The Nick Ashley Trophy, Lent Term 1999

Contents

• The rules
• The participants
• The results
  • The Final
  • Sarah Gamp League
    • League table
    • Match results table
    • Chronological list of match results
  • Wilkins Micawber League
    • League table
    • Match results table
    • Chronological list of match results
  • Augustus Snodgrass League
    • League table
    • Match results table
    • Chronological list of match results

The rules

The Nick Ashley Trophy is a singles league competition. That is each player plays a match consisting of a number of games of singles against every other player in their league. The league winners then play some sort of a final. Simple really. Well perhaps I should be a little more explicit.

(When I say 'I' I mean me, Tim Hunt. I am running this tournament and what I say goes. That's the most important rule of all.)

Dividing the competition into leagues

15 people have expressed an interest so the qualifying will consist of three leagues of five people. People have been seeded into leagues according the their placing in last term's tournament. People who did not play last term will be inserted into the order according to their performance at the Cambridge Open. That is I will take their Cambridge Open P.P.G., subtract 1 P.P.G., then subtract 1/7 of a P.P.G. for each round they missed, and compare that with the P.P.G.s from last term's Nick Ashley.

The winner of each league, along with the runner up with the highest P.P.G. (the fastest donkey-doodah as we call it) will then play a 4 player league to decide the overall winner.

When matches may be played

All matches from the qualifying leagues must be played and all results must be reported before the penultimate meeting of term. That is 8:00pm Wednesday 3rd March. A four player all-play-all takes 3 rounds and so it should be possible to fit this in to one evening with a bit of luck. This will enable the results to be announced while there are still people around who might be interested. Also, conveniently, it should ensure that the winner is announced in Queens' Bar. It is convenient because I am sure that the winner will feel inclined to do a quick amigos and there is bound to be beer on hand. You might like to know that the trophy is a quart tankard. Just think, your entire Relle entry qualification in one fell swoop!

Matches should be played at a time agreed by the two contestants. It is up to the players to agree a mutually convenient time. If a match is not played by the relevant deadline then both players will loose the match with nil points. Of course we could all churlishly refuse to find a convenient time to play Patrick just to make sure he looses, but I am sure that we are above such behaviour. Well if you think that someone is trying to pull this trick on you then rant at me and I will try ranting at them or possible take even more extreme action.

The only other rule about the timing of matches is that they may not be played between 8:00pm and 11:59pm on a Wednesday. We all have much more important winking to do then.

Note that there is no reason why the whole match has to be played in one session

The format of a match

Each match should consist of two games of singles winks. The scores from the 2 games are added together and the one with the most points wins. This is rather like the World Singles, only smaller. In fact the winner of the match is largely irrelevant because the final outcome of the league will be decided on P. P. G. but in the case of a tie I will wear a tie and the tie-break shall be number of matches won.

I would suggest that colours and corners are chosen at random for the first game and that you keep the same colours but swap corners for the second game. Alternatively you could use the 'winner of the squidge off plays yellow' convention. You are of course entitled to mutually agree any other choice of colours and corners, but if you can't agree you must use one of the above set-ups.

There is also a potential problem if you are playing without an umpire available. Should a disagreement occur you are required to attempt to behave like responsible adults. If this proves impossible then toss a coin.

I expect that if people get really petulant we could end up with half-hour rants about which mat to use (like that world singles in the Castle between Dave Lockweed and Geoff Myers). If this happens either grow up or each choose a mat for one of the games. You might like to sort this out when arranging the match time.

Recording results

Results should be sent to Tim Hunt (tjh1000@cam.ac.uk). It would be most convenient if you could E-mail them to me, but otherwise give them to me written on a bit of paper. The winner of the match is responsible for reporting the result, but there is no harm in both players informing me. I will try to keep an up-to-date league table and a copy of the results of all matches played on this page.

Finally

If you can think of anything I have overlooked in these rules then please let me know. Kindly bear in mind that this competition is meant to be fun so all participants are requited to (try to) enjoy themselves.

The participants

Here is a list of the players, in seeding order:

The Results

The Final

So Phil Carmody won.

The league table at 3/3/99: Sarah Gamp league

The table of match results: Sarah Gamp league

Chronological list of matches: Sarah Gamp league

(Actually in reverse chronological order.)

Wednesday 3rd March, in the Erasmus Room. Andrew Garrard beat Stew Sage 7*-0*, 2*-5*.

Sunday 28th February, in the Erasmus Room, Queens' College. Andrew Garrard beat Tim Winchcomb 4-3, 6-1. Matt Fayers beat Andrew Garrard 5-2, 5-2. Stew Sage beat Kristina Rällsjö 6-1, 6-1. Tim Winchcomb beat Kristina Rällsjö 5-2, 4 1/2 - 2 1/2. Andrew Garrard beat Kristina Rällsjö 4-3, 4-3.

Saturday 27th February, in the Angevin Room, Queens' College. Stew Sage beat Tim Winchcomb 4-3, 7*-0*.

Sunday 21st February. Matt Fayers beat Kristina Rällsjö 6-1, 6-1.

Saturday 30th January, in the Erasmus Room, Queens' College. Matt Fayers beat Stew Sage 6-1, 2-5. Matt Fayres beat Tim Winchcomb 7*-0*, 7*-0*.

'You may well say second nater, sir,' returned that lady. 'One' first ways is to find sich things a trial to the feelings, and so is one's lasting custom. If it wasn't for the nerve a little sip of liquor gives me (I never was able to do more than taste it), I never could go through with what I sometimes has to do. "Mrs Harris," I says, at the very last case as ever I acted in, which it was but a young person, "Mrs Harris," I says, "leave the bottle on the chimley-piece, and don't ask me to take none, but let me put my lips to it when I am so dispoged, and then I will do what I'm engaged to do, according to the best of my ability." "Mrs Gamp," she says, in answer, "if ever there was a sober creetur to be got at eighteen pence a day for working people, and three and six for gentlefolks-- night watching,"' said Mrs Gamp with emphasis, '"being a extra charge--you are that inwallable person." "Mrs Harris," I says to her, "don't name the charge, for if I could afford to lay all my feller creeturs out for nothink, I would gladly do it, sich is the love I bears 'em. But what I always says to them as has the management of matters, Mrs Harris"'--here she kept her eye on Mr Pecksniff--'"be they gents or be they ladies, is, don't ask me whether I won't take none, or whether I will, but leave the bottle on the chimley-piece, and let me put my lips to it when I am so dispoged."'

From chapter 19, Martin Chuzzlewit, by Charles Dickens.

The league table at 2/3/99: Wilkins Micawber league

The table of match results: Wilkins Micawber league

Chronological list of matches: Wilkins Micawber league

(Actually in reverse chronological order.)

Tuesday 2nd March, in Robinson College. Chris Abram and Anthony Proietti drew 6-1, 1-6. Christine Wiggins beat Chris Abram 4 1/2 - 2 1/2, 6-1.

Saturday 27th February, in the Angevin Room. Christine Wiggins beat Antony Proietti 6-1, 6*-1*.

Tuesday 23rd February, in the Bowett Room. Tim Hunt beat Christine Wiggins 6*-1*, 2-5.

Sunday 7th February, in the Castle. Tim Hunt beat Antony Proeitti 6-1, 7*-0*. Christine Wiggins beat Anthony Horton 7*-0*, 7*-0*. Antony Proietti beat Anthony Horton 4-3, 5-2.

Saturday 30th January, in the Erasmus Room, Queens' College. Tim Hunt beat Anthony Horton 7*-0*, 6-1. Chris Abram beat Anthony Horton 6-1, 6*-1*.

Monday 25th January, in the Castle. Tim Hunt beat Chris Abram 5 1/2 - 1 1/2, 7* - 0*.

'Emma, my love,' said Mr. Micawber, clearing his throat in his magnificent way, 'my friend Mr. Thomas Traddles is so obliging as to solicit, in my ear, that he should have the privilege of ordering the ingredients necessary to the composition of a moderate portion of that Beverage which is peculiarly associated, in our minds, with the Roast Beef of Old England. I allude to - in short, Punch. Under ordinary circumstances, I should scruple to entreat the indulgence of Miss Trotwood and Miss Wickfield, but-'

'I can only say for myself,' said my aunt, 'that I will drink all happiness and success to you, Mr. Micawber, with the utmost pleasure.'

'And I too!' said Agnes, with a smile.

Mr. Micawber immediately descended to the bar, where he appeared to be quite at home; and in due time returned with a steaming jug. I could not but observe that he had been peeling the lemons with his own clasp-knife, which, as became the knife of a practical settler, was about a foot long; and which he wiped, not wholly without ostentation, on the sleeve of his coat. Mrs. Micawber and the two elder members of the family I now found to be provided with similar formidable instruments, while every child had its own wooden spoon attached to its body by a strong line. In a similar anticipation of life afloat, and in the Bush, Mr. Micawber, instead of helping Mrs. Micawber and his eldest son and daughter to punch, in wine-glasses, which he might easily have done, for there was a shelf-full in the room, served it out to them in a series of villainous little tin pots; and I never saw him enjoy anything so much as drinking out of his own particular pint pot, and putting it in his pocket at the close of the evening.

From chapter 27, David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens.

The league table at 28/2/99: Augustus Snodgrass league

The table of match results: Augustus Snodgrass league

Chronological list of matches: Augustus Snodgrass league

(Actually in reverse chronological order.)

Saturday 27th February, in the Angevin Room. Patrick Driscoll beat John Haslegrave 5-2, 4-3.

Thursday 19th February, in the Castle. Phil Carmody beat John Haslegrave 6-1, 6-1. John Haslegrave beat James Murray 2-5, 6-1. John Haslegrave drew against Pete Keevash 6-1, 1-6. Phil Carmody beat Patrick Driscoll 6-1, 4 1/2 - 2 1/2. Patrick Driscoll beat James Murray 6-1, 5-2. Pete Keevash beat Patrick Driscoll 4 1/2 - 2 1/2, 6-1.

Saturday 30th January, in the Erasmus Room, Queens' College. James Murray beat Pete Keevash 6*-1*, 5 1/2 - 1 1/2. Phil Carmody beat Pete Keevash 2-5, 6-1. Phil Carmody beat James Murray 2 1/2 - 4 1/2, 6-1.

'is anything the matter?' inquired the three ladies.

'Nothing the matter,' replied Mr. Pickwick. 'We--we're--all right.--I say, Wardle, we're all right, ain't we?'

'I should think so,' replied the jolly host.--'My dears, here's my friend Mr. Jingle--Mr. Pickwick's friend, Mr. Jingle, come 'pon --little visit.'

'Is anything the matter with Mr. Snodgrass, Sir?' inquired Emily, with great anxiety.

'Nothing the matter, ma'am,' replied the stranger. 'Cricket dinner--glorious party--capital songs--old port--claret--good --very good--wine, ma'am--wine.'

'It wasn't the wine,' murmured Mr. Snodgrass, in a broken voice. 'It was the salmon.' (Somehow or other, it never is the wine, in these cases.)

From chapter 8, The Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens.

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