Again, as on other previous occasions, it was a khodja (myself) - koala (John Holgate) showdown, but this time we did not play in the last round due to the round robin format. John had to beat Jeff Grant in the final game to have a chance of winning by spread. He did win his last game, under extraordinary circumstances apparently, but I managed to get home against Howard Warner (NZ) to scrape home by one solitary win.
On the teams front, Australia was victorious over New Zealand 75 to 69, thus dispelling vicious rumours that Australia was the weaker of the two countries. It seems we have now been playing SOWPODS long enough to have caught up. This was a dingle challenge (one free challenge, then penalties) tournament to compromise between the norms of the two countries. My personal view is that the Worlds should be conducted along the same lines.
The surprise packet was Jeff Grant, third in the WSC in London, and third last in this event. Did he have a nightmare run, or is it the end of an era? Mike Sigley was the highest finishing New Zealander, coming in third ahead of countrymen in the next three places.
The tournament was conducted in an inner city hotel in Sydney and the entire Kiwi team were accommodated there, plus a few of the Aussies who had travelled interstate to play. Some of the rooms were well below standard, being minus TV, phone and wardrobe, and occasionally windows. Steve Sunter (Ozwizard) from Melbourne had to check out at 11pm on the first night due to paint fumes and went on to lose his next seven games on day 2 after a strong start on day 1.
Despite this, the event was a resounding success with everybody agreeing it was a terrific thing to do every second year between WSCs. So in 1998 our top 12 Aussies will venture over the Tasman to the land of the long, white cloud to again do battle with their top 12 Kiwis.
Australasian Championship individual placings were:
Rank Player Wins Mar
--------------------------------
1 Bob Jackman (AUS) 17 710 khodja $300
2 John Holgate (AUS) 16 1285 koala $130
3 Mike Sigley (NZ) 15 1250 $70
4 Chris Hooks (NZ) 15 -207
5 Peter Sinton (NZ) 14 678
6 Patrick Carter (NZ) 14 -135
7 Esther Perrins (AUS)13 109 nee Byers
8 Joan Rosenthal (AUS)12 449 potoroo
9 Roger Blom (AUS) 12 -7
10 Geoff Wright (AUS) 12 -46
11 Paul Cleary (AUS) 11 52
12 Kendall Boyd (NZ) 11 -292
13 Steve Sunter (AUS) 11 -1048 ozwizard
14 John Foster (NZ) 10 -125 NZ President/co-organizer
15 Sheryl Davidson (NZ)10 -252
16 Carmel Dodd (AUS) 10 -431
17 Alistair Kane (AUS) 10 -572
18 Glennis Hale (NZ) 10 -757
19 Howard Warner (NZ) 9 260
20 John Foley (AUS) 9 109
21 Denise Gordon (NZ) 9 -67
22 Jeff Grant (NZ) 9 -71
23 Lynne Powell (NZ) 9 -384
24 Andrew Hamblin (AUS) 8 -508
HIGH GAME: Geoff Wright 591
HIGH WORD: Peter Sinton 176
"BRIGADED"
Playing the NZ number eleven Howard Warner in an early game. He holds the unplayable SINGERS but bingos through AL with SALERINGS#. His losing score is 476. I knew I was in for a busy day at the office.
An interesting moment on Day One was when I played EUPNOEA against Steve Sunter. In the same instant at the next table I spied Mike Sigley play EUPNOEAS - there should be a law a gainst copycat bingos!
Playing Bob Jackman in a vital game on Day Two. I exchange four times, have drecky tiles and play ORDEAL in the endgame. The annotator guffaws "How appropriate!"
The other memorable moment was pulling out a 502/368 win against Jeff Grant in the final game after trailing 54/175. I needed to win that game to take the tournament and Bob Jackman needed to lose his final game against Howard Warner. As I glanced over to Bob's table trying to read the body language his wife Liz bent over and gave him a peck on the cheek. I knew my fate was sealed.
The event encapsulated 20 years of Scrabble in Australasia. Derryn Hinch mingled with the players and reminisced about his games with Butts and Brunot in 1975, his first wife Eve (an American air hostess who had prepared all the word lists for his book in 1976) and wondered what Alfred Butts would have thought about the game as we know it today.
It was an occasion to be remembered.
Koala