18th annual September Cup tournament

The September Cup holds a special place in the history of the Western Sydney Subbuteo club, being the tournament held annually since 2003 to mark the existence of the club. The tournament is now looked forward to every year as the only regular tournament dedicated to Subbuteo brand equipment only. This year, an extra element was introduced with handicaps applied - in the form of the types of bases allowed to be used by players with different levels of experience. Those with more experience had to use bases from the 1980s or earlier, which featured full domes and are, therefore, much more difficult to keep steady when flicking, while those with less experience were able to use the much flatter 1990s Hasbro bases or 2010s relaunch bases.

A small but enthusiastic group gathered for the 2019 installment. Adrians Grunbach and Elmer used 1980s lightweight figures, Steve Dettre used original 1950s flats, while relative newcomers, Othniel Antwi and Ben Vickers both used 1990s Hasbro bases. A straight league was decided upon, with the top two going through to a grand final. Othniel and Steve were first to face each other and Steve immediately rolled back the years to score a couple of remarkable goals and take a 2-0 lead. Othniel, however, then pulled one back to make for a highly entertaining finale. In Ben's first ever competitive match, he played surprisingly well and only conceded a single goal to Adrian E. Adrian G opened his account with a 3-0 win over Ben, while Adrian E slotted 2 past Othniel, a scoreline which was repeated by Adrian G over Othniel. Steve and Adrian then played out a highly entertaining game, with Steve taking the lead midway through the half, though never being in complete control of the game, which ended with Adrian narrowly missing a shot on the run which would have tied the game with its last flick. Steve then faced Adrian G and the arm wrestle which ensued resulted in a goalless stalemate. Othniel and Ben played out an entertaining encounter but Othniel's more experienced shooting skills allowed him to ease to a 2-0 victory. In the final round, Steve also beat Ben 2-0, but the always improving Ben excitedly had his first competitive goal on target. In the battle of the Adrians, G put one past E to take the points in a tight encounter.

A break was taken for a dinner of pizza and wine, before the tournament's two unbeaten players, both on the same number of points and with a draw in their head-to-head encounter (meaning, by Western Sydney Subbuteo custom, they were exactly equal) played each other in the grand final. As with their group game, neither could breach the other's defense, though it was Steve who applied more and more pressure, being comfortable with a defensive line of just 3 figures. However, at the final whistle, for the second time in the tournament, there was a stalemate. September Cup rules declare this meant the players headed straight for a shootout. Adrian buried his first two before making a crucial save on Steve's second attempt, giving him the edge. Steve, however, clawed his way back level, saving Adrian's fourth, before saving Adrian's fifth and giving himself the chance to take the title with his final shot. Adrian, however, was equal to the challenge and so the shootout went to sudden death. Both players had their first sudden death shots saved, before Steve finally broke the deadlock between the two by saving Adrian's second and finishing his own successfully. And so, 5 years after he last won the title, Steve Dettre's name was etched onto the esteemed trophy once more.

An awesome afternoon and evening of Subbuteo, the old figures, cloth and nylon pitches and frustratingly small original 'keepers adding to the drama.

For more photos, go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.2261671867412771&type=3