Subbuteo Parramatta - September Cup 2014

Subbuteo returned to its roots in the September Cup, bringing back the days of cramming into lounge rooms, dining rooms and garages, to hover over cotton and nylon pitches and play with round based figures. With a variety of conditions present on the different styles of pitches - from smooth and fast to Field A, affectionately known as ’The Glue Pot’, players had to show versatility in their skills to do well. A field of 8 players with a diverse range of abilities locked horns in a Swiss System tournament that later ran into a finals series as everyone was keen for more games - and a grand final! Early results went the way of Steve Dettre and Ethan Foster, while Adrian Elmer and Jonny Ball played out a tense scoreless draw, as did youngsters Imojjen and Æowyn Elmer, the random draw pitting the sisters against each other in the opening round. Jonny Ball began to revel in the old pitch conditions as his bending and shooting skills gave him significant wins in the next few rounds. Adrian Elmer made his way through all 5 of the Swiss System rounds without conceding a goal, though did struggle at the pointy end of the field, leaving him with a string of draws to go with his two victories. After missing the first round due to a long drive to the venue, previous September Cup winner Phill Parker began to crawl his way up the table while another former champ, Alex Jennings, squeezed into the top four. Making his September Cup début, Ethan Foster had a mixed bag of results while Steve Dettre quietly went about building a consistent run.

After five rounds of the Swiss System, players went into a finals series, with the top four playing for the trophy and the lower four for the shield. In a rematch of the day’s opening game, Jonny finally broke down Adrian’s defense to grab a 1-0 victory, while Steve and Alex went to shots after a 1-1 draw. Steve booked himself a place in the final with 3 clinical finishes and some solid goalkeeping. Following the consolation play-offs, the grand final was another tense affair. Steve took a one goal lead into the half time break but Jonny levelled early in the second period with a delicate shot that left Steve’s ‘keeper stuck to the spot. With just under a minute to go, and both players feeling the tension, Steve pulled of a brilliant shot, squeezing past one defender while getting the finest of angles on the ball, yet still hitting it with the force to lodge into the far corner of the goals. It was a goal worthy of winning a final.

A great time was had by all - the experienced players giving pointers to the newer players and helping them improve, while competing fiercely in the tighter games. Thanks to all for making another great September Cup.

(Report by Adrian Elmer)

First round (5 games played each):
Steve Dettre (Northern Falcons TFC) 12
Adrian Elmer (Subbuteo Parramatta) 9
Jonny Ball (Northern Falcons TFC) 8
Alex Jennings (Subbuteo Parramatta) 8
Phill Parker (Subbuteo Parramatta) 7
Ethan Foster (Subbuteo Parramatta) 6
Æowyn Elmer (Subbuteo Parramatta) 2
Imojjen Elmer (Subbuteo Parramatta) 2

Semis:
Steve Dettre - Alex Jennings 1-1(3-1)
Adrian Elmer - Jonny Ball 0-1

Semis (places 5-8):
Phill Parker - Imojjen Elmer 1-0
Ethan Foster - Æowyn Elmer 3-0

Final:
Steve Dettre - Jonny Ball 2-1

Steve Dettre (left), winner of the tournament

Final 3-4:
Adrian Elmer - Alex Jennings 0-1

Final 5-6:
Phill Parker - Ethan Foster 1-0

Final 7-8:
Imojjen Elmer - Æowyn Elmer 0-0

First tournament held in Parramatta

After a few last minute cancellations, the field was whittled down to 5 for the first ever tournament for "Subbuteo Parramatta" (Australia). Everyone played each other in a league format, which quickly sorted itself into the two frontrunners - Eliot and Peter - pulling away from Billy, Terry and Adrian. heading in to the final round, terry needed a win over billy to pull even with adrian in 3rd place, but the two brothers, as at the last tournament, cancelled each other out in a 2-2 draw.

The final game saw Peter needing a win over Eliot to top the league, as Eliot had a superior goal difference heading in to the game. A scintillating game took place with peter doing most of the attacking but Eliot defending solidly, and looking dangerous on the counter-attack. eliot had never picked up a point against peter and was looking good to hold on after 29 minutes. Then, with 50 seconds left on the clock, Peter finally got one of his custom chips to find the back of the net and celebrated a great victory.

With regular tournament play seeming to improve the quality of all the players, we look forward to heading out to Penrith next month (the exact date will be March 23).

Final table:
Peter Thomas 12 points
Eliot Kennedy 9 points
Adrian Elmer 4 points
Terry Koutzas 2 points
Billy Koutzas 1 point

(Report by Adrian Elmer)

New club in Parramatta

Adrian Elmer is happy to announce the new club called "Subbuteo Parramatta" is now up and running. Interested players and fans can contact Adrian at ajebec@netspace.net.au