Subbuteo lives on in Cyprus

 There is a revival of the game in Cyprus as regular events are held this season in Limassol thanks to Giorgos Zangylos.

The test-match between G. Zangylos and C. Stoilescu

Last Friday, a WASPA test-match was held between local organizer Giorgos Zangylos and Subbuteo Bucharest's Cezar Stoilescu. The local organizer won the test-match (2-1, 2-0, 3-1) against the player from Romania.

On Sunday, the third WASPA tournament of the season took place in Limassol. 8 players competed in a league format and Panos Vogiatzis won his 7 games to claim the victory.

Final standings:
1. Panos Vogiatzis (GRE/Famagusta)
2. Massimo DalPrà (ROM/Bucharest)
3. Giorgos Zangylos (Famagusta)
4. Petros Kosmas (Famagusta)
5. Giorgos Stylianou (Famagusta)
6. Cezar Stoilescu (ROM/Bucharest)
7. Marcos Kalopsidiotis (Salamis)
8. Marios Nikolaou (Phoenix)

A great week-end in Limassol

There is a real revival in Cyprus where several games have been played under WASPA banner in the last few days.

Test-match Zangylos vs Weaver

First of all, local organizer George Zangylos had the visit of England's Mark Weaver and both players decided to play a WASPA test match. George defeated Mark 2-0 (1-1, 5-1 and 2-0) but more importantly, it was great to have 2 nice players meeting.

During the week-end, another test-match was played. This time George Zangylos hosted Massimo Dal'Pra for a few games. The Famagusta player was defeated by the Bucharest top player in close games (1-3, 1-2, 2-1. Total 1-2)

Finally, the second stage of the Cypriot circuit was played by 5 players. After 5 sessions, Famagusta's Petros Kosmas took the honors while Bucharest's Massimo Dal'Pra was runner-up. Final stable:

1. Petros Kosmas (Famagusta)
2. Massimo DalPrà (Bucharest)
3. Giorgos Zangylos (Famagusta)
4. Marcos Kalopsidiotis (Salamis)
5. Marios Nikolaou (Phoenix)

First WASPA test-match in Japan

Andrew (left) and Stéphane

We are pleased to publish the report received by Andrew Martini, a New Zealand Subbuteo player based in Japan. Andrew played a WASPA test-match last week against Belgium's Stéphane Lambert and he's glad to share his experience. It's definately a great experience when two players from different countries meet for the first time, play competitive games and share the same love for the game.

"On October 27th I held a test-match series here in Kuki city, Saitama prefecture Japan with visiting Stephane Lambert of Belgium under the WASPA banner.

It was a great occasion to finally meet in person after 2 years of friendship on Facebook, and also it gave the both of us a chance to use and test some new bases.

We also had another reason to meet up, and that was to prepare for the upcoming Fistf Japan Autumn Satellite tournament which would take place on October 29th, I was eager to get some good solid games of Subbuteo table soccer in after being completely away from the sport for over a year, I hadn't even flicked once in around 14 months.

The bases Stephane wanted to try out for this test match series were the Tcha 2.0 arrows HW, Tcha 2.1 HW arrows and the Extreme works pro evo 1 bases.

I wanted to try the Astrobase cc5 tribases for the first time today under recommendation from Brian Andrews (United Kingdom).

The test match series was played on an Astrobase Astroturf pro pitch.

We assembled our teams, polished the bases, and got our beers ready...just before kickoff we cracked open a few pints of kirins classic Kirin Lager beer and commenced playing in the spirit of friendship and fun!

The games were indeed a fun-filled, good paced fairly close contest throughout that only became even more enjoyable as time went on, with the help of Japan's finest beers to keep the kovial atmosphere flowing, starting with Kirin lager classic before polishing off several more 500ml cans of Asahi Superdry.

The day belonged to Stephane though winning  1-0, 2-0 before I managed to hold him to a 0-0 draw, with the final game also belonging to Stephane by a slim down to the final minute1-0 margin. Although losing the series 4-0, I was quite satisfied with my defensive ability after such a long layoff away from the game, and the fact that I was able to pick up the game and get in the groove fairly quickly, with Stephane's help.

The most important thing though was that Subbuteo won the day in an atmosphere of light-hearted fun and good times had by both of us!

We were ready to head to the Fistf Autumn Japan satellite tournament on Oct 29th, where Stephane finished in the last 8 and I managed to surprise myself and go through to the last four and finish in 3rd place.

Oh, and I hope to have more test match series with visiting players...so ...

If anyone is planning on visiting Japan in the future, make sure to definitely visit me, and let's play some fun Subbuteo test-match series together too ( Japan beers will be free!) you can always reach me at andymartini1969@gmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing you for more games under the WASPA banner here in Japan!"

WASPA test-match in North Shields

Chris and Nick

Here in North Shields, we currently have a small player base so we need to take advantage of everything WASPA has to offer to make the games as competitive as possible. 

With Nick Pearson playing for London Road, the opportunity was there for a test match. Chris duly challenged him and he gladly took up the gauntlet.

Three tightly contested games were played on a chilly night in The Dungeon with the heater on full blast!

This was a really close one just edged by Chris courtesy of a 1-0 win in game two. Games one and three finished one apiece. It really could have gone either way right up to the buzzer.

Please feel free to view the game on the North Shields Subbuteo Table Football page.

July 2021: results from Derry, Templeuve, Attard and Oslo

Sorry for the big post but there are news from several countries in Europe and it will be easier to compile results we received from Northern Ireland, Belgium, Malta and Norway.

Northern Ireland: Derry City players having a great time

Derry city TFC held the ’Here Comes the Summer Cup ‘21’ tournament earlier this month with a great turnout of six players competing in a league format. Special congratulations to Barry Spence on winning his first Derry Cup.

DCTFC are also thrilled to announce the 2021 ‘Derry Open’ will be held on August 14 (from 11 am to 6 pm). Registration is essential if you want to play. Check the club's Facebook page for details at https://www.facebook.com/DerryCityTableFootball

Draw will be made on the Friday 13th night.

Standings of August 5:
1. Barry Spence
2. Kenny Beggs
3. Martinog Bradley
4. Dee Jenkins
5. Oisin Mór
6. Lawrence Watson

Belgium: Second tournament of the season in Templeuve

After the regional tournament and promotional event held in June, the Templeuve United club was back in action last Friday with 9 players competing in Swiss format. Sensation happened in the second session when Matthias Averlant managed to defeat Geoffrey Marain. Everything could still happen before the last game but the draw between Averlant and Vincent Coppenolle gave the win to the local organizer who won the tournament on goal-difference. Templeuve will hold another tournament on Tuesday, July 20 at 6.30 pm to celebrate the National Day! Details by e-mail at vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Top 3 of the night

Standings of the night:

1. Vincent Coppenolle -> 10 pts & 11 (gd)
2. Matthias Averlant -> 10 & 5
3. Geoffrey Marain -> 9 & 12
4. Stéphane Lambert -> 7 & 2
5. Benjamin Marain -> 6 & 1
6. Jordan Bonte -> 6 & 0
7. Eric Caillaux -> 4 & -1
8. Didier Moons -> 3 & -6
9. Anthony Meireaux -> 3 & -12

Malta: great success in Attard

The club of Attard was back in action in the WASPA circuit with a great tournament attracying 12 players including a few famous names.

George Ebejer and Samuel Bartolo

For his very first WASPA appearance, Samuel Bartolo (Valletta SC took the honors after defeating Bormla's George Ebejer (4-1) in the final. Semi-finalists were John Zammit (Bormla Subbuteo Club) and Jean Carl Tabone (Barcellona Mortellito). Huge thanks to the Attard club for supporting the WASPA circuit!

Norway: test-match in Oslo

Alfredo (left) and Riccardo

We are happy to see the Oslo playing continueing to play. We received results of a "WASPA lockdown testmatch" in Oslo, Norway on July 11, 2021. The results were as follows:

We played a "WASPA lockdown testmatch" in Oslo, Norway today 11 July 2021. The results were as follows:
Riccardo Destefanis - Alfredo Gianoglio 1-0
Riccardo Destefanis - Alfredo Gianoglio 1-0
Riccardo Destefanis - Alfredo Gianoglio 0-2
Winner: Riccardo Destefanis

As both players are vaccinated, this time they appear without wearing the mask. :-)

April 2021: results from Australia, Italy and Norway

Even if the virus is still there, there are tournaments or Subbuteo games played under WASPA banner in different countries.

Here is a quick summary of recent event held in Australia, Italy and Norway.

Sydney: Fabrizio Coco wins Easter Cup

Steve Dettre reports: "Congratulations to Fabrizio on taking the Northern Falcons Easter Cup, and to Adrian G for making his second consecutive WASPA final, before losing to Fab 2-0.

Group 1 ended up being a true 'Group of Death' with Fab, Steve and Eliot. Steve took the lead against Eliot before being pegged back before the break, as they battled a 1-1 draw. Then Steve battled hard against Fab, surviving three shots that hit the post before registering only their third 0-0 draw since first meeting in 2015. Fab then decided the group with a late winner against Eliot.

In Group 2, Adrian continued his great form after resuming play, holding Tony Credentino 0-0, while Torben accounted for Paolo Credentino 2-0 in his first competitive match in a year. Adrian then beat Paolo, while Tony registered his second 0-0 of the night against Torben. Tony had a chance to progress, but was held 0-0 (again) by his son, while Adrian wrapped up the group beating Torben 1-0.

In the semis, Fab overran Torben 3-0, while Steve and Adrian battled to a 1-1 draw aet, with the tie decided 4-3 on shots after a marathon 13-shot effort.

Many thanks to all who came and the fabulous staff at Willoughby Park Bowling Club who continue to host us."

Original post from the Northern Falcons Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/854801904538974

Mick DeVincentis winner in Perth

Some of you probably ignore there is a new club in Perth, Australia. The "Sports Table Football Club of Western Australia" organized a first WASPA tournament last week-end with a small field of four players but many interesting games.

You can see some videos of the tournament here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1233903783292458

The winner was Mick DeVincentis who finished on top of the group after winning two of his three games. Arjuna Hanafi (Melbourne TFC) was runner-up while host Hugh Best was third and Chris Thorn was fourth with one victory.

Two trophies for Marco Perotti

In Italy, the club of Terni is still very motivated. The club held two more events with traditional rules (old subbuteo). Marco Perotti won the two tournaments while Simone Perotti was runner-up twice.

Alfredo Gianoglio wins test-match

Riccardo Destefanis and Alfredo Gianoglio

We also received results from Norway where a "WASPA lockdown testmatch" was played in Oslo on April 5, 2021. The results were as follows:

Riccardo Destefanis - Alfredo Gianoglio 2-0 (2-0)
Riccardo Destefanis - Alfredo Gianoglio 1-2 (1-1)
Riccardo Destefanis - Alfredo Gianoglio 0-2 (0-1)
Winner: Alfredo Gianoglio

Alfredo scored 2 beautiful goals in the third and decisive match winning April's lockdown testmatch competition!

What about you?

If you are kind to play games under WASPA banner, don't hesitate to send your results to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com
The doors are always open for new players so feel welcome!

Subbuteo results from Australia, Italy, South Africa and Norway

Some short news from around the world as Subbuteo fans from several countries continue to play when local rules allow it.

In Australia, the club of Sydney TFC was back in action after a long break. Six players were competing. and Eliot Kennedy managed to defeat Fabrizio Coco on shots after a draw (1-1) in the final. Steve Dettre and Paolo Credentino were the semi-finalists.

In Italy, the club of Teramo organized a tournament earlier this week. Germano Di Corinto managed to win his first tournament. Thanks to Massimiliano Bonomo for organizing the tournament.

South Africa was also in action with a tournament held in Cape Town. "Great to have a few flicks again! Just 4 stalwarts gathered to have only the second event in Cape Town since the advent of Covid. It did mean that it could be played in a garage, which is always a fun throwback to days of old. Wayne hadn’t played for a while, but was back at his absolute best, winning the round robin event by some margin", commented clinton Gahwiler. Congratulations to Wayne McKenzie for winning the tournament.

Destefanis and Ellefsen

Finally, 2 WASPA lockdown test matches were played in Norway. On Saturday, Terje Ellefsen (Kragerø BFK) met Riccardo Destefanis (Subbuteo Oslo). Terje won the test match after winning three individual games. After the games both players had a shoot-out just for fun, Terje won 2-1 but Riccardo had the best goal (always important). :-)

Terje Ellefsen is the current Norwegian Champion and also no. 1 in the Norwegian rankings so he is a tough opponent for Riccardo who is back playing Subbuteo after 30 years away from the subbeatiful game. But Riccardo is learning and improving for every game and he hopes to reach a better level of play soon through playing games and practicing on his excellent training pitch. He also plays against two other Italians who live in Oslo (Alfredo Gianoglio and Alessandro Cataliotti) as well as the very experienced Norwegian Svein Arne Brekke (Skien Wildcats). Destefanis is doing a great job at promoting Subbuteo in Oslo and is hoping to find and recruit even more players in the near future. Please check out Subbuteo Oslo on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/subbuteoslo

Destefanis and Gianoglio

On Sunday, Riccardo Destefanis played another test match against clubmate Alfredo Gianoglio. Results were close (0-0, 1-0, 0-0) and Riccardo won the series. We wish a warm welcome to Alfredo in the WASPA circuit.

There should be more results coming up in the next few days so stay tuned!

If you have results of tournaments or test matches to send, don't hesitate to communicate by e-mail to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

MarchFlicks Pennsylvania/Virginia Test Match 2021

Bryan Arnold hosted Andrew Zunino in Alexandria, Virginia, USA for today's test match series. Bryan and Andrew represented their home-states of Virginia and Pennsylvania respectively. The series was very close between the two players: Bryan and Andrew played 3 test matches with each winning a match and then drawing the final match.

News from Australia, Italy and Wales

The circuit is in a calmer period with only a few events held around the world.

Giuseppe Tardiota wins Brisbane tournament

In Brisbane, Australia six players met on Sunday to play the monthly tournament of the local club. The group was glad to meet a new player, Rob Seychell, and everyone had a great time.

Giuseppe Tardiota defeated Kevin Halliday in the final (3-1) to claim the trophy. Gerry Vickers was third, Gareth Whalley 4th, Wayne Miller 5th and Robert Seychell 6th.

Follow more about Brisbane Subbuteo club on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/brisbanesubbuteoclubinc

Traditional rules are still popular in Terni

In Italy, the club of Terni held two small events played with te old rules (also called "traditional rules") in the beginning of the month. Emanuele Perotti won the first tournament while Simone Perotti won the second event.

More about Subbuteo table football in Terni on the club's Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/SUBBUTEOCLUBTERNI2014THYRUS

Lockdown test match in Wales

Finally, we are glad to publish results of a "WASPA lockdown test match" held in Wales. Cayne Matthews won his three games against his daughter Ruby. 

Follow the latest news of London Road Subbuteo Club on the club's facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1699324517049032

Don't hesitate to send results of your tournaments and test matches by e-mail to vincent.coppenolle@gmail.com

Be sure we appreciate. Until then, stay safe and keep on flicking!

More test matches in Norway and Italy

For the second week, we are glad to publish results of two "WASPA lockdown test matches". We are very happy that players show interest for this kind of games and we thank players who send their results.

Destefanis (left) and Brekke

Riccardo De Stefanis (Subbuteo Oslo) played his second test match on Saturday against a new opponent. This time Riccardo had the visit of Svein Arne Brekke (Skien Wildcats). Svein Arne proved to have more experience to win the series. Resutls of the games were as follows:

Svein Arne Brekke - Riccardo Destefanis 6-0 (4-0)

Svein Arne Brekke - Riccardo Destefanis 3-0 (2-0)

Svein Arne Brekke - Riccardo Destefanis 8-0 (4-0)

Svein Arne Brekke - Riccardo Destefanis 7-0 (4-0)

In Italy, the very first "test match" was played on Saturday between Massimiliano Bonomo (Subbuteo Teramo) and Francesco Pochetti (Old Subbuteo Club Giulianova). The games was played on a original Subbuteo pitch from the 70s and results were as follows:

1. Bonomo - Pochetti 0-2

2. Pochetti - Bonomo 2-0

3. Bonomo - Pochetti 0-3

4. Bonomo - Pochetti 0-4

5. Pochetti - Bonomo 2-2

First WASPA lockdown test matches in Belgium and Norway

Earlier this week we announced the creation of the first "WASPA lockdown test matches" and we got very positive feedback from several players. We are pleased to receive the first results from Belgium and Norway.

Stéphane Lambert (left) and Jos Ceulemans had the first games in belgium

In Antwerp, Jos Ceulemans (SC Flanders) and Stéphane Lambert (OSC Yokohama) met on Tuesday. Games ended with the following scores: 1-0, 2-2 and 2-0. Jos won the series.

Riccardo Destefanis (left) and Terje Ellefsen met in Oslo

On Saturday, there were also games in Oslo, Norway, between Terje Ellefsen (Kragerø BFK) and Riccardo Destefanis (Subbuteo Oslo). Results were 11-0, 7-0, 5-0, 5-0 with Terje winning the series. This was also the first appearance of the Subbuteo Oslo club in the WASPA scene.

We are looking forward to getting more results from other test matches played around the world!

Results can be sent to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

December 2019: news from around the world

Here is a quick review of some events held under WASPA banner in December. We are waiting for the last few results of last month to publish the december rankings. Hopefully everything will be ready by the end of the week.

3 dedicated players in Javea

Spain: one more tournament in Javea
The Marina Citerior Club held a 15th "Tea Time Tournament" int he beginning of the month. Unfortunately the club is struggling to get new players but the usual members of the clubs are still very motivated to play together. italy's Pasquale Carrassi finished on top of a small league (with home and away games) with David Mc Aulay being runner-up and Bill Dunham taking the third place.

Presentation of trophies in Ilioupolis

Greece: Roligans Christmas Cup
The Roligans club organized a Christmas tournament on December 21. There were 13 competitors including a special guest of the new club of Ippovotes Chalkida Club. Evangelos Kotrotsos (U15) won the tournament while the runner-up was Tassos Priftis. This time the event was a knockout tournament and the players eliminated played for Category B. Therefore the winner of the B tournament was Dimitrios Rembis.

Players in Thessaloniki

Greece: Panorama still doing well
Also in Greece, the Panorama 1978 SC Thessaloniki organized a tournament with 6 players involved. This time Ioannis Terzidis took the honors after defeating Constantios Giapoutzis in the final (2-0) while Stavros Giapoutzis won the game for the third place.

Some good games in Donegal

Ireland: action in Donegal
Also the Republic of ireland saw some Subbuteo action in the end of December with three players competing in a group format in Donegal. Local organizer Brendan Rodgers finished on top of the table while clubmate Oisin McKeogh was runner-up and special guest from England Nick Pearson took the third place.

Richard Ruffolo - Howard Christie - Mike Sgro

Canada: Howard Christie does it again
This month's tournament in Toronto had a small turnout of three but there were many close games. Defending champion Mike Sgro could not win another event as Howard Christie won the final against Mike to win the "tournament of the decade".

Isle of Man: Joseph Kinrade is a winner
We have been extremely glad to see some action on the Isle of Man where Joseph Kinrade won the "Ellan Vannin WASPA Christmas Cup" after defeating brian Kinrade in the final. The tournament had a good turnout of four players including first time player Lisa Warren from England. The tournament was played as a group of five with the top 2 qualifying for the grand final.

Martin Wiesmann bringing Switzerland back on the WASPA map

Switzerland: Test match in Wil
Just a few days before the WASPA tournament in Eschenbach of January 5 (results coming soon), there was a test match between local player Martin Wiesmann and South Africa's Clinton Gahwiler from Cape Town. The game ended as a draw but more importantly it was a good way to have Switzerland coming back to the WASPA circuit with more good news coming up soon.

Two test matches in Cyprus

Giorgos Zangylos vs Christos Kotrotsos

 Two WASPA test matches have recently been held in Cyprus. Local organizer Giorgos Zangylos had the visit of Christos Kotrotsos (Greece) from the Roligans club and Massimo DalPrà from Bucharest and test matches were the best way to have some official games. Christos Kotrotsos won the first series 2-0 (1-1, 1-0, 2-1) on November 10 while the game between Giorgos Zangylos and Massimo DalPrà was decided on goal difference (1-2, 1-1, 3-1).

Massimo Dalprà vs Giorgos Zangylos

“Test match series” played under WASPA banner are a good way to promote friendly relations between players from different countries or different areas.

Find more details about test matches on the WASPA blog here: https://waspa-circuit.blogspot.com/p/waspa-test-matches.html

Test-match and tournament in Cyprus

Cyprus was in the spotlight this week-end with two very different WASPA happenings taking place on the island.

Massimo winner of the test-match

On Friday local organizer Giorgos Zangylos had the chance to host the first WASPA test-match of the season against Italy's Massimo Dalprà. Massimo lives in Bucharest, Romania and travels a lot for business. The Italian won the series 1-2 (scores were 2-0, 0-1, 0-3) and it was a special game as both players had already played a test-match together in May 2017, which Zangylos won. This is also a great way to remind everyone that test-matches are a great way to create links between players when there are not enough players to organize a tournament.

The final

On Saturday, the 5th tournament of the season took place in Limassol. There was a very good field of 13 players taking part with some new faces compared to the previous events. This time it was Marios Nikolaou (Phoenix) who took the honors after defeating Giorgos Zangylos (Famagusta) in the final. Marcos Kalopsidiotis (Salamis) and Demetris Bekos (Erimi) reached the semi-finals. In 5 events 24 different players have already competed in the domestic circuit, which proves the good health of the game in Cyprus.

WASPA test-match: Northern Californie vs California TSC

On Wednesday, March 28th, Conan Mullen (SoCo Subbuteo) of the Northern California Subbuteo Club hosted Paul O'Donovan Rossa of the California Table Soccer Club in the first ever "Northern California" WASPA Test Match. Paul made the journey up from Southern California for an evening of friendly and competitive Subbuteo matches, and handily took the Test Match honors, winning the 3-match series 2-1, 3-1, and 4-0. After which there were more training matches woth Paul sharing his experience and passing on valuable coaching tips to help Conan gear up for the California Table Soccer Club's upcoming Los Angeles FISTF Satellite/ASA Open in Newbury Park on April 7th.

A first test match in Florida

A test match was conducted between Dario Passadore and Bryan Arnold, members of the American Subbuteo Association, on February 16th. Dario, of the Florida Sharks Subbuteo Club, showed his great skill and style during each of his three wins on the day. A spirited defense and counter attacking were offered by Bryan, of the NoVA Union Subbuteo Club, but he was never able to present more competitiveness against his opponent, a long time Subbuteo player.

Test Match scores:
Dario 6-1 Bryan
Dario 3-1 Bryan
Dario 3-1 Bryan

Test matches in the US, Hong Kong and Spain

Several test matches have been organized in January.

Bryan and Andrew

In the United States, there was a test-match in Avondale, PA between Andrew Zunino (Pennsylvania) and Bryan Arnold (Virginia). Andrew won the series (1-0) after winning the first game and sharing points in the other 2 games (3-0, 2-2, 0-0).

Antoni, Eliot and Nicholas

Hong Kong saw also the come-back of some action under WASPA banner during the visit of Australia's Eliot Kennedy. Antonio Carabillo and Eliot played several games and Antonino ended as winner on goal-difference (3-1, 1-2, 2-2).

David and Pasquale

In Spain, Pasquale Carrassi (Italy) met David McAulay (Scotland) on January 20 and they played 5 games (instead of 3) with a final result of 4-1 for Pasquale.