win the final, he would close to within 10 points of Ian, with a 55 point cushion over Tony Lee, who would be third.
Michael, of course, in his first OGP event of the year, will have other plans. A final victory would move him into ninth place overall, with the opportunity to push on into those top eight places, which constitute one of several passports to Premier Status.
As soon as arrangements are made to play these two outstanding matches, news will appear here.
Meanwhile, for all the latest OGP positions, click here.
04/06/01: Martin the latest "nearly man"
Representing exactly one eighth of the 64-strong field, we might have expected to report that one of our number had reached the quarter-finals at BIBA's Hilton Trophy knock-out event in Coventry at the weekend.
Better than that, we actually had two of the last four in contention. And winner Michael Brereton was ultimately the only obstacle to a mould-breaking all-Bristol final, accounting for Tony Lee in the semis, and Martin Hemming in the final.
Both Martin and Tony can now take their place in the ever-growing hall of "Bristol Near Miss" fame.
There must seriously be a jinx which stops any of our players from winning a main BIBA tournament (John Slattery excepted, but then he belongs to Backgammon itself rather than just Bristol!). If anyone knows the spell which will remove this curse, would they please invoke it as soon as possible?!
What the event proved, once again, is that we have no reason to fear any opponent on the national scene.
For Martin, who has made a quiet but solid start in the first few months of his "Bristol" career (having moved into strong promotion contention in the Conference), this represents a major breakthrough.
Based in Stroud, Martin's previous experience was obviously a good grounding, as he has never appeared remotely out of his depth in the face of any challenge. Indeed, he performed very well in the consolation flights of the British Open back in April.
And he can now be held up as an example of what many other local players can quite realistically aspire to.
Others to toe the start line at the weekend were Kevin White, Don Hatt, Elliot and Cary Smart, and the incorrigible globetrotters, John Slattery and Rosey Bensley.
Rosey had several reasons to remember the weekend (see below) ......
04/06/01: Rosey's memorable weekend
Maidenhead based Rosey Bensley first announced herself on the Bristol Backgammon scene when winning her first tournament here, the OGP event last November. This came too late in the year to give her a realistic chance of grasping Premier Status, although it appears likely to be only a matter of time before this is achieved.
This weekend's BIBA tournament will live long in Rosey's memory. It began well enough when she won the warm-up tournament on Friday night, and got better when she was given the accolade of BIBA's Sportsman (person?) of the Year.
To cap this, Rosey splashed some money in the auction, and ended up with an investment in both finalists!
And if that wasn't enough, she managed to find time to deal with a little Bristol business, beating Elliot Smart 11-9 to go top of the Conference.
01/06/01: Good luck to our travelling band
A few of our number will be at the Coventry Hilton this weekend for BIBA's Hilton Trophy event. They go with our best wishes.
And if they should manage to get in the odd league game, so much the better!
31/05/01: Premier bottlenecks looming
Seven Premier League players turned up to do battle at the BCSC last night. But sadly, from an organisational point of view, the majority of those who really needed to get some matches in failed to turn out.
Eleven out of fourteen participants have now played between six and ten of their thirteen fixtures, so could be said to be progressing satisfactorily.
What now appears inevitable, though, is that queues will be forming every time Drew Caudwell, Phil Charlton, and reigning champion Simon Baker make an appearance, as of 45 matches remaining to be completed, no fewer than 29 involve these three.
Of the action that did take place -- five results were reported -- the most significant involved the continuing good form of Stuart Mann and John Slattery. Stuart won a nail-biter against Jerry Limb, while John scored victories over Kevin White and Blaine Buchanan.
Stuart has won eight out of nine, while John remains undefeated after six matches. The title race appears, at present, to involve just two horses! For the latest Premier League positions, click here.
31/05/01: Ten in Conference action
Ten Conference players produced nine results between them at the BCSC last night.
Mike Woodland and Mike Taylor (who beat leader Paul Watts 11-4) scored their maiden Conference victories, while Paul's pursuers are gathering threateningly behind him.
The most profitable visit was that of Rosey Bensley, whose three victories moved her into second place.
And John Lewis actually fitted four matches in! After suffering two whitewashes, he showed commendable fortitude to strike back with two wins to keep himself in the thick of the promotion race. Click here for the latest Conference positions.
28/05/01: Inter-Cities Challenge venue announced...... and the Bristol team selection
The home leg of the Inter-Cities Challenge, already set for Sunday June 24th, now has a venue.
The Planet Venus Cellar Bar in Gloucester Road, Bishopston, will play host to the event, which is expected to be contested by teams of ten players representing Bristol and Birmingham.
And the Bristol team has been drawn from the higher echelons of the four main local competitions, with three players from both the Open Grand Prix and the Premier League, and two each from the Intermediate Grand Prix and the Conference.
Invitations to represent Bristol are being sent to the following ten players today: Ian Preston, Sarah Rosich and Tony Lee (from the OGP); Stuart Mann, Jerry Limb and Kevin White (from the Premier League); Phillip Hill and Elliot Smart (from the IGP); and Paul Watts and Martin Hemming (from the Conference).
Should any of the selected players be unable to play, replacements will be selected from a reserve list of the next best placed players in the OGP and Premier League.
24/05/01: They can't get enough......
How gratifying it is to see that players are getting into the habit of arranging their own league matches.
Already this week four results have been reported, as this month's twenty day gap between tournament night and league night was obviously beginning to pall for some local players.
Two Conference matches were completed at the BCSC last night, as Martin Hemming closed to within one victory of leader Paul Watts.
Earlier in the week, Blaine Buchanan scored a long-overdue first victory of the season, while another Premier League match saw John Slattery maintaining his 100% record by defeating Tony Lee.
A good turnout is now anticipated at next Wednesday's league night at the BCSC, with many matches already having been arranged.
16/05/01: First 2001 DPS knock-out won by Ian
The first of this year's DPS Backgammon lunch-time knock-outs to be completed is the Division One Cup.
Ian Tarr today won the final 21-19, having trailed 7-19 at one stage, as his opponent Phil Charlton appeared to be in sight of a record fourth success in this competition.
Despite the defeat Phil's overall record in this event is peerless, as he has now contested six of the eleven finals to date.
It is the second time Ian has won this title -- he beat Ron Henderson in the 1996 final.
11/05/01: A good night's work for Ian
Thursday night's IGP tournament was pretty low-key. A few regulars were known to be otherwise engaged, but the ten who turned up made it a worthwhile occasion.
Yet again we were able to welcome new players to the BCSC -- four this time. Chris Hemming from Gloucestershire and a trio from Hereford -- Fred Buckle, Steve Hayes, and John Plummer -- made their tournament debuts.
Chris and John progressed to a semi-final meeting, from which John emerged victorious.
In the other half of the draw Elliot Smart won through to the semis from the "non-bye" quarter, only to lose out to Ian Preston, who then went on to beat John Plummer in the final.
David Horner beat Roland Herrera in the consolation final.
Ian's excellent recent form shows no sign of abating. Having waited for over a decade to score a main flight triumph, he has now won two of the last three, giving him the lead in the OGP and second place in the IGP!
And, as if to emphasise that this has been his year so far, he then found time to score a Bristol Conference victory over John Lewis.
Having already bagged a place in next year's Bristol Masters, Ian's main reward this time was in securing his Premier Status for next year through his two main flight wins. A good night's work indeed for him.
For the latest IGP positions, click here.
10/05/01: Intermediates take centre stage
Tonight sees the second of this year's four IGP tournaments at the BCSC, at 7.30pm.
Entry is £5, and the format guarantees players at least two matches for their money. With prize money, IGP points, and a place in next year's Bristol Masters available to be won, it will be interesting to see how many players turn out.
A full report should appear here some time tomorrow.
08/05/01: Conference rule clarification
After the amalgamation of the two divisions of the Bristol Conference into one league, which took place a fortnight ago, a small loophole in the rules became apparent, which needed to be remedied.
Given the considerable likelihood that two or more players finishing level on wins may not have met another over the course of the season, the second level of tie break has needed to be eradicated. This level gave preference to the player or players who came out best in the meetings between those players during the season.
"Average points difference", i.e. the number of points scored less the number of opponents' points scored divided by the number of matches played, now becomes the second level of tie break (after number of matches won).
This actually makes very little difference to the published league table, which can now be seen in its new format by clicking here.
07/05/01: An average weekend in Coventry
Of seven players from our area who were present in Coventry for the weekend BIBA tournament, only Kevin White managed to win four matches out of six.
Ian Tarr, Blaine Buchanan and John Lewis broke even, while recent British Open runner-up Stuart Mann (who won his first two matches but no others) and Sarah Rosich fared slightly worse. Don Hatt won either two or three matches (not sure at the time of writing).
So the Bristol quest for a major national breakthrough continues......
03/05/01: Anyone for Coventry?
This weekend's BIBA County Cups Trophy at the Coventry Hilton will, as usual, be attended by a small clutch of our own players.
Among those likely to be present at this Swiss format tournament (where each player is guaranteed six 11-point matches) are Ian Tarr, Stuart Mann, Kevin White, Blaine Buchanan, Sarah Rosich, and John Lewis.
And it's not too late to join the party. For information on how to book, visit the BIBA website, and click on "BIBA Stats", and then on "Tournament information". Registration for the main tournament closes at 12.30 on Saturday.
26/04/01: Nineteen at league night
Wednesday's league night action featured eight Premier league players and eleven from the newly merged Conference.
The highlight of the Premier League programme was Stuart Mann's 11-7 defeat of Ian Tarr. This not only had the effect of extending Stuart's lead to six points, but also stalled the challenge of Ian, who was moving into contention with four straight victories.
Other well placed players failed to improve their situations, Jerry Limb being defeated by Phil Charlton, while Kevin White was breaking even in his two matches, one of which saw Tim Jefferies climb into the top ten. For the latest Premier League positions, click here.
In the Conference, for a change, it was easy to find a match! This week's amalgamation at least had that desired effect.
Six matches were concluded, and three more were adjourned in sundry stages of completeness.
Paul Watts continues to set a fine example at the top of the Conference, and maintained a six point lead with a victory and a defeat, while Martin Hemming, with similar results, moved into second place.
Three players -- Simonetta Barone, Michael Booker, and Mike Taylor -- registered their first results. And Simonetta, Jeremy Axford and Neil Young all scored their first wins of the season.
For the latest Conference positions, click here.
26/04/01: Second Division players settle for a fait accompli
With just one lunch-time session to go, the players of the DPS Backgammon League Second Division at Patchway appear resigned to their respective fates.
Barring any quick-fire action tomorrow (Friday), it appears that Pete Campbell will be champion, accompanied into the First Division by Adam Clutterbuck, Durjoy Ghosh and Robert Warren.
Just 48 of 90 possible matches have been completed. Click here for the DPS Backgammon Division Two league table.
24/04/01: Merger decision taken
The possible merger of the two divisions of the Bristol Conference (see yesterday's story) has taken place today. For the amalgamated league table, click here.
The decision was taken by Bristol Backgammon Director Ian Tarr as it had become evident that difficulties for players in finding fresh opponents were becoming more and more acute, a situation not expected to occur as early in the year as April!
Players unsure of finding opponents for tomorrow's session should no longer have such reservations.
A report of tomorrow's league action will appear here after the event.
23/04/01: Conference merger likely on Wednesday
The turnout of Bristol Conference players at Wednesday's league session will be the deciding factor in how that competition progresses for the remainder of the year.
The two divisions of thirteen players apiece have been split almost down the middle so far this season -- between those that are competing, and those that (for whatever reason) haven't started their league campaigns.
And in both the Red Division and the Blue Division it is becoming more difficult each month for participants to find opponents they haven't already played.
If "the disappeared" do not rematerialise in sufficient numbers at Wednesday's session, then Bristol Backgammon director Ian Tarr will be left with no other realistic alternative but to amalgamate the two divisions on the spot.
In an ideal world, all entrants would fulfil all possible fixtures in the allotted time span. But this is not an ideal world, and in this context was never likely to be.
Given that league backgammon is a totally new experience for many involved, the rules were made open ended, to such an extent that players can please themselves how many matches they play.
The fact that as many as nine of the 26 declared starters have neither started playing nor paid their entry fees is, however, a source of some disappointment.
19/04/01: Bristol Backgammon conquers another outpost
The Swan and Bottle in Uxbridge was the unlikely venue tonight for the latest episode in the burgeoning history of Bristol Backgammon.
The event -- the outstanding final of the 39th Lesters Trophy -- was over quite quickly (estimated at half an hour!), as Sarah Rosich stormed to a stunning whitewash of Phil Caudwell to claim a fistful of worthwhile rewards.
The tournament first prize of £355 was not the least of these. The extra 40 OGP points gained for the final victory move Sarah into second place in that competition, just ahead of Tony Lee on countback. A place in the 2002 Bristol Masters is a third reward. And last, but not least, comes the confirmation that Sarah, with her second career main flight victory, ensured that Premier Status -- something she was disappointed not to have achieved this year -- will be hers next year and, of course, for life.
For Phil there is the consolation of the tournament second prize, and the auction second prize as he bought himself. Kevin White's £7 investment in the purchase of Sarah has borne plentiful fruit!
13/04/01: Sarah and Phil make up for lost time
Thursday night's 39th Lesters Trophy was notable for the impact made by those players making their first OGP appearances of the season. Indeed, the 25 entrants included no fewer than ten who fell into that category. And three of those -- Nick Elliott, Tom Fairman and Leon Oakes -- were making their first ever tournament appearances.
Among those attempting to make up for lost time were Sarah Rosich and Phil Caudwell, whose efforts saw them through to a final to be played at a date, time and venue yet to be decided.
Sarah had to fight her way through the more heavily populated part of the draw, eliminating John Ryan, Phillip Hill, Nick Elliott (who had marked his debut by disposing impressively of Charlie Hetherington and Ian Tarr), and Dave Pym.
Phil's progression came at the expense of Kevin White, Martin Hemming and Ian Preston.
Among the others returning to competition were Elias Hamati, a popular local veteran player, who had last been seen exiting the same tournament four years previously after a quarter-final defeat at the hands of Dave Pym. By a strange twist of fate he met an identical end this time, having shown few signs of rust when eliminating David Horner and Roland Herrera.
13/04/01: Consistent Ian opens up a lead
Ian Preston threatened to open up a yawning chasm of a gap at the top of the OGP points list on Thursday night.
Having moved into second place courtesy of last month's tournament victory, and with leader Tony Lee absent, Ian moved into the semis after a bye, and wins over Paul Watts and that other man of the moment, Stuart Mann. A hard fought semi-final, though, ended in narrow defeat by Phil Caudwell, and Ian's lead was restricted to a healthy 35 points.
Tony would be ousted for second place on countback should Sarah Rosich win the outstanding final. Even without the benefit of a final win, Sarah would still be handily tucked into sixth place overall. A win for Phil, However, would move him from 9th to 3rd.
For full OGP positions, click here.
13/04/01: Jerry suffers as Charlie gets off the mark
In the little league action that took place at the BCSC on Thursday night, Jerry Limb suffered a blow to his Premier League title aspirations, when he was beaten 11-1 by Charlie Hetherington, who thus collected his first victory after three straight defeats.
And Kevin White improved his challenge with an 11-3 win over Drew Caudwell. For the latest Premier League positions, click here.
And in the only Conference match to take place, Paul Watts extended his lead at the top of Blue Division with an 11-5 defeat of Neil Young. For Conference latest positions, click here.
10/04/01: See in the Easter holiday with a tournament!
With most people relishing the long Easter weekend at the very least, what better way to start the holiday ball (or dice) rolling, than to enter this Thursday's 39th Lesters Trophy event at the BCSC?
Staging the tournament so close to Easter may mean an unpredictable start list, especially with one or two of the stronger players off to Denmark for the Nordic Open, but that should only serve to whet the appetite of many.
As there are a few players set to make their Lesters debuts, there is sure to be some interesting action. Entry is £20, and proceedings commence with the auction of participants as soon as possible after 7.30pm.
If successful, players should be prepared to play on after midnight.
09/04/01: Stuart is our latest "nearly man"
The weekend's BIBA British Open was attended by several local players and, for the third time in six years one of us reached the final itself, only to lose.
This year it was Stuart Mann, who followed in the footsteps of Simon Baker (1996) and Phil Charlton (1998). It is a source of some pride that we have provided a finalist three times in such a short space of the history of Britain's number one tournament, but equally it is a source of some frustration that the ultimate prize of British Open champion eludes us.
That said, Stuart's achievement is one to celebrate rather than regretting what might have been.
Charlie Hetherington, Ian Tarr, Jerry Limb, Kevin White, Martin Hemming, Phillip Hill and Salisbury's Richard Cascone all failed to make a lasting impression on the main event, which was contested by 113 players.
That left Stuart and Sarah Rosich as our only representatives in the last sixteen on Sunday morning.
This was Sarah's competitive comeback after a quiet spell, and she made the most of it by numbering Mardi Ohanessian, one of the nation's leading players, among her Saturday victims. While Sarah was to lose out to Chris Rogers in her first match on Sunday, Stuart (who had eliminated another top player in Brian Lever the previous day) was dismissing the challenge of the reigning British Open Champion, Yorkshire's Rachel Rhodes.
In the last eight, Stuart was able to avenge Sarah's defeat, then beating another eminent player in Dave McNair to book his place in the final.
The final, which is these days recorded on film for posterity, saw Stuart pitted against Bolton's Steve Hallett, a player who, on paper, should have made it a close contest. Close it was, as the score moved to 4-4. Then Stuart took a brave but fruitless redouble, and turned down what might have been a more inviting double. Looking for a break in the next game, Stuart raised the stakes, but never really had a look in and Steve had won 11-4.
Apart from the obvious kudos of a fine personal performance by our current Premier League leader and OGP champion, there were other reasons to celebrate, with Stuart winning the £10 pool and getting the second prize in the Sunday auction, which he shared with Charlie.
Meanwhile, other friends were making their presence felt. While little went right for Rosey Bensley, John Slattery was runner-up in the consolation flight, while Sarah's mate Rebecca Bell did the same in the 5-point last chance flight.
To read about Bristol's many near misses in BIBA tournaments, click here.
01/04/01: Pete takes pole position with four weeks to go
With just four weeks to go in the DPS Backgammon League Second Division campaign, Pete Campbell has moved into the lead.
As few players seem to be committed to striving for promotion to the top flight, the chances are that the top three -- Pete, Adam Clutterbuck, and Durjoy Ghosh -- will be heading for Division One, with any one of four or five others vying for the final promotion slot.
For latest DPS Backgammon standings, click here.
29/03/01: Twenty-three in league action ......
In the largest ever gathering of league participants in Bristol, no fewer than twenty-three players were in action at the BCSC last night.
There remains a worry, however, that the Bristol Conference is proving a little slow to get off the ground, as evidenced by the fact that, even now, only fourteen of the twenty-six entrants have registered results. And one further player began her campaign last night with a match which had to be adjourned.
Of the remaining eleven, two have at least paid their £10 annual entry fee, thus at least declaring their intent!
29/03/01: ...... Stuart and Jerry consolidate at the top ......
In a busy evening's Premier League action, league leader Stuart Mann and his nearest challenger Jerry Limb each recorded a victory to consolidate their positions.
Ian Tarr moved into third place with a brace of wins, leap-frogging the absent John Slattery, who has nevertheless yet to suffer a defeat.
Eleven Premier League players were in action, with nine matches being completed. Making his first appearance of the season was Drew Caudwell, who opened with a win over Dave Pym before losing to Stuart Mann.
Last year's runner-up Charlie Hetherington suffered damaging defeats at the hands of John Napier and Tim Jefferies, and has yet to gain his first victory of the campaign.
For latest league positions, click here.
29/03/01: ...... and Paul stakes his claim
Paul Watts yesterday took three purposeful strides towards achieving his aim of Premier League backgammon.
After successfully concluding an unfinished match against Michael Smith, Paul added wins over Phillip Hill and Steve Miles to open up a healthy lead at the top of the Blue Division of the Conference.
In the Red Division Elliot Smart joined John Lewis and Martin Hemming on 9 points by recording two victories.
For latest positions in the Conference, click here.
20/03/01: Ian strikes a rich vein
Ian Preston's defeat of Blaine Buchanan in last night's March OGP main final was only the latest in a string of fine performances.
Ian, a regular First Division player in the DPS Backgammon League -- the lunch-time competition for EDS employees in Patchway, last lost a league match on January 16th.
At that time he was still in some danger of suffering relegation, but a rich vein of form has now transformed his fortunes to such an extent that he is one victory away from finishing as runner-up, having beaten Alan Parfitt today. This was his ninth successive win in DPS competition.
Meanwhile, Ian heads the Bristol Conference Blue Division after winning his opening two matches, as well as securing his first evening knock-out title last night.
The only blemishes in this purple patch have been defeats at the hands of John Ryan (in the January OGP tournament) and Ed Turner (in the Bristol Masters).
19/03/01: Ian wins first evening event
The final of the March OGP tournament took place tonight at the BCSC, and Ian Preston fought back from an early 0-4 deficit to beat Blaine Buchanan 7-5.
This was Ian's first evening tournament victory, having previously made four Lesters Trophy semi-finals -- the first as long ago as 1988 -- and two Lesters finals, the most recent being his Christmas 1997 defeat at the hands of Stuart Mann.
The victory -- worth 35 OGP points -- moves Ian into second place overall in the OGP, handily tucked in behind leader Tony Lee. Blaine is in third place. For current OGP positions, click here.
Apart from the albeit modest financial benefit of winning the event, Ian has also made sure of a place in the 2002 Bristol Masters.
18/03/01: Conference slow off the mark
With twelve matches for each participant to complete by the end of the year, it is perhaps surprising that exactly half of the membership of the Bristol Conference have yet to complete a match thus far.
Of the thirteen players who have been in action, however, eleven have completed more than one match, and a total of fourteen results have been returned so far. The slow start is perhaps inevitable, given that league backgammon is a new experience for many of the 26 players, but it is true to say that organiser Ian Tarr will be a relieved man when he can see things picking up.
Although the next league night, on Wednesday March 28th, is the next obvious opportunity for progress, there is, of course, nothing to stop players making separate arrangements to play matches, given that the vast majority have email contact with one another.
09/03/01: Blaine celebrates with final place
Blaine Buchanan last night celebrated the arrival of his son Daniel (born early last Friday morning) by reaching the final of the year's second OGP tournament.
There he will meet Ian Preston, conqueror of Martin Hemming, Tony Lee, and Jerry Limb.
Blaine's victims were Adam King, Mike Woodland, Charlie Hetherington and OGP champion Stuart Mann.
The final will inevitably be delayed as Ian is working away from Bristol next week.
The consolation flight was completed just after midnight, with Kevin White defeating Justin Bryer in the final.
Twenty-two players contested last night's main flight, with one late arrival slotting straight into the consolation flight. Making their competitive debuts were Mike Woodland and Tommy Bartlett, more of whom can be seen in the story immediately below this one.
For the latest OGP points table, click here.
09/03/01: Pied Piper has only just begun
Jerry Limb has recently been dubbed the Pied Piper of Henbury, after his recent efforts to promote the game in his home locality.
Word has it that evening visitors to Jerry's home might see as many as two dozen fledgling backgammon players in action!
Jerry enthuses over the quality of his protegees, and the best and bravest are already spilling over into the local tournament scene.
Last night's event featured highly promising debut performances by Mike Woodland and Tommy Bartlett, while Justin Bryer was runner-up in the consolation flight. Jerry's son Max has also recently been seen in tournament action.
Reports indicate, however, that these players are merely the tip of a very large iceberg!
07/03/01: OGP resumes tomorrow
The Bristol Open Grand Prix (OGP for short) is back tomorrow (Thursday) evening at the BCSC, when the second of this year's eight OGP tournaments takes place.
The first -- in January -- featured a record turnout for a Bristol Backgammon tournament when thirty-two players competed. The winner of that one, Tony Lee, will be looking for another good points score to consolidate his challenge for the OGP title, having finished third last year.
But January runner-up John Slattery -- who won BIBA's grand prix competition last year -- will be coming from afar once again as he looks to add the Bristol equivalent to his list of accomplishments.
And last year's OGP champion Stuart Mann will not be giving up his title without a fight. Entrants are recommended to be there before 7.30pm to avoid missing out. A full report will appear here on Friday.
01/03/01: All clear in DPS Backgammon League
The log-jam of ineligible results in the DPS Backgammon League First Division -- the lunch-time competition for EDS employees -- has at last been cleared.
They all achieved eligibility today when Pete Cockram succumbed 9-12 to John Carter, thus completing the first section of the season for the two strugglers against relegation.
The league table now shows all results to date, and the picture is a lot clearer.
Charlie Hetherington had long since made sure of his third DPS Backgammon League championship, bringing him within one of the record jointly held by Phil Charlton and Ian Tarr.
But it now appears that Adrian Miles, for so long Charlie's nearest challenger, will miss out on the runner-up spot, having ended his season with a disappointing defeat at the hands of the already relegated Ray Lowman.
Ian Tarr, with one to play, is currently second, but he could yet be overhauled by several pursuers.
Meanwhile, Ray Lowman has been joined in certain relegation by Pete Cockram. John Carter, enjoying a resurgence in form, is threatening to overhaul Rachael Moody in the fight to reach safety. The situation is still left a little unclear, though, by the continued absence of Colin Smith. Should Colin fail to return in time to complete the season, this would reduce the number of relegation slots by one.
01/03/01: John's triple success sets Red Division pace
John Lewis completed three Bristol Conference Red Division matches last night, and won them all to surge into the lead in that competition.
For latest positions, click here.
01/03/01: Stuart extends lead
Stuart Mann defeated Kevin White last night, while his closest rival Jerry Limb was succumbing to Dave Pym.
Stuart thus opens up a three point gap at the top of the Bristol Premier League.
01/03/01: Karl takes consolation title
The held over final of the February 8th IGP consolation flight was completed last night, when Karl Thomas overcame fellow debutant Neil Young at the BCSC.
23/02/01: Ian reaches Handicap Cup final
Last year's DPS Backgammon Handicap Cup, still not completed just a couple of weeks away from the scheduled start of this year's equivalent competition, has at least reached the final stage.
Ian Preston today eliminated Charlie Hetherington with a 15-12 win which earns him a 21-point final clash with Colin Smith. Since Colin is long term sick, this match may not be played for some time.
19/02/01: Charlie is the first Master
The inaugural Bristol Masters knock-out was won tonight at The Leap in Downend by Charlie Hetherington, but not before a titanic struggle against Jerry Limb was played out to a small but appreciative crowd.
Charlie had first to fight his way past Paul Watts in the semis -- a match which ended on an eight-cube. Charlie made the early running in the final, then Jerry clawed his way back and moved into a narrow lead. The score then moved to 5-all, at which point Charlie cubed after establishing an advantage.
Jerry managed a hit in the bear-off, however, and the game (and the match) hung tantalisingly in the balance, before Charlie escaped his back man with a racing advantage which he never lost.
19/02/01: Volatility suits some more than others
After many complaints that BIBA's ranking system had moved from being too volatile to being far too static, the new regime has taken a turn back towards greater volatility.
While those who were very lowly ranked have had their scores moved up to the 1400 mark, the first events of 2001 have had a marked effect on the ranking scores of those who have taken part.
Principal local beneficiary, after winning five times at the Jarvis Trophy weekend, was Ian Tarr, whose score has rocketed up from 1624 to 1682, not far behind Charlie Hetherington's 1693. Stuart Mann (1570 to 1598), John Slattery (1569 to 1597), Kevin White (1445 to 1476), John Napier (1416 to 1452), and Rosey Bensley (1421 to 1431), all saw their scores rise, but on the other side of the coin, Phil Caudwell's nightmare weekend was epitomised by his slump from 1627 to 1559.
18/02/01: Last call for the Conference
The addition of Neil Young to the Blue Division of the Bristol Conference on Thursday definitely closes the entry list for that division. There are now thirteen contestants which gives everyone a schedule of twelve eleven-point matches to be played during the year. This should be enough.
So that leaves just one place to be filled in Red Division, before the line is finally drawn. This will be on a first come first served basis. Contact Ian Tarr if you want to join
16/02/01: Triple whitewash puts Jerry in the final
Jerry Limb confirmed his arrival as a top contender on the local scene with a devastating performance in last night's Bristol Masters.
He claimed his place in Monday night's final at The Leap in Downend by whitewashing Phil Charlton, Ian Tarr and Blaine Buchanan, and will meet the winner of the outstanding semi-final between Charlie hetherington and Paul Watts. Paul took fully four hours to complete two 7-point matches!
16/02/01: Phillip wins first title
Phillip Hill pipped Liz Chappell in the final of the main flight of the IGP at the BCSC last night.
The win not only gives Phillip a handy 50 point lead in the IGP, but also nets him a place in next year's Bristol Masters.
16/02/01: League action
Two Premier League matches, plus one from each division of the Conference, were played to a conclusion last night.
Jerry Limb moved into second place in the Premier League, by completing an 11-7 defeat of Kevin White, while wins for Ian Preston and Martin Hemming put them top of their Conference divisions at this very early stage.
15/02/01: Gala night at the BCSC
Tonight's tournament at the BCSC allows the participants the chance to celebrate their successes in 2000.
The inaugural Bristol Masters features all the main flight winners from last year (apart from those who are away from Bristol), plus four of the top players from the Bristol Premier League. The sixteen player event should therefore provide a feast of high quality backgammon for those who come along to watch.
And there may even be a chance to take part if any of the expected sixteen should fail to materialise.
Also likely to take place are the finals of last weeks IGP tournament, so there's plenty at stake. A full report should appear here some time tomorrow.
11/02/01: John and Ian excel in solid Bristol showing
Seven of our finest were among seventy entrants at BIBA's Jarvis Trophy event at the Coventry Hilton this weekend.
And while the inevitable happened -- none of our players won the event, as is the custom -- most of those who attended came away with solid achievements under their respective belts.
While Phil Caudwell, now London based and possibly a little short of match practice, only managed a solitary victory on Saturday, and Don Hatt made a welcome comeback with three wins, the other five local players all emerged with fine statistics.
Rising star John Napier, contesting only his third BIBA Swiss format event, not only kept intact his record of always winning at least half his matches, he was the only one of our party to feature in the Sunday morning auction having made a clean sweep of his Saturday encounters. And after running eventual finalist John Clark extremely close (10-11), he added a further win to equal his personal best BIBA tally of four victories.
But the best overall figures were recorded by Ian Tarr, who bounced back from the disappointment of losing to David Gallagher in round two, to register four straight wins and a total of five, a feat he has now managed on four separate occasions.
And Tony Lee, Stuart Mann and Kevin White will all have improved their BIBA ranking scores by winning four times apiece.
11/02/01: Stuart back on top
Tony Lee, hitherto setting the pace in this year's Bristol Premier League, took advantage of some lulls in the main event at BIBA's Jarvis Trophy event this weekend, hoping to press home his advantage.
But although he managed to fit in his fourth and fifth matches, he was to be disappointed in his bid to set a rip-roaring pace at the top of the league.
A rapid 8-11 defeat by Ian Tarr, after Tony had led 8-0, was followed by possibly a more crucial setback when he lost 6-11 to Stuart Mann, thus allowing Stuart back into pole position in the league table. For latest positions, click here.
09/02/01: Several off to Coventry
Several local players will be making the pilgrimage to Coventry this weekend for BIBA's Jarvis Trophy Swiss format tournament. We wish them every success, and hope to have good things to report on Sunday evening.
09/02/01: Sixteen ready for the Masters
The line-up for the inaugural Bristol Masters on Thursday February 15th is now as follows:
Simon Baker, Jerry Limb, John Napier, Kevin White, Ed Turner, Tim Jefferies, Blaine Buchanan, Sarah Rosich, Mike Rodwell, Charlie Hetherington, Ian Tarr, Phil Charlton, Stuart Mann, Tony Lee, Paul Watts and Elliot Smart.
Should anyone be forced to pull out, the following players are next in line to take up any vacancies:
Roland Herrera, John Ryan, John Lewis, Keith Wiltshire, Ian Preston and Phil Pulsford.
09/02/01: Tony goes top
Tony Lee's victory over Blaine Buchanan yesterday evening moved him to the top of the Bristol Premier League.
09/02/01: Debutants shine as many spurn opportunity
Intermediates stayed away from last night's tournament in their droves, missing a great chance to register the IGP points that could take them to within touching distance of the Premier League! While the turnout of just thirteen players was a source of some disappointment, on the positive side there were four more players making their tournament bows -- Martin Hemming, Phillip Hill, Karl Thomas and Neil Young.
And with both finals being held over for another day, three of those newcomers are still involved! Phillip meets in-form Liz Chappell, currently setting the DPS Backgammon League Division Two alight, in the main final, while Karl Thomas and Neil Young will contest the consolation final.
09/02/01: Conference numbers up again!
Three more players signed up for the Bristol Conference last night to take the numbers to twenty-four -- twelve in each division.
Martin Hemming, Phillip Hill, and Karl Thomas are all on board -- and all swelling the previously untapped Gloucestershire presence.
08/02/01: Intermediates turn under the spotlight
Tonight sees the start of this year's Bristol Intermediate Grand Prix series with the first of four tournaments taking place at the BCSC, starting at 7.30pm.
As the series guarantees at least two players qualification for next year's Bristol Premier League, the turnout is expected to exceed 20.
There will inevitably be league action as well, with a handful of Premier league players taking advantage of their ineligibility for the tournament, while some early tournament casualties will have the opportunity to further their Bristol Conference campaigns.
A full report of the action will appear here tomorrow.
07/02/01: Pete obscures Charlie's achievement
A quirk of the rules of the DPS Backgammon League First Division, the lunch-time competition for EDS employees at Rolls Royce's Patchway site, has today obscured the outstanding achievement of Charlie Hetherington.
You wouldn't know it to look at the official league table, but Charlie was today assured of winning the league championship -- his third such success in sixteen seasons of endeavour -- when his nearest challenger Adrian Miles lost spectacularly to Ian Preston.
The rule which currently obscures the true picture, is the one which dictates that each player must complete one match against each other player before any second matches can be included. This is a measure designed to combat excessive discounting of completed matches when players resign in mid-season, as has often happened in the history of the competition.
While most players tend to do their utmost complete the first series of matches as soon as they can, this convention seems to pass one or two by.
One such player is Pete Cockram who, with only 30 of the total of 156 scheduled matches remaining, still has two initial encounters to complete.
The current upshot of this is to render a total of eighteen completed matches ineligible for inclusion until Pete does the decent thing! He's working on it.
06/02/01: Title defence starts with defeat
Bristol Premier League champion Simon Baker has begun his title defence.
Meeting Stuart Mann at Churchill last night, however, he started his campaign with an 11-9 defeat. None of last year's top four finishers has yet won a match this time around.
05/02/01: IGP to welcome new players
The first Bristol Intermediate Grand Prix tournament of 2001 -- at the BCSC on Thursday at 7.30pm -- will feature at least two players making their Bristol tournament debuts.
And with 22 of the entrants from last month's OGP tournament eligible for this one, the hope is for another good turnout. The IGP is just one of the routes into Premier League backgammon in 2002, with the top two finishers being guaranteed Premier Status. With other avenues for elevation being two career main flight wins (several players already have one under their belts), plus the four Bristol Conference promotion slots, and attaining a good BIBA ranking, it is estimated that maybe seven or eight players might book their Premier slots by the end of the year.
There will also be an opportunity for those knocked out early from the IGP event to play Bristol Conference matches, while there are also likely to be one or two Premier League players to add to the atmosphere.
01/02/01: Tony takes OGP lead
The final of the year's first OGP tournament was completed in double-quick time at the BCSC last night, when Tony Lee whitewashed John Slattery, this taking the initial lead in the eight event competition.
For full OGP positions, click here.
01/02/01: Conference split into two
No objections having been received, the new Bristol Conference was split into two randomly drawn divisions before play started at the BCSC last night.
And this after a twenty-first player, Steve Miles, had added his name to the list of participants. The full draw reads:
RED DIVISION: Adam Hayward, Roland Herrera, Michael Booker, Andrew Cobb, Jeremy Axford, Sarne Lightman, Adam King, John Lewis, Alison Delaney, Simonetta Barone, and Elliot Smart.
BLUE DIVISION: Max Limb, Steve Miles, Ian Preston, Sarah Rosich, Mike Taylor, Juan Alvarez Zafra, Michael Smith, Ed Turner, Rosey Bensley, and Paul Watts.
Four matches were completed. Elliot Smart won the only Red Division match to take place, while Steve Miles, Ian Preston and Rosey Bensley scored the first wins in the Blue Division.
01/02/01: Premier League well under way
The Bristol Premier League is now firmly under way, seven more matches having been completed at the BCSC last night.
Eleven of the fifteen entrants have now played at least one match, with John Slattery, Tony Lee, Kevin White, Stuart Mann and Jerry Limb all recording a brace of victories.
For the latest positions, click here.
31/01/01: Conference decision night at the BCSC
The final decision on the format for this year's inaugural Bristol Conference league will be taken at the BCSC tonight, at the first designated league night of the year.
While Premier League players will be able to slot into their accustomed format, those in the Conference will have to wait for the decision to be taken on whether or not to split that league into two randomly drawn divisions.
A full report on all proceedings will appear here, either late tonight or tomorrow.
26/01/01: Tony clinches OGP final slot
Tony Lee last night defeated Charlie Hetherington at the BCSC to move into the final of the January OGP tournament.
The final is expected to be held at the BCSC next Wednesday, when both finalists -- Tony and John Slattery -- are expected to be present.
26/01/01: Premier League already up and running
Eight Premier League players took advantage of the opportunity presented by last night's event at the BCSC to get their 2001 league campaigns under way.
And four tense encounters produced three 11-10 scorelines and an 11-9! Stuart Mann's emphatic(?) dismissal of Blaine Buchanan was enough to give him the early lead. See Premier League current positions.
26/01/01: Around twenty celebrate the story of 2000
The grandiosely titled Bristol Backgammon Review of 2000 was enjoyed by around twenty players, prospective players, and friends at the BCSC last night.
Bristol Backgammon director Ian Tarr delivered a long name dropping exercise in the guise of what happened during the year as a prelude to the presentation of prizes, followed by a brief outline of plans for 2001, and a free buffet.
Present to accept their prizes were OGP winner Stuart Mann, the runner-up Blaine Buchanan, IGP winner Jerry Limb and Premier League runner-up Charlie Hetherington. Pictures may well appear here on the website within the next couple of days, courtesy of photographer for the night, Richard Dunton!
Sadly missing were league champion Simon Baker and IGP runner-up Richard Moody (both working away), and John Chidgey Cup winner Mike Rodwell, already committed to an outdoor tennis league appearance (brave man).
25/01/01: Awards night is tonight
Tonight at the BCSC is the Bristol Backgammon Review of 2000, when last year's prize winners (or some of them) will be there to get their just desserts.
There is also a free buffet, and everyone, whether you've played in any of our events or not, is welcome. It starts at 8pm.
21/01/01: No updates until Wednesday night
Webmaster Ian Tarr would like to apologise for the fact that the site will not be updated again until Wednesday night.
This is because he is working away. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!
21/01/01: Tony and John progress in Maidenhead
Two of the four outstanding matches from Thursday's OGP main flight were completed this evening at Rosey Bensley's home in Maidenhead.
Tony Lee proved to be far from a perfect guest by whitewashing Rosey to clinch a semi-final meeting with Charlie Hetherington, while John Slattery -- winner of BIBA's 2000 Grand Prix -- made it to his first Bristol final by eliminating Barry Willis.
The Tony versus Charlie match is likely to be played some time during the next week, with the final probably taking place on league night, Wednesday 31st at the BCSC.
21/01/01: Slow play statistics accumulating
Since local tournament director Ian Tarr started timing the duration of matches last June, the data has been accumulating nicely.
It would be wrong to draw too many conclusions just yet, however, as only a dozen players have been "clocked" on ten or more occasions.
Patterns are emerging, however. The average duration of a 7-point match (of 106 measured) is 64.61 minutes, while the 53 5-point matches average out at 52.04 minutes. Using a factor to bring the 5-pointers into line with the 7-pointers, a table can be produced which shows, not surprisingly, that some players regularly take longer than others to finish a match.
This, of course, can be as a result of many different factors. It would be unrealistic, for example, to expect a newcomer to tournament action to play as swiftly as someone who has been playing for decades, although many of them do.
Other factors that can affect the length of a match are: use of the doubling cube (or lack of) -- but this is only a matter of opinion; toilet breaks -- it shouldn't really be necessary to pay five visits during a 7-point match as reportedly occurred during Thursday's event; wandering off or engaging in conversation with third parties at regular intervals -- this is not only counter-productive in terms of progress, but grossly discourteous to your opponents.
Some of these factors can, and should, be tackled. Others are not so easy to overcome. But within a few months, Ian will have enough data to back him up in whatever action he decides to take in the never-ending battle.
19/01/01: Delays mar historic OGP tournament
"Get there on time, or risk being excluded from the tournament through sheer weight of numbers" has been one theme of pre-tournament publicity in recent months.
The sceptics doubted whether this would ever happen, but last night those who arrived late came perilously close to missing out as a full complement of thirty-two players -- the maximum permitted under the rules -- toed the line for the opening OGP event in 2001.
One of the brightest aspects of this turnout -- further evidence that the game is, slowly but surely, taking off -- was the emergence of no fewer than five players new to tournament play. A warm welcome indeed to Justin Bryer, Alison Delaney, David Horner, Sarne Lightman and Barry Willis!
If that was the good news, the other side of the coin was the dreaded spectre of slow play. Since matches have been timed, and the statistics are now in place for upwards of half a dozen tournaments, only three 7-point matches have drifted over the two hour mark. Two of them were last night, one of them taking an horrendous 148 minutes to reach a conclusion.
When there are approximately five hours to get in five rounds, and the recorded average 7-point match length is just over the hour, it is unsurprising when one or two matches have to be held over. This time there were four, although one of these, it was agreed, could be held over until the weekend, since the prospect of a further match on the night for the winner was slim.
But two quarters of the draw took four and a half hours to produce their semi-finalists -- Barry Willis and John Slattery having to wait 111 and 106 minutes respectively for their quarter-final opponents to emerge. The resultant semi, which features Barry and John, will take place in that unlikeliest of venues for a Bristol tournament, Maidenhead, on Sunday. This is relatively convenient for Barry, who is based in Newbury. The match, chez Rosey Bensley, will be accompanied by Rosey's deferred quarter-final with Tony Lee.
If Charlie Hetherington, the other remaining contender, could have made it to Maidenhead, we could have had the whole event completed there! Further arrangements will be necessary.
Meanwhile, the sixteen player consolation flight was concluded, the final between Grant Shortland and Roland Herrera, being commendably squeezed into the last half an hour of play. Roland became the winner of his first ever flight.
For full details of the event, click on current OGP positions.
19/01/01: Three more signed up for the Conference!
The Bristol Conference, this year's new league venture, is in danger of becoming over-populated!
Director Ian Tarr announced before last night's tournament that he would still accept entries up to the end of the month. And three further names emerged as participants.
Rosey Bensley had been overlooked as a result of an administrative oversight, but newcomers Alison Delaney and Sarne Lightman bring the total to twenty!
How it will all work will begin to emerge on the first league night, Wednesday the 31st.
18/01/01: Thirty day gap ends tonight
It is now thirty days since the last Bristol Backgammon dice were rolled in anger. So tonight's lift-off to the new backgammon year cannot come too soon for some.
The first of this year's eight Open Grand Prix tournaments should blow away the cobwebs for those who have been short of action. A full report will appear here tomorrow.
15/01/01: League tie-break rules set for change
The rules determining the finishing order in the Premier League are being changed -- subject to objections being received -- for this year only.
Last year the second and third criteria (after number of matches won) were points difference, followed by the outcome of meetings between tied players.
This year, with players only meeting each other once, these two criteria are being given the reverse order of importance, so that where two players finish on the same number of victories, the winner of their encounter will finish higher.
Of course, in the event of a triple (or greater) tie, results of meetings may not prove conclusive, in which case points difference would be called upon to decide.
As similar conditions (i.e. meeting an opponent once) will also apply in the new Bristol Conference, this rule will also be incorporated there.
Unless strenuous objections are received, these changes will be incorporated into the rules by the end of this week.
11/01/01: Remember -- the tournament is NEXT Thursday!
Having established a pattern of "tournaments on the second Thursday of the month", it should be pointed out (again) that this month is an exception.
Because of a prior booking at the BCSC, the January tournament is NEXT Thursday, the 18th. Although this has been well publicised, who would bet against somebody turning up there tonight?
09/01/01: Conference membership rises to seventeen
Mike Taylor's late entry to the Bristol Conference makes the total number of participants seventeen.
08/01/01: Doubles success at Brighton
Tony Lee and Jerry Limb, visiting Brighton at the weekend for BIBA's first tournament of the new year, may not have set the main event alight, but that will not displease them too much when they reflect on their efforts.
They won the Saturday night doubles tournament -- we shall ignore their team name for the purposes of this item -- and Tony also made a handsome profit on the auction.
05/01/01: And still they keep coming
Adam King is the latest name to be added to the list of Conference participants, making the latest total 16!
04/01/01: Juan more for the Conference
Juan Alvarez Zafra is the latest entrant for the Bristol Conference.
Juan had indicated his willingness to participate before Christmas, subject to the schedule not being too demanding. His confirmation means that both the leagues have fifteen players lined up to start.
Late entrants will still be considered, however, as the bulk of the action won't begin until the first designated league night, which is Wednesday January 31st.
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