The annual Liverpool tournament took place on 29-30th July.  52 players entered including about ten from the Manchester Club.  Saturday was a qualifying Swiss tournament.  Only George Hall and Peter Snape managed to reach the main final (George beating John Slattery on the way). Neither of them lasted long on the Sunday in the knock out phase.  We had more success in the consolation with Brian Lever winning against Jim Davis.  In the last chance Rodney Lighton reached the semi-finals and in the 1-pointer Peter Snape won.

As usual Pam Wright and helpers provided splendid refreshments and an excellent tournament was enjoyed by all.
Thanks to Lucy and Simon Jones, Peter Chan, Adrian Jones, Pam, John Wright and family for running the event.

Another good turn out for our annual one day competition,  52 entered and 50 managed to wake up in time to get to the tournament.

A buffet lunch was provided by a local catering company as part of the entry fee and a buffet tea was served by Lorraine.

Players mainly from the North and Midlands competed with contingents from the Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, York and Huddersfield clubs.  

A five round Swiss tournament of 5 pointers in the afternoon qualified 16 players for the main final (all those who won 5 or 4 matches in the afternoon plus a random selection of 7 from 17 who won 3 matches).  The main final  was 5 pointers in the first two KO rounds followed by 7 pointer semis and final.  Adrian Jones and David Wallbank won all their qualifying matches.  The remaining players who stayed (31) played in a 5 point KO for the consolation.  A 3 point last chance was held for those unlucky enough to lose early.

Ian Turner from Liverpool (who won an intermediate prize last year) emerged as the Champion, beating David Motley from Birmingham in the final.  

The consolation was won by Peter Snape from Manchester who beat Yorkshire's Paul Barwick in the last final to finish some 12 hours after we started.  At one point in the final Peter, leading 3-1, doubled with a 83-91 pip lead in a straight race.  Was this too early?  The remaining spectators thought so and so did Paul Barwick who grabbed the cube and shipped it back at 4.  To no avail though, Peter held on to his racing lead and won quickly.

Birmingham's Matthew Fisher took advantage of a buy back (after kicking hemself for losing an earlier 3 point match to Rodney Lighton when he got excessively greedy playing for a gammon that was virtually certain anyway) to beat York's Kevin Stebbing.  

The 64 entry 1 point KO ran throughout the day and Bolton's Alan Greenwood (one of the oldest competitors) was clearly delighted to win.

It was good to see some young competitors playing.  18 year old Ellie Lighton acquitted herself well winning 2 out of 5 in the afternoon and reaching the last eight in the consolation.  Even younger Miles Chadwick (aged 12) got his first experience of tournament backgammon playing twice in the 1 pointer.

An enjoyable day was had (but next year I'm banning drinks from the playing tables!).

Congratulations to Ron Havenhand who was runner up at the BIBA Slattery Scottish Open in Coventry on March 5th.
He was 9-6 ahead in the final against Tim Line, before losing 11-9.  This is Ron's second runner-up prize at BIBA.