WASPA trophies for Brian Pearson, Clifford Graaff and Alan Lee

Here is a brief summary of some small events held under WASPA banner in Australia, South Africa and England.

In Australia the Perth club had a great turnout with 7 players attending the monthly tournament. The local group was happy to see Mick DeVincentis playing his first tournament. Brian Pearson won the event while Alan Kimber was runner-up.

Final table:

1. Brian Pearson 16
2. Alan Kimber 14
3. Hugh Best 11
4. Chris Thorn 7
5. Noel Mani 4
6. Ron Byrne 3
7. Mick DeVincentis 2

Small turnout @ ETS Subbuteo Club for year-end Christmas Cup

Thursday the 17th of December saw ETS Subbuteo Club host their firs ever Christmas Cup which also brought the curtain down on a very successful inaugural season for the newest Subbuteo club in South Africa.

Unfortunately the large turnout was reduced because of various reasons and also the one important nagging fact of this ravaged year called Chinese Covid.

However the three participating players, played a double round against each other with the player ending on top of the standings being crowned as ETS Christmas Cup champion.

The tournament started off with ETS co-founder, Carl Bolweg producing a great equalizing goal just before full-time to snatch a well deserved draw against favourite Clifford Graaff.

Angus Begg and Carl the produced a thrill-a-minute goalless draw in the second game.

Clifford then beat Angus by a solitary goal to record the first three pointer of the evening.

Clifford followed up his victory over Angus by producing a clinical display to score a two nil victory of Carl and place himself top of the standings.

Carl and Angus then produced the game of the evening in a thrilling score draw. Angus got the game off to a scintillating start by laying siege to Carl's goal.

This constant pressure paid off when he blasted a great goal from an acute angle to take the lead. This goal spurred Carl on and some neat inter-play in the midfield resulted in Carl scoring a great chip from just inside the area to set up a pressure filled last few minutes. Play ping ponged from either goal and Angus had a great opportunity at the death only to see his shot canon wide of the goal with only the keeper to beat.

Clifford and Angus squared off in the last game and even though Clifford created some scoring opportunities his final touch let him down and the game ended goalless. This resulted in Clifford claiming the inaugural Christmas title at ETS Subbuteo Club. 

Unfortunately co-founder Jason Kennedy could not attend as he was busy at work.

Speaking on behalf of ETS Subbuteo Club, Carl said that they were very happy with their first season which saw them host three tournaments, two official WASPA sanctioned events and set up a strong base for 2021 which hopefully will prove to be free of the cursed Chinese Covid epidemic. Him, and everybody associated with ETS Subbuteo Club would like to wish everybody a very blessed Christmas and prosperous New Year.

Final table:

1. Clifford Graaff 8 points
2. Angus Begg 3 (-1)
3. Carl Bolweg 3 (-2)

East Lancashire players back in action

Finally, the East Lancashire club had a great night with six players competing in a round robin. Alan Lee won his five games to win the small event. 

The club was also happy to announce the signing of their 14th member, Anthony Culshaw. Welcome Anthony!

Final standings:

1. Alan Lee 15
2. Nick Pearson 12
3. Chris Bedford 9
4. Shawn Dunne 4
5. Gavin Roper 4
6. Rob Wilkinson 0

Clifford takes the Father Christmas Trophy

Sunday the 12th of December saw the Johannesburg TFC aka 'The Joburg Eagles' host their last Subbuteo tournament for 2020 in a year that was decimated due to the Chinese Covid 19 Flu.

A field of 10 participants took part to see who could claim the 'Subbuteo Father Christmas Trophy'. Jason Kennedy, chairman of the ETS Subbuteo Club, brough 4 youngsters (all under 12) to participate in the Junior Christmas Challenge. Twins, Nicholas and Daniel Kassner, both in their maiden Subbuteo Tournament proved superior over a strong challenge by the young girls, Jorja and Hannah. Nicholas proved to be the worthy winner by claiming two victories and a draw to claim the junior laurels, followed by his twin brother Daniel, and closely followed by Jorja and Hannah.

The juniors, along with newbies Gavin and Brian, then took part in the Senior Christmas Challenge along with seasoned players Sean, Clifford, Jason and Carl. 

In accordance with the long standing ethos of the Joburg Eagles, when senior players play against the juniors, it takes the form of a training class and the senior players assist and impart tips and hints on Subbuteo play. Suffice to say that there is also an UNWRITTEN rule that NO senior will score more than three goals against our juniors. The Eagles are also proud to say that the latter also applies to novice seniors playing in ALL our tournaments. Fun and enjoyment are the main ingredients and this leads to enjoyment by ALL the players. Pre-tournament favourite and 3rd seeded in the November WASPA world rankings, Sean Morgan and Jason Kennedy, easily qualified from Group A , along with Clifford Graaff and Carl Bolweg.

The semi-finals probably saw the game of the season when Clifford came up against an in-form Jason Kennedy. Clifford took an early lead via a defensive mistake by Jason. However the last two minutes proved why we all love this game so very much. Jason broke down the right and overplayed a ball into the shooting area leaving the only player with any hope of a clear sight way back in his own half of the field. However we all know that this does NOT deter Jason!!! He launched his player that brilliantly connected the ball, on the corner of the penalty box, and produced a replica that 'Hot Shot Hamish' would've been proud of to send the ball past a bewildered Clifford much to the delight of all present. Clifford, from the resultant kick-off broke down the right and some close control touches enabled him to fire a shot that sneaked in at the near post and score an unlikely winner with TWO seconds left on the timer. Clifford admitted after the game that the equalizing goal by Jason ranks as the best goal he has ever conceded. 

The second semi saw an in form Sean lay down the gauntlet with a near perfect display and beat an ever improving Carl by three goals to nil.

As a curtain-raiser to the Final, Fason and Carl flicked off in the Third/Fourth Place Play-off with Jason securing yet another 3rd Place in a WASPA Tournament with a clinical two nil triumph. The Final pitted good friends and adversaries Sean and Clifford against each other in yet another Final.

Sean grabbed the early iniative, however Clifford came back strong towards the end of the game. However, the Final ended in a goalless stalemate, and the dreaded penalty shoot-out followed.

Sean won the toss and bravely chose to shoot first. This seemed a great idea as his first flick produced a great chip from out wide to see the ball nestle in the top corner of the goal. 1 Nil to Sean.

With the pressure on Clifford, he replicated Sean's great strike and neatly chipped the ball over Seans keeper to equalize. 1 All.

Sean once again produced a great second penalty with a trade mark chip to take a vital lead. 2 - 1 to Sean. With the pressure on Clifford to match Sean, his second penalty was brilliantly saved by Sean to set up a great advantage with 3 flicks left. 

Sean's third flick was wonderfully saved by Clifford's keeper as he tipped the shot over the bar. Clifford responded with a neat equalizing penalty that saw the ball chipped over Sean's keeper. 2 All With the pressure now reverting back to Sean, he had to slot his fourth flick to maintain his advantage. However this was not to be as another great save by Clifford kept the ball out of the net.

Clifford now had the first opportunity to take the lead in the shoot-out. He did not waste the opportunity as he calmed chipped the keeper to take a 3-2 lead with only one remaining flick for each player.

With immense pressure on Sean to stay alive in the Final, his final flick was tipped by Clifford's keeper onto the cross-bar and roll away to safety. 3 - 2 penalty win for Clifford.

The above penalty shoot-out capped an awesome day of Subbuteo action, fun and great goals. Everybody was also treated to some great pizzas, snacks and a specially baked Subbuteo Cake featuring Subbuteo players on a muddy 'chocolate' field. A great way to end off the seaon by the Joburg Eagles.

Everbody associated with the Joburg Eagles wish one and all, a very Merry and Blessed Christmas, and may the true Christmas Spirit manifest itself to everyone as this dark year draws to a most welcome conclusion.

If travelling, please go carefully as we wish to see you all back and flicking in a Chinese Covid-free 2021!!!!!!

Merry Christmas/ Geseende Kersfees !!!!!!!!

(Report by Clifford Graaff)

Giuseppe Tardiota wins again in Brisbane

The Brisbane club was meeting again on Sunday and the monthly tournament had six players competing for glory. It was another good day of play with many close games but in the end, Giuseppe tardiota managed to win another trophy. The good news is U15 player James Gillespie was back in action and probably the local group will see his brother Will playing as well next year.

James Gillespie

Giuseppe Tardiota

Final standings:

1. Giuseppe Tardiota
2. Kevin Halliday
3. Gus Gillespie
4. Gareth Whalley
5. Wayne Miller
6. James Gillespie.

South Africa: Tokai Christmas Cup

Mike rues another missed opportunity

Yesterday (Sat 12th Dec) saw only the second event in Cape Town in the strange year that is 2020. Straight from our ‘New Year tournament’ in January, to our Christmas Cup event 11 months later.

It was a small, informal gathering of 4 friends, but so nice to play a few games again! It was also great to welcome Dave back after a year or two of focusing on stadium building.

RESULTS
Mike v Dave 2-0, 2-0
John v Clinton 1-2, 1-1
Mike v John 0-1, 1-1
Clinton v Dave 3-2, 1-1
John v Dave 2-0, 1-0
Mike v Clinton 2-3, 1-1

Dave during the penalty shoot-out

3rd / 4th place play-off:
Mike v Dave 0-0, pens 3-2

Final:
John v Clinton 0-1

(Report by Clinton Gahwiler)

Benji Batten wins the Christmas Cup

Benji Batten lifting the trophy

 
Things are almost back to normal in Australia where the club of Sydney TFC held the traditional "Christmas Cup" on Saturday with 12 players coming from different clubs of the city and Benji batten travelling from Melbourne to play some competitive games after a long break. Benji Batten was on fire as he won the tournament after convincing wins against Torben Pfister (4-0) and Jonty Brener (3-0) in the group stage, Kostas Barbaris in quarter-final (6-1), Fabrizio Coco in semi-final (2-1) and Tony Credentino in the final (2-0). Torben Pfister was the other semi-finalist of the tournament while Geoff Sirmai won the consolation tournament. It was nice also to see Boni Sg representing Brazil during the event. Boni is a new member of Sydney TFC and will hopefully attend more events in the future.

Some other results from Australia deserve a mention. In October, tournaments were organized by the clubs of Perth and Northern Falcons. In Perth, Singapore's Tan Yew Loy finished on top of a group of 7 to win the event. The final standings were as follows (all Subbuteo Perth players unless noted):

1. Tan Yew Loy
2. Alan Kimber
3. Brian Pearson
4. Ross McNulty
5. Hugh Best (Sports TFC of Western Australia)
6. Ron Byrne
7. Chris Thorn

At the Northern Falcons tournament, six players competed in two groups with semi-finals and a final. Fabrizio Coco (Sydney TFC) defeated clubmate Tony Credentino (2-0) in the final to win the title. Semi-finalists were Steve Dettre and Eliot Kennedy.

Thanks to the different clubs in Australia for the great work and for giving great games to their members. Hopefully more tournaments will be organized in Australia in the near future.

WASPA standings of November 2021 + some news

Dear friends, you will find in the attached files the results and updated rankings at the end of November 2021.

PDF file (results)

Excel file (rankings)

The last month was calm with only 7 tournaments added in the records. There were only events in Greece but also in the Southern hemisphere (South Africa and Australia). We hope to see things back to normal soon but we are aware it will take time to see more events in more nations soon. Until things are going better, we really want to improve the circuit.

Players at the Brisbane tournament

To make things better, we have decided to carry on a survey to collect ideas and opinions about the WASPA circuit. If you have a few minutes, please be kind enough to answer the WASPA survey. Your opinion is very important! Thanks in advance for your answers!

Link to the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9tOy4YTcg0b0gqPEmtlJnLCX5fP0Cw7ZJhwoUfk5ZtU914A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Another important thing is that several players want to see more visibility for the most active clubs. Therefore a page of the WASPA blog has been updated to promote all the clubs that organize regular events under WASPA banner. 

If you see "details coming soon" under your club, please send us details to publish (club logo, brief history of the club, contact person, social networks, website,...)

If your club is not listed but would like to be involved, please drop me a line as well. We are sure we can help each other!

The Western Sydney club was back in action in November

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Link to the page: https://waspa-circuit.blogspot.com/p/waspa-top-clubs.html

We remain at your disposal for any information regarding the circuit. Your ideas to improve the WASPA circuit are also more than welcome.

Well, that's all for now. Please remember you only need 3 players to register your tournament. Don't be scared to join. It's free and tournament requests can be sent by e-mail to vincent.cop@rsca.com

Keep an eye on the WASPA blog at http://waspa-circuit.blogspot.com as there are updates almost every day.

Please invite your friends to join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/waspasubbuteo/

We also have a WASPA page here: https://www.facebook.com/WASPA-World-Amateur-Subbuteo-Players-Association-231789816834700/

Keep in mind WASPA is also looking for partners. If you know any company ready to support us (we don’t ask for money but we want some win-win agreements so that we can promote each  other), don't hesitate to contact me at vincent.cop@rsca.com or vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Have a great week.

Vincent Coppenolle

Western Sydney 2020 November WASPA tournament

FINALLY! Back in action after a loooong 11 months with no events, firstly due to the closure of our beloved Good Games Bella Vista clubhouse then the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing shutdowns, subbuteo has not been able to be played competitively by the club. But, with the recent relaxation of some of the more stringent social distancing rules, and by moving the tournament to an outdoors venue, November 14 saw the return of Western Sydney Subbuteo's monthly WASPA tournaments.

A few regular faces, including visiting Northern Falcons Steve and Eliot, were joined by Imojjen playing her first games in just over a year, and newcomer Ethan, who has learnt the game at school and, following one Junior Tournament a couple of years ago, played in his first open tournament.

A league format was decided upon, with all 6 players playing each other once. Early games went as could be predicted - Eliot and Steve slotted regularly past Costa and Imojjen respectively, while Adrian dominated Ethan but only managed a single goal. In the second round, Eliot opened his scoring after 20 seconds against a rusty Imojjen, while the other two fixtures ended in hard fought draws, Costa versus Ethan and Steve versus Adrian. Ethan scored his first goal in the next round as Imajjen had a stranded traveling 'keeper moment, while Adrian just did enough against Costa. Meanwhile, Eliot was refinding his touch, defeating Steve, with three of his goals coming in the last couple of minutes of the game. Adrian eased past Imojjen in the penultimate round, as Eliot did with Ethan, while Steve had a much sterner task beating Costa 1-0.

Which left a tantalising final round. Adrian knew he had to beat Eliot to take the title, while Steve was counting on Eliot to win so that he might slot into second place, with Costa an Imojjen battling each other to move from the bottom of the ladder. Costa was victorious by a single goal in his efforts. Adrian capitulated to Eliot, with Eliot giving him no chance to slip past him on the table. Eliot destroyed Adrian 4-0, including some divine goals from tight angles. Which gave Steve the inside running for second place. However, in the day's biggest upset, Ethan showed he had learned a lot from his first 4 senior games and held the FISTF President to a 1-1 draw - much to the delight of both himself and Adrian.

A perfect Spring afternoon made the outdoor venue quite accommodating, with the occasional breath of wind catching the ball, but only to the level of making it a bit of a charming novelty, rather than an annoyance, also keeping the temperatures very pleasant. The play throughout the tournament was, as ever, in great spirits with an excellent time had by all. 

It was good to be back!!!  

For more photos, go to: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=oa.374215830357451&type=3

(Report by Adrian Elmer)

Gus Gillespie wins in Brisbane

Brisbane Subbuteo Club was back in action on Sunday with a great event attracting seven players. Shane Robinson (Ipswich Kestrels TFC) made his come-back and all players had 6 games; At the end of the day, Gus Gillespie finished on top of the league to claim his 14th WASPA title. The next appointment in Brisbane is December 13.

Final table

1. Gus Gillespie
2. Giuseppe Tardiota
3. Gerry Vickers
4. Wayne Miller
5. Gareth Whalley
6. Kevin Halliday
7. Shane Robinson

Anas bin Rahamat did it again in Singapore

In October, Vikas K. Chandiramani held a small WASPA tournament under the flag ofd the Singapore Table Football Association. Six players were competing with group games and then finals. Anas bin Rahamat defeated Vikas K. Chandiramani in the final (3-2) while Den Mulia Defeated Italy's Enzo Fornaro in the game for the 3rd place. This is Anas's 38th WASPA title, which brings him in the top 5 of the all-time winners.

All-time winners (top 5):
Geoffrey Marain (BEL) 109 WASPA wins in regional tournaments
Brian Daley (ENG) 63
Rudy Hesty (SIN) 56
Steve Bennett (SCO) 50
Benny Ng (AUS) and Anas bin Rahamat (SIN) 38

WASPA records of October 2020

Dear Subbuteo friends,

here are the updated records of
the WASPA circuit after the 17 tournaments played in October.

See PDF file with the results

See Excel file with the rankings and statistics

Unfortunately the virus is stopping more and more clubs and the activity of the WASPA circuit has been limited in the last few weeks. Some nations like Greece and England had a decent number of events but things have been more complicated for many other nations.

Subbuteo among great friends in Brisbane

We have been glad to see succesfful tournaments with great number of players and to see the first tournament in Belgium for 7 months. Malta was also back in action with a good tournament in Bormla where 16 players took part. We had the first event in California for months and England has continued to host many great events. The development in the South of England is really impressive. Cheers also to our friends in Johannesburg who had another event where new players were introduced to the game.

The virus has a very negative effect on rankings as we lost more players in the overall individual ranking in October. We really hope that once the virus is gone we will rebuild a stronger circuit.

Greece is now on top of the 2 rankings of nations while the Flaming Flickers SC are leading the top clubs section and Surrey Saracens SC from England is on top of the Development league.

Young players discovering the game in Johannesburg, South Africa

We remain at your disposal for any information regarding the circuit. Your ideas to improve the WASPA circuit are also more than welcome.

Presentation of the trophy at the
Surrey Saracens tournament (England)

Well, that's all for now. Please remember you only need 3 players to register your tournament. Don't be scared to join. It's free and tournament requests can be sent by e-mail to vincent.cop@rsca.com

Keep an eye on the WASPA blog at http://waspa-circuit.blogspot.com as there are updates almost every day.

Players at the Sankt Pauli tournament in Germany

Please invite your friends to join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/waspasubbuteo/

We also have a WASPA page here: https://www.facebook.com/WASPA-World-Amateur-Subbuteo-Players-Association-231789816834700/

Keep in mind WASPA is also looking for partners. If you know any company ready to support us (we don’t ask for money but we want some win-win agreements so that we can promote each  other), don't hesitate to contact me at vincent.cop@rsca.com or vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Have a great week and a great new season.

Vincent Coppenolle, vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Athanasios Karamanis wins Roligans tournament

Greece had another successful months with several events held by different clubs. One of the events was held on October 18 in Ilioupoli. The Roligans attracted a great field of 12 players and the tournament was run in Swiss system. The Winner was Athanasios Karamanis, a member of the host club. Congratulations to all involved players.

The final table:

1. Athanasios Karamanis
2. Konstantinos Sochoritis
3. Aggelos Foutrakis
4. Nikolaos Prombonas
5. Giorgos Dimakeas
6. Stavros Mesonisanakis
7. Anasthasios Priftis
8. Chris Kotrotsos
9. Fotis Hondroudakis
10. Pavlos Malindretos
11. Ioulianos Prombonas
12. Panagiotis Skouros

England: wins for Daley, Lee and Goodman

Here is a brief summary of the latest news in England where the WASPA circuit is doing great. Of course activity will now be limited again due to the virus but the future looks promising.

East Lancashire Subbuteo Club

The East Lancashire vlub held a very first tournament under WASPA banner earlier this month. 10 players were taking part and Brian Daley defeated Chris Bedford in the final. Stephen Shaw and Lucasz Whittle made it to the semi-finals while Gavin Roper defeated John Lister in the Plate final.

Haverhill Rovers TFC

The third Haverhill Rovers tournament was another success with seven players competing in a league format. Alan Lee won his six games to win the tournament. The final standings of the evening were as follows:

1. Alan Lee
2. Elliot Bellefontaine
3. Joe Harrington
4. Jason Mitchell
5. David Payne
6. Gerry Harrington
7. Valter Baroncini

Worthing Fivestar

There was a small tournament in Brighton on October 13. Alan Lee finished on top of the tournament while Dave Croucher was runner-up and Ian Maskell was third.

Solent Subbuteo Club news

The club will be running a FISTF League alongside a Traditional Advanced Rules League fortnightly on a Wednesday evening. Contact Corey Martin for more information.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2759539824274495

Surrey Saracens SC

The recent Surrey Saracens tournament took place in Reigate and had a good turnout of 8 players. Simon Goodman defeated Alan Lee in the final. Ian Maskell and Dave Croucher reached the semis and Lee Fenton defeated Rob Cashman in the Plate final.

Manchester TFC

The club is preparing for a new venue announcement and looking at the end of November for our return night. COVID-19 is still spoiling matters but we will keep you updated. We are welcoming new and returning players, keep your eyes peeled for more news soon.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterTableFootballClub

Transfer news

A few transfers have recently been confirmed in the WASPA circuit.

Chris Bedford (London Road) will now play for East Lancashire Subbuteo Club.
Nick Pearson (NETFA) will now play for London Road SC.
Ian Maskell (Worthing) will now play for Surrey Saracens SC.

Morgan captures Joburg Open

Sean Morgan (left) receives award from Clifford Graaff

Sunday the 25th of October saw the annual Joburg Open being played at Randburg AFC. The Joburg Open is the oldest Subbuteo Tournament in South Africa and Africa, with the first tournament being played in 2008.

This year's edition attracted a lot of interest with a total entries numbering 21.

The Boys Juniors got the ball rolling and saw a field of 8 local boys from Randburg FC and Transition FC divided into 2 groups of 4. Although goals were at a premium, Phumz Chabangu and Declan Wright qualified from Group A, along with Asanthi Ngobe and Sifiso Chauke. Penalty shoot-outs determined the semi finals with Asanthi and Phumz qualifying for a tense Boys Final. Asanthi held his nerve, and scored a marathon 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory to claim the Juniors Boys title.

8 players attended the tournament

The Ladies section, drew the biggest field ever field for a Ladis Subbuteo tournament in South Africa when 8 ladies flicked off to see who would rule the Ladies section. 

The format was a straight knock-out draw and the highlight was the absolute fun and good nature that prevailed through-out the knock-out stages. Jason Kennedy was roped in multiple times as the ladies loved to refer goal-line attempts to VAR. Once again, VAR was not popular although the results were accepted with the normal football chirps.

Nita Graaff qualified for the final against Noni Khumalo in a tight contested final that was only decided via a penalty shoot-out. Nita prevailed in a marathon penalty shoot-out which went to sudden-death and claim her maiden title against a gracious runner-up in Noni.

General consensus amongst all the Ladies were the enjoyment of the day and the fact that they would be back to grace the tables with their presence.

Five senior men contested a very tight and competitive Mens Open with Sean Morgan continuing his current unbeaten streak by easily qualifying for the final with a 100% record in the group stages. Angus Begg, displaying a great improvement, captured a well deserved second spot over Clifford and Jason, to set up a mouth watering final clash vs Sean.

Several ladies played their first Subbuteo tournament

The Joburg Open Final did not disappoint, as Sean and Angus dished up a great spectacle, highlighting the reason for the longevity of our great game. Angus was quick on the attack, however Sean's precise defending kept Angus at bay. Sean then pounced on a mistake by Angus in the midfield to set up his customary wide break and the resultant top corner shot could not be stopped by Angus. Angus then through everything into attack, however just before the final whistle, Sean caught Angus with a counter-attack and a precise through ball saw Sean score his second goal and insure that he captures this years Johannesburg Open title. Sean was also the winner of the inaugural tournament way back in 2008. 

Congratulations must go to all the entrants, as fair play and enjoyment, the club ethos of the Johannesburg Table Football Club aka The Eagles was evident throughout the entire tournament and Subbuteo was the ultimate winner in the end!

(Report by Clifford Graaff)

Subbuteo is back in California

Mike vs Sam

The southern members of the NorCal Subbuteo Club held the first WASPA tournament in San Luis Obispo County in California. With Covid-19 precautions in place, a restricted 3-member tournament took place on Saturday Oct 17.

Congratulations to Sam Omiotek for winning the tournament, defeating Mike Jercich 2-0, in Mike’s first ever competition.

Players in Sonoma

Also this week-end, in the effort to make the NorCal Subbuteo Club reborn after lockdown, players decided to play locally and to avoid big club gatherings for the moment. Here are a couple pictures from the first gathering of the 3 Sonoma County members. Prior to COVID, distance and juggling with everybody's schedules have been a difficult part in finding common dates to play. Club members are hoping that the opportunity to play locally will increase their chances to play more often and come back stronger as a club when the time allows. NCSC is still here and is more excited to play than ever!

Giuseppe Tardiota and Ross McNulty winners in Australia

The six competitors in Brisbane

 Australia had two tournaments played under WASPA banner in October.

In Brisbane, six players competed in a group format. Gerry Vickers finished on top and qualified for the final but in the end, Gerry from New Zealand couldn't beat local hero Giuseppe Tardiota who won the decisive game (1-0) thanks to a goal in the sudden death. Gus Gillespie was 3rd, Gareth Whalley 4th, Wayne Miller 5th and Kevin Halliday 6th.

The Perth guys also had a tournament this week-end and the event consisted in a league format with 7 players. Ross McNulty was undefeated and won the tournament with 4 wins and 2 draws. The final standings of the tournament were as follows:

1. Ross McNulty
2. Alan Kimber
3. Brian Pearson
4. Noel Mani
5. Hugh Best
6. Chris Thorn
7. Adam Taylor

Thanks to the clubs of Perth and Brisbane for the great events. The next tournaments will be held on November 8 in Brisbane and on November 15 at the Perth club house (22 Titchborne st Cockburn). New players always welcome.

Jason Pisani wins WASPA event in Bormla

Top 4 of the tournament : Aquilina - Pisani - Tabone - Camilleri

The maltese club of Bormla was back in action this week-end and their tournament played under WASPA banner had a great turnout of 16 players. The event was organized with the help of MSTFA and St george band club. Jason Pisani defeated Charles Aquilina in the final (2-1) while Jean Carl Tabone and Mauro Camilleri reached the semi-finals.

Before the final

Thanks to the Bormla club for a great event.

To be noted there will be another tournament in Malta next month as the Attard club will hold a WASPA event on November 8. Details from Mario Fleri Soler at hattardsc@gmail.com

Simon Stewart does it again in Sankt Pauli

Six players attended the October WASPA at the Millerntor Stadion, home of Subbuteo Sankt Pauli. Sven Schilling and Simon Stewart had risen in the rankings to #15 and #16 respectively but they could  expect strong a strong challenge from a former champion in Marius as well as Fred. 

Simon took the honours with a strong performance on the night triumphing over both Marius and then Sven 2-0, before drawing with Fred 0-0 and rounding off the night with a 1-0 win against Andre. Sven was 2nd winning his three other games against Fred, Ralf and Marius. Fred finished 3rd, 1 point ahead of Marius in 4th. 

We’re hoping to return to competitive action again next month with another WASPA, but our club nights continue every Tuesday with everyone welcome. 

Final table

1.  Simon Stewart   5-0   10 P.
2.  Sven Schilling   6-2    9 P.
3.  Fred Elesbao   3-2    7 P.
4.  Marius Willhaus   4-4    6 P.
5.  Andre Lange   1-5    1 P.
6.  Ralf Offenborn   0-6    1 P.

A busy period for the Roligans

Despite the hard times the players are living, the Roligans guys had a busy month of September with two tournaments run under WASPA banner but also the FISTF Major (September 12-13) played by 46 players in various categories.

Players at the Regional tournament

On September 27, the club organize a WASPA regional tournament with 9 players. The event was played in Swiss system and Evangelos Kotrotsos took the honors while Demetrios Rebis was runner-up. Chris Kotrotsos was 3rd and Georgios Dimakeas took the 4th place.

Players at the promotional tournament

Earlier in the month, the Roligans also had a WASPA promotional tournament with 9 players also. The winner was the club president Georgios dimakeas while Tasis Priftis. Evangelos Kotrotsos and Georgios Pitichoutis took the places 3 and 4.

Regional tournament table:

1. Evangelos Kotrotsos (u15)
2. Dimitrios Rebis
3. Christos Kotrotsos
4. Dimakeas Georgios
5. Stavros Messonisanakis
6. Prombonas Ioulianos
7. Foutrakis Angelos
8. Chondroudakis Fotis
9. Panagiotis Skouros (u12)

Promotional tournament table:

1. Georgios Dimakeas
2. Anastasios Priftis
3. Evangelos Kotrotsos (u15)
4. Georgios Pitichoutis
5. Kostantinos Sochoritis
6. AngelosFoutrakis
7. Nikolaos Prombonas
8. Christos Kotrotsos
9. Ioulianos Prombonas 

Number 30 for Ceulemans

After a long break of seven month, the WASPA circuit was back last Monday in Belgium. The SC Flanders club held a very first tournament in the new premises of the club in Antwerp. The new location didn't help to get a strong field of players as only five players showed up. Jos Ceulemans won his 30th WASPA title while geert Leys was runner-up and Davis Wouters was third. Unfortunately it's very hard to know if more WASPA events will be held in the near future in Belgium due to the new restrictions.

Howard Christie wins in Canada

Howard Christie wins the first CanadaFlicks Cup in seven months! The tournament held by the Toronto SC guys took place on September 26th.

Howard defeated Mike Sgro in the final. 5 flickers from ontario were taking part!

Thanks to everyone who came out and helped to keep this long-overdue event safe and fun.

WASPA standings in the end of September

Dear all, here are the new WASPA records as per September 2020.

Season 20-21(results file)

Ranking file

We have started a new season and we are aware it's really complicated to have fair rankings and standings but it's important to keep the circuit running as it's a sign of hope for the players/clubs/organizers who are waiting for better days.

Players at the Stanway Rovers tournament in England

Even if it's a complicated period, we have had tournaments in South Africa, Greece, Italy, Singapore, the US, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Wales, Scotland, Australia and England in September. Thanks to the organizers for making this happen!

The WASPA circuit is back at the Jurong club in Singapore

Rankings are changing a lot. Brian Daley is still number 1 in the overall ranking but the season leader is Alan Lee from England. Alan has done a great job to motivate clubs to organize tournaments in England and hopefully there will be a strong future for the game in England and in the UK in general even if there are restrictions nowadays, which means there will be less tournaments in October.

Players in Brisbane, Australia

Evangelos Kotrotsos from Greece is the new junior number 1. Please note this season juniors are players born in 2004 or later. If you don't see the names of some of your young players in the ranking, don't hesitate to drop me a line. i just need the correct birthdates to include more players.

The rankings of nations are also changing as Belgium has not organized any tournament for 7 months now due to the covid restrictions. Greece is the new leader in the ranking by places while England is the leader in the ranking by points.

Young players in Johannesburg, South Africa

The rankings of clubs start from scratch in the beginning of the season. In the "top clubs" sections, the Roligans (Greece) are the first leaders but London Road Subbuteo Club and the Flaming Flickers SC are very close. Only 11 clubs have scored points in September so there will be a strong evolution in the next few months. In the WASPA Development League, 14 of the 37 involved clubs have score points. Worthing Fivestar from England is the surprising first leader but Johannesburg TFC and Cardiff TFC are also very close. London Road Subbuteo Club is still the solid leader in the Junior ranking.

Important notice: there is no new handbook for this season yet but there will be a new file soon. I would like to create a discussion group to see how the handbook can be improved. Your ideas are welcome and if you want to be part of the discussion group, just let me know.

We remain at your disposal for any information regarding the circuit. Your ideas to improve the WASPA circuit are also more than welcome.

Action in the premises of Subbuteo Sankt Pauli in Germany

Well, that's all for now. Please remember you only need 3 players to register your tournament. Don't be scared to join. It's free and tournament requests can be sent by e-mail to vincent.cop@rsca.com

Keep an eye on the WASPA blog at http://waspa-circuit.blogspot.com as there are updates almost every day.

Please invite your friends to join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/waspasubbuteo/

We also have a WASPA page here: https://www.facebook.com/WASPA-World-Amateur-Subbuteo-Players-Association-231789816834700/

Keep in mind WASPA is also looking for partners. If you know any company ready to support us (we don’t ask for money but we want some win-win agreements so that we can promote each  other), don't hesitate to contact me at vincent.cop@rsca.com or vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Have a great week and a great new season.

Vincent Coppenolle

Great success for the Lions Zante

While the records of September are almost finished, we have received great news from Greece where the Lions Zante organized their second WASPA tournament this Sunday. 16 players were present including representatives of the Roligans and Achaioi TSC.

Top 3 of the day: Foutrakis (3), Sotiropoulos (1) and Dimakeas (2)

There was a group stage and a knock-out round. In the end Manolis Sotiropoulos (Achaioi) defeated Giorgos Dimakeas (Roligans) in the final while semi-finalists were Aggelos Foutrakis (Roligans) and Christos Kalandrias (Lions Zante).

Congratuations to the organizers for a great show and thanks to the visitors from other clubs for making this event very special!

Aussies keep on flicking

The situation is still difficult for some parts of Australia but players in Brisbane and Perth had their monthly tournaments in September as usual.

In Brisbane, five players turned up and they had a great time. Giuseppe Tardiota defeated Kevin Halliday in the final. Gerry Vickers was third and Gareth Whalley beat Wayne Miller to win the Wooden Spoon. The event took place at Gareth's as the club room was not available.

For interested players, this are the next dates at The Community Center North Lakes QLD: 11/10/2020, 08/11/2020, 13/12/2020, 17/01/2021, 21/02/2021, 14/03/2021, 11/04/2021 16/05/2021, 13/06/2021.

In Perth, five players competed in a round robin format with Alan Kimber winning his four games to claim the title. there was a very close fight between other players and Chris Thorn was runner-up with five points while Noel Mani (5) was 3rd, Ron Byrne (3) 4th, and Adam Taylor (1) 5th.

Next club meeting will be the 18th of October at the club house. Address: 22Titchborne st Cockburn. New players always welcome.

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1233903783292458