Martinog Bradley wins Christmas Cup

A team of 5 played out a league format Christmas Cup in derry (Northern Ireland), with Martinog Bradley taking the honours with 4 wins. Oisin Mor played runner-up with two solid wins over veteran, Paul Boyle, and newcomer Jude Morrow. Great nights craic for the last flicks of the decade!

Final standings: 
1. Martinog Bradley
2. Oisin Mor
3. Lawrence Watson
4. Jude Morrow
5. Paul Boyle

November 2019: news from around the globe

Here is a brief summary of several events held around the globe in November.

In Northern Ireland there was a very small turnout for Derry City TFC' 3rd anniversary cup and a venue mix up led to a fantastic evening of craic in the DCTFC spiritual home ‘The Shed’. 4 players battled it out in a league format with Derry’s Martinog Bradley the winner on the night. Brendan Rodgers took runner-up. Brilliant fun for our 4th November meet!

Our friends of Perth Subbuteo Club in Australia held their monthly gathering on November 16. Only 4 players could make it this time but there were many close games. Ross McNulty finished on top of a group of 4 thanks to more goals scored than Chris Thorn. Adam Taylor was third and Ron Byrne was in 4th position.

In Canada, Toronto players met also once against and Mike Sgro managed to end Howard Christie's winning strek by winning the final by a clear 3-0. Richard Ruffolo and Mike Chieffallo were the other players taking part. The first full year of Toronto Subbuteo Club action finishes off on December 28th!

The Western Flickers in Melbourne (Australia) held a tournament with five players competing in a round robin. Benny Ng finished on top of the league while Benjamin Ng was runner-up. Peter Benholm, Jayden Truter and Benedict Ng showed great improvement. The Western Flickers are working hard at growing the club again and already got a couple of new players. So onwards and upwards with WTF 2.0!

The Norhern Falcons in Sydney also held a tournament this month with a smaller turnout than usual but with some great games. Fabrizio Coco finished on top of a group of 5 to bring back the trophy to sydney TFC while local player Eliot Kennedy was runner-up. Torben Pfister, Adrian Grunbach and Benedetto Forcina were also taking part.



Finally, during the recent International Open of Rochefort (Belgium). There was a WASPA tournament besides the FISTF Open. Greek player Yannis Salamouris (Noctuas Athens) was the only of the 12 players to win his three games to lift the title while French player David Zaki (Issy) was runner-up. Among the competitors there were five French players of FTC ST Symphorien sur Coise who made their WASPA debut. Thanks to JSC Rochefort for a great week-end and for having some games under WASPA banner.

Full standings:
1. Yannis Salamouris (Greece)
2. David Zaki (France)
3. Thierry Magermans (Belgium)
4. Mickael Blanc (France)
5. Hervé Fino (France)
5. Frank Lannoy (Belgium)
7. Jean-Pierre Genart (Belgium)
8. Daniel Polsinelli (France)
9. Geert Leys (Belgium)
10. Mathieu Marlair (Belgium)
11. Daniel Guyot (France)
12. Rudi De Smet (Belgium)

Mark Farrell wins first stage of the Irish Championship

1st Round of the Irish Championship – Falcarragh, Co. Donegal Saturday 30th November 2019

A new name for the Championship for this new season as we expand out of Ulster and head south to Leinster with Dublin set to host a round later in the season. No change though in the host county for the opening round, as once again Donegal welcomed some of the best players on the island. Eight players headed to Falcarragh on the far west coast for Europe’s most westerly Subbuteo competition with Kenny Beggs and Mark Farrell the favourites to take the title. As well as Irish Championship points at stake, the tournament also doubled as a WASPA competition so it was also an opportunity to make inroads on those world rankings.

Group Stage

Group A hosted last season’s champion Mark Farrell, the current all-Ireland champion Kenny Beggs, last seasons 4th place championship finisher Martinog Bradley and newcomer Brian McCorkell who was playing in his first competition since childhood. Beggs and Farrell won their opening two fixtures with relative ease making their final group game largely academic with both already qualified for the semi-finals. But there’s always pride at stake when the two best players go head-to-head and Mark was looking for revenge following his defeat to Kenny in the final of All-Ireland Championships hosted in September. In a tight high-quality game Mark edged it 1-0 to top the group. Bradley meanwhile won his wooden spoon game 3-0 against McCorkell to finish 3rd. The debutant was handed the hardest imaginable group containing 3 of last year’s top 4 players, and he performed well to only go down 4-0, 3-0, 3-0 to high quality opposition.

New Derry City TFC player Jude Morrow was also making his first appearance at competition, this time in Group B alongside Oisin Mor, Brendan Rodgers and Strabane’s Mark McCrossan. Brendan started well beating Jude Morrow 3-0 in his opening fixture and then edging McCrossan 1-0 to top the group, but the top-spot was thrown into doubt when Oisin Mor beat him 2-1 in the final group game. How Oisin must have rued his 0-0 draw Jude as a win there would have seen him tied on points with Brendan and Mark. In the end it was Rodgers who topped the group courtesy of his 1-0 win over McCrossan who finished second on the same points.

Knock-out Stages

Mark Farrell faced Strabane man Mark McCrossan in the first semi-final who was hoping for his first win over the Dubliner. The pair met in the semi-final of last season’s Strabane round of the championship in a game that Farrell won 1-0, and there was to be no change in winner with Farrell this time romping home 4-1. In the other semi-final Beggs beat Rodgers 3-0 to setup yet another final decider between Beggs and Farrell. In the third place playoff McCrossan and Rodgers locked horns for a second time. This time however there was to be no winner in normal time, both players scoring good goals to take the game to shots after a 1-1 draw, but it was Rodgers who landed the points winning the shoot-out 2-0. The final saw Farrell hold lots of possession in the first half, possession he turned to his advantage as he took a 1-0 lead into the second half. In the second period Kenny called himself for a finger-foul when lining up a shot that could have seen him equalize. It was a piece of sportsmanship that demonstrates why we call him “The Legend”, and acts as a reminder to all of us about the spirit in which we play the game. It was also perhaps Kenny’s last chance as Mark took advantage and added a second goal to ensure he would see out the game and be re-crowned “High King of Donegal Subbuteo”. In the plate Derry City TFC’s Martinog Bradley beat club mate Oisin Mor 5-0 in the Plate Final to make sure he stayed in touch with the top four going into the second round in Strabane in January.

News from the UK - Results from Liverpool - Lincoln - North Wales - Derry

Several events have already been held in the UK in October and here is a brief summary of results.

Players in Liverpool

Brian Daley winner in Liverpool
The ESA tournament in Liverpool (England) had a good turnout of 8 with a group stage and more games to rank players from 1 to 8. Brian Daley was the winner with no surprise but it was nice to see Chris Bedford reaching the final for the first time. Ruby Matthews won the plate  and the was a first trophy for Raoul Newton. That was a great day of play for all.

Lincoln Flickers Round Robin
The tournament took place on October 9 during David Young's visit from Prague. David completed his UK Subaleague tour with 5 wins and only one goal conceded. He finished off with a win at Lincoln Flickers (still unbeaten) to put the icing on the cake! Jez was the only person to hold the visitor but later slipped back to fourth.

Final standings:
1. David Young
2. Andy Boyer
3. Andrew Garbutt
4. Jeremy Boothman

Players at the latest London Road tournament

London Road monthly tournament
London Road Subbuteo Club held their 35th monthly event on October 13 in Drury, North Wales. 6 players played in a league format. Brian Daley took the honors while chris bedford was runner-up.

Final table:
1. Brian Daley
2. Chris Bedford
3. Cayne Matthews
4. Ruby Matthews
5. Dave Merrilees-Kelly
6. Lucasz Whittle

The next LRSC tournament will be held on November 24. It will be the 3rd birthday of the club and their 36th Open Regional WASPA tournament. All welcome!

Martinog bradley (right) receives trophy from Lawrence Watson

Derry City Frightening Flicks 2019
Results in from this years Frightening Flicks tournament. A small crowd for this years tournament with some late drop outs, hence everyone having 3-0 against Kenny Beggs, he couldn’t make it in the end up! A league style was played with Martinog Bradley coming out the eventual winner closely followed by Donegal’s Brendan Rodgers. Great evenings craic and games.

Final table:
1. Martinog Bradley
2. Brendan Rodgers
3. Lawrence Watson
4. Oisin Mór
5. Jude Morrow

Latest gathering of the South Staffs club

50 years of flicking football at South Staffs TSC
Finally, a small word to congratulate Mike Bradbury and the South Staffs TSC for their 50 years of continuous existence. The club currently have around 15 members drawn from all over the English Midlands counties. We wish them all the best for the future!

Martinog Bradley wins season opening tournament

A group of 5 played off in a round robin for this years ‘Last of the Summer Wine Cup’. After a series of intense games Martinog Bradley was crowned champ, topping the table with 10 points. The battle for runner up was a tight affair with the result resting on the final round of matches. Newcomer Jude Morrow caused the upset of the night, holding Donegals Brendan Rodger to a 1-1 draw. A goalkeeping error in the first half by Lawrence Watson gave Mark McCrossan an open net to slide one home and take runner up on the night.
Fantastic nights craic had by all competitors.

Kenny Beggs wins the 2019 All Ireland Championship

A brilliant days Subbuteo was had by everyone. The quarter finals saw Martinog Bradley go out to Brendan Rodgers following a tense sudden death shoot out, with Barry Spence sending Mark McCrossan home for an early bath with a 1-0 defeat. The two other quarters came to an inevitable end with both Mark Farrell and Kenny Beggs heading comfortably into the semis. Farrell stormed into the final on a 5-0 high against Rodgers, whilst Spence made the road a bit rockier for Beggs. The final played to a fairly one sided tune, with Beggs having the best of the play and an early goal in the second half. Farrell responded in kind to bring the game level, but it was a legendary strike from Beggs in the dying seconds that secured his victory to become All Ireland Champion and unseating Farrell for the first time in many years.
The plate competition saw Nicky Moore from Wexford lift his first Subbuteo silverware after defeating his two opponents, Oisin Mor and Paul Boyle.
Special mention must go out to DCTFC’s newest member, Jude Morrow, who on his first tournament and after only 2 months playing the game, got out of his group and into the quarter finals of the main competition.

Kenny Beggs wins Ryan McBride Memorial Cup

Derry city TFC held the 2nd Ryan McBride Memorial Cup. It was played with old bases and to the old rules but that didn’t hold back the Legend, Kenny Beggs. Kenny topped his group and then for the second time in the tournament he faced off against Barry Spence, again coming away the victor to be crowned the Ryan McBride Champion. Mark McCrossan and Lawrence Watson made it to the semi-finals while Brendan Rodgers won the Plate tournament.

Three in a row for Simon Stewart

A small turnout for Derry City TFC's final WASPA tournament of this season. An extra time golden goal, over Martinog Bradley, saw Simon Stewart win his third WASPA tournament in a row. Small numbers didn’t lead to small fun though, with a great deal of craic had on a very friendly night. DCTFC return to action in August!

First trophy for Dana Stitt

Sporting Club 18 hosted another monthly WASPA in County Down Sunday 9th June. Club newbies Claire and Dana continued their rapid improvement with some good performances including Dana’s 2-1 win over last weeks club-meet winner Lochlin Bradley.

After the six-game round robin league,  WASPA #30 Simon and Dana were tied on points and goals after their 0-0 draw. Only a shoot-out could separate the pair with Dana pulling off four great saves to take her first WASPA title 2-0 on shots.

Promotion for forthcoming events in June 2019

A quick look at the promotion of forthcoming events with the great job of some of our active clubs.

In Italy, the "69ers" will hold a tournament in Borgo Vercelli and they proudly told the local newspaper the tournament is played under WASPA banner, which is a great form of respect.

In South Africa the Pretoria Flickers have revealed the poster of their next tournament.

In Derry (Northern Ireland), the next DCTFC tournament will be held next Monday.

Finally, the amazing job done by our Spanish friends of Marina Citerior SC who have had support of local sponsors and will hold a special tournament on June 21&22. Rumors said Carlos Flores Lopez will be taking part, which is fantastic for WASPA. there will be a prize money and all details are available from https://www.portaldelamarina.org/evento/torneo-de-subbuteo/

Thanks once again to all organizers for the efforts to promote the game!

Simon Stewart wins Bealtaine Cup

In Northern Ireland, Derry City TFC had a turnout of 7 for this years Bealtaine Cup. A league format was played, which saw Simon Stewart top the table for the title 6 wins out of 6. Martinog Bradley came in runner-up with a goal difference lead over Mark McCrossan.

Final standings

Position - Team - Goals - Difference - Points
1. Simon Stewart - 15:2 - 13 - 18
2. Martinog Bradley - 14:3 - 11 - 13
3. Mark Mc Crossan - 11:3 - 8 - 13
4. Craig Stewart - 4:8 - -4 - 7
5. Brendan Rodgers - 4:10 - -6 - 7
6. Lawrence Watson - 1:9 - -8 - 1
7. Paul Boyle - 3:17 - -14 - 1

May 2019: news from around the world

Here is a quick look at results of several tournaments held in May.

Cranston and Haefke winners in Michigan

Daniel Cranston vs Bryan Arnold

Earlier this month the "Flicko de Mayo" in East Lansing, MI tournament was another success with competitors travelling from several US States to play for FISTF ranking points. Besides the main event, two small tournament were played under WASPA tournament. The Friday event consisted in a group of three where Daniel Cranston from Maryland was the best to claim the WASPA Gideon Smith Cup. Peter Alegi was runner-up while Bryan Arnold took the third place.

Tim Tumminaro vs Eric Walton

On Saturday Erik Haefke defeated Eric Walton in the final of the WASPA consolation tournament. Tim Tumminaro and Paul Pate were also taking part.

The Perth club is still alive
We received some late results from Perth, Australia where three tournament from the last few months had not been recorded yet. The February tournament had a good field of six. After the roud robin, Tan Yew Loy defeated Alan Kimber in the final. In March, Tan Yew Loy finished on top of the table after home and away fixtures. Chris Thorn was runner-up, Hugh Best was thrid and Ron Byrne was fourth. In April, only four players were taking part and Tan Kok Wee from Singapore was not only the special guest of the day but also the winner of the tournament after defeating Tan Yew Loy in the final.

Promotional tournament for Michaël Ponthieux

Michaël Ponthieux receiving his prize from Wamme president Jean Grosdent

In Bande, Belgium, after the "Cup of Province of Luxemburg", a WASPA promotional tournament was played with Michaël Ponthieux finishing on top of a group of four to claim the title. Daniel Boistelle, Philippe Thys and Lulani Verhoeven were also taking part.

Simon Stewart wins Sporting 18 tournament

Players at the Sporting 18 tournament

In Northern Ireland, Simon Stewart took the honours at the Sporting 18 'May Day Cup', but the day was really about introducing two new club members to the game. Dana Stitt looked like she could have a real natural ability for the game as she finished 2nd, beating fellow debutant Claire Sweet with a flowing attack from kick-off and then pipping club legend Lochlin Bradley thanks to a last minute equaliser.

After a break the four played off in the 'May Day Shoot-Out Penalty Cup', a simple shoot-out competition across the shooting line. Claire took that title with three straight wins with Dana finishing second. Stewart and Bradley were left to slug it out for the wooden with Stewart edging it thanks to a 2-2 draw.

A great afternoon was had by all, Dana has taken temporary possession of Simon's pitch and a few teams and we're hoping to get another round of flicks in soon.

Chris Kaberry wins WASPA Cup in Ponteland

Stephen, Dave, Nick, Chris

The first WASPA Cup mini tournament of 2019 under the North Shields STF banner was held in Ponteland last night 26th May.

Two hard fought semi finals with new boy Nick Pearson flicking-off his first competitive game in 30 odd years with a win. The goal coming 2 minutes from time. Chris got lucky in game two when he was able to shoot into an empty net after a keeping error. On form Dave took his equalizer well and then defended stubbornly to take the game to a shoot out. Chris edged it 2-0.

The 3/4 and final were a little one sided with Stephen not having his best night and Nick struggling to keep pace with Chris. However, he took his goal well and it shouldn't be too before he's competing with the best of us up here in the North East of England. Well done lads!

Abagnale winner in Angri
Finally, in Angri (Italy), the club of Castello Doria CT held a good day of table football with six players taking part. Gianpaolo Abagnale defeated Francesco de Angelis (5-3) to win the title. This was the club's second tournament with hopefully many more to come.

Simon Stewart takes Easter Cup

Great nights craic for the 2019 Easter Cup last night. The final match between Simon Stewart and Martinog Bradley was to decide the winner. Bradley, having already dropped points in a 1-1 thriller with Oisín Mór, needed the win to seal victory. Bradley thought he had it in the bag leading 1-0 but a slip in concentration let Stewart through with a stunner of a goal to level 1-1 with 5 seconds to go, leaving him top of the table. Congratulations Simon Stewart, this years Easter Cup Champ.

Kenny Beggs wins Ulster Championship final round

Derry City TFC hosted the 5th and final round of this season's Ulster Championship on 7th April. 10 players from across Ulster took part although the overall title had already been won by Dublin’s Mark Farrell. Kenny Beggs triumphed on the day following a 1-0 thriller with Martinog Bradley. Barry Spence took 3rd place honours and Simon Stewart took home the plate.

Group A
1. Kenny Beggs
2. Martinog Bradley
3. Simon Stewart
4. Oisin Mor
5. Lochlin Bradley

Group B
1. Mark McCrosssan
2. Barry Spence
3. Craig Stewart
4. Lawrence Watson
5. Paul Boyle

Semi-finals
Mark McCrossan 0 Martinog Bradley 0 (1-2 shots)
Kenny Beggs 2 Barry Spence 2 ( 5-1 shots)

3rd place play-off
Barry Spence 1 Mark McCrossan 0

Final
Kenny Beggs 1 Martinog Bradley 0

Champions get their trophies

Plate semi-finals
Simon Stewart 2 Paul Boyle 0
Lochlin Bradley 1 Craig Stewart 3

Final
Simon Stewart 2 Craig Stewart 1

March 2019: news from around the world

Here are some late reports of events held in March. We didn't have the time to publish all the news so here is a summary.

the final four in Attard

The club of Attard in Malta held another tournament in March. 12 players were involved and experienced players took the best as Joseph M. Debono defeated Claude Cuschieri on shots in the final while Walter Attard and Natalino Tanti were the semi-finalists.

In Spain, the Marina Citerior club had two small events with 3 players involved. Pasquale Carrassi won two time with David Mc Aulay finishing as runner-up on both days.

Martinog bradley winner in Derry

In Derry, Northern Ireland, there was a small turnout of 4 players on March 19. We played a round robin league format with 1st playing 4th and 2nd playing 3rd for the semi-finals. Martinog Bradley took the honors. Oisin Mor put on an impressive display for someone so recently playing the game, reaching his first final after a sudden death shoot out with Donegal’s Brendan Rodgers. Great fun!

Leonidas Koutromanos won the latest Pireas Lions tournament in Greece after defeating Stamatis Syrmos on shots in the final. Lambros Tekos and Andreas Eleftheriou were the semi-finalists.

Players at the sydney TFC tournament

Fabrizio Coco won the latest Sydney TFC event, finishing as best of 6 players and defeating Tony Credentino in the final.

In Wales the club of Knighton TFC held a WASPA tournament on March 3. Five players were taking part and Danny Bird finished on top of a group of 5 with Tom Taylor ending as runner-up.

A great day of Subbuteo in Ireland

In Ireland, Derry’s Martinog Bradley won ‘Europe’s most westerly’ WASPA tournament. Many thanks to Donegal Subbuteo and Brendan Rodgers (who was also runner-up) for hosting and organising a great event and a great days craic.

Some words finally from Finland where four players met to play a very international tournament. George Papadopoulos from Greece finished on top of a group robin with Australi's Robert Green finishing second. Finnish players Kari Hakkarainen and Jarkko Lindholm were also taking plart. there are already plans to organize another tournament in Helsinki on April 28.

Mark Farrell winner in Strabane

The 4th stage of the Ulster Subbuteo Championship took place last week-end in Strabane. There was a good turnout of nine players with a group stage and then knock-out games.

Congratulations to Mark Farrell on winning the tournament while Kenny Beggs takes runner-up and Donegal’s Brendan Rodgers wins the plate.

Martinog Bradley wins Winter Cup

Derry City TFC had a 2019 Winter Cup on Monday and it was played in a round robin league format.

Martinog Bradley finished top of the table to take the honours, with Donegal’s Brendan Rodgers coming in runner-up.

Good nights play and great to see Derry player Paul Boyle make a return.

3rd Round of the Ulster Championship

Mark Farrell receives trophy from Craig Stewart

The Oval in Belfast, Sunday 27th January 2019
15 players attended what was the biggest domestic competition on the Irish circuit in many years, hosted at the home of Glentoran FC in Belfast. Three of the highest quality domestic competitors made their debut in the competition; 1984&85 NI and 1985 UK Champion Keith Greene, former NI Junior Champion & 1990 World Cup representative Neal Hermon and former ROI Junior Champion and also 1990 World Cup representative Michael O’Brien. Also making his Ulster Championship debut was German Sven Schilling from Subbuteo Sankt Pauli club in Hamburg a regular traveller on the WASPA circuit.

Group Stage
Debutants Keith Greene and Michael O’Brien joined Lochlin Bradley, Nicky Moore and Derry’s Mark McCrossan in Group A. McCrossan topped the group with 4 straight wins but the real battle was for 2nd place and one of the best 3rd place berths. O’Brien and Greene were tied on 4 points as they faced each other in the last session with Moore able to pass the loser if he could beat the winless Bradley. Dubliner O’Brien won the game 1-0 to clinch 2nd and with Bradley recording his first win on the circuit beating Moore 2-1 to overtake him with Keith Greene holding on to 3rd to qualify.
Group B saw the other 2 debutants Sven Schilling and Neal Hermon lock horns with All Ireland Champion Mark Farrell as well as Lawrence Watson and Oisín Mór of Derry City TFC. Tournament favourite Farrell scored 12 goals without reply finishing 3 points clear of Schilling in 2nd. Watson claimed 3rd spot but his negative goal difference ensured he didn’t claim a quarter final spot and instead he dropped into the Plate semi-final. Hermon claimed 4th ahead of Mór courtesy of his scoreless draw with Watson.

Second place for Sven Schilling

In an open draw there is always the chance of the clichéd “Group of Death” and so it proved for the third time in three tournaments. Any local semi-final could easily see any of the 5 Group C players figure. Kenny Beggs, Barry Spence, Martin og Bradley, Simon Stewart and Brendan Rodgers went head to head to claim 2 guaranteed places out of the group. With Beggs winning his 4 games it was Stewart who claimed 2nd by way of wins over Rodgers and Bradley and a draw with Spence. With Bradley, Spence and Rodgers all recording victories over each other it was the draw with Simon Stewart that saw Barry Spence claim 3rd and also a place in the next round.

Knock-out Stages
The finalists from the last Ulster Championship Round, McCrossan and Stewart met in tetchy affair which Stewart edged 1-0. O’Brien’s trip north ended in a close game with “Sankt Schilling”, the German triumphing 2-1. Kenny Beggs played Keith Greene for the first time in 35 years in the third quarterfinal which he took 1-0 and Farrell knocked out Spence courtesy of a 2-0 victory.

Martinog Bradley won the Plate

In the semi’s Farrell beat Beggs 1-0 and Sven eventually fell over the line after a scoreless draw and goalless shot marathon against Stewart. It was a something he relied on again as he held off Farrell in the final to finish the game with a draw after already losing to the Irishman in the group. This time however it was the home player who scored the decisive shot and Farrell claimed his second Ulster Championship win and go top of the table.

In the Plate Brendan Rodgers and Martin og Bradley were reunited after their Group C encounter but this time it was Bradley who won the game, 2-1 on shots.

Kenny Beggs is New year champion

Derry City TFC held their third New Years Cup on Monday and it was a very successful event. 7 players competed in a league format with plenty of drama and good spirits shown on the night. Kenny ‘the legend’ Beggs returned to form to take the first place honours with Martinog Bradley finishing 2nd on goal difference ahead of Mark ‘the Moth’ McCrossan. Oisin Mor chalked up his first competitive victory with a 3-0 win over Paddy Simms.

Benji Batten winner in Derry

Derry City TFC returned to their home ground at the DCFC social Club for the Mid-Winter WASPA Cup. 7 players took part including Benji Batten, from Melbourne TFC in Australia, who joined us as part of his UK and Ireland Subbuteo Tour. Benji took the honours on the night with Derry’s own Kenny Beggs runner-up.

Final standings:
1. Benji Batten 15:4 11 14
2. Kenny Beggs 15:1 14 13
3. Simon Stewart 10:5 5 13
4. Mark Mc Crossan 12:5 7 12
5. Martinog Bradley 12:6 6 6
6. Lochlin Bradley 5:22 -17 3
7. Linus Mc Laughlin 0:26 -26 0