Second win for Jean-François Balard

A nice picture for the presentation of the trophies

For the first time a Puylaurens player won two WASPA events. The hero of the evening was Jean-François Balard who defeated Roger Trouillard in the final (1-0). 11 players were present and Ludovic Beauvais travelled specially from Montpellier to play. As always there were surprises. Emilien Gironis was the unexpected semi-finalist. To be noted that Serge Leroy is still unbeaten in WASPA events. This time he was out in the semi after losing on shots to Roger Trouillard. Next friday three Puylaurens players will attended the Templeuve WASPA event before attending the FISTF Major in Frameries.

Home win for Mike Parnaby

Only five players turned up for this edition of our series of WASPA events, but that did not diminish from the enjoyment or competition. Mike Parnaby took the early initiative with a demolition of Andy Mill, but this set up two difficult games for him in the next rounds. Ben Staples sort of slipped under the radar with two wins to meet Mike in the final round. Andy Mill and Rob Heseltine continued to show their improvement and are getting much closer to the other players. Chris Kaberry showed again that he is not to be taken lightly and although he lost to Mike, he deserved better. The final game to decide the winner was Ben v Mike and a 4-4 thriller meant Mike takes tonights honours on goal difference.

Date of next NETFA Teesside WASPA tournament will be 10th April 2015.

(Report by NETFA)

First tournament of the Veroia Labradors

There were seven players at the first meeting of the club organized by an experienced player, Thanasis Giaglis. All of them had a great time and wanted to play more and more untill the lady of the house took back her occupied kitchen around midnight. A great start for Veroia Labradors. Winner was Thanasis Giaglis, second Giannis Katrotzanakis and third Panagiotis Eleftheriou. Rest of the team Dimitris Tsahouridis, Petros Fakas, Anestis Tsahouridis and Thodoris Tarakoulakis.

(Report by Panos Panagiotides)

Steve Bennett still on top in the Scottish circuit

Last sunday the third stage of the Scottish circuit took place in Glasgow. There were 17 players taking part including three English players from Yorkshire Phoenix. Players were dropped in four groups and every one had more games for places 1 to 17. Steve Bennett was in another good day, winning his group, then defeating Baver Bari in the semi and winning the final against Tom Burns. England's Brian Daley was the other semi-finalist. This is the first victory for Steve Bennett since the Tayside Kickers club has been renamed "Dundee United TFC". It is also Steve's 19th title in the WASPA circuit.

The final ranking was as follows.
1. Steve Bennett (SCO/Dundee United TFC)
2. Tom Burns (SCO/Glasgow TSA)
3. Brian Daley (ENG/Yorkshire Phoenix)
4. Baver Bari (SCO/Hot Club d'Ecosse)
5. Gareth Christie (SCO/Dundee United TFC)
6. Dave Gladman (SCO/Glasgow TSA)
7. Malcolm Lees (SCO/Hot Club d'Ecosse)
8. Ben Staples (ENG/Yorkshire Phoenix)
9. Greg Dand (SCO/Dundee United TFC)
10. Colin Berry (SCO/Glasgow TSA)
11. Connor Bowden (ENG/Yorkshire Phoenix)
12. Ronnie McKenzie (SCO/Glasgow TSA)
13. Andy Beskaby (SCO/Dundee United TFC)
14. Dave Baxter (SCO/Dundee United TFC)
15. John Halpin (SCO/Glasgow TSA)
16. Craig Thom (SCO/Dundee United TFC)
17. Fraser McKenzie (SCO/Glasgow TSA)

Number 33 for Geoffrey Marain

Joffray Laurent, Vincent Guyaux, Geoffrey Marain, Alain Flament

This wednesday 12 players met in Templeuve for the monthly tournament of the local club. There were many good games but there was no surprise as the winner was again Geoffrey Marain who won his four games and finished ont op of the Swiss system with 12 points. Vincent Guyaux finished second thanks to a better goal-difference while Joffray Laurent was an excellent third.

The next appointment of the Templeuve United club will be on March 6, just before the FISTF Major of Frameries, for their next WASPA event. 22 players from 5 different nations are already confirmed to attend!

Final table of the evening
1. Geoffrey Marain (SC Eugies)
2. Vincent Guyaux (Bormla SC)
3. Joffray Laurent (SC Eugies)
4. Alain Flament (SCAF Quévy)
5t. Vincent Coppenolle (Templeuve United)
5t. Renald Deloose (Templeuve United)
7. Sebastien Devreese (SC Eugies)
8. Stéphane Lambert (Kent Invicta TFC)
9. Jason Delattre (Templeuve United)
10. Maxime Hoguet  (Templeuve United/France)
11. Eddy Beernaert (SC Flanders)
12. Benjamin Marain (SC Warcoing Ducks)

A nice win for Majee Nolizam in Tangerong

A small tournament took place this sunday in Tangerang, Indonesia. Five players were taking part and everyone had many games in the group stage as all players met twice. Arudyo Putro Rudy came on top of the group with five wins and three draws and qualified for the final.

In the decisive game, Malaysia's Majee Nolizam took the honors after defeating Arudyo Putro Rudy (2-0). Dicky Dewasanto finished third after defeating Dwi Putranto (1-0) in the consolation final.

Lucio Canicchio wins in Harrow

There was a tournament in Harrow this sunday where unsurprisingly Lucio Canicchio dominated also because the organizers had two last minute defections (Bob Varney and Luca Martinelli) and Gianpaolo Vitulano had to leave earlier.

Anyway there were 7 entries and we had two groups, one of 4 and one of 3, with a barrage round before the semis and the loser went to play in a group of 3 for 5th, 6th and 7th position, so everyone had quite few games. Lucio Canicchio beat Elliott Bellefontaine (7-3) in the final to claim the title!

(Report with the help of Rudi Peterschinigg)

Conan Mullen wins in Northern California

The Northern California Subbuteo Club played a small WASPA tournament on Sunday, February 22nd in San Francisco, CA. Only three players were available this month with results as follows.

Conan Mullen 3 - 0 Peter Vahle
Peter Vahle 1 - 0 Michail Keskinidis
Conan Mullen 2 - 0 Michail Keskinidis
Peter Vahle 0 -  1 Conan Mullen
Michail Keskinidis 0 - 1 Peter Vahle
Michail Keskinidis 0 - 1 Conan Mullen

Conan finished top with 12 points, Peter second with 6 points, and Mike third with 0 points. All the games were lively and closely contested with a lot of end-to-end action throughout.

(Report by NCSC)

The third trophy of the year for David Busch

This thursday we had a good tourn out of seven at the Regional Tournament in Ebreichsdorf (Austria). Players like David Busch and Christian Haas came to test their form before the Austrian Cup, which will take place on Sunday. In the preliminary round Lukas Eppensteiner showed pleasing performances with narrow defeats to Jürgen Lizar and Christian Haas and a win against Mathias Eppensteiner.

At the end of the knock-out phase David Busch won his third title this year in a tight match against Christian Haas. Surprisingly, Roland Schwacha reached the third place after a thrilling match against Jürgen Lizar.

(Report by Thomas Eppensteiner)

Yannis Salamouris wins in Athens

Dimitris Patrinos and Yannis Salamouris close to the new WASPA GREECE banner

During the recent FISTF International Open held in Athens by the club of Pobladores Griegos, it has been decided the consolation tournament would be played under WASPA banner. The event was successful as 26 players competed for the trophy and 19 of them were playing their first WASPA tournament ever. Yannis Salamouris (Atlas) took the honors after beating Dimitris Patrinos (Olympia) in the final. Congratulations to everyone involved to make it a success and special thanks to Panos Panagiotides for his work to promote the WASPA circuit in Greece and to create a successful collaboration between WASPA and FISTF.

Action during the tournament

The WASPA Greece banner

During the final

Dimitris Patrinos, runner-up

Yannis Salamouris, winner

Second title for Giuseppe Tardiota

Congratulations to Giuseppe Tardiota for claiming his second WASPA title in sunday's second Narangba Cup. Rik Bland, Giuseppe Brisbane Roar and Gus Gillespie were back at it again today for a full on afternoon of matches. Played on Rik's new Pegasus pitch, goals were plentiful across the 6 matches.

Giuseppe Tardiota and Rik both finished the event on 9 points but the reigning champion would take the win on goal difference.

Special mention must also go to Gus Gillespie who scored his first competition goals in his two losses to Rik Bland (2-3 on both occasions) and he was also 18 seconds away from a first point before Giuseppe took the lone goal in their second encounter which proved critical in the overall standings.

The players are looking to boost their numbers so please pass on any new contacts to Giuseppe Tardiota at gtardiota@yahoo.it (or "Brisbane Roar" on Facebook).

Thomas Eppensteiner wins in Budapest

This sunday, the Budapest subbuteo club organized their second WASPA tournament in the main city of Hungary. There were six players and everybody played against everybody twice. Thomas Eppensteiner from TFK Niederösterreich was the winner, Gábor Baross (Budapest Subbuteo) finished second. and Mathias Eppensteiner (TFK Niederösterreich) finished at the third place. The final result:
1. Thomas Eppensteiner
2. Gábor Baross
3. Mathias Eppensteiner
4. Róbert Zsigri
5. Adrián Száki
6. Csaba Laska

Full report, results and pictures at http://budapestsubbuteo.blog.hu/2015/02/15/osztrak_sikert_hozott_a_budapesti_waspa-verseny

Interview of Danny Lilley

Danny Lilley is not only a subbuteo player from England. He's also the organizer fof the Manchester club, the manager of Supaslide (WASPA partner) and the guy who launched the Sliders Tour in England.

When did you first start to play Subbuteo and what was the first team you got bought? 
Danny Lilley: I played when is was 8 and my first team was Blackburn Rovers

How many years have you been playing and what are the main titles you have achieved in any level?
DL: Been playing for 3 years now and slowly progressing.

What is the best thing about this game and why would you recommend it to someone? 
DL: The pure energy it creates around a small table. Plus the tactics.

Your most memorable moments from this game happy or even sad? 
DL: Best moment is scoring top goals against top players

Who was your strongest opponent and who is your favorite player and why?
DL: Vasco Guimarães, Simply the best

Is it a sport or a game ? what is your opinion about this question that many people ask?
DL: It’s a sport, sport is a competitive action that brings mental techniques and fitness, this as the lot.

What improvements would you like to see in the future and what would you suggest to improve things?
DL: Keep it as is now, perfect, maybe all EW pitches

What would you recommend to someone who starts the game now? What are the secrets for top performance?
DL: Relax, Go as fast as you see fit too. The game can be won with technique rather than speed.

What are your feelings about how FISTF and WASPA are working and doing something for the game nowadays?
DL: Amazing! The game is growing day by day and FISTF/WASPA are the focal of that.

What about the WASPA rankings? Do they mean something for you?
DL: Yes, Another great idea to progress in rankings without disrupting the FISTF side.

You are involved in other sports. How are these other sports be important in your life?
DL: I play Golf and Darts too, Both sport relax me.

The Sliders Tour 2015 has been dropped off. Everybody thinks it's very sad. Can you let us know how hard it was to take such a decision?
DL: Yes, The Sliders Tour was a success in my eyes and many others. The English Association as more event this year and didn’t want to disrupt that in any way. I respect the association in England, Being a former Chairman, I know how hard it can be to run.

What are the plans for the future of the Manchester club?
DL: I really want to grow Manchester TFC, We have money to back any project, we now just need the quality players to compete across Europe, it will get their, Manchester Is the biggest football city in the World, It needs a Subbuteo Club.

Danny's passport

Name: Danny Lilley
Age: 29
Nation: England
Club: Manchester TFC
Type of figures/bases used: Tchaaa Sniper 2.0
Job: Director of company
Hobbies: Golf, Darts and spending time with family.

First tournament win for Pietro Ielapi

There was subbuteo action this wednesday in Catanzaro, Italy where six players met to play a small tournament in Swiss system. Pietro Ielapi was the winner of the evening with three wins while Alessio Talarico was second and Andrea Pagano was third. Guido Carillio, Alfredo Priamo and Gianfranco Gallelli were also part of the tournament.

Fabrizio Coco wins the first tournament of the Northern Falcons

Northern Falcons WASPA Regional, Feb 10.

Chatswood. The ‘lower north shore’ of Sydney. Not far from where the Northern Falcons were born in 1976 in Roseville, as well as from where many of the players hailed: North Sydney Boys High School, appropriately located on Falcon Street.

And now some 39 years later, another gathering of Subbuteo aficionados, slightly thicker waists, dodgier backs and knees showing the effects of decades of football injuries, but still having the passion.

For a flick, for ‘that shot’, and for some of them, ‘that curl’.

Some younger ones as well: shock, horror, two born in the 90s, three in the 70s.

Mere interlopers for the main game that revolved around talking about past glories, catching up on lost decades.

Twelve hardy souls out on a balmy summer night in Sydney, tackling the first of the Northern Falcons Mk II competitions, a regional WASPA event.

A great venue, Good Games, a haven for all types of board gamers, role players and competitive card games.

Four tables with classic Strachan 6811 snooker cloth pitches, which admittedly took a match or two to ‘settle’ after a month of inactivity.

Three guests from Subbuteo Parramatta, or should that be Calcio Tavolo Parramatta? Stalwarts Daniele and Raffaele Lombardi along with Fabrizio Coco, all quality players, joining the old mates: Steve Dettre, Eliot Kennedy, Johnny Ball, Simon Cole, Stuart Codling from the days of action in the 70s, and then Dominic Grenot and Will Johncock from the 80s. Added to that was Steve’s son Louis, a recent convert to the game, and Hermann Kruse, a recruit from Germany. For Simon, Stuart, Dom, Hermann and Will, it was their first taste of competition in the ‘new era’ of the Australian game.
The action started with one upset: Will beating Daniele 1-0, which cost Daniele a place in the Qfinals. Eliot and Fabrizio battled to a 0-0 with a range of shots failing to produce a winner. Steve once again drew his son in a competitive match, and Louis responded by pushing him all the way, missing with a glorious shot on the run that skipped just wide as Steve fumbled for his keeper.  Johnny and Stuart experimented with Sniper 2.0 as well as their traditional 00 figures, and Stuart scored a creditable 1-1 draw with Dom.

To determine final placing, Steve and Louis had to resort to a shootout as they finished level in their group, and Steve prevailed 4-3.

In the quarter-finals, Johnny had to fight all the way to beat Louis 1-0, who was lining up for a possible equalizer when the buzzer went. Fabrizio and Eliot scored comfortable wins, and then met in the semi where once again shots were Eliot’s downfall. Steve beat Johnny by a comfortable 3-0, but the long range shooting deserted him in the final, where the precise, accurate build-ups by Fabrizio stretched his defence. So at 0-0, it was down to shots, Fabrizio claiming the prize 2-1. And then it was off to the pub, to analyse “that flick”, “that shot” and “that curl”.

And to agree that Subbuteo really was the winner.

(Report by Steve Dettre)