1000 to 1


On October 13th, 2001, John Slattery very kindly offered to sponsor a Bristol equivalent to BIBA's "1000 to 1" award scheme.
1000-1 represents the approximate odds against winning ten matches in a row, hence the name.
John agreed to provide an engraved memento for any player achieving this feat in Bristol Backgammon competition.
And what is more, the further a run goes, the larger will be the resultant trophy!

These awards are to be presented annually, at the Awards Night each January.
Competitions covered are the Premier League, the Conference, any Lesters Trophy event, and both flights of Bristol Grand Prix tournaments.
As from 2003, the Bristol Masters also qualified. The Handicap tournaments introduced in 2004 do not count.
Stuart Mann, dominated the first three years of the award's existence by winning it twice, while nobody else could manage the feat even once.
Then, at the tail end of 2004, Ed Turner broke the mould by ending Stuart's monopoly. Just a couple of months later Martin Hemming followed suit, and during a 20-day period in September and October 2005 Tony Walters joined this elite band of players by winning ten successive Conference matches.
The sixth award came in January 2006, when Roland Herrera followed up back to back grand prix tournament wins with a Premier Two victory which was his tenth in the sequence.
At the start of 2007 Phil Charlton became the seventh recipient, when he followed up his end of season Premier Two run of nine successive victories with a tenth in his opening Premier One encounter.
Then, in February and March 2007, Peter Edwards reached double figures with four Conference wins, three in winning the February grand prix consolation flight, and three more in reaching the semi-finals of Lesters 62.
The most recent occurrence is Roland Herrera's second successful sequence, which ended on a record thirteen successive wins, equivalent to 8000 to 1.


ROLAND HERRERA 8000 to 1:
the victims

beat STEFFEN NOWAKBristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 10/01/08
beat CECILIA SPARKEBristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 10/01/08
beat PHILLIP HILLBristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/01/08
beat COLIN SARABristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, Colin Sara's, 12/01/08
beat STEVE FERRERBristol Grand Prix main flight, final, BCSC, 16/01/08
beat PHILLIP HILLLesters 66, second round, BCSC, 13/03/08
beat MARCUS WRINCHLesters 66, quarter-final, BCSC, 13/03/08
beat TIM LINELesters 66, semi-final, BCSC, 13/03/08
beat BLAINE BUCHANANLesters 66, final, Colston Yard, 18/03/08
beat ANNE JEPPESENBristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 10/04/08
beat ANN POCKNELLBristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 10/04/08
beat TONY WALTERSBristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/04/08
beat STUART MANNBristol Masters, first round, BCSC, 01/05/08

PETER EDWARDS 1000 to 1:
the victims

beat COLIN SARABristol Grand Prix consolation, quarter-final, BCSC, 08/02/07
beat CECILIA SPARKEBristol Grand Prix consolation, semi-final, BCSC, 08/02/07
beat COLIN SARABristol Conference, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat COLIN SARA againBristol Conference, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat MILES FARRENBristol Grand Prix consolation, final, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat JUDE PITTBristol Conference, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat NINA EVANGELOUBristol Conference, BCSC, 08/03/07
beat MARTIN HEMMINGLesters 62, first round, BCSC, 08/03/07
beat IAN PRESTONLesters 62, second round, BCSC, 08/03/07
beat SIMON BAKERLesters 62, quarter-final, BCSC, 08/03/07

PHIL CHARLTON 1000 to 1:
the victims

beat ROLAND HERRERABristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 27/07/06
beat ALAN PARFITTBristol Premier League Div.2, Chequers, Kingswood, 31/07/06
beat RICHARD OWSLEYBristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 31/08/06
beat SIMON BAKERBristol Premier League Div.2, Foresters, Downend, 20/09/06
beat JOHN PATONBristol Premier League Div.2, Hillgrove Porter Stores, 27/09/06
beat STEFFEN NOWAKBristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 28/09/06
beat TONY WALTERSBristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 03/10/06
beat BLAINE BUCHANANBristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 19/10/06
beat MARTIN HEMMINGBristol Premier League Div.2, Bear of Rodborough, 25/11/06
beat STUART MANNBristol Premier League Div.1, Cornubia, 07/02/07

ROLAND HERRERA 2000 to 1:
the victims

beat ED TURNERLesters 57, second round, BCSC, 08/12/05
beat PAUL WATTSLesters 57, quarter-final, BCSC, 08/12/05
beat SIMONETTA HERRERALesters 57, semi-final, BCSC, 08/12/05
beat MARK DIXONLesters 57, final, Roland and Simonetta's, 08/12/05
beat MARTIN HEMMINGBristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat STUART MANNBristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat SIMON BAKERBristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat JASON CHAMPIONBristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat IAN TARRBristol Grand Prix main flight, final, Roland and Simonetta's, 17/01/06
beat TIM LINEBristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 26/01/06
beat IAN PRESTONBristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 09/02/06

TONY WALTERS 1000 to 1:
the victims

beat MILES FARRENBristol Conference, BCSC, 14/09/05
beat MILES FARRENBristol Conference, BCSC, 14/09/05
beat TIM LINEBristol Conference, BCSC, 14/09/05
beat TIM OLDFIELDBristol Conference, Gentlemen's Club, 20/09/05
beat TIM OLDFIELDBristol Conference, BCSC, 22/09/05
beat SUSY LIEDTKEBristol Conference, BCSC, 28/09/05
beat SUSY LIEDTKEBristol Conference, BCSC, 28/09/05
beat JON KENTBristol Conference, BCSC, 28/09/05
beat ROBERT HAMPSONBristol Conference, BCSC, 03/10/05
beat ROBERT HAMPSONBristol Conference, BCSC, 03/10/05

MARTIN HEMMING 2000 to 1:
the victims

beat THOMAS LIEDTKEBristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 13/01/05
beat CYNTHIA ROBERTSBristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 13/01/05
beat ROLAND HERRERABristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, BCSC, 13/01/05
beat STEFFEN NOWAKBristol Grand Prix main flight, final, BCSC, 26/01/05
beat STUART MANNBristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 26/01/05
beat ALAN PARFITTBristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat ELLIOT SMARTBristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat TIM OLDFIELDBristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat CHARLIE HETHERINGTONBristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat KEVIN JONESBristol Grand Prix main flight, final, Roland and Simonetta's, 10/02/05
beat SIMONETTA BARONEBristol Premier League Div.1, Roland and Simonetta's, 13/02/05

ED TURNER 1000 to 1:
the victims

beat STUART MANNBristol Grand Prix consolation, quarter-final, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat TONY WALTERSBristol Grand Prix consolation, semi-final, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat RICHARD CARTWRIGHTBristol Grand Prix consolation, final, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat STEVE FERRERBristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat ROLAND HERRERABristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 24/11/04
beat PHILLIP HILLLesters 53, first round, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat STUART MANNLesters 53, second round, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat IAN PRESTONLesters 53, quarter-final, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat ROSEY BENSLEYLesters 53, semi-final, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat DAVE PYMLesters 53, final, BCSC, 10/12/04

STUART MANN 1000 to 1:
the victims

beat DAVE PYMBristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 08/05/03
beat IAN TARRBristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 28/05/03
beat PAUL WATTSLesters 47, first round, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat ROSEY BENSLEYLesters 47, second round, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat MARTIN HEMMINGLesters 47, quarter-final, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat CHRIS JOHNSONLesters 47, semi-final, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat DAVE PYMLesters 47, final, doubled as Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 17/06/03
beat PHIL CHARLTONBristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 25/06/03
beat PHIL CHARLTONBristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 30/07/03
beat MARTIN HEMMINGBristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 30/07/03

STUART MANN 4000 to 1:
the victims

beat KEVIN WHITEJanuary GP, second round, BCSC, 10/01/02
beat ED TURNERJanuary GP, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/01/02
beat CHARLIE HETHERINGTONJanuary GP, semi-final, BCSC, 10/01/02
beat JERRY LIMBJanuary GP, final, The Leap, Downend, 17/01/02
beat CHARLIE HETHERINGTONBristol Premier League, BCSC, 24/01/02
beat ED TURNERBristol Premier League, BCSC, 30/01/02
beat JOHN SPRAGUEFebruary GP, second round, BCSC, 14/02/02
beat JERRY LIMBFebruary GP, quarter-final, BCSC, 14/02/02
beat IAN PRESTONFebruary GP, semi-final, BCSC, 14/02/02
beat JOHN SLATTERYBristol Premier League, Rosey Bensley's, 16/02/02
beat ELLIOT SMARTBristol Premier League, Rosey Bensley's, 16/02/02
beat PAUL WATTSFebruary GP, final, The Leap, Downend, 21/02/02


Since the majority of players enter knock-out events, where nearly all of those will have lost their last match, there is a dearth of players with current winning sequences.
Winning a flight of knock-out, allied to a strong run in the league, is an ideal way to build a sequence.
Those players who currently (as at June 16th) have the best winning sequences in Bristol Backgammon are listed below:
NameWinning sequenceDetails of sequence
BLAINE BUCHANAN54 wins in Lesters 67 plus 1 Premier Two Blue win
Derek Clew44 wins in the May GP main flight
Ian Preston44 Premier Two Red wins
Juanita Ferrer44 wins in the February GP main flight
Elliot Smart44 Premier Two wins
Mike Morse44 wins in the June 2000 GP consolation flight
Marcus Wrinch33 wins in the Lesters 67 consolation flight
Charlie Hetherington33 wins in the Lesters 61 consolation flight
Karl Thomas33 wins in the February 2001 IGP consolation flight
Dave Rees33 wins in the November 1999 pilot intermediate tournament consolation flight


Click on the links below to find out about other sponsored awards.

Most Improved Player sponsored by Martin Hemming

Rookie of the Year sponsored by Gammonitis

Handicap Trophy sponsored by Ed Turner

Young Player of the Year sponsored by Neil Young


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