John Imbrogiano wins Swiss Cup tournament in Eschenbach

Players having a great day in Eschenbach

We continue our review of January events with the great news from Switzerland where after a long absence of more than two years, there was a tournament again under WASPA banner. The Swiss Cup event held in Eschenbach and organized by the Linth Sliders Club had a turnout of five players including South Africa's Clinton Gahwlier. John Imbrogiano (subbuteo.ch) won the tournament, finishing on top of the league with 3 wins and a draw. Peter Erb was runner-up (7 points), Clinton (7) took a great third third place while Roman Bernharsgrütter (3) and Martin Wiesmann (1) were the other competitors.

"The absolute highlight though was the friendships forged and the amazing hospitality shown particularly by Peter Erb and Martin Wiessman. It was also fantastic to meet Subbuteo legend Willi Hofmann who popped in unexpectedly at the WASPA event", commented Clinton Gahwlier on the Cape Town City Facebook page.

Huge thanks to Roman Bernharsgrütter for his great job to organize the tournament and also to bring back Switzerland in the WASPA circuit! A much appreciated effort!

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.

Another trophy for Trisha Baumeler

Trisha with her younger sister Kasey in Rain

Trisha Baumeler from Switzerland took the honors in a recent WASPA tournament organized during the FISTF Open of Rain (Germany). 12 players from Austria, Germany and Switzerland were taking part and Trisha defeated Germany's Frank Stiller in the final (2-1). Klaus Fritz (Germany) and Alfred Strommer (Austria) were the semi-finalists.

Thomas Baumeler wins in Eschenbach

Last week-end the Linth Sliders club in Eschenbach was glad to meet again and to have the visit of the Baumeler family for a small WASPA tournament with five player. The tournament consisted in a round robin so that everyone had four games. Thomas Baumeler won the tournament this time thanks an important victory against his daughter Trisha (4-1) in the last session. Roman Bernhardsgrütter took the third place and finished with 6 points. Noemi Bernharsgrütter was 4th and Kasey Baumeler was 5th.

Action in Switzerland and England

Last week-end the club of Basel organized a gathering with five players. The "GrafixCup" consisted in a round robin so that everyone played four games. Peter Erb took the honors with 10 points while Leo Cavallaro was runner-up with 7 points. FB, Alberto Eilis and Italian guest Pasquale Stirparo from Black Rose Roma were the other competitors of the day.

In Lincoln, four players attended the event organized by the Lincon Flickers. Jeremy Boothman finished on top of a group of four while Andrew Garbutt was 2n, Andy Boyer 3rd and John Devaney 4th.

Trisha Baumeler does it again

This wednesday the Swiss club of Linth Sliders held a Christmas Cup in Eschenbach. The six players were divided in two groups and in the end, it was a "Baumeler final" with Trisha defeating her father Thomas to claim her 6th WASPA title. Peter Erb finished third. Thanks to Roman Bernhardsgrütter for making things happen.

Thomas Baumeler wins in Urfdorf

This friday five players met in Urfdorf (Switzerland) for a WASPA tournament organised by the Linth Sliders Subbuteo club. Thomas Baumeler won his four games to take the victory. It was a great way to start the new season.

Final table:
1. Thomas Baumeler
2. Trisha Baumeler
3. Roman Bernhardsgrütter
4. Noemi Bernhardsgrütter
5. Kasey Baumeler

Trisha Baumeler wins international event in Urfdorf

Trisha, Naomi, Roman, Clinton and Thomas

This tuesday the Swiss club "Linth Sliders" had a special guest for a small event of five player. Clinton Gahwilher, a player from Cape Town TFC (South Africa) was visiting the local Swiss players. The event was played as a round robin and Trisha Baumeler (TSC Black Rose) took the honors after winning her four games. Thomas Baumeler was runner-up. Well done for a good evening of play and for giving the chance to Clinton to gain international experience.

Thomas Baumeler takes the Swiss cup

Kasey and Thomas

Last Sunday the first Swiss Cup was played in Wiznau and it was also a WASPA tournament. The event was run using the Swiss system. The final ranking was as follows:
1. Thomas Baumeler (bla) 16
2. Trisha Baumeler (bla) 13
3. John Imbrogiano (bas) 11
4. Leo Cavallaro (bas) 11
5. XXX (-) 9
6. Peter Erb (bas) 9
7. Roman Bernhardsgrütter (lit) 7
8. Alberto Eilis (bas) 6
9. Noemi Bernhardsgrütter (lit) 6
10. Kasey Baumeler (zur) 1

Peter Erb win the Wanderpokal 2015

This friday evening there was a small tournament with five players in Basel (Switzerland). There were many good games and Milan Knežević (Subbuteo Club München) was the special guest of the evening. Peter Erb took the honors and won the 4th edition of the "Wanderpokal".

More details about the club of Basel can be found http://www.subbuteo-basel-united.ch/

Final standings of the Wanderpokal 2015
1. Peter Erb
2. John Imbrogiano
3. Leo Cavallaro
4. Milan Knezevic
5. Alberto Eiris

Thomas Baumeler wins in Eschenbach

The players

Kasey and Thomas Baumeler

Last friday there was a tournament in Eschenbach (Switzerland). Due to a last minute dropout, there were five players competing in a group stage. This time Thomas Baumeler took the honors after beating his daughter Trisha (2-1) int he decisive game. Thanks to the Linth Sliders club for hosting a good evening of table football.

Great subbuteo day in Switzerland

Despite two of their players signed for TSC Blak Crose Roma last summer, the club of SC Anfield Hoppers Zürinch is still active in Switzerland and organized another WASPA tournament this saturday in Urfdorf. There were seven players taking part and among them, there was a newcomer, Pasquale Stirparo.

This time Thomas Baumeler took the honors, beating Trisha Baumeler in the final. To be noted that Sarah Bernhardsgrütter finished for the first time in the last 4. Congratulations to all.

Trisha Baumeler wins in Eschenbach

The Linth Sliders subbuteo club organized a small tournament on saturday in Eschenbach (Switzerland). There was no surprise as Thomas and Trisha Baumeler reached the final and Trisha took the honors after beating her father (2-1). The event was positive as the local players had the chance to gain experience for future events. To be noted that four girls were taking part, the same four girls who represented Switzerland in the last FISTF world cup in Belgium. Special thanks to Roman Berhardsgrütter for hosting the event.

The first suBButeo Grafix Cup for Peter Erb

On Friday 17th October 2014, Subbuteo Basel United held their first WASPA tournament. 3 clubs were represented (Subbuteo Basel United, Subbuteo Players Aargau Süd and London & Essex United). The event was held at the clubhouse of Basel United. It was decided that on the 1st Friday of every month, the club would hold The suBButeo Grafix Cup which will be a WASPA event and it will be open to everyone. 5 players turned up so it was decided to play a round robin format with everyone playing 4 games.

The final standing of the evening was as follows:
1. Peter Erb (7 points)
2. Brian Butterworth (6)
3. John Imbrogiano (4)
4. Leo Cavallaro (3)
5. Saverio Albano (0)

(Report by Brian Butterworth)

Report and Results of FISTF/WASPA Los Angeles Open

A great day’s play was enjoyed by thirteen players at the FISTF/WASPA Los Angeles Open, and we very pleased to welcome Thomas and Trisha Baumeler from Switzerland, on tour in California for a month.

Perhaps fate dictated that Trisha and Thomas met together in the quarter-finals in a very tight family affair, with Thomas finally just edging the tie on shots.

In the final, USA no. 2 Dan Cranston could have hoped at half time that he had one hand on the title, as he raced into a 3-0 lead over Zach Walker. However, Zach showed yet again why currently his Subbuteo is a level apart in the USA, staging a 3-3 comeback with two minutes left, and scoring the winner five minutes into overtime. A great performance by both players.

Zach Walker (right), Los Angeles Open champion

The event was competitive and intense, but there was no yelling every time a goal was scored (103 goals) and the games conducted in a sporting manner. Thanks to everyone for taking part, and especially to the USA players Dan Cranston, Erik Haefke and Zach Walker, who each travelled over 3000 miles or over 1000 miles to participate in this event and the ASA Nationals yesterday.

We wish the event could have had more players. But in the USA (the third largest country in the world after Russia and Canada) we face enormous logistical issues in bringing together a substantial number of players from maybe 21 different playing States to play Subbuteo together.

Playing maybe 5-6 games on American Nationals day can mean 1000-3000 miles of air and car rental travel for participants not living in the host state. These isolation issues compound when we (as we did this year) look at sending teams to the World Cup and Champions League, not just the travel it takes but the cost for individuals.

The same can be said of playing Canada, Mexico or Brazil, something we’d love to do one day. In the future, sponsorship is the way to go. The potential here in the USA remains huge.
And at ground level, we’d like to welcome a new player who has joined the Southern California Subbuteo League whilst visiting the Nationals this week-end, Damir Vranjes. Welcome Damir.

(Report by Paul O'Donovan Rossa)

Tournament results

Group A

Erik Haefke 2-1 Thomas Baumeler
Cameron Tucker 0-6 Thomas Baumeler
Cameron Tucker 1-2 Erik Haefke

1. Erik Haefke P2 W2 D0 L0 F4 A2 Pts 6
2. Thomas Baumeler P2 W1 D0 L1 F7 A2 Pts 3
3. Cameron Tucker P2 W0 D0 L2 F1 A8 Pts 0

Group B

Paul O’Donovan Rossa 0-2 Trisha Baumeler
Steve Tucker 1-1 Paul O’Donovan Rossa
Trisha Baumeler 2-0 Steve Tucker

1. Trisha Baumeler P2 W2 D0 L0 F4 A0 Pts 6
2. Paul O’Donovan Rossa P2 W0 D1 L1 F1 A3 Pts 1
3. Steve Tucker P2 W0 D1 L1 F1 A3 Pts 1
Paul O’DR beat Steve Tucker 2-0 in shoot-out

Group C

Wayne Smith 4-0 Conan Mullen
Conan Mullen 0-2 Dan Cranston
Wayne Smith 1-3 Dan Cranston

1. Dan Cranston P2 W2 D0 L0 F5 A1 Pts 6
2. Wayne Smith P2 W1 D0 L1 F5 A3 Pts 3
3. Conan Mullen P2 W0 D0 L2 F0 A6 Pts 0

Group D

Varant Kurkeyerian 0-7 Zach Walker
Rob Tucker 7-1 Josh Tucker
Rob Tucker 0-6 Zach Walker
Varant Kurkeyerian 7-1 Josh Tucker
Zach Walker 6-6 Josh Tucker
Rob Tucker 0-1 Varant Kurkeyerian

1. Zach Walker P3 W2 D1 L0 F19 A6 Pts 7
2. Varant Kurkeyerian P3 W2 D0 L1 F9 A8 Pts 6
3. Rob Tucker P3 W1 D0 L2 F7 A8 Pts 3
4. Josh Tucker P2 W0 D1 L2 F8 A21 Pts 1

Swiss derby between the Baumeler, father and daughter

Quarter Finals
Erik Haefke 1-2 Paul O’Donovan Rossa
Wayne Smith 0-7 Zach Walker
Dan Cranston 7-0 Varant Kurkeyerian
Trisha Baumeler 0-0 Thomas Baumeler
Thomas Baumeler beat Trisha Baumeler 2-1 in shoot-out

Daniel Cranston vs Varant Kurkeyerian

Semi Finals
Paul O’Donovan Rossa 1-4 Zach Walker
Dan Cranston 2-1 Thomas Baumeler

Final
Daniel Cranston 3-4 Zach Walker (OT)

3rd/4th Place Play Off
Thomas Baumeler 3-0 Paul O'Donovan Rossa

FISTF/WASPA Los Angeles Open Champion 2014 – Zach Walker (Colorado)