NZ VICTORIOUS OVER OZ IN WORDPLAY BATTLE
New Zealand today won the 2000 Trans Tasman Scrabble Challenge against Australia by 154.5 wins to 133.5. The margin of 21 games was decisive and the Aussies were not really in the hunt on the final day.
Kendall Boyd was Trans Tasman Champion winning 18/24 games. Australia's Paul Cleary (17) and Bob Jackman (15) filled the minor places. 18 year-old Ed Oculicz from Queensland came fifth in his first international major - a rising star of the Scrabble circuit.
Some fine plays included Mike Sigley's GEODETIC (relating to the measurement of the earth) Bob Jackman's POTASHED (coated with potash) and Jeff Grant's WEDELNS (sideways movements in skiiing).
In a game in which the gods can sometimes play strange tricks I encountered the fickleness of the tile bag against Peter Sinton today. Trailing by 20 points with no tiles remaining and Q-U-I-S-J-E-H on my rack I was aghast to see Peter score 140 for CATTIEST and then collect an extra 52 points for my leftover letters - a turnaround of 192 on the last move!
Congratulations to all the Kiwi wordsmiths on their splendid effort.
Final Top 12 Standings (Day 3)
| # |
Player (Country) |
Score |
| 1. |
Kendall Boyd (NZ) |
18/24 |
| 2. |
Paul Cleary (Aust) |
17/24 |
| 3. |
Bob Jackman (Aust) |
15/24 |
| 4. |
Mike Sigley (NZ) |
15/24 |
| 5. |
Edward Oculicz (Aust) |
15/24 |
| 6. |
Patrick Carter (NZ) |
14/24 |
| 7. |
Howard Warner (NZ) |
13/24 |
| 8. |
Jeff Grant (NZ) |
13/24 |
| 9. |
John Foster (NZ) |
13/24 |
| 10. |
Roger Blom (Aust) |
13/24 |
| 11. |
Glennis Hale (NZ) |
13/24 |
| 12. |
Lynne Butler (NZ) |
12.5/24 |
*****
Older News From 25 November 2000:
NZ STAVES OFF OZ CHALLENGE ON DAY TWO
Inspired by a great individual performance by world number eleven Kendall Boyd (NZ) in winning 7 from 8, New Zealand still leads Australia by 101 wins to 91 as the contest enters its final day. Just as the Aussies mounted a challenge to trail by 6 at lunch time the Kiwis won round 15 by 8 to 4 to keep the locals at bay. In total each country won 48 games each on the second day. Australia will have to win 10 more games than NZ on Day 3 to equalise, or 12 more to win.
Kendall Boyd (NZ) leads the individual performances following a 1 point victory over Bob Jackman in Round 16. Paul Cleary is the leading Australian performer. Also outstanding is the 10 wins out of 16 by Edward Okulicz (Aus) in his first international event.
Many of the games were nip-and-tuck battles with a few points deciding the outcome.
John Foster (NZ) scored 176 for DECISIVE against Bob Jackman. Surprisingly this move was not decisive because Bob still won the game! Glennis Hale (NZ) later scored 194 for EVICTION. Howard Warner's 592 against Alistair Kane is the highest game.
Howard Warner (NZ) bingoed out against me to win with RENVERST - an archaic form of 'reversed'. Some of the unusual words played today were KLISTERS by Bob Jackman (Aus) , John Foster's 5-tile overlap play MOIDORE - a Portuguese gold coin - (MOODIER didn't fit) and my ACEROLAS.
Top 7 Standings (Day 2)
| # |
Player (Country) |
Score |
| 1. |
Kendall Boyd (NZ) |
13/16 |
| 2. |
Paul Cleary (Aust) |
12/16 |
| 3. |
Bob Jackman (Aust) |
11/16 |
| 4. |
John Foster (NZ) |
10/16 |
| 5. |
Howard Warner (NZ) |
10/16 |
| 6. |
Edward Oculicz (Aust) |
10/16 |
| 7. |
Patrick Carter (NZ) |
10/16 |
- HIGH GAME: Howard Warner (592)
- HIGH WORD: Glennis Hale EVICTION (194)
*****
Older News From 24 November 2000:
KIWIS HAVE THEIR BEAKS IN FRONT
The New Zealand team leads Australia 53 wins 43 at the end of day one. In a seesawing contest the Enzedders lead by 10 games early in the day and held on to their margin. Patrick Carter (NZ) leads the individual contest on 7/8 with Paul Cleary (Aust) on 7/8 but second on spread.
Patrick missed a win against me (his only loss) by failing to spot the out play of YUM/NY/TUP/AMI. Highest game was Howard Warner's 592 and John Foster scored high word with DOGATES (107) - the domains of a doge - a chief magistrate in Venice and Genoa.
| 
Paul Cleary
|
Top 12 Standings (Day 1)
| # |
Player (Country) |
Score |
| 1. |
Patrick Carter (NZ) |
7/8 |
| 2. |
Paul Cleary (Aust) |
7/8 |
| 3. |
Bob Jackman (Aust) |
6/8 |
| 4. |
John Foster (NZ) |
6/8 |
| 5. |
Peter Sinton (NZ) |
6/8 |
| 6. |
Kendall Boyd (NZ) |
6/8 |
| 7. |
Mike SIgley (NZ) |
5/8 |
| 8. |
Jeff Grant (NZ) |
4/8 |
| 9. |
Glennis Hale (NZ) |
4/8 |
| 10. |
Howard Warner (NZ) |
4/8 |
| 11. |
John Holgate (Aust) |
4/8 |
| 12. |
Ed Oculicz (Aust) |
4/8 |
Play continues at 8.30 tomorrow 24/11 at the Downtowner.
*****
Older News From 21 November 2000:
SETTING THE SCENE
The TransTasman Challenge is one of the highlights of the International Scrabble calendar. It matches the best twelve players in Australia against the top twelve in New Zealand.
Australia won the inaugural series in Sydney in 1996. The Kiwis had their revenge in Auckland in 1998 winning comfortably with the help of the brilliant Nigel Richards (absent from this year's team). | 
Kiwis David Lloyd and defending
Trans-Tasman champion Peter Sinton
warm up for the battle. |
Play starts at 8.30 am (EST) this Friday at the Downtowner (66 Lygon St, Carlton) in Melbourne. It's a three day tournament. Each player plays two games against each member of the opposite team - 22 games in all. The best individual performance earns the title of Trans Tasman Champion. The Mind Sports Zine will provide daily reports.
Australia New Zealand rivalry is friendly but intense in all sports and the TransTasman has been christened the Bledisloe Cup of Words1.
Players to watch are the current Australian Champion Paul Cleary and 12-time New Zealand champ Jeff Grant. With Nigel Richards missing and enjoying a home ground advantage the Aussies will start slight favourites.
FOOTNOTES:
1 The Bledisloe Cup is an annual Rugby Union match between the New Zealand Kiwi's and Australia's Wallabies.
|
