On the 18-19th November, Richard played in the A division of the ABSP Winter Matchplay held in Milton Keynes.  Here is his report :

 

The Winter Matchplay is an annual two day event played in the centre of Milton Keynes over a weekend in November.
 
The event is split into 3 divisions and there were 64 players in all. I was the one East Berks player involved and played in Division A.
 
I won the first game well but in game 2 I faced one of the top players and lost by a whopping 350 points with the opponent scoring 624, playing 5 bonuses and getting 70 odd for a Z play!
 
Although I was one of the lowest rated players in a strong division I had hoped to better the tally of 6 wins from 17. I did lose one game by a single point and had my first experience of going for a full recount which you can opt to do in a close game. I hadn't realised though that it involved checking all of the word scores on the board -not just the addition. This took a long time and it meant everyone was delayed playing their final round! . Also, unfortunately for me the scores were found to be correct!
 
However, I still enjoyed playing in the tournament and will no doubt play there again next year.
 
A selection of my favourite bonuses played by me and against me are as follows;
 
Me - EPIGEAN, LABIATE, UNNAILED, ORGASMED, TRAVELOG, DENOTIVE, REVOICES, SANTOUR, ORDNANCE, ASTATIDE (9X 122)
Opponents- RANULAR, DETRITAL, MIKVOTH(!), UNISONS, MISVALUE, NORITIC, GENTOOS, REMIGIAL

 

Well done Richard - some very tough competition in deed.

 

Here is one of his boards.

 

 

In the first few days in November, Fiona played in 2 scrabble tournaments in Malta - here is her report - thank you Fiona!

 

The Malta Scrabble club hosts an annual tournament which is attended by players from all over the world.  I thought that some November sun, combined with Scrabble sounded much nicer than rain in Blackwater!   There were a number of tournaments – I attended the one day early bird, and the main three day event.  !  I was joined by a countdown friend, Tom, for the early bird – it was Tom’s first tournament and he’d spent the plane journey learning the 2 letter words!   I played people from England, Scotland, Ireland, Malta, Australia and India, and lots of other countries were represented too  – a truly international event

The warmup day didn’t go particularly well Scrabble-wise, but I played some lovely people and won 2 of my 9 games.   The main tournament was 25 games, and I won 10, but many of the games were very close and I finished with a positive spread which I think is a tournament first for me!  I also got my highest tournament score of 549, and averaged 392 points per game so despite the low win rate I was happy enough with how I’d played.  

Over 34 games there were lots of bonuses!   My favourites were SUIVANTE and DEADEYES, and my highest scoring bonus was ADJOINS for 117 points.  Others included DRACONES, MONIKER, TRITONE, SEAMIEST, ROTARIES, BLEMISH, TALENTED, UNREADY, HOARSER, RURALIST (twice!), TILLERS, SALLIES, TERRIES, MEALIER, MENDINGS, CURRANTS, INSOFAR, ROISTER, RUSTLING, SONNETS, SAURIAN, WEDGIES, UNSTAGED, RELISTS, STUNNERS, LISTENER, DETAILS, STOUTLY, AVIATED, IONISING, EGOTISE, SERRATE, ENTITLES, PEASANT, FAIRIES, OUTLIER, ABIDING

There was a 5 point per word penalty for challenges, so a lot of invalid words stayed on the board.  5 points shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent, but I did have one game where my unsuccessful challenge swung the game to my opponent!

 

The hotel was lovely, and there was a small sandy beach nearby which was deserted at sunrise.  The sea was the perfect temperature for a swim!  The Malta Scrabble club had arranged a meal out and a tourist day, and those were a lot of fun too.   I’d definitely recommend it if you fancy some winter sunshine!

 

 

 

One of my games – I didn’t challenge IFFS – I should have, it’s invalid!

 

These statistics cover the year running from the beginning of October 2022 to the end of September 2023.   Results are overleaf.  Winners were as follows:

Best improver for 2022-2023:     1st Maureen Barlow

2nd Maire Bennett

3rd Keith Radbourn

 

Quarterly improver prizes:          Q1: Martin Stephens

Q2: Maureen Barlow

Q3: Gillian Cranston

Q4: Deborah Porter

 

Winter League:                          Division 1: Richard Spencer

Division 2: Fiona Titcombe

Division 3: Martin Stephens

 

The All-play-All:                         Group A: Graham Harding

Group B: Fiona Titcombe

Group C: Sharon Hewitt

Group D: Charles Parker  

 

Handicap:                                 Graham Harding

 

Highest game scores were:

·       618       Graham Harding

·       598       Graham Harding

·       596       Helen Harding

·       589       Graham Harding

·       588       Graham Harding

·       576       Wanda de Poitiers

·       575       Graham Harding

·       573       Graham Harding

·       571       Richard Spencer

·       569       Wanda de Poitiers

·       565       Graham Harding

·       563       Richard Spencer

·       558       Richard Spencer

·       556       Helen Harding

·       552       Helen Harding

·       551       Fiona Titcombe

Other players scoring over 500 points in a game were: Peter Tart (highest score: 518) and Pat Llanwarne (516).

 

The highest single moves were:

·       131       ASTEROID            Graham

·       118       JINGOES            Fiona

·       116       BITTERS            Helen

·       114       FADEINS            Wanda

·       113       SLITTERS            Joy

·       112       JOLTERS            Fiona

·       110       LAZIEST            Helen

·       109       RETAINS            Maire

·       108       SHOWIER            Pat

·       107       EGOTIZED            Graham

·       106       NOURISH            Gillian

·       104       CARDIES            Peter

·       104       METRICS            Graham

·       103       ZAIRE              Graham

·       101       WHOOPED            Graham

·       100       AMPUTEE            Hepzi

·       100       BARMIER            Helen

 

 

Name

Old Rating

New Rating

Rating Change

P

W

D

L

Average

Highest score

Highest ever

Maureen Barlow

121

137

16

121

69

0

52

352.4

476

528

Maire Bennett

73

84

11

124

27

0

97

288.5

390

448

Keith Radbourn

74

85

11

125

29

1

95

283.7

418

418

Graham Harding

169

178

9

159

132

0

27

432.6

618

661

Helen Harding

171

178

7

150

127

0

23

426.1

596

597

Michael Spencer

93

95

2

131

39

1

91

312.6

413

502

Fiona Titcombe

136

138

2

81

44

1

36

386.6

551

551

Wanda de Poitiers

156

156

0

131

89

0

42

414.7

576

592

Pat Llanwarne

149

148

-1

59

36

2

21

361.4

516

516

Charles Parker

111

107

-4

120

47

0

73

325.5

477

509

Richard Spencer

176

171

-5

130

101

1

28

436.1

571

625

Martin Stephens

103

97

-6

80

30

0

50

330.0

464

477

Joy Wade

121

109

-12

93

46

1

46

346.9

484

484

Hepzi Rodrigues

150

137

-13

79

44

0

35

366.7

499

554

                     

People with insufficient games (52, or an average of 1 per week) to qualify for best improver

Mary Twomey

96

99

3

4

1

0

3

285.3

316

316

Sharon Hewitt

143

141

-2

44

25

0

19

354.3

456

548

Peter Tart

136

127

-9

14

5

0

9

366.7

518

518

Deborah Porter

138

107

-31

38

13

0

25

340.2

441

542

                     

New members without a previous year's playing record

Gillian Cranston

 

101

 

50

17

0

33

346.6

448

448

Amanda Lowe

 

79

 

80

15

0

65

282.9

376

376

Jen Brennan

 

72

 

29

7

0

22

302.3

436

436

Paul Stanger

 

67

 

19

3

0

16

263.9

357

357

Ann Shaw

 

56

 

30

0

1

29

229.4

317

317

                     

Guests

                   

Jim Macey

 

141

 

3

2

0

1

360.7

388

388

Kate Lester

 

101

 

6

1

0

5

303.2

363

363

Gill Cheetham

 

86

 

5

1

0

4

254.8

340

340

 

 

 

Best improver for this part of the year is Deborah, ahead of Pat and Fiona.   Welcome to Jim Macey, who played at the club many years ago.

 

High-scoring words:

·       112       JOLTERS/SHALLOW    Fiona

·       99        INJURER                      Graham

·       92        FESTIER                      Graham

·       97        SNOOZED                    Graham

·       90        WHARFAGE                 Helen

·       89        PRISONS                     Graham

·       88        QOPH                          Graham

·       87        BUSTIER                      Maire

·       86        RENAILED                    Graham

·       82        CRUSADED                  Helen

·       81        ROISTER                     Maire

·       78        LINKERS                      Maire

·       78        SAIDEST                      Maire

·       76        AUNTIES                      Maire

·       74        TRUDGED                    Maire

·       72        REWARDS                   Keith

·       72        STROBES                    Keith

·       71        REMATES                    Maire

·       70        NASTIER                      Maire

·       70        WRESTLER                  Maire

Other words: WASTERS 68 Maire, RETINAS 65 Maire, LINTERS 63 Maire, RENTERS 64 Maire, TRANCES 64 Maire, RATTLER 63 Maire, FIELDERS 62 Maire, SENORAS 62 Maire, LINTERS 61 Maire NEARSIDE 58 Keith, TRAITOR 58 Keith

 

Many bonuses or high-scoring moves by one player in a game:

·       PINNION 70 (invalid!) TRUSTING 63 ACCORDED 74 BARONET 76 REALISTS 70   Graham

·       BAITING 97 OCEANIC SOONEST WHELPING                                                  Graham

·       ENRAGES 90 ATELIERS 69 TENTAGE 77 SHARABLE 80                                 Graham

·       EQUABLY 93 TWINGED 82 BRISANT 93 GREENEST 61                                   Graham

·       ERECTING 74 TENAILLE 70 DIABETIC 70 VEALIEST 76                                   Richard

·       GOATIES 70 SCARRING 74 SEINING 87 FRO 52                                              Helen

·       MOSAICS 109 ENTITLES 66 DEPUTED 66 AWA 50                                          Helen

·       NEARING 74 TRAWLED 83 PAINTED 80 STUDIOS 68                                      Graham

·       SCARRED 77 FINAGLES 80 CONKERS 76 SOREX 52                                      Wanda

·       SPINIER 73 ROUNDER 74 HORNIEST 61 ABETTING 86                                   Fiona

·       TREATING 80 STRAINS 66 CODETTA 73 OLDSTER 73                                    Richard

·       AIRHEAD 66 OUTRACES 63 DEACONS 70                                                       Fiona

·       ENTRANTS 70 UNRIVETS 62 SATIRISE 61                                                      Helen

·       FANFARES 68 TRIDENT 69 STOUTER 67                                                        Helen

·       HUSTLER 78 RUNLETS 73 RIDGIEST 72                                                          Helen

·       REVEALS 75 CAROUSES 70 TARTLETS 77                                                     Wanda

·       SUNNIER 71 HERBIEST 86 ANEURIN 63                                                          Wanda

·       TAJINES 112 NOSHING 98 ASSIGNER 113                                                      Helen

·       TONIEST 75 DERANGE 86 NATTERY 83                                                          Helen

·       TRIOLITE 59 OUTRANCE 74 LARDIEST 66                                                      Richard

·       TWINKLY 83 TAENITE 80 OPERATES 63                                                         Helen

·       VARIETY 83 TENDERS 85 ISOLATE 70                                                Helen

 

Other things:

·       New personal bests:      Amanda 376, Fiona 551

·       9-letter words:               QUEENLIER 54 Graham DERANGERS 39 Helen

 

 

Name

Old rating

New rating

Rating change

P

W

D

L

Average

Highest score

Highest ever

Deborah Porter

87

107

20

28

11

0

17

345.5

441

542

Pat Llanwarne

136

148

12

17

11

2

4

370.8

437

516

Fiona Titcombe

128

138

10

29

19

1

9

405.2

551

551

Sharon Hewitt

131

141

10

14

9

0

5

357.7

435

548

Helen Harding

169

178

9

43

37

0

6

432.5

556

597

Maureen Barlow

129

137

8

34

20

0

14

357.8

424

528

Graham Harding

172

178

6

45

37

0

8

441.0

618

661

Richard Spencer

168

171

3

37

27

1

9

418.1

540

625

Wanda de Poitiers

155

156

1

26

17

0

9

410.3

525

592

Charles Parker

111

107

-4

30

10

0

20

310.0

435

509

Hepzi Rodrigues

141

137

-4

18

10

0

8

358.2

462

554

Michael Spencer

101

95

-6

36

9

1

26

312.1

388

502

Joy Wade

116

109

-7

16

7

0

9

330.8

420

484

Keith Radbourn

94

85

-9

36

5

1

30

282.1

343

418

Maire Bennett

94

84

-10

27

5

0

22

282.8

387

448

Amanda Lowe

90

79

-11

28

5

0

23

287.9

376

376

Martin Stephens

113

97

-16

24

6

0

18

318.9

387

477

Insufficient games – a previous quarter’s results, or 13 games in a quarter, needed to qualify

Gillian Cranston

115

101

-14

11

2

0

9

329.7

407

448

Jen Brennan

91

72

-19

2

0

0

2

257.5

280

436

Jim Macey

 

141

2

3

2

0

1

360.7

388

388

Ann Shaw

56

 

0

0

0

0

0

 

 

317

Mary Twomey

99

 

0

0

0

0

0

 

 

430

Kate Lester

101

 

0

0

0

0

0

 

 

363

 

A big thank you to everyone who helped at the Bracknell Wellness Day today (Wanda, Deborah, Hepzi, Joy, Amanda) .

Lots going on, yoga, tai chi, silent discos, Scottish Dancing, glass painting.

Here are a couple of photos we took including the 'star' of the day, assistance dog Ned - who said 'hello' to everyone there!