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 NOWAK	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 10/01/08
beat CECILIA SPARKE	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 10/01/08
beat PHILLIP HILL	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/01/08
beat COLIN SARA	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, Colin Sara's, 12/01/08
beat STEVE FERRER	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, final, BCSC, 16/01/08
beat PHILLIP HILL	Lesters 66, second round, BCSC, 13/03/08
beat MARCUS WRINCH	Lesters 66, quarter-final, BCSC, 13/03/08
beat TIM LINE	Lesters 66, semi-final, BCSC, 13/03/08
beat BLAINE BUCHANAN	Lesters 66, final, Colston Yard, 18/03/08
beat ANNE JEPPESEN	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 10/04/08
beat ANN POCKNELL	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 10/04/08
beat TONY WALTERS	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/04/08
beat STUART MANN	Bristol Masters, first round, BCSC, 01/05/08

	PETER EDWARDS 1000 to 1: the victims
beat COLIN SARA	Bristol Grand Prix consolation, quarter-final, BCSC, 08/02/07
beat CECILIA SPARKE	Bristol Grand Prix consolation, semi-final, BCSC, 08/02/07
beat COLIN SARA	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat COLIN SARA again	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat MILES FARREN	Bristol Grand Prix consolation, final, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat JUDE PITT	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 15/02/07
beat NINA EVANGELOU	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 08/03/07
beat MARTIN HEMMING	Lesters 62, first round, BCSC, 08/03/07
beat IAN PRESTON	Lesters 62, second round, BCSC, 08/03/07
beat SIMON BAKER	Lesters 62, quarter-final, BCSC, 08/03/07

	PHIL CHARLTON 1000 to 1: the victims
beat ROLAND HERRERA	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 27/07/06
beat ALAN PARFITT	Bristol Premier League Div.2, Chequers, Kingswood, 31/07/06
beat RICHARD OWSLEY	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 31/08/06
beat SIMON BAKER	Bristol Premier League Div.2, Foresters, Downend, 20/09/06
beat JOHN PATON	Bristol Premier League Div.2, Hillgrove Porter Stores, 27/09/06
beat STEFFEN NOWAK	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 28/09/06
beat TONY WALTERS	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 03/10/06
beat BLAINE BUCHANAN	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 19/10/06
beat MARTIN HEMMING	Bristol Premier League Div.2, Bear of Rodborough, 25/11/06
beat STUART MANN	Bristol Premier League Div.1, Cornubia, 07/02/07

	ROLAND HERRERA 2000 to 1: the victims
beat ED TURNER	Lesters 57, second round, BCSC, 08/12/05
beat PAUL WATTS	Lesters 57, quarter-final, BCSC, 08/12/05
beat SIMONETTA HERRERA	Lesters 57, semi-final, BCSC, 08/12/05
beat MARK DIXON	Lesters 57, final, Roland and Simonetta's, 08/12/05
beat MARTIN HEMMING	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat STUART MANN	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat SIMON BAKER	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat JASON CHAMPION	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, BCSC, 12/01/06
beat IAN TARR	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, final, Roland and Simonetta's, 17/01/06
beat TIM LINE	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 26/01/06
beat IAN PRESTON	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 09/02/06

	TONY WALTERS 1000 to 1: the victims
beat MILES FARREN	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 14/09/05
beat MILES FARREN	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 14/09/05
beat TIM LINE	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 14/09/05
beat TIM OLDFIELD	Bristol Conference, Gentlemen's Club, 20/09/05
beat TIM OLDFIELD	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 22/09/05
beat SUSY LIEDTKE	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 28/09/05
beat SUSY LIEDTKE	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 28/09/05
beat JON KENT	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 28/09/05
beat ROBERT HAMPSON	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 03/10/05
beat ROBERT HAMPSON	Bristol Conference, BCSC, 03/10/05

	MARTIN HEMMING 2000 to 1: the victims
beat THOMAS LIEDTKE	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 13/01/05
beat CYNTHIA ROBERTS	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 13/01/05
beat ROLAND HERRERA	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, BCSC, 13/01/05
beat STEFFEN NOWAK	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, final, BCSC, 26/01/05
beat STUART MANN	Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 26/01/05
beat ALAN PARFITT	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, first round, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat ELLIOT SMART	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, second round, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat TIM OLDFIELD	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat CHARLIE HETHERINGTON	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, semi-final, BCSC, 10/02/05
beat KEVIN JONES	Bristol Grand Prix main flight, final, Roland and Simonetta's, 10/02/05
beat SIMONETTA BARONE	Bristol Premier League Div.1, Roland and Simonetta's, 13/02/05

	ED TURNER 1000 to 1: the victims
beat STUART MANN	Bristol Grand Prix consolation, quarter-final, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat TONY WALTERS	Bristol Grand Prix consolation, semi-final, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat RICHARD CARTWRIGHT	Bristol Grand Prix consolation, final, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat STEVE FERRER	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 11/11/04
beat ROLAND HERRERA	Bristol Premier League Div.2, BCSC, 24/11/04
beat PHILLIP HILL	Lesters 53, first round, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat STUART MANN	Lesters 53, second round, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat IAN PRESTON	Lesters 53, quarter-final, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat ROSEY BENSLEY	Lesters 53, semi-final, BCSC, 09/12/04
beat DAVE PYM	Lesters 53, final, BCSC, 10/12/04

	STUART MANN 1000 to 1: the victims
beat DAVE PYM	Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 08/05/03
beat IAN TARR	Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 28/05/03
beat PAUL WATTS	Lesters 47, first round, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat ROSEY BENSLEY	Lesters 47, second round, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat MARTIN HEMMING	Lesters 47, quarter-final, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat CHRIS JOHNSON	Lesters 47, semi-final, BCSC, 12/06/03
beat DAVE PYM	Lesters 47, final, doubled as Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 17/06/03
beat PHIL CHARLTON	Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 25/06/03
beat PHIL CHARLTON	Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 30/07/03
beat MARTIN HEMMING	Bristol Premier League Div.1, BCSC, 30/07/03

	STUART MANN 4000 to 1: the victims
beat KEVIN WHITE	January GP, second round, BCSC, 10/01/02
beat ED TURNER	January GP, quarter-final, BCSC, 10/01/02
beat CHARLIE HETHERINGTON	January GP, semi-final, BCSC, 10/01/02
beat JERRY LIMB	January GP, final, The Leap, Downend, 17/01/02
beat CHARLIE HETHERINGTON	Bristol Premier League, BCSC, 24/01/02
beat ED TURNER	Bristol Premier League, BCSC, 30/01/02
beat JOHN SPRAGUE	February GP, second round, BCSC, 14/02/02
beat JERRY LIMB	February GP, quarter-final, BCSC, 14/02/02
beat IAN PRESTON	February GP, semi-final, BCSC, 14/02/02
beat JOHN SLATTERY	Bristol Premier League, Rosey Bensley's, 16/02/02
beat ELLIOT SMART	Bristol Premier League, Rosey Bensley's, 16/02/02
beat PAUL WATTS	February 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:

Name	Winning sequence	Details of sequence
BLAINE BUCHANAN	5	4 wins in Lesters 67 plus 1 Premier Two Blue win
Derek Clew	4	4 wins in the May GP main flight
Ian Preston	4	4 Premier Two Red wins
Juanita Ferrer	4	4 wins in the February GP main flight
Elliot Smart	4	4 Premier Two wins
Mike Morse	4	4 wins in the June 2000 GP consolation flight
Marcus Wrinch	3	3 wins in the Lesters 67 consolation flight
Charlie Hetherington	3	3 wins in the Lesters 61 consolation flight
Karl Thomas	3	3 wins in the February 2001 IGP consolation flight
Dave Rees	3	3 wins in the November 1999 pilot intermediate tournament consolation flight

1000 to 1

ROLAND HERRERA 8000 to 1:
the victims

PETER EDWARDS 1000 to 1:
the victims

PHIL CHARLTON 1000 to 1:
the victims

ROLAND HERRERA 2000 to 1:
the victims

TONY WALTERS 1000 to 1:
the victims

MARTIN HEMMING 2000 to 1:
the victims

ED TURNER 1000 to 1:
the victims

STUART MANN 1000 to 1:
the victims

STUART MANN 4000 to 1:
the victims

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

1000 to 1

ROLAND HERRERA 8000 to 1: the victims

PETER EDWARDS 1000 to 1: the victims

PHIL CHARLTON 1000 to 1: the victims

ROLAND HERRERA 2000 to 1: the victims

TONY WALTERS 1000 to 1: the victims

MARTIN HEMMING 2000 to 1: the victims

ED TURNER 1000 to 1: the victims

STUART MANN 1000 to 1: the victims

STUART MANN 4000 to 1: the victims

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

ROLAND HERRERA 8000 to 1:
the victims

PETER EDWARDS 1000 to 1:
the victims

PHIL CHARLTON 1000 to 1:
the victims

ROLAND HERRERA 2000 to 1:
the victims

TONY WALTERS 1000 to 1:
the victims

MARTIN HEMMING 2000 to 1:
the victims

ED TURNER 1000 to 1:
the victims

STUART MANN 1000 to 1:
the victims

STUART MANN 4000 to 1:
the victims